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Friday, 20 February 2026

Friday 20th February - learning through Experience

 Over the past couple of months it's become  more and more obvious that I need to be more considered in how I expend my energy through the day. Otherwise 'getting things done' in the morning results in me turning into a flopped heap all afternoon!

As part of cutting myself some slack at the moment, I'm not moving heaven and earth to blog every day, which is why I'm missing a day from time to time.

One almost non-negotiable, however, is to try to achieve a figure of 2000 on my step counter, however I arrive at it - chopping veg, playing the piano, walking, or just marching on the spot.

My 'journey' from Nazareth to Jerusalem has moved along a couple of miles. The view isn't very spectacular, much as I expected as I appear to be travelling along a main road, with no view points or places of interest. I don't expect these hills have changed much in 2000 years,

but the other side of the road is certainly modern!


.....

About that learning from experience;

I've learned a useful lesson from getting the crazy stitch book.

 I already follow the blogs pintangle.com and stitching life.uk, and it seems to me that all I need to do is get a piece of fabric and some threads and a few bits and pieces from stash and make a start. 

Pintangle teaches all the stitches in the free weekly 'tast' - take a stitch Tuesday -  posts, and 'The Stitching Life' gives a framework for creating a piece of daily stitching.  

By buying a book or a kit I'm just being lazy and buying stuff I don't really need, and that ultimately is not what is good for me.

I think at some stage soon I'll assemble a few bits and pieces in my (yet to be created) 'analogue bag' of pick up and go crafts to do my own, as-and-when, rather than daily, sampler.

Right. Now to finish today's 2000 steps along my virtual journey and see where that takes me!

20 comments:

  1. I love the attitude of making art from what you have. It's so much more satisfying than having all the fun already done by a kit designer.

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    1. Oh, the attraction of a dinky little kit, everything included... a bit like those cake mixes that when you get to make them need eggs, and butter, and milk all added... hardly worth buying the mix at all. Hey ho, 'no such thing as a free lunch', as they say!

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    2. The attraction to me was that each stitch was labeled. Yes, I can make up my own book, I can look up how to do the stitches, I can probably do the stitches, but having a printed pattern to sew over and a neat label printed beside it and all of it sewn into a neat book would make it so much nicer. The labelling was the most important part.

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    3. I agree... that's the bit I'm thinking about how to manage...

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  2. I truly believe that walking a few steps every day is essential, ideally with a short stroll. And surprisingly, not many people do this... and consequently, many people walk poorly.
    So keep it up! 2000 steps – excellent!
    And playing the piano is definitely high on the list of positive creative activities. Yes.
    I'm curious to see how your embroidery project develops. I wish you much enjoyment and send you my warmest regards.

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    1. The home-made kit is low on my list of priorities but I've been watching Karen Turner's daily stitching for several years now with a desire to do something similar.

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  3. I love sending for kits and books and part works, but they rarely deliver on their promise and nine times out of ten, I'm better off doing it myself - the scarf that I recently finished is a case in point. The lesson hasn't sunk it.
    I hope that you can get the stitches together. It looked so tempting if you could ignore all the errors.
    Good luck with the 2000 steps. Thank you for sharing the views, even if they weren't picturesque. I guess it makes it feel more real.

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    1. 'Deliver us from temptation ', and who was it who said 'I can resist anything except temptation '? Well, I've had my fingers burned this time!

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    2. Oscar Wilde. I’m fairly certain it is in “The Importance of Being Earnest.”

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    3. I knew I wouldn't have to look it up myself!

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    4. I know Importance of Being Ernest very well, but I don't think I've ever read or seen LWF.

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  4. Well done on completing the steps!
    Thanks for the tips. I might have to check them out. I was just hoping (probably lazy of me) to have a fabric book printed to work in lol

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    1. I'm finding an idea for the slow stitch project beginning to come together...

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  5. I hope you figure out how to arrange your day's work in such a way that works for you.

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    1. I keep forgetting that one thing leads to another; a phone call leads to another phone call and a couple of emails and a search for papers and then picking up everything that fell on the floor... one small line on the todo list takes a morning and then I'm Done for the day!

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  6. We sound pretty similar on the energy front! I find I can do one "thing" each day. Yesterday's was bug as I took a funeral but today it may just be a batch of fish pies. I'm also like you on the 2000 steps daily.

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    1. I need to recognise that a small item - have a bath - post a parcel - is actually quite an expenditure of energy. Tedious but true!

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  7. Make a list of the stitches you want to do. Then print that out (with inkjet printer) onto a piece of cotton fabric (details online) Then cut out these labels and sew them in you book underneath your sample stitches. Or make labels using Aida/even weave cloth

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