Florentine Fancywork Gets Fancier

     I didn't get as much done last week as I wanted to, but I did make good progress.

     I had hoped to get the Wheels section finished by the end of the week, but a small mishap while slicing potatoes with my mandoline slowed me down a bit. You know that big thing you're supposed to use to push the food that you're slicing so that you don't accidentally slice a piece of you? Well, I find it really awkward and prefer to just be really careful. Evidently I wasn't careful enough and managed to slice a teensy bit off my thumb. Not that bad, but of course it needed a bandaid, which made stitching a little more difficult for a couple of days. I have recovered fully (though you can see where I lost a sliver of skin) and managed to finish the section at the stitching group last night. No picture yet, so the one above will have to suffice for now.

     I discovered that I misspoke last time about the pale yellow thread. It's not Mandarin but Splendor. It seems the lighter colors may be fluffier or thicker because the coverage is much better than with the darker ones. At least when it comes to purple.

     I'm going to ask for an extension on the deadline, maybe to mid-August, so I can finish the piece and send it off for an evaluation. I ought to be able to finish the last two areas and the rest of the border by then, right? I mean, how hard can it be?

     Kthxbai.

Cruising Along

     I've been remiss. I fully intended to post this at the end of last week. Really I did. Anyway.

     "Florentine Fancywork" has become a real pleasure to stitch now. I'm still not happy with the way the Splendor looks, but I've decided to just ignore it. Maybe it will improve once I put in all the backstitching at the end. Did I just say that? Backstitching? Gah! Backstitching is one of my least favorite things to do. Beading is worse, but backstitching runs a close second. Herewith, my progress as of last Friday.

     I wish you could see how the Krienik sparkles, but it just gets lost when I import the photo into the blog. Drat. It's in the ribbon section of Area 2 and lines the inner edges of the diamond shapes of the Area 5 motif. While I'm still not that fond of the sky color of Area 4's skyline, it's growing on me and I do like the way the buildings turned out using Flair.

     I must effuse about Mandarin floss again. The coverage is just wonderful. It's the golden sky color as well as the soft yellow in the starburst of Area 5. And I love it's subtle sheen. I really need to use Mandarin more often.

     So I'm on to Area 6, the wheels, at the stitching group tonight. This will take up about two-thirds of the space to the right of the skyline and the starburst. I'm aiming to get it finished this week if possible. Wish me luck!

     Kthxbai.

Good Progress, at Last

     This week's stitching experience has been much more satisfying. I restitched some of the border of "Florentine Fancywork," and then I decided to give myself a break and get back to work on the far more interesting stuff inside the border. I can finish the rest of the border a little at a time or at the end, since I don't have to worry about coming up in a dirty hole on the side and bottom portions. Plus, if I manage to get everything but that done by the deadline, I can always submit it unfinished for the critique. I'll have done some of the border. At least that's what someone said I could do.

     I finished Area 3, the horizontal band that revealed my error last week. It uses Rainbow Gallery Splendor, Overture, and Neon Rays. Normally I'm not a fan of Neon Rays, but it's shiny, smooth texture really adds a lot to this motif.

     I've moved on now to Area 4, called the New York City Skyline. The buildings are outlined in purple, and the straw colored section I'm filling in is … the sky. Not a color I would choose to represent the sky, but whatever. I don't really have the time to futz around with color variations now. The thread is Rainbow Gallery Mandarin Floss, six-strand bamboo floss, and I really enjoy working with it. It lays very nicely and has a sheen that's a bit shinier than that of cotton floss.

     So the race is on now. Will I make it? Can I possibly get this project done by mid-July? I mean, really, how hard can it be? Somebody just shoot me now.

     Kthxbai.