Elemental Cosmos - Update 11

With page 1 finished, it is on to page 3 (I am working down instead of across). I had to shift the canvas in the q-snap, and the blue swirl that was part of the previous updates was out of place by a few stitches. I have since tried a second time, and keep screwing up the placement/count. So I have decided to complete the star before filling in the rest of that portion.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 10

I had a lot of time on my hands yesterday, so between then and this morning I finished the first page of the pattern. Well, all but the backstitching. I am going to save that for when i feel like dealing with it, though it is pretty straight forward on this pattern. Outline the ring and the star with black, outline the flames with garnet (310, 814).

How I Got Started - Cross Sttich

I started cross stitching almost 2 years ago. My mom has cross stitched and done needle point for as long as I can remember. She always seemed to be working on something. As a kid, I didn't pay a lot of attention. I knew what she had made for my brother and I, and other gifts to other people, but that was the limit of my interest. My grandmother had terrible arthritis in her fingers, and to keep her hands loose she did latch hook. My brother and I both got into that for a while. But eventually the novelty of it wore off and I didn't think about it again for a long time.

Fast forward more than 30 years. I grew to be a web developer and, now, an Oracle database administrator. I didn't study those things - I studied writing and have an MA in Medieval history. My hobbies were music (listening, not composing) and video games. I still like video games. I get addicted and quickly figure out how to beat them. However, I don't have anything to physically show for all of those hours. My friends know I can adapt quickly to most games, and they get a kick out of it (I think). But I started thinking it would be nice to have a hobby that I could easily share and wouldn't be limited to gamers.

I mentioned that I would like to try latch hook again. In February of '12 my mom came home from a shopping spree with my ex and my daughter and presented me with a latch hook kit. A dragonfly. I took to it almost at once, and I started buying and hooking a lot of kits. The more I did it, the more I realized that this was just a very low tech form of generating an image for a computer. Each stitch of the latch hook was basically a pixel on an image. As I started to make some patterns of my own, I saw that I would need very large latch hook canvases in order to make what some of the things I wanted to create. Most latch hook canvases are 3.75 stitches to the inch - some are 5 stitches to the inch. That makes for very large canvases in order to get the detail I wanted. So I started thinking about doing cross stitch.

In May of '12, after only 3 months of latch hooking, I got my mom to show me how to cross stitch. Mom has more patterns and kits stored away in her stash than she will be able to finish in her lifetime. She selected a few small, basic kits from those and I got started. I had purchased a dragonfly kit for my daughter, but I did not realize it was needle point. This was not a problem - the fact that the pattern was very flexible for someone used to a nice grid of stitches, and I put it away. I might be able to do it now, after 2 years, but I am color blind and I need the grid of stitches to show me where to put the stitch and the color required. The pattern provided was just an outline like a color by number. I found it difficult to envision.

So mom provided a duck listening to music with headphones. If it sounds silly, it was - but it had about 6 colors and also had its own hoop to center the provided canvas. I did it in an afternoon. Then a Winnie-The-Pooh. Then a printed canvas dinosaur (I am not a fan of printed canvas for the color blind reason above). And then it took off.

Like most crafters (I know that needle workers are not limited in this), I started collecting a stash almost immediately. I don't have more patterns and kits than I can finish in my lifetime - yet - but I am getting there. I love Halloween and Christmas patterns, and anything mystical or new age-ish. I am not a fan of flowery patterns, but I would do one for a gift. I also like making baby announcements. I think I like those because there have an inherent purpose aside from "something pretty."

I prefer to stitch with music playing. Anything I like listening to will do, but I prefer new age or classical. I can also stitch watching most TV shows, and football and baseball both lend themselves to stitching due to the pace of the game. Old movies I know by heart are good to stitch to as well. A good friend of mine, when we get together to stitch, will pop an old comedy into the DVD player that we have both seen hundreds of times and just quote it and laugh without looking up from our patterns much.

Anyway, that's how I got started. My work colleagues are used to seeing me with my crafting bag, so it doesn't draw as many stares as it used to. And they see that it definitely calms me down and provides some stress release. I am still a bit of a novelty, being a man that cross stitches. But that's OK.

Java and Oracle Forms

Once you have logged into Oracle Applications and move to one of their Java forms, the Applications Server will check to see which version of Java you are running. If it is not the same as what the Application Server believes you should have, it will ask you to download and install the version that the Application Server has. This version is NOT updated on the Application Server when a new version of Java is released - it must be handled manually. Please see MOS 393931.1 for instructions on how to do this. They are pretty thorough.

However, if you run a shop like ours, where multiple users could possible have multiple versions of Java, and updating the Java version on the Application server is not an option, there is a fix in MOS 393931.1 that will help.

Under the Known Issues section, and then under the Forms Launch Issues heading, is the following helpful piece of information: 

3. Different Users run different JRE Releases from Multiple JRE Streams

Here you will find the setting for your appsweb.cfg file that will tell the Application Server to not attempt to install Java if the client PC has ANY version of Java installed. Simple replace the setting as indicated in the document, and the client PCs will pick up the information the next time they attempt to access Oracle Forms. 

Of course, since appsweb.cfg is a file that is rewritten by autoconfig, this setting will need to be changed in the autoconfig process in order that it be rewritten properly should you need to autoconfig your EBS instance. 

This part, which is covered in MOS 387859.1, is documented well for how to actually change the setting...but not for where to FIND the file containing the setting to be changed. I guess it should have occurred to me, a relative DBA newbie, that the file required is the Context file. It didn't occur to me, so I did it the old fashioned way - I opened $ADMIN_SCRIPTS_HOME/adautocfg.sh and looked inside to find the file.

Of course, there it was right near the top:

CTX_FILE="<$INST_TOP>/appl/admin/<SID>_<SERVER_NAME>.xml

Elemental Cosmos - Update 9

Did not get to stitch this morning, as some fool got into an accident on one of the major arteries leading to work and flipped their car. I have little patience for people who cannot drive. Likely this was caused by some other idiot who felt they JUST HAD TO GET THERE FIRST...and the driver is included in that possibility.

So, aside from being grumpy at the people I must drive with every day, here is today's update. I did get a point of the star finished, and the next section of the circle is off to a good start. Hopefully lunch will provide more progress.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 8

Busy weekend, but I managed to accomplish a pretty good amount on this pattern. I did complete the portion of the circle I wanted to get done, and then some.

Also, I got the framing paid for for the RV project I mentioned a few weeks back. Hopefully it will arrive before the recipient goes on her 6 month trip.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 7

Terrible headache last night, so minimal stitching. One of those headaches that actually makes you nauseous. Still looking into causes, but I did manage to make a little progress - though finishing that section of the circle before the weekend is not going to happen. Maybe by the end of the weekend.

Still, even an hour of stitching is better than none at all.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 6

I did not get a lot accomplished, but I did get to use a couple of blues that I like. My goal is to complete that section of the circle by the weekend.

New Pattern Acquisition

I admit, I saw this pattern on a different cross stitch blog, and I just had to have it. I am sure I paid too much for it, but I am also sure I will make that back in terms of the fun I will have with the pattern possibilities.

It is only for making the board - it didn't come with all of the pieces to play the game. But, honestly, how cool would it be to recreate the deeds as plastic canvas? Or even using perforated paper? I have thought of creating board games as stitching projects since I started stitching (Settlers of Catan is one I would love to do all in plastic canvas).

Sure, I have a lot of other projects ahead of this one on my list, but this one is sure to be a lot of fun when I get to it.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 5

After being home sick for effectively two days sitting up waiting for my sinuses to drain, I was able to get a little accomplished. It always amazes me how well black stands out on a black canvas. 

Current Project - Update 4

After taking some time off to make the bib embroidery project in the previous post, I got back to my main project - Elemental Cosmos. I put a good part of the day into it Saturday, and after my morning stitching session before work I was at this point:

I did have to shift the canvas in the q-snap (11 ") so that I could reach the top of the star. As with most project, I realized after a good start that I had stitching the long end of the project across the short length of the canvas. I am worried there won't be enough room to frame it properly, but I think my pin stretching skills will be up to the task. Next time I do this project (I am not adverse to doing the same thing more than once) I will pay more attention.

I did take progress shots, and I am listing them in descending order below.

 

Embroidery

So, last week a coworker discovered she had ordered a bib as a birth gift that actually required stitching to complete. So she called me up and asked if I could look at a cross stitch project and if I could do it.

I get up there and it is an embroidery stitching project, not cross stitch.

I had never done embroidery before (I have only been cross stitching for just under 2 years) and I was a little intimidated. I asked a good stitching friend her opinion, and as we talked I realized it was just back stitching without a grid. The lines were printed on the bib, so all I had to do was cover those. I set the bib up in my 8" q-snap and started. About 3 hours later, I had this:

I started with the wrong color right off the bat. not knowing how to fix embroidery, I just changed the colors for other things. I have an odd sense of fairness, and since the helicopter was supposed to be blue and the plane the gray, I just went with the gray for the helicopter and made the plane green since the green was relegated to support roles.

I did receive a nice thank you from the coworker, who CC'd both her director and mine, for my work.

Current Project - Update 3

Well, this morning I was forced to work around an error I made with one of the orange colors while I was working with one of the pink colors. It isn't really noticeable  and I am pretty sure the stitch count is still right. But it irks me anyway. But trying to undo and redo stitching irks me, too. I will just have to deal with it.

I have most of the day tomorrow to myself, so I will get quite a bit of stitching done. Throw open the windows since it should be beautiful out, crank some music that would annoy most people, and get to it.

Current Project - Update 2

OK. Back on track. Got in some stitching last night before bed and this morning before work. Having all of the colors helps; as you can see I am filling in with them now.

I also got my new issue of Just CrossStitch magazine last night in the mail. I know it is spring, I know it is Easter, and I know I am one of few men who practice this craft. BUT...there are way too many damn flower patterns in this issue. The Easter eggs are cute - I still want to do the two Easter patterns from last years' issue so now I have added to that list.

INV: DEBUG Information (Oracle)

I am fighting with a scanner/inventory issue here at work. The problem is that the scanner is taking upwards of a minute per transaction, which is unacceptable, especially when performing an inventory.

This document (INV DEBUG: How to get Debug Information for Inventory Material Transactions [ID 148651.1]) was extremely helpful in setting up the proper paths and settings to get the debug file to be created and populate.

Frustration

It bothers me to not be able to stitch...especially when I have set time aside for it. This morning I had to go back to the house to get something I left behind. That wiped out my normal morning stitch. Afternoon meeting cut lunch stitching short. Work has driven me nuts today with about a billion different things all coming to a head at once.

On the plus side, though, I did pick up the rest of the floss i need for the Elemental Cosmos pattern. AND I realized that I accidentally used the same symbol twice (for two different colors of course) on the pattern when I transcribed it into PC Stitch, so I was able to fix that as well.

Rainy afternoon. Daughter tonight. It must be looking up.

Current Project - Update 1

I started the Witches Stitches pattern, Elemental Cosmos, on 9-FEB-2014. I have had the pattern for about a year, and clearing up other projects allowed me to start this one. I am actually pretty excited about it - I love to work on black canvas. I took the time to enter the pattern into my copy of PC Stitch, and I will likely transfer a pdf version of the pattern to my iPad and use the iPad instead of a paper copy of the pattern.

This is my progress as of right now:

Looks kind of art deco, if I were to leave it as a finished project right now. The blank spaces are because I didn't have the threads yet for the colors as I radiated out from the center. Need to pick those up tonight.

I finished this for a (now former) coworker as a retirement gift. As you might guess from the project, she retired to go RVing. The pattern was a lot of run to do, especially since I am color blind and the trees, well, never looked like trees as I was creating them. more like green blobs.

Framing is next. And then delivery, of course.

At any rate, this is the first completed project of 2014 (started 1-DEC-2013 and completed 8-FEB-2014).