Less Frogging

I've either gotten more careful with my chart reading for this or have gotten the rhythm of the motifs finally.  Either way, I did a lot less frogging on it this week.  I'm almost done with the first part.

Closing to the Center

Still got a lot of work to go on the center building on the right, but there -is- progress!

Starting the Fifth

Finished the first layer of jellyfish number four and started number five.  I do feel like I'm making progress, but it's hard to see the design coming together at this point.  I really don't like the way the directions are written.  You have to consult at least three pages for every area, and spreading so many pages around - which are not in order, either, makes it very hard in a cramped to begin with work area.

Birds and Flowers

I started on the eleventh part this week.  There are only three more after this one.

Top of the Cup

I made a bit of progress on the teacup this week.  It's nearly done.  There are several of them on this, so I'll be stitching a lot.

Temari in Progress

I finished the temari the next day, but here it is in progress.  It's for an exchange, and an original design.

All Red

A few more lines of progress, all of them in red.  Next time, it looks to be all black and brown...

Three Quarters

Three quarters done on time to get the fourth quarter before the the last day, yay!  I'll get the last part done within the next couple of weeks.

Another Part Done

Ten parts done, four to go and this sampler will be finished!

Caved In

I ended up starting the third rectangle, so I could feel like I had a new start.  it's a more orange-ish and spiky one, so it's almost like a new start, isn't it? 

Started the Satin

I started some satin stitches this week.  It's going pretty quickly because they're large stitches.  The special stitches are going to go sooo much more quickly than the regular cross stitches.  After this, it's just beading.  I'm feeling more hopeful about it being done before the end of the year now.

A Heartly Start

Yet another project from Sticklounge.  I think most of my daily stitching is projects from this group.  This is going to be a bunch of teacups.  I thought it'd be cute to hang in a kitchen.

About to Frog

Because this piece isn't really figural or symmetric, I'm finding I keep messing up by one stitch.  This time, it was the upper line.  It's one too long, so the small square and the diamond beginning below it get to be ripped out.... I -will- get better at reading charts!  Count twice, stitch once.

Not Abandoned

I'm finally back to doing this on a regular basis.  Good thing, too, since I've signed up for two more Kustom Krafts stitchalongs.  I'm not starting them, though, until this one's done!

Samplering Some More

I've been using the Weeks 2 strand floss on this, and it's taken some getting used to.  First, just that it's two strands, so you don't have to do so much pulling apart.  It's also stiffer and less supple than DMC.  There's a matte finish to it, too.  This would be an excellent substitute for linen flosses.  Oh, and I've progress a bit into the second of four parts now, too.

A Tenth Part

The tenth part is done.  Time to start the Tassensampler, since it's next in the rotation.

At the Beginning

Yay, I'm at the top of the sampler.  I'll have this done fairly soon, too.

Walls Done

Finally!  I'm done with all the block walls.  Now I can go on and finally do the fun stuff. 

Peaches No Green

I got a lot of the area around the potted plant done, but none of it.

Blue and Gray

More of the backstitching is finished; the flowers on the lower left are about done.  I also added some green metallic and some gray to the outer part. 

A Random Temari

Well, I had an itch to do a temari a week or so ago.  It went pretty well, and I made this out of some of my Weeks win.  All the perle cotton used on this was from them, and is size five.  Even though I didn't really follow the pattern I wanted to make properly, I like the results.  And Weeks is good for temari, too!

More Stash

We went to the market last week and I hadn't hit up my ribbon dealer in a while, so we did.  This is what I found!

Restart

I've now restarted the punto antico biscornu.  It's all in blue this time!  I'm using some of the Weeks Dye Works thread I won.  This is the two ply floss.  It's definitely not nearly as bulky as the Watercolours.

Yet Another Start

This one I'm not working on much yet either, but I did manage to start it.  It's Odds n Ends from Tam's Creations, and is the new Sticklounge logo.  People are doing it in all kinds of colors.  Me?  I'm just doing the pink on blue thing.  It's going to be in my regular rotation of Sticklounge projects, but I just haven't put it there yet.

Resamplered

I'm working on the second part now and have it partially done.  It's been going slow because I don't get to it every day.  On the other hand, it -is- making progress.

Beribboned

The light part of the ribbon is now done, which is yet more progress.  I've also done more gold and more brown.  Shocking.  If I ever get a break in my stitchalongs (ie, catch up to the point where I don't have an immediate deadline), this will become the project I work on daily, just to get it done.  It's so close.

One of Two Done

I completed one of the two parts I was given this time, and I've made a good start on the other.  I still love the way this is coming out.

Started a New Row

I started part nine.  I've got it and part ten to do.  They'll hopefully go pretty quickly.  Despite its size, the stitching tends to go fast for me.

Antique Market Finds

Sunday before last, we went to the antique market.  Why?  Because I was told that putting all my jewelry in the drawer randomly was not going to continue.  So I saw an idea in Martha Stewart and agreed to that instead of having to get a jewelry chest.  It's using little antique dishes as jewelry holders in the drawer.  This picture shows the first three dishes ... and three handmade barrettes that we bought on the way to the antique market.

And this is what Andreas bought in the booth next to the barrettes - he's been looking for a good knife from here.

This is a picture of it unsheathed.  Unlike most of the knives around here, the blade's forged instead of stamped.

And the steampunk finds....their fronts

and backs.

Still the Same

I got a few more rows done last week, but surprisingly the piece didn't change into green and yellow or anything.

A Mystery Start

Debbie Draper designed a small quaker for Sticklounge, and I, of course, succumbed.  This is most of the first of four parts.  The fabric is a bright green from Vikki Clayton and the thread is some of  the stuff I got from the Weeks giveaway.  It's two ply floss.  To me, the piece looks very 70's.  Andreas is just glad that once I'm finished with it, I'll make it into a gift.  Evidently, he's got a thing against avocado green.

On to the Middle Building

I've pretty much finished the upper half's cross stitching on this side.  Now onto completing the largest building in the part.

Kaleidoscopic Finish

Yay, a big finish!  I even got it done three weeks before the deadline!  I really like the way it looks and people have commented on how much they love it when they've seen me working on it.  The piece is called Kaleidoscope Mandala and was designed by Tracy Horner of Ink Circles.  I used all Vikki Clayton floss and the linen is 28 count antique white.  Now I think I'm going to make it into a bread cloth.