Sweet Temper and Sweet Kittens

Kittens have been coming and going lately -- five kittens have gone back to the shelter in the last week or two, and we have three new ones.  Ace (aka Prince Eric, above) was always the biggest in his litter of six, and so he was ready first.  He's having a good time at the shelter playing with lots of new friends, and I have no doubt he'll find a home soon.

Dear Smee was my little sweetheart, and when I go to visit him, he gets happy and purrs like crazy.  He was almost adopted yesterday by a young girl and her parents, but she decided on a girl kitty named "Grasshopper."  Smee won't be there long.  Gentle Ben (aka Dwarf) and Ursula are also back at the shelter waiting for their new families.  

Of course one of the downsides to having so many kittens around is that it makes it very difficult to stitch.  I'd sit down with my new sampler design, put on my cheaters, and immediately, I'd have a lap full of squiggly, rambunctious fuzz balls.  Still, I pushed through, and have a new sampler to present.  It is called ....

The Sweet Temper Sampler

The sampler is slightly larger than my Mercy Goodehart Sampler, and measures 301 by 297 stitches.  It was so much fun to work on.  When I design a sampler, I think of it from a stitcher's point of view, and give the chart lots of little surprises....

Like a heart-in-hand, spool and needle....

Or some pretty spiderweb roses....

Or a house tucked into the border.

I realized when I was stitching the sampler, that I gravitate to verses with the idea of humility.  This is an old verse I found and tweaked a bit.  I was going for a summery sampler in dusty colors.  The border seems to be a favorite element to those who have seen the sampler so far.  I also included the sentence: "Jesus wept."  As children, we all knew this (very short) Bible verse, and would joke about having "memorized" it.  I like the idea that it conveys the idea of humanity in Jesus -- that he had the same emotions that we do.

The design is available right now in my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/listing/192231314/the-sweet-temper-sampler-cross-stitch.  Separate listings for the linen and threads are also on my site.  Some of these items are on order, so if you order them now, you get first priority when they come in.

SUPPLIES:

40 count Creme Brulee Linen by R&R Reproductions

Au Ver a Soie Silks 1441, 3833, 2516, 4525, 3815, 2542, 2635, 3735 (2), 1814 and 4534

Needlepoint Silks 693, 333 and 203

Gloriana Silk Floss Vanilla, Hazelnut Dark, Antique Black and Spanish Moss

There are several specialty stitches: spiderweb roses, satin stitch, and Smyrna cross.  The rest is cross stitch over-two (there are no over-one areas.)  I hope you like it -- I LOVE IT!

Two of my new kittens were happy to have their pictures taken today (the third was very busy!)  Above is Cinder, and below is his sister Ella.  Cinder's two favorite things are to get his belly rubbed and clean someone's face.  He's very social and friendly.

Ella is a bit of a fuss-pot.  She has a LOT to say and likes everything just-so.  She's a beautiful diluted calico -- pale orange and pale grey with white.  These two have about a half a pound to gain.

Two of our flock will fly the coop next weekend -- Wendy (above) and her sister Ariel.  They've been good company the last two months or so, and it is always an amazing experience to see them grow and develop.  They leave my house about the time their ears get crazily big for their tiny little faces.

I hope you are enjoying summer so far -- we will be going to a blueberry farm this week to pick blueberries, and we've got corn, grapes, pumpkins, and sunflowers growing in the backyard (among other things.)  It's hot, but hey, it's summer!  A very good time of year.