A Few More Doors

This week was not only backstitching, but specialty stitches. I added the Rhodes stitches to the center building, satin stitches to the left garage, and window curtains in some of the others. It's coming alive.

Three Shades

I worked on three shades of brown this week, including bringing down the outer edge of ribbon on the right. I think I made pretty significant progress.

1200 Done

I got all 1200 stitches done on the part I was working on this week. On to the next part. I'm still waaay behind on all my stitchalongs, though.

Back to the Heart

I am back to the Herz Rot-Weiss on the stitchalong rotation. They're on the fifth part; I'm on the third. I'm making progress on a lot of things, though. I still like the colors of this and the intricate scrollwork.

Winter's Heart

I finished the heart I designed. I'm going to tweak it a bit, but overall, I like the result. I'm thinking of making three more hearts for the other three seasons.

Nearly Drawn

The outer circle on the compass is nearly complete, meaning I've got the end in sight on this. Who knows? Maybe I'll even finish this by the end of the year, too.

Golden Lines

The golden lines on the bottom left are done now. I'm working on that connection and the bottom egg, which is nearly completely outlined now.

Two and a Half of Five

Two and a half of five medallions done. I'll be done with this, for certain, before the end of the year.

A Scattering of Reds

It's progressing with each line, but the animal is still pretty amorphous. Since there are a lot of popcorn stitches of different colors, they're popping up lower down like little measles.

Yes, It's Orange

The orange was the best color of the choices given, even though it's very rarely one I gravitate to. But Timothy did a really good job of it and it complements the Midnight Garden perfectly, don't you think?

Back to the Kaleidoscope

Time to work on this stitchalong. Three full squares to do this time - 1200 stitches! It'll take me the better part of a week. The first square's started, as you can see.

GGM Part 1 Done

Well, I finished part one of the German Group Mystery this week. I like the colors still, and will get back to it when I'm done with the next parts of the other four stitchalongs I'm working on.

It's Crewel

This just got framed this week. I think my husband did a really good job, and leaving the frame's color natural set it off well.

Some Sill, Some Sky

This week, I worked on the sky again and on the door sill. More progress, and next it's the roof.

Darker Than the Picture

As I'm working on this and starting the first of the bargello rectangles, I'm discovering how very overexposed the picture of the project is in the magazine. I liked it lighter, but I love it darker. I know how hard this particular project is to photograph, so I'm not complaining about it being wrong. I'm just pleasantly surprised at how much more saturated the color is in person.

An Original Beginning

I've started designing, and this is a project I've designed. But ... it has to be stitched, so I'm stitching it too! I'm calling it The Heart of Winter.

Number Nine, Number Nine

Yes, the ninth part of See the Stars is done. I think it looks pretty good.

It's a Something

I've finally started something besides background. It's a salamander to me or a dragon to some. Anyway, it's all dark and beginning to take shape.

What a Difference a Backstitch Makes

I've started the backstitching on these houses, and it really makes them pop. Sometimes, it really just strikes me how much difference such a simple thing makes.

It's Still Brown

I've been working on the skirt some more this week. It's coming to the point where it's going to intersect with the ribbon below, which means it's getting close to being done. The colors of the week were more of the lighter browns.

Second Jellyfish Started

I started my second jellyfish this week. It's fairly easy so far, though I have to use two needles with the same thread but different numbers of plies in them.

Yet Another Marquoir Start

Yes, this is the fifth of five concurrent stitchalongs in the German Marquoir group. This one's a mystery by Kelly Searles. I've switched out the colors rather drastically, as the originals were green, red, and two shades of gold on white. I just couldn't do something that Christmasy, so... I changed it. I like the way these colors work together so far.

Another Point

The southeastern point of the compass is done, which means more progress made. This week was working on the inside area. I feel like the end is in sight.

Rhapsody in Blues

Lots of shades of blue in my Cobblefield Road, and my husband finished framing it this weekend. I really like the job he did, though he's second guessing the color of the mat.

Pink Squares

My travel project got a little bit of work done on it this week. I'm still working on frames for different stitches, but it's progress. These go really quickly if you can devote more than ten minutes in the car waiting for someone to get out of work to them.

Autumn Round Robin Thank You

Thank you to Cobi, Lyn, Rita and Cindy for returning this lovely embellished block to me! I love it. It's inspired me to make three more, one for each season, and make a wall quilt. Thank you again for your lovely work.

Rounding Out the Bottom

The third line and egg are coming along nicely; I really don't know what else to say about it.

A Medallion and a Half

The next to last band is five medallions. I've already got one and a half done. I really liked the clean lines of this one, so I'm doing it all in one thread instead of several shades.

A Blue-Green Spot

It was time for See the Stars in the rotation, so I've been working on it. I finished off the diamond-shaped blue-green notif and added a new color to the design - the dark blue on the edge of the stitching. Lots of red left to do on this particular part. I'm not too far behind, at least- the next part after this was only released yesterday.

Finished Off

Making a canvas ornament is a lot harder than just linen - the canvas doesn't bend easily. Despite that, I finished Sargent into an ornament. It's what I made for Nita for the My Stitching Place exchange.

44-40 Or Fight

Okay, so obscure slogan, but this picture shows me right about forty rows done out of the over two hundred. Still a lot of just red.

Thank You Nita

I participated in the My Stitching Place exchange on the Friendly Stitchers yahoo group. This is what Nita sent me - hand dyned fabric and thread and beads and the most beautiful ornament.

She managed to pick my favorite color palette. Thank you Nita!

Rounded Off

I finished the border this week. Now the fun part starts.

A Little Sky

This week's stitching was all at the top, and next week's will be too. It's time to expand the sky some.

The Third Way

Since I finished the top line last week, I decided to start the third part this. You can barely see it on the small picture; there's not much of it. The second line with the swooshes is coming along pretty well; I'm almost a third of the way done with it.

All Lacy-ed Up

I completed part two of Tam's Christmas Mystery and will start part three when I get around to it again in my stitchalong rotation. I like the way it looks, but all those Algerian eyelets were a pain!

Another Band Done

Yes, I finished the ladder band bottom part this week. Now on to the last two bands.

It's a Frame Up

On Monday, my husband got his (correct) mat order from American Frame. He'd been waiting to put some things together because the original mats he got from them were the wrong size. So, when it came in and he opened it, he immediately framed two things - Stars and Spring Mystery.

He did an excellent job on both, I think! Tam, the Spring Mystery designer, liked it so much she put it up on her gallery. They're both beautiful.

More Than Thirty

I've done more than 30 rows of this so far. It's going slow, of course, like everything else, but it's not going to be an all red middle forever, I promise.

Still Circling Around

Well, this is the most tedious part of the ornament, from experience. I'm 2/3 of the way done with the outer rim, at least.

Crossed Out

A minor milestone in this piece - I've finished all the cross stitches for part six. Next is adding the special stitches then plowing into part seven, which, at least, is started, if barely.

A Lighter Flounce

This week, I added near-white to the flounce and lengthened the skirt a bit.

One Jelly Bellied

All right, so this week I remembered what frustrated me so much with this - the instructions are scattered. Instead of having the instructions for each jellyfish all in consecutive pages, they're scattered and interspersed with each other. I'm not sure of the reason for that, but having six pages scattered across a table to refer to just bugs me.

Other than that, I -did- complete the first jellyfish! I didn't do the trailing stitch because I didn't find the instructions, and instead did an outline stitch. I think it looks pretty good anyway. On to the next.

Closing In

Lots of work on the southeast side and the southwestern small point this week. I should be done with this in the next few weeks, it looks like.

Window Dressing

This week, the windows got more treatment. Just stitching away on the second one down...

Top Line Done

I hit a very minor milestone this week - the top line of the bag's done. Now I'll be working on the third line and the first of the rectangles that make up the sides of the bag. Progress!

Falling Snow

Part two of Tam's Christmas Mystery got started this week. As you can see, it's a bunch of Algerian eyelets and backstitching. Tedious, but the effect is very nice and lacy. I'm already so far behind on this, but I'd rather keep the rotation on the SAL's and get progress on them all.

Two Down, Two to Go

Real progress this week! I finished the second egg. Two more to go, and I started on the third even. I'd better get cracking.