Oh, Baby! - Completed!

After only about 10 hours, we have another completed project. I have plans to make a second one, with slightly different motifs and colors likely, by May. And I will be pin stretching this one tonight.

Oh, Baby! - Update 2

One thing about small projects and only one color - they fly by!

Oh, Baby! - Update 1

My next project is a birth announcement for a coworker. I am using the motifs and alphabet from the Lizzie Kate design, "Oh, Baby!" I believe the fabric is antique white 16 ct Aida. I am using DMC 127, which is a steel-blue looking variegated limited edition, created especially for the 30th anniversary of Just CrossStitch magazine.

Elemental Cosmos - COMPLETED

I officially finished this project yesterday afternoon! It was not completed without some floss drama, however, as I ran out of 820 on the last 40 stitches or so to go. I was probably the first man in history to be waiting, alone, to get into the JoAnn Fabrics right as the doors opened.

At any rate, this one is completed save for the framing. Next project is already up and running - post as time permits today.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 23

Two more sections to fill in! And one, as you can already see, is already well underway because of the nearness of the colors in the pattern (I hate making a half dozen stitches with a fresh thread to just have to put it away...)

Elemental Cosmos - Update 22

Got to stitch yesterday sitting outside at a picnic table under a shady oak tree. if anyone asks you what the best light to stitch on black aida is, tell them it is natural light at dusk. None of my lights create this, and I had no problem seeing the grid on the canvas. Plus, it was beautiful outside.

In addition, I got to give my gift to its recipient yesterday, during a welcome work break of strawberry shortcake and strawberry pizza (fresh Plant City strawberries, too). It was very well received, and she has a place ready for it in her RV.

Finally, big swaths of the same color = lots done quickly.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 21

Not much new except that Page 4 is now officially in the books. Only Page 2 remains.

Home is Where You Hook Up

So I finally got the project that I took to be framed back. It looks pretty good. But it makes me realize I need to start practicing to frame these myself.

Tomorrow I will give it to the recipient during a get together at work.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 20

And what a weird busy weekend it was. Not as much progress as hoped. but still slowly filling is bottom to top.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 19

Catching up on housework did not keep me from making progress last night. And since I did all my chores, I will have more time tonight to stitch.

I have gotten a lot of questions about the pattern. I do wish someone would market it again for sale - based on the feedback I get, I think it would sell quite well.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 18

Well, if the circle looks oblong, don't worry - it is. It has been looking taller than wider for a while to me, but I wanted to see how it looked as a complete "circle." Then I looked at the pattern - the circle part is roughly 140Hx130W. I don't mind it - it is just the way it is. And it is still complete, for those who require a circle to be closed.

Anyway, you can see all that is left to complete for the pattern.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 17

Well, waiting while the car was being fixed certainly gave me time to stitch. not a lot. And I had to redo a section of the circle because I left out two rows. but the star and circle could be completed tonight.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 16

Great weekend! Page 3 is complete, and Page 4 will be soon to follow. That will leave the bulk of Page 2 to complete. I should not have to move the project in the q-snap again before I complete it. I will probably not do the back stitching - I don't see any value added, though I may change my mind.

Went to the Market Sale at our local/regional cross stitch store, The Crafty Framer. The owners came back with a lot of new and very cool items from their annual buying trip a few weeks ago, and the store was fairly bursting with new items and old friends. I did pick up several items, won a door prize (more stash) and then got even more stash just for purchasing! I will post the items I bought on a separate page.

Finally, the project I took to have framed came back wrong - either it was measured improperly when I ordered it and we all missed it or something else. Anyway, it remains to be framed. I need to get a hold of the person it is for and rearrange a pick up meeting date with them. Next week at the earliest...sigh.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 15

Looking forward to the weekend so I can get in a solid few hours of stitching. Should finish Page 3 this weekend, and hopefully the rest of the bottom part of the circle I am working on. Also going to a market Day at our local (well sort of local, let's go with "regional") craft store Sunday - The Crafty Framer!

Elemental Cosmos - Update 14

Busy days/evening the last two days, so I haven't accomplished as much as I would prefer to have accomplished. nevertheless, I wanted to get up a new status image. I admit, part of it is because I like to scroll through them and get the time-lapse photography effect.

ADD IP RESTRICTIONS OR ENABLE VALID NODE CHECKING

I am currently in the process of implementing several items out of the Secure Configuration Guide for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 document (MOS 403537.1). As I am researching items and testing them against our development and test instances, I am running into items that were not included in the instructions that were discovered through trial and error.

We will start with adding IP restrictions to the database listener. This is not a bad idea, especially if you keep abreast and current of any new machines that would need to access your database. The instructions say this:

"Middle-tier applications include web servers, forms servers, concurrent managers, discoverer, terminal
servers, central administrator machines and any remote monitoring tool that uses SQL*Net."

You may use IP addresses or hostnames. You may also use IP addresses with wildcards, such as 1.1.1.*.

What they don't out and out specify is that this list of servers to add needs to include: the database server and your OEM server (if you use it).

Also, you must stop and start the database listener for these changes to take effect. The reload command will work as well (lsnrctl reload <LISTENER_NAME> - if you want an economy of command-line computing). A successfully restricted database listener will return an ORA-12547: TNS:lost contact message.

Elemental Cosmos - Update 13

Nearly finished with the two sections before the large circle-piece at the bottom. And, even then, I could not resist extending the same color thread across the star to start filling it in since I already had it out and threaded. A few more stars, and a few more swirls.

Of course, I am doing all of this with the song "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" stuck in my head. Trying to flush that out with some classic Rush (Hemispheres and Hold Your Fire).

Elemental Cosmos - Update 12

Long weekend, now safely behind us. I was productive at a number of things, but I did manage to forward my progress with this pattern. The bottom of the circle/star is a lot of swirling blues, which I appreciate visually but I sometimes struggle with when stitching. I prefer large areas of one or two colors, not small areas of several colors. Hopping around for a few stitches here and there is time consuming - I just don't feel productive. And I tend to leave the fewest stitches required to the end of the area I am focusing on - less looking back and forth at the pattern. But it will be worth the effort.