The prize that nobody won

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the behaviour of a male -- either human or animal -- improves after the loss a certain part (or should I say two certain parts?) of their anatomy. They mellow. That's what they told me.

It is also a truth universally acknowledged that universal truths do not apply in the life of Annemarie de Vries. In my life, said males go stark-raving berserk and leave a trail of ruin and breakage. A heart (in the human male's case), and pottery, crockery, pretty little glass lamps, Jim Shore ornies and brand new sweaters in the animal's case, all within a week (well, not the heart). When I got home from my parents' this evening, this is what I encountered:

In my absence Pantoef must have searched the internet (the laptop showed the Wikipedia entry for Interrogation Practices. Thank goodness he didn't get as far as 'Chinese water torture' or what have you). I see a pattern developing, and it's not a pattern I like.

Now, cross stitch patterns I DO like, and what do you think I did? I just went ahead and ordered them. All of them. Including the new Goode Huswife Colonial Garden Book and the Just Nan Hootzi Humbug including the pin, because obviously, nobody could ever be happy again without it. Certainly not me.

I really must apologise for that silly competition I held last week. It was not a ploy to lure you to the comment section or anything, honestly. I really did think there would be one or two of you who would guess correctly. The thing is, I do really have a finished little something lying around doing nothing. Here it is:

My Favorite Kitten by Primitive Betty', stitched on 30 count Iced Cappuccino with the recommended DMC threads. I used the blue fabric you see in the background for the back and I did primitive-looking cross stitches in coffee-dyed DMC cotton thread all around the edge. The filling consists of birch shavings and the kitty smells heavenly of wood and coffee.

Don't you just luuuurve these primitive style finishes? They're a brilliant way to disguise the fact that you're a lousy sewer, although I must admit I found it quite difficult to go all primitive and not try to be as neat as possible (I'm a bit obsessively compulsively disordered of a perfectionist when it comes to my stitches).

Howsoever that may be, this little kitty is looking for a new home, and if you want to provide her with one the only thing you have to do this time is leave a comment to this post. I will announce the winner next Thursday (October 8th). Tell you what: if you win, I'll throw in the real life kitty, too. It's either that or the vivisectionist for him.

Yours torturedly,

Annemarie.