Frustrating Tails and Colorful Things

A very colorful puff for today.  I'm so proud of myself for getting these done first thing every morning and not falling behind.  Makes me think I will actually have a completed Beekeeper's Quilt one of these days.  It helps that it's become a habit now.  I don't even think about it anymore.  I get up, make a cup of coffee, grab some yarn and make a puff.

Last night I finished the body of the first mitten.  I love it!  Tonight while I watch the Olympic coverage I am going to start on the second one.  My goal was to get the corrugated ribbing done, but I'll likely get more than that accomplished.  This has been such a pleasurable project to work on.

Yesterday afternoon I did manage to get some of the grid lines added to my HAED piece.  Not all of them, mind you, because I was anxious to get started and they take forever and a day to do.  I've decided that every day I will add 2 horizontal and 2 vertical lines until it's all gridded.  That still leaves me time to get some stitching done.

Behold, 100 stitches completed last night.  Only 100!  At that rate, I won't have my chickens until 2018!  It was a bit tough getting used to stitching over 1 on 25 count fabric.  I'm used to stitching on these high count fabrics, but I'm usually stitching over 2.  This is definitely the most complicated piece I've ever attempted to work.

Stitching around those grid lines was a bit tricky, but I managed it.  Today, I read that you are supposed to take the thread out as you get to it.  Doh!  So, I pulled out the lines that I had stitched up to and clipped them.  Big mistake!!  The reasoning behind taking them out is that if you accidentally catch the grid line thread with your stitching, you won't be able to pull it out later.  Well, I didn't catch any of it.  I was very careful not to.  But, pulling the threads out while still stitching leaves tails that are getting caught under my stitching and it is frustrating as all get out.  I'm going to leave the rest of the grid lines in until I'm done with the piece.  I'll be very happy once I'm done with those first few squares and don't have to deal with the tails anymore.

To put into perspective just how little I accomplished on this last night, the below picture shows 1/4 of the finished piece.  What have I gotten myself into lol!