Yarn from Sofia

My first yarn shop in Bulgaria introduced me to a brand I've never heard of before - Alize. I bought its mohair blend, which I'm turning into an afghan. It's got great loft and a very luxurious feel. What's better is the price was about $4 a skein ... for mohair ...

The smaller balls are all perle cotton. They were about a euro each. I really like the colors, but haven't used them yet.

Working on the Second Half

The second half is begun. Now I get to do strips the other way, in green and ivories. At least it'll be done soon.

So Close!

I made progress on the measles/wild cherries project this week. The top is done but for the outer line of simple stitches. Still, though, I've been so busy with other things I haven't been able to stitch much. I'd hoped to finish this before I left, but it looks like I'll finish it back in the States, since I leave on Wednesday.

Trims from Plovdiv

I found a needlework shop in Plovdiv! It had cross stitch supplies and a whole bunch of trims, walls of them. The prices were mismarked, so I didn't buy as much as I should have. This is what I did buy, though. A meter of each - and the total cost under ten euros!

Part Six Finally

Yay, I finally finished part six this week. I've already got part seven, but won't be starting it until I finish the heart. This only has three more pieces to go and it's done. The next part isn't nearly as dense with blackwork, so it should go more quickly.

Stash from Plovdiv, Part 2

I bought a -lot- of fabric in Plovdiv. This set of pictures is the result of my second shop's raiding. Most of the laces are beaded.

This shop had a lot of really nice lace at a very reasonable price, so I stocked up.

I thought the white was interesting with the lace inserts.

The gold is heavily beaded and the flowers are beautiful.

This black didn't turn out well in the photo, but it's taffeta with gold-edged taffeta ribbon roses on it. Looks really nice.

Had to put this lace on black so you can see it. It's gorgeous.

The Last of Varna

Here are my last pictures of Varna. This top picture was taken from a hilltop just outside Golden Sands, north of Varna on the coast. Golden Sands is a very crowded all inclusive place. The sea looks better in this picture than on previous days, though.

Here's the Cathedral of the Assumption. Our hotel in Varna was just behind it. It's very pretty inside, but I like the way it looks lit up outside at night better.

And this interesting building houses the Bulgarian Navy Band. It's a light blue in the day, but they really make a show of it at night.