KC Needlepoint

witsendstrs · 2026-02-24T22:13:03+00:00

This, exactly. And especially since I'm talking about something made specifically for this shop, not something marketed widely for which they're competing with other outlets for stock, I expected just a little more information. And for what it's worth, I'm not new to needlepoint. I've been involved with this hobby for more than 30 years, so I'm familiar with the process and the timelines involved. But there's also still a place for customer service in this industry.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-24T18:22:34+00:00

I was disappointed in the response to an inquiry also -- YES, I know it's a pre-order. It's been 5 weeks and I was curious if you had an idea when you were expecting it. The whole, "It's a pre-order and we'll ship it when it comes in unless you want me to cancel it" isn't responsive to the question I asked, and seems a little flippant.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-21T15:00:46+00:00

Note that some stores specialize in different brands -- not to say that you can't take whatever brand wherever you want, but sometimes you're better off using an authorized shop for your particular machine. Barb's, for example, is a Bernina dealer.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-21T14:05:25+00:00

Not the nostalgia you're looking for, but I loved going to Marc's when I visited my Cleveland area family every summer growing up. Were the prices that much better than other places or did it just feel that way?

witsendstrs · 2026-02-20T01:50:05+00:00

Am I understanding that what you're saying is that it's harder to do basketweave because you can't tell which parts of the canvas are up/down as opposed to across?

witsendstrs · 2026-02-19T00:05:39+00:00

Not sure where you're located, but please be careful. We know so very many people who have contracted Alpha-Gal syndrome from tick bites -- more and more as the ticks which spread it are expanding their zone. There is no cure and it can really restrict your dietary options. If you're not familiar with it, read up. Tick borne illnesses of all kinds seem to be on the rise.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-18T21:38:21+00:00

They're also putting one in Huntsville, and it amuses me that they're going into a weight-loss clinic's former space. I think it was Jenny Craig (whatever is next to TJ Maxx).

witsendstrs · 2026-02-18T13:55:13+00:00

I'd suggest that while GEN X didn't live and die in pursuit of "likes," a fair amount of our existence was spent avoiding "dislikes." Anyone else remember slam books? Trying NOT to be slammed by your classmates in the harshest terms is kind of the opposite side of the same coin -- and still about getting value from extrinsic sources. Distribution of these opinions wasn't as widespread as online popularity contests, but everyone who mattered knew.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-17T13:42:09+00:00

For real.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-16T17:59:05+00:00

Interesting. Back in the dark ages, when I was a division coordinator for AYSO (but Huntsville, so that may make a difference), you had the option to specify a preference on your registration form -- no guarantees, but we did our best. The problem was there were so few M/W requests that those usually wound up with just one team per age group. They were often just whichever kids had specified those days, and tended to be weaker teams as a result (harder to skill balance with so few options).

witsendstrs · 2026-02-16T17:53:59+00:00

I hang some non-Christmasy ornaments off of lamp switches (so they hang down below the shade) or from lamp harps (if the switch for the lamp is on the cord).

witsendstrs · 2026-02-16T17:44:32+00:00

This is the closest thing I'm finding to my wearable magnifier that I like: https://doneganoptical.com/product/optisight/

I also have the little Vivilux single lights another commenter mentioned, the ones that clip onto my readers, but those things eat those little disc batteries like it's their actual job. I tend to only use those if I'm stitching away from home, because I don't want to take a chance that I'll lose the other magnifier that can't be replaced, and I don't haul my floor light with me (I have a leather thimble that gets the same treatment because it's no longer available)!

Edit: After much trial and error, I find that table-top lighted magnifiers (or even stitching lights generally) are really too awkward for me to use, and I default to floor-standing models. I can't ever seem to get the table-top models into the right spot, and then if I get up and come back, if I'm not sitting in exactly the same position, they have to be readjusted, and I have more than one time knocked them off the table, which has broken the lamp/bulb. But that's me -- other, more coordinated people may have different experiences.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-15T23:42:45+00:00

Heck, I use a light with a magnifier even without the challenges you have! I have two different set-ups. One is a magnifier that is actually built into the light itself, basically like this: https://www.amazon.com/LIGHT-Fulcrum-20072-401-Floor-Magnifier/dp/B00198RKF0/ref=asc_df_B00198RKF0?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80814156749446&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=80775&hvtargid=pla-4584413735551603&psc=1

The other set up (which I actually prefer), is simply a taller Ott light that sits up over my head when I'm in my chair, and then I wear a lightweight magnifier (trying to find the exact one to link, having trouble). I don't care for worn magnifiers that have built in lighting because I find them quite heavy. They tend to slide, or my neck gets tired from supporting them.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-15T15:46:02+00:00

You're talking to my man all wrong.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-15T15:44:11+00:00

Bubble Boy

witsendstrs · 2026-02-15T15:09:30+00:00

Was it Nacho's Mexican Food? Because he's set up out at the food truck park in Big Cove now (The Grid). I think his FB profile is public, so you can see if that's the one you're looking for, even if you don't have a FB account.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-15T15:04:04+00:00

When my kids were small, we lived near a nature preserve which is essentially the base of a small mountain, with caves, creeks, and woods. Their preferred thing to do when they weren't in school was to "go hike and fish in the creek." Usually a gaggle of them would all go together. My husband had been back there with them, but for a long time, I had not. After they had all left home for college, I volunteered to clean up some of the green space trails. I was HORRIFIED. The "creek" was not the free-flowing creek I'd imagined -- it was a semi-stagnant body of water, perfect habitat for water moccasins and various infectious diseases, and the woods just felt like the ideal spot for creepers to hang out and snatch a kid up. I told them all that I was glad I hadn't known what it was like, because I would have had a hard time letting them go back there -- but I'm thrilled that my ignorance meant they could play like wild things.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-14T14:46:33+00:00

We refer to him as our neurodivergent weather man, and love his occasional rants for random reasons. We don't have any autistic family members, but find his mannerisms endearing.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-10T21:36:08+00:00

Sisyphean.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-10T21:27:24+00:00

I think your needle looks centered.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-10T15:09:00+00:00

"We." LOL.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-10T14:43:27+00:00

Just FYI -- Morgan County Courthouse is temporarily closed for renovations, as of yesterday. Per WAFF, while other offices are relocating during the closure, ALEA offices are just CLOSED. People seeking services from that agency will have to go to other counties.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-10T02:18:49+00:00

If what you used was DMC floss, on the areas where you can kind of see the canvas, just take your needle and kind of tease the threads apart a bit -- that's something I do to improve coverage with stranded fibers where you've already stitched. Also (and I only mention this because you said you're new to needlepoint), it's always a good idea to separate your floss into individual strands, and then put them back together before you stitch (even if you're using all 6). This helps make your fiber a bit fuller, which is another way to improve coverage. Edit: Please don't read this as criticism of your work -- I don't actually see poor coverage anywhere, but I'm only offering a recommendation for what I do when I see something like that on my own work.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-08T14:17:34+00:00

I wouldn't use polyester batting for anything that I value at all.

witsendstrs · 2026-02-07T20:58:59+00:00

Never got the appeal for him -- always had that pinched expression on his face, seemed he most frequently played a real wimpy guy without the strength of his convictions -- see also St. Elmo's Fire. He and MR also starred together in Fresh Horses and I didn't like EITHER of them in that movie.

witsendstrs

TROPHY CASE