New Starts, New Finishes, More New Starts

Wow! Time flies between projects.  Actually, I've fill the evenings with some little goodies from The Sweetheart Tree.  But I just don't think to post them because they only take two or three days each to stitch.  These little needlerolls have lots of specialty stitches and, except for the annoying little backstitch vines, they are fun to do.  Unfortunately, I didn't do a very good job photographing the white-on-white stuff, but you get the idea.

 

 

I'm starting a Long Dog Sampler SAL on March 1st.  My project is not a typical LD piece, but I find it very intriguing.  "Le Jardin de Plaisir" is more of a geometric/knot garden type design and I love the original colorway of red, black and gray.  I'm stitching it on 38 count Italian linen (thanks, Laura!) with Splendor silk.

And once again, I'm going to try to work on more than one project in rotation.  Otherwise, I'll finish the SAL piece in the first month.  I have some Scarlet Letter pieces almost kitted and I'll just have to close my eyes and pick one once all the silks arrive.  I ran in from waiting by the mailbox just to post this.  It's kind of cold out there at night, but I'm very anxious for this package to arrive.

Plus, I have been very busy in the 'bead cave'.  It's been a big month for scissor fobs.  Every time I think I'm catching up, I need to make more.  It's a great problem to have except my fingers are too cold to play with the beads for long periods of time.  I'll really be happy to see Spring!  From elegant...

to funky...

there's lots to choose from.  I just hope I don't need more counting pins for this Long Dog SAL piece.

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A Quick Finish

Well, that didn't take long!  Naomi Dartnall was a quick and fun little project.  I think this one will be perfect for my Mom's Christmas present this year.  Let's just hope I don't lose it in a 'safe place'. 

And, on another front, my missing mojo is back!  That cold I had a few weeks back and the subsequent miserable weather put me in a creative funk for a while, but over the last week I've been a beadin' fool.  Scissors fobs and book thongs have been jumping off the workbench and out of the shop too!  I've probably taken and edited 400 product photos this week.  

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Pork Chops or Tomato Soup?

Have you ever changed your mind at the last minute on what to stitch next?  (rhetorical question, btw)  I had every intention of starting a small needle roll after I finished Jean Scrimgeowr, but when I went upstairs to kit it up, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  So I scrounged around in the 'to-do basket' and found this little reproduction by Handworks.   I think I meant to stitch it for someone's birthday last year and found something better because I had already cut the fabric (40 cnt Sandstone) for it.  So all I had to do was pull six colors of floss and I was ready to go. 

I don't usually do motif samplers.  The randomness messes with my brain, but it's fun and uncomplicated.  Now don't assume that it's Christmas-y because of the colors.  I happen to work a piece by color and I started with the red, then the green.  I prefer to do all the counting rather than thread a bunch of different needles required to stitch by area.   Yeah, I know.  Most of you are shaking your heads and picking your chins up off the floor.   I know I'm in the minority, but it's just the way my brain works.

I should be done in a couple of days, so it's a good thing I got in the mood to kit up the needle roll yesterday.  It really wasn't a big deal, but it's like planning pork chops for supper and realizing about half an hour before supper that you want tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.  Tastes good at the time, but the next day you're ready for those pork chops.

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First Finish of 2014

Well, my New Year's Day start is my first finish of the year.  Jean Scrimgeowr, from The Scarlet Letter, has been a lot of fun and a relatively easy piece to stitch.  I have totally enjoyed the many anomalies I've encountered and can't wait to frame her. 

 

The verse is an interesting mix of cross stitch over two and elongated cross stitch (two threads high/one thread wide).  I had to focus a little harder on the counting than I normally do.  That's usually the easiest part for me.  I will confess to a couple of 'anomalies' of my own, but I'm pretty sure Jean wouldn't mind.  I thought I had transposed a couple of letters at one point, but I realized Jean was apparently not a good speller either.  Then again, "ravished" is a pretty big work for a ten year old.

And, since it is a reproduction, I don't sign my work within the viewable area. So it's only seen if someone unframes it sometime in the future. 

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More Football and Stitching

Being iced in for a couple of days did a lot for my progress on Jean Scrimgeowr.  I should have been making more scissor fobs and counting pins, but I just wanted to stitch.  So...I did.  Now I'm using the Super Bowl as an excuse to stitch.  Actually, it's not an excuse.  I will be watching the Super Bowl, but I have to have something to do at the same time.  That's actually true whenever I watch TV, but especially during sporting events.  

I'm really looking forward to this one, but it's gonna be a heartbreaker and a thrill at the same time.  I'm a huge Peyton Manning fan and am so happy that he's had a successful season after such a scary injury.  He's shown all the naysayers what he's really made of.   I love the Seahawks and Russell Wilson.  Russell played for my alma mater, NC State, before leading Wisconsin to the 2012 Rose Bowl.  I'm so impressed with his leadership, as well as football skills.

There's no party here.  Just a simple supper and a talk with the dogs about not being scared when Mom starts yelling at the TV.  They should just consider it a prelude to the NCAA basketball tournament in a few weeks.

I did want to point out a couple of interesting things about this sampler that I discovered this week.  I love how Jean managed to squeeze her name in there by using elongated cross stitch.  

And, once again, there are some anomalies in the motifs, probably due to Jean's inexperience.  And I love the interesting choice of color for the outline of Adam and Eve.

I originally hoped to finish by March, but now I'm shooting for Valentine's Day.  I can't believe how quickly it's moving along.

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