Plodding Along

Especially compared with the other stitchalong I'm working on, Freundschaftherz, this goes slowly.  I think that's because of the dense stitching and large parts.  On the other hand, I'm about halfway done with part four of nine, so I'm making progress!

Cute Dancer from Ana

 Ana made this beautiful doll for me!  It's got a back story and everything, and she is a Carnaval dancer!  In Uruguay, they -usually- don't quite undress as much as they do in Brazil, but the bailerinas (?) are the stars of the candombe groups.  They dance directly in front of the drummers in parades and get all the starring roles.  Thank you so much, Ana!  She'll always help me remember Carnaval.

Last Dinner in Uruguay

I managed to convince Andreas into some symmetry - we had our first and last dinners together in Uruguay at the restaurant across the street: Ricci's.  The service and food were as impeccable as always.  And I had the pasta this time.  Andreas had pork loin.

Some More Leaves

More leaves on this piece.  The top is done all the way across, so now to bring it down.  It'll eventually be a cushion top.

Present from Ana

I know it looks a little weird just lying there, but this is a wonderful accessory!  Ana made me a bufanda for the cold of Moldova.  It's a tube of knit material (in my favorite color) that you put over your neck.  Since it's long, it gathers there like a cowl to keep the cold away from your throat, or you can pull it up over your head to cover it and your ears too.  I love it!  Thank you Ana!

More Raffi's

Yes, Raffi's twice in one week.  The second time Andreas had the shish and I had the shawarma, which was billed as an Armenian chivito... silly!

One More Temari

Andrew, the recipient of this temari, christened it the O Holy Night temari because that's what it reminded him of.  It was a design I made up as I went, and the thread is actually a silk/wool blend.  I was surprised at how nice the matte finish looked on this.