Still Bordering

I'm still working on the top border of the eighth band. The soysilk is still shredding in single plies, so I'm having to take it really carefully. On the other hand, it's over halfway done.

Band 8 Started

I finished band seven this week and started band eight. Only four more bands to go. Eight is a large one, and I tried something different for the top part - I took apart the plies of one of the colors of perle thread. It's very fragile to work with, so I wouldn't recommend it. It doesn't pill - it just pulls apart unexpectedly.

Roping It In

I'm almost done with the seventh band now; as you can see, it's much smaller than the previous band (thankfully!). I think the perle I'm using is a bit thick, but it's coming along all right.

All Vined

Well, I got the vines done on this band and only have to put the bell-shaped flowers on the bottom. It's coming along all right and it feels good to be working on it again after the hiatus. The colors coordinate pretty well, and I'm happy with what I've chosen as materials.

Left At Home

I'm here in Kosovo now and it's a bright sunny day out. This piece, though, is languishing at home and missing me. I did some more on the flowers and such before I left, though.

Two Out of Three

Got some more done on the insides. The turquoise is done but for a very small piece of the third opening. Just as I'm feeling I'm making decent progress, I'm abandoning it for six weeks. Dang! But I really can't take everything and this was a good project to leave behind.

One of Three Down

One of the vases on this band is done now, so two more to go. I think I'm not taking this with me to Europe. There's no great urgency to finish it, and I think I need a break from it, too. It'll be in my rotation to do until I go, and, in fact, will be what I'm working on today.

Curlicues and Flower Pots

I've started more than the outline of the band now, startng in on the pots. There's quite a bit more to put into the middle of each of the three areas, but at least it's coming along.

Almost Vined

I'm almost done with the vine; just needing to complete the way back. I didn't get to work on it again this week; it's fallen prey to the company I have. I hope to get to it and everything else in the coming week.

Greening the Vine

After correcting a counting mistake, I wound the vine up and down some more. I'm doing the green first, since it's all one contiguous line. Then I can add the other colors and (hopefully) avoid more counting mistakes.

Starting the Vine

I've started the main part of band six. It's a vine wrapped around flowers in pots. Counting is, of course, a biggie in this.

Band Five Done

Done with a band now, and started on another.The next one has about as much stitching. It feels good to make progress, and the last band didn't take much more than a month. Maybe there's hope I'll finish this some time this year.

So Close to a Band

Band 5's so close to being done in this picture, and since it was taken last Friday, is now complete. Considering how wide the band is, it went very quickly. I hope the next one, equally as wide, goes as well.

Tying off the Columns

Most of the work for this band is now done. It will be finished week after next. The next band is fairly wide, too, but I don't know how quickly it will get done. I like the colors on this and my husband loves the way it looks, so he'll have a good time framing it. The background looks a lot better in person than in this picture, bu the way. It's not all grayed out.

Teal and Green

The new color, a teal, was added this week. I'm using it for the tie bars and insides of the swirls. This band is now over the halfway mark; maybe I'll complete it in the next couple of weeks. I still can't believe how quickly it's going.

Swirling a Bit

I -think- I'll finish this band in the next couple of weeks. Unlike band four, it has more negative space and less stitching. This means, although it's really wide, it's not as much stitching. The colors are coming along like I hoped, and I like the way the overall piece is coming together.

Arches and Columns

This week I got the columns and arches started. Surprisingly for how big this band is, it's going quickly. I'll be introducing another turquoise-ish color in this band; it will be the last color used. I haven't put a deadline on this piece, since I missed the turn in date, but it's going to get done, and at this rate, it'll be done by the end of the summer.

A Touch of Spring

I got the top row of tulips on this band done this week and started the torches. It's going pretty well, I think, and more quickly than it had been when I put it away before Christmas. There are still seven or eight bands to go on this, though, so I won't be finishing it soon.

Two New in the Rotation

I added two more things to my rotation this week. One is something that was in before the Christmas blitz - Tiramisu. The other is yet another calendar round robin. Both of these pictures were taken before I did any new work on them. The calendar round robin should go more quickly than the last couple of them, and Tiramisu is going to take quite a while longer, but I think it'll be worth the effort. Since these pictures last Friday, both have been worked on. A good start, I think.

Little Row Done

I finished off the last bit of the row this week and started the next band, another really big one. It's going into the "after the blitz" pile, and hopefully I'll have more enthusiasm for it after Christmas.