Part 13 Done

This is the longest I have ever kept up with a stitchalong. With thirteen of twenty parts done, I may even keep with it the whole way. I still like my color choices and think it'll turn out well when done. Got part fourteen this week and have started stitching it.

Half Crossed

This week I started her face. At first, I took her suggestion and did cross stitches over one. They looked too bulky, though, so I ripped them out and did continental stitch. I think it looks a lot better. The over one part went much more quickly than I thought it would. Only one more color and her head is done but for backstitching.

Whiter and Darker

I thought I was a bit closer to being done with the flag than I was last week. I got quite a bit more white on it and some more of the darker reds. Still quite a bit more to go, but at least every week I see progress.

Christmas Start

Last year I did a Joyeux Noel freebie from Carinne's site. My husband really liked it, so when we were looking for a not too big project for a colleague of his, i went back to it and am making another one. This time I'm doing it on white hardanger fabric using Vikki Clayton's Dragon Hoard color in a premium size. I really like the way the color is turning out, and it looks Christmasy to me. This one is going a lot faster than the one I did last year, too.

Almost Halfway

I got up to the L this week. My husband showed me the nearly complete frame - I think as a hint that he wants me to get this done. I did get most of the M done after this picture, and yes, I'm feeling some pressure. Problem is I'm feeling some pressure on a lot of my stitching to get it done. Once I get to the third line, I'll probably do it all in one go.

Pointy, Curvy, Round, Square?

This week I finished the skeleton of the great big snarl-thing in the final band. I can't decide what shape it actually is. It was somewhat of a challenge to put together, but I did it. The Walsh silk perle has a wonderful hand, but is almost as springy as the Edmar. Anyway, the rest of the band is anchored into this, so I can use it as a starting point.

Before and After

This is how I received Lyn G's block for the Asian Nights round robin. For some reason, the first two people I've worked on both picked Japan. When I think of Japan, I think of Hello Kitty, Sailor Moon and Caramelldansen. Somehow, I don't think that's what -they- were thinking when they made the blocks. Anyway, this top picture shows how the block came to me. It had a lot of potential. I'm not used to working with such bright, hot colors, so it was a challenge.

After a lot of thinking about what others would think was Japanese, I finally came up with an idea for a motif. I made a stream of falling maple leaves down the black. To edge them, I made a fairly simple border. Then, since it's a round robin, I put in the kanji that is supposed to be "friend". I have no clue if that's right or not, but it does at least look Japanese. Now to see if she likes it. I only did one seam because the one I did was soooo long. Didn't want to hog things up.