Threads

Thanks to Jane, a member of the Tuesday night stitching group and a participant in the Stars stitchalong, I was able to finish the stitching on Maya that uses Bravo. Yay! So I started the outer border of a two-thread gobelin in Pebbly Pearl between one-thread gobelins of, sigh, Patina. The misery begins again, but it isn't nearly as bad doing this stitch. Damning with faint praise? Yeah.

Meanwhile, in other breaking news, we had a somewhat free-flowing, boisterous premier of the Stars group. Everyone did manage to select the variegated thread she wanted, well in some cases, threads to mull over and decide between. The consensus was, for the most part, to go with one of the colorways provided in the book. Canvas was tacked to stretcher bars. And I think that's all that was accomplished. I'm looking into another location for our future meetings because my dining table just can't handle that many people working on such a large project. My neighborhood community house would be a good place, if the usage fee isn't too high for Sundays.

To top off the afternoon, some of us went across the highway to have dinner at a very tasty Thai restaurant, Crystal Thai.

kthxbai.

Trying to finish a WIP

I've found the cross-stitch piece I was working on not a good choice right now. The way I decided to stitch it is requiring way too much thought about every stitch. Hahahaha. So I decided to work on the Orna Willis canvaswork project I had started as a model for the shop, "Maya." I realized that I don't really have that much left to do on it and have nearly finished it. (I need to use a tripod when I take pics with my new camera. I don't have a steady hand.)

I only need to finish the bottom band and the outer border. I may have to set it aside for a few days, though, because I don't have enough Rainbow Gallery Bravo to complete the bottom row of Rhodes stitches done in RG Patina (I hate Patina!) and Bravo. Just 10 stitches! And I was evidently the only LNS in my area carrying it. Gah! If I can't beg some from a friend's stash (and how likely is it that someone has the color I need?), I may be forced to get my Web store up and running immediately so I can order it from RG. That's a pretty good incentive, doncha know.

The other thing I've discovered while stitching this is, as I mentioned above, I HATE PATINA! Really. Surely there's another thread that's less heinous to work with that gives a similar effect. Does anybody else find it as miserable an experience as I do? Probably not.

The last problem I've encountered requires frogging, which I'm not sure I'm going to do. I have one wrong stitch in the top portion done in Trebizond. Can you find it? I, of course, can't miss it now that I've found it, but I'm not sure the casual observer would see it. Decisions, decisions. Well, I have plenty of time to decide while I wait for the Bravo to appear.

In the meantime, tomorrow afternoon is the first meeting of the "Stars for a New Millennium" stitch-along. That will give me something to take my mind off my stitching woes.

kthxbai.

Another Stitchy Gift

At the stitching group yesterday, I received a wonderful surprise: a hand towel with an embroidered Charlie Harper cardinal. I've had this cross-stitch pattern at Scarlet Thread, and it's one of my favorites.

I also gave myself a present yesterday, a new camera. This picture is the first one I've taken with it.

kthxbai.