This is a "beaded" snowflake motif from Sue Fuller's A Potpourri of Patterns, but it isn't beaded. I was just using up thread on two shuttles that I wound for something else and then decided not to make. The turquoise is a Lizbeth thread and I found a knot right before the last round. I've decided to just document the problems I have elsewhere and then pass them on to the vendor. Doesn't matter who it is; they need to know the problems. The yellow was a different brand and I didn't have any problems with it.

The covered rock is done but it looks the same as the last time since all I did was come in closer underneath and finish off. I really want to make more now. Margaret advises that they are addictive!

What I really want to do though is get better with my drawing software. I know...I keep saying that but I haven't had time to get into it yet! I'm reluctant to pursue new ideas and patterns before I learn how to diagram better. I really do think diagrams are the international language that levels the field. They still involve some translation. I was looking at the Japanese book today and found one thing I'd really like to try but it took me awhile to figure the diagram out and I did only because the photo was clear enough for me to count segments in the motif. The diagram shows a series of the segment but there is a long line between the first 3 and the last one which means it's the same until the end....except there are no numbers to tell you how many to make so I had to count on the photo which showed one in white and one in black. No way to determine how many petals were on the black one! Thank goodness for the white version.

Once again I find a post languishing in drafts! I've been getting ready for a family thing at my house but we decided at the last minute almost to reschedule it. I'm glad because it poured down rain yesterday morning and was overcast all day but it has finally FINALLY cooled off! We certainly needed this most welcomed relief.

I have a friend in Vancouver, BC who sends Christmas greetings each year from he and his wife that features a huge group of stuffed animals sitting around at a Christmas party. I noticed they didn't have any sock monkeys and offered to contribute to their collection, which they accepted. Bad me....that was about three years ago! So I found a package of the work socks one night last week when I was cleaning and knew it was a sign to get this UFO (although not even started) taken care of. So I've sewn two of the three in the package and will make the other today. Two will go to my friends and I will keep the third. I still have to dress them. My grandma always dressed them and they were so adorable!

I noticed tons of updates this morning! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!