Leaves Emerging

I've been catching up with the rest of the group on this. It It's coming along pretty well, I think, and I still like my color combination. It'll be coming with me to Europe.

Facing the Lady

This week I ended up working mainly on the Lady's face and hair. It's adding a lot of personality to have them up. It also means I'm getting close to having the top half done! Yes, the Lady is going with me to Europe.

Look Familiar

If you've been reading my blog for a while, the frog looks familiar. I made this Tree Frog Trio for my son last autumn. My sister in law saw it on my blog and told me how much my niece liked it, so I offered to make them again for her. I started last Wednesday and am already done with the first one. Maybe I can finish it before I go to Europe, but the more likely scenario is I'll mail it home from there.

Petal Progress

Four out of five petals done, at least the outsides. I think they're coming out pretty well. Since the picture on Friday, I completed the last petal and did the French knots in the center. I think I did about a hundred or so. They look all nice and fuzzy and like the center of a flower, though. I wasn't sure about doing the satin stitches over the split stitches, but it turned out okay. The hardest part is alternating colors on two of the petals. Was difficult not to get the two strands tangled up with each other. I ended up using two needles. It seemed to work better.

An Explanation of My Rotation

I'm writing this because someone asked. It comes with the warning that I have, on occasion, violated my rotation rules. So, what I do. I pick one project that I work on every single day. For the past couple of months, that's been Lady of the Flag. This is the one I want to move forward the most, get things done on, and so forth. Then I list nine other projects I'm working on on a sticky note. I work two lengths of floss or thread (sometimes slightly more) on each, in order. When I get one done, I relist the eight, putting them in the same order sans the completed one. I then add another project to the bottom. I do try to keep at least one short term project in my rotation so I feel like I'm getting things done. Right now, my rotation is loaded down with biiiig projects, so I feel bogged down sometimes.

I'll be doing the same in Europe when I go next week, but I'm leaving some of my current projects home due to bulk and weight considerations. Lady of the Flag will still be my daily project, and I'll write my actual sticky note list when I get there.

I hope that makes sense to people. I know it's not for everyone, but it works for me.

Band Four Done

I didn't get very much done at the group stitchalong on this on Wednesday, but I did make some progress. On Thursday I finished up Band four and started Band 5. Band four wasn't difficult, just a bunch of satin stitches. Band five has a bit more variety.

April Recap

Well, about all that can be said of April is that it was better than March, stitching-wise. I finished six projects and worked on everything I was supposed to. Got the March and April ornaments done, so I'm on track with that goal. The other goals are still there, but I haven't completed any of the big ones. Take It Further has just gotten lost in the mess. I guess this is what happens when you have a life. I'll still be trying to plug away at things in May, despite a change in continents mid-month.