Where are my scissors, laying tool, needle threader, etc.?

Have you ever noticed that when you are stitching stuff just disappears? I have had a couple of instances recently where my stitching accessories/thread have just up and left me. On Friday during Happy Hour at the shop I had several people helping me look for my -- product plug alert -- easy to use trolley needle (item 2820, $6.99). We could not find it anywhere. I looked under the chair, behind the curtains, under the cushions, in my pockets, under the coffee table, even under the carpet (a highly unlikey spot but hey I was desperate). Finally I just gave up. It was frustrating though because a.) I had already misplaced and then found my scissors earlier in the stitching session and b.) because both Dena and I had heard them land SOMEWHERE. When I went to clean up and put my stuff away I discovered that the trolley needle had fallen into the drawer of the table to my right -- don't ask me how, I guess that the drawer must have been open and maybe I wasn't looking where I put it. Who knows? That's not the point anyway. The point is that stitching stuff disappears.

It happened to me again on Saturday night. I was stitching on the water lily/koi fish project (more about that later) when I needed more of the pale mauve metallic thread and I could not find it anywhere. I had just been stitching with it and I looked and looked but could not find it. I tore apart the sofa/sleeper, tried everywhere I could think of (except strangely the drawer on the sofa table). I still didn't find it and as it was getting late I just wrote it off to sleepiness and took the dog out with Russell.

The next morning I found the mauve thread down in the store, right next to the cash register -- don't ask me why. Near as I can figure, I must have had some of the metallic thread in one of my needles already and then I used it up. Now as to why the thread was next to the cash register I have no idea.

Needless to say last night when I sat down to stitch I was extra careful to remember to put everything in the "right" spot. But of course then I forgot and placed the scissors next to me on the sofa and then I shifted my position and well, before you know it, the scissors had fallen between the cushions and ... you know the drill -- cushions everywhere, lots of cussing, sweat pouring down my brow, so on and so forth. Can you say frustration?

Now -- let's talk about that koi/lily project. I discovered while I was working on the previous blog entry that I have been looking at/working on my canvas UPSIDE DOWN. Can you believe that? How dumb can you get? Once I saw the canvas right side up you know it made a lot more sense. No longer are the lilies face down and the fish are now swimming upstream instead of downstream. So there you have it. The hazards of working on a canvas that is an abstracted version of reality. I am still going to work on it upside down -- I can't really turn it around because I am working the canvas in my hand and if I turn it around then I will be grasping the worked area of the canvas in my left hand -- not good. So, I'll keep going as I am and when I am done I will turn it around and be surprised.

In other news, we had a busy day at the shop on Sunday but not too busy for me to start another project! And this one is a big one. Dena, who works at the shop, brought in a huge canvas that she had custom-painted of Boat House Row and the Philadelphia skyline. It's a great canvas and she has all the thread (Patternayan) for it. She wants me to do all different stitches so I thought it would be fun for us to do it together though somehow I have a sneaky suspicion that I am going to be doing most of the work. When I will fit it in I have no idea but I told you I have multiple project personality.