Back to the Amish

I'm once again working on Kelly Searles' German Group Mystery in my stitchalong rotation.  I'm not very far on part three, but hope to have it done in a week or so.

Thank You Maire C!

Marie sent me lots and lots of fabrics in her cracker for me, and a very pretty block, too!  I also was lucky enough to receive some silks and overdyeds.  Now to plot what to make.

Thank You Cathy!

I received this from Cathy on the CQI board.  We had our cracker exchange, and this was one that I got.  All Christmas stuff!  She even stitched a small cross stitch ornament for me.  Thank you!

Another Temari

This one's another triple kiku, but on blue with blue-green and white perle.

Gardenias in my Garden

These are some pictures of the gardenias on the bush in my back garden.  Unfortunately, you can't smell them.

More of the second line done - it's almost done.  And I got another line of the first rectangle done, too.

Cornered Up

I completed the corner last week, and part eleven.  It leaves me still one part behind, nearly two, since this week marks the end of the month, but it -is- progress!  When I finish Weihnachtsmysterie and Julia's Heart, I'll be able to catch up more on my other stitchalongs.

My Backyard in Early Summer

This is a picture of my backyard from the balcony at the back of the house.  The back wall is ours and has two areas - a storage room and a quincha with attached full bath.  It's used as a shady place for the back when grilling.

And this is the same yard from ground level.  That bush in front is a gardenia.  It smells wonderful at the moment.

Red, Blue and Black

This is another triple kiku, this time done in red and blue.  I think the silver outlining looks pretty good on it.

The Girly One

This is, I believe, the most girly of the lot.  It's all ecru, lavender, and blue.

Great Ball of Fire

The colors and pattern on this somewhat remind me of flames.  I think it came out well, even if it's not one of my more comfortable combinations.  This one is also a bit bigger than usual.  I'm pleased with the way the ends came out so even on top and bottom.

Still Hearting

I -will- finish this heart.  It's coming along, but I haven't worked on it every single day like I should because of the temari rush.  That's done now, though, so hopefully I'll finish this this week and mail it off to Germany.

A Temari Star

Another of my temari from the last week and a bit.  This one's green on white.  The thread for the variegated is Flagstone Watercolors.  I think it came out pretty well.

In the Sky

This week's work was on the sky. I did a pretty large block of it.

Green on Black Temari

Here's my second gift temari. I used green Tiara, teal perle, and Rainforest Watercolors. I think it came out pretty well. It's a triple kiku from Barb Suess' book, minus the obi.

Replacing the Compass

I decided to start a quick and easy stitch once the compass finished. It's a Four Way Bargello Ornament by Barbara Hayden. This is just one day's stittching. As you can see, it'll be done in next to no time! I just needed something quick.

New Material

This was the first temari I made using kyo-temari thread. I love the way it feels and the way it glides through the ball. I also love the shine it gives. The temari itself is an S4 with six identical squares.

It's a Triangle

I got most of the eleventh part of See the Stars done this week. it's a lot of red and light green, almost Christmas-y.

Bottom's in Sight

The very bottom of the dark brown dart is the bottom of the skirt! I'm almost there. After the skirt, there's still the banner to go, but it is getting done ... if slowly.

Half a Heart

The heart's coming along. I'm at least halfway done with it, since the top's so much fatter.

Four Winds Finish

Another real finish this year! It's one I started back in January, and it's going to be a pillow once I get my sewing machine fixed. I like the way it turned out.

More Than Halfway

Halfway and a bit more done with As the Snow Falls, the Christmas mystery from Marquoir. Not going to finish it by Christmas, but definitely before winter here.

Fourth Line Started

Things are coming along here - the fourth line is officially started. I won't have this part done by the end of the year, but it'll be close.

First Holiday Temari

So far, I've made four temari for the holidays. One didn't get a picture before it was given away. This one I made for an exchange run by the Friendly Stitchers yahoogroup. I like the way it turned out all Christmasy. I just hope my partner likes it!

Heading Down

It's still heading down. Once I've gotten one or two of my stitchalongs done, I'll start working on this more than once every week or so. Then it'll look like I'm making more progress. This week, it was all red and black. Go figure.

Stacking Stitches

I've been working the lines on both sides. There's a bit more to go on them, but they're almost done. Every layer goes upward, it seems.

Sticking With Brown

Still more brown stitches on the skirt. At least it's coming along.

Another Charity Heart

Remember back in March and April I was embroidering hearts for sick children? There's a new batch and I've started again. This one's by Julia, a seven year old. I'm using mainly floss from a detritus bag from Vikki Clayton.

Fourth Heart Finished

Here's a picture of my fourth heart finished on the Herz Rot-Weiss. I think it's coming along really well.

Street Improvement

This week's work was on the street and the dark line between stories. It's creeping over into the next page quite nicely.

More Mystery

I have been trying to work on this almost every day after some nudging from Susanne on the Marquoir board. As you can see, I've been making a lot of progress. I doubt I'll have it done by Christmas, but I should have it done well before the deadline for giving out new pieces.

A Montevideo Moment

On Saturday we went downtown and walked around. In front of the Museum of Art History was a concert! The band is called Latasonica, and they're students from the local university. They were really good. All their instruments were made via dumpster diving.

Nothing Really New

I've made progress in both the second line and the first rectangle, but they're both just repeating the patterns already there. So, not much new to talk about.

Sidelines

Four wheelies and X's all down the sides. It looks like progress to me.

Beginning to Look Menacing

To me, this is beginning to look all vicious, but evidently it's supposed to. Anyway, I've not been working on it as much while I catch up on my stitchalongs, but it is getting some done.

Still More Specialty Stitches

I'm still working on the special stitches and outlines for this. I'm almost done, at least, but it's sure taking a long time.

White Out

Hard to see what I did this week, but it's there. I did all the white areas of the second jellyfish. This was a bit harder than the other areas because I had to work around the light blue in the middle.

Another Part of the Kaleidoscope

I finished up another part of the Kaleidoscope Mandala this week. Now the whole top's done. Real progress!