Bargello and Buttonholes

My husband was so embarrassed when I said it was sideways last week that he made sure and asked this week if it was the right way. And it is! Since Saturday, when the picture was taken, I've completed two more circles on the left. There are the same number as on the other side - I should be getting to the buttonhole part (a large flower) in the next couple of weeks. Another quickie that would be done if I didn't have so many projects in rotation! Since it's in Christmas colors, maybe I'll have it done in time to frame for Christmas.

Goldwork - Learning to Couch

I know this doesn't look like my main piece of goldwork, because it's not. It's the sampler they have me practice on. This week, I've been learning how to couch gold thread. Had to do a straight line, then a turn, then fill a rectangle. My next part is another rectangle on here with some string under the couching for texture, then I go to the real piece. Anyway, I -am- working on this! It's way different than what I normally do.

Midi Mystery - Extra Pictures

So, my husband decided to take extra pictures of this piece this week. I think he was sad I didn't give it to him to photograph last week because I'd made no visible progress. Anyway, I've started part two and it can be seen at the top, with the green stitching. He took a picture of the left column, which looks better in person. The desert sunset Waterlilies just looks so pretty! You can see my Rhodes stitches from part one better too, in the picture of the top middle. Part four was released earlier this week, so I'm farther behind again. I'll get it done eventually, though.

Elegant Diamond - Some Special Stitches

Even though my husband photographed this sideways, you can see the progress I made. Both arch stitches are now done and all the eyelets are wrapped. There are more stitches on this, but the majority of the stitching is actually done - the rest is specialty stitches that go quickly and backstitching. I can't wait to hand it over to my husband to block and put on the box.

Working Around the Alphabet

I'll be happy with my entries this week - I made progress on everything. Real, visible progress. As you can see, I got five and a half more letters done of the alphabet. I might have to put the rest of the things on hold for a day or two to complete this by the end of next week, when I hope to get it in the mail to the next person - in France. Who knows when I'll get it back? It's looking pretty good so far and it's not that big a project. I needed some small things.

French Round Robin

Being the social stitching glutton I am, when I got my last issue of de fil en aiguille, I signed up for the round robin. In French. I don't speak French and -barely- read it. But so it goes. I'm in a group with five other people, all of them Francophones. We have six months to finish six pieces and so - this is the start of mine. I need to have it done in a week and a half. The design is an alphabet heart that I downloaded from the Australian version of Better Homes and Gardens. I'm using Pistachio Nut waterlilies on R&R Reproductions 28 count 18th Century Rock. Coming out well so far and stitching up pretty quickly.

Class Start - Bargello and Buttonholes

So, Wednesday night I got home from Seminar and Saturday I went to a class with my local chapter. This is the piece we started - Bargello and Buttonholes from a fairly recent issue of Needlepoint Now!. It's tilted 90 degrees - the long part that's done is supposed to be at the bottom. I did it in the Christmas color scheme. I'll be adding in gold since the ecru pearl cotton they called for. Guess I'm going to make it gaudy. Anyway, it's going pretty quickly. Maybe I can finish it soon, too.