Half Way

I finally made it to half way with about 14 inches of Kreinik left....yes, I will have to pick up more of the 014 in order to go any further. I will try and get by there tomorrow if I can. In the meantime, I will work the gold snowflakes and add those beads.

The bottom of the box

I worked on the bottom of the Tooth Fairy Box by Julia tonight. I am doing basketweave stitch in the Kreinik and you can see I finished quite a bit. I will put the gold stars in a few at a time, but just wanted to do as much of the background as I could. Having seen the little ones over Christmas, I decided I better hurry and get this one done.

I'm Back!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We sure did! We made a trip to Michigan and had both a wonderful time and trip up and back! The piece above is a small cross stitch piece I stitched for DH this year. It is a Poppy Kreation's design called Winter Stuff. The Santa board is also by Poppy Kreation's. The Jingle my bells probably took about an hour to stitch, and finishing is a breeze. I could not show you the piece until after he saw it! Tomorrow, stitching rotations resume!

I"m not going out....

Looking out the back window, the snow is piled on the top of the bushes and weighting down the pine trees.
Looking out the front, the sidewalk is barely noticeable and the street is all white. However, the next door neighbor started his snowblower at 8 a.m.
This is the flower garden next to the driveway--poor roses!
Dear hubby went out and checked his ruler on the wall and found we had gotten 8 inches of snow yesterday and last night! Good day to stay in!

Christmas around the world

I received an email today and wanted to share with all of you:

Make sure you go all the way to the bottom of the e-mail, the picture and information about Arlington Cemetery in the winter, before Christmas is beautiful

The Capitol Christmas tree in Washington , D.C. , is decorated with 3,000 ornaments that are the handiwork of U.S. schoolchildren. Encircling

evergreens in the 'Pathway of Peace' represent the 50 U.S. states.

The world's largest Christmas tree display rises up the slopes

of Monte Ingino outside of Gubbio, in Italy 's Umbria region.

Composed of about 500 lights connected by 40,000 feet of wire,

the 'tree' is a modern marvel for an ancient city

A Christmas tree befitting Tokyo 's nighttime neon display is

projected onto the exterior of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.

Illuminating the Gothic facades of Prague 's Old Town Square ,

and casting its glow over the manger display of the famous

Christmas market, is a grand tree cut in the Sumava mountains

in the southern Czech Republic .

Venice 's Murano Island renowned throughout the world

for its quality glasswork is home to the tallest glass tree

in the world. Sculpted by master glass blower Simone

Cenedese, the artistic Christmas tree is a modern

reflection of the holiday season.

Moscow celebrates Christmas according to the Russian Orthodox

calendar on Jan. 7. For weeks beforehand, the city is alive with

festivities in anticipation of Father Frost's arrival on his magical

troika with the Snow Maiden.

He and his helper deliver gifts under

the New Year tree, or yolka, which is traditionally a fir.

The largest Christmas tree in Europe (more than 230 feet tall)

can be found in the Pra硠do Com鲣io in Lisbon , Portugal .

Thousands of lights adorn the tree, adding to the special

enchantment of the city during the holiday season.

'Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree': Even in its humblest attire,

aglow beside a tiny chapel in Germany 's Karwendel mountains,

a Christmas tree is a wondrous sight.

Ooh la la Galeries Lafayette! In Paris , even the Christmas trees are chic.

With its monumental, baroque dome, plus 10 stories of lights and

high fashion, it's no surprise this show-stopping department store draws

more visitors than the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower

In addition to the Vatican 's heavenly evergreen, St. Peter's Square

in Rome hosts a larger-than-life nativity scene in front of the obelisk.

The Christmas tree that greets revelers at the Puerta del Sol

is dressed for a party. Madrid 's two-week celebration makes

millionaires along with merrymakers. On Dec.. 22, a lucky citizen

will win El Gordo (the fat one), the world's biggest lottery.

A token of gratitude for Britain 's aid during World War II,

the Christmas tree in London 's Trafalgar Square has been

the annual gift of the people of Norway since 1947.

Drink a glass of gluhwein from the holiday market at the Romer

Frankfurt 's city hall since 1405 and enjoy a taste of Christmas past.

Against a backdrop of tall, shadowy firs, a rainbow trio of

Christmas trees lights up the night (location unknown).

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens,

swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out

of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

This week, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments..

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'

Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone

CHRISTMAS AT ARLINGTON CEMETERY

I wonder why the press hasn't enlightened the public about it??

Arlington National Cemetery

Rest easy, sleep well my brothers.

Know the line has held, your job is done.

Rest easy, sleep well.

Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held.

Peace, peace, and farewell...

Readers may be interested to know that these wreaths -- some 5,000 -- are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine . The owner, Merrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He's done this since 1992. A wonderful guy. Also, most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with this event to help out. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is in one the poorest parts of the state.

I did not even notice

Apparently a couple of days ago, blog hit over 100,000 pages views! Wow! I was surprised when I checked the numbers tonight. I had been so busy getting the Ecrusheen done, I had not paid attention. I started the blog in August of 2006 and then that blogland started having some troubles and I double blogged for a while and finally ended up here singly blogging. I was inspired by Jane in Chilly Hollow to get started blogging and have amazed myself at how much more I get stitched knowing all of you are out there reading and waiting!
So thanks for stopping by so often, and I hope each and every one of you has a Merry Christmas, a Happy Holiday Season, and a very Happy New Year! (p.s. I plan on doing all of those too!)

The end of the mystery!

I finished all the beading tonight and that concludes Mystery #12, Ecrusheen. I will lace this piece over the weekend but won't be taking it to the framer until after Christmas. Several of the stitches in this piece will be good resources for future projects.

What in the world?

is she doing now? LOL! This is the Kreinik cord, the #12 John James Beading needle and a size 11 bead. The eye of the needle is plenty big enough to thread the cord and both to glide through the bead. Thanks to Jane and Judy for this inspiration to post. Meanwhile, I am busy putting those little gold beads

all around the outside edge. I have two and a half sides done. I did a close up for you so you could see all four rows of beads! I know, it was nice of me......it is close to Christmas after all!

Round three

First, were the off white beads in the Modified Scotch, then the gold beads in the Modified Rhodes, and when I finished those tonight, I did the off white beads in the Bead Cup stitches. The final row of gold beads will go in the outside row of Modified Rhodes......getting there!
Jane asked if it was difficult to get the beads through the Kreinik cord and I responded in the comments ( in case you did not see) that no, it is very easy to use for beading and in fact, I think it is easier to thread the needle as the cord is wrapped so it seems to go in the needle easier.

Let the beading begin!

I started with off white beads and a single strand of Kreinik cord in the 205C and placed the beads in the Modified Scotch stitches in the center. Then using the same fiber, which I will do throughout the piece, I started placing gold beads but did not finish the entire diameter.

All the way around

Yes,, the last stitched row is in on Lesson four. Next up will be beads. I don't have the Toho beads called for in the pattern so I will make some substitutions and begin beading tomorrow!

Just a minute

Two things to post tonight. One requires a minute of your time, and the other is how I spent mine.
1. Taken from the ANG digest:

"Please support this wonderful program. Lots of us have military family members overseas, but many don't receive the support we give our own family members.

Pat

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL. If you go to this web site, _www.LetsSayThanks.com_ (http://www.letssaythanks.com/) you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's. Thanks for taking to time to support our military! Please tell all your friends too!"

P.S. I used to work for Xerox Corporation and I am very pleased to see that they do this.

2. The next pattern row is worked with a single strand of the Kreinik #4 205C in the Modified Rhodes Stitch all the way around the outside. As you can see, I got two sides done and over half of the third side! Talk about a fast stitch! I will finish this stitch tomorrow and move on. This piece is almost finished!

Lesson 4, Step 5

Yes, the Crossed Rice Stitch is done all the way around! Woohoo! Notice how this squares the piece back up. It is a very lacy effect from a distance and up close you can see all the crossed stitches. By the way, Jane asked how I intend to hang this piece and it will be on point so that the angles are pronounced. Next row starts Wednesday night!

Lesson Four, Step Five

Today I finished all of the Slanted Gobelin in Step Four. I then started the Crossed Rice stitch called for in Step Five. This is worked in a single strand of Marlitt, and I completed this corner today.

Moving on

I finished all of the Spring Stitches.....thanks for the link to Carol's website to see her diagrams, btw....and so all four sides of Spring Stitches are in. Next up, you can see I did one side of more Slanted Gobelins in the Kreinik braid. There are three steps to finish this piece.....so close!
I have been using the camera alone to get the shots and some days, I have better light coming from the right direction than others! LOL.....I can't scan this piece, as I work inside the Evertites, not on top. Laying the piece on the scanner with white behind does not give me a great quality photograph, but I have finally figured out a good way to get you good color, I think.

Second side

Tonight I continued on to the second side and worked it in the DMC perle cotton. In the last post I described how and what I did and did not tell you the name of the stitch. Jane in Chilly Hollow picked up on that and mentioned in the comments that it is the Spring Stitch, and in case you don't read the comments, my apologies for not telling you! The number of steps in this stitch is time consuming, but I feel I am making good progress getting around the square.

An inch or so

The next step is worked entirely in DMC #12 perle cotton. First, a cross stitch over 12 threads, and then a cross stitch over two threads at the top and bottom of the large cross stitch. Last horizontal Gobelins are worked on top of those! Phew! This is what I finished so far, and there are all three other sides to go!

Another band

Tonight I added another row of the slanted Gobelin in the single strand of Kreinik all the way around the four sides. I am only showing you one section so you get a better close up! Enjoy!

Getting back to business

Thanksgiving is over and the company is gone. As the dust settled evenly over the furniture, I managed to do a load of laundry and put away some of the things we had toted out. The shopping is pretty much done and everything we bought is wrapped already.....so I stitched. I finished the Bead Cup stitch all the way around the perimeter using a single strand of Marlitt. I hope to have this done before Christmas!

Yes, there will be beads

Jane picked up on the Bead Cup stitch from last night's post and yes, Jane, there will be beads. In fact more than a few. While I am busy doing the stitch around the other corners, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and I will be back Sunday!

Lesson Four Step one

First I finished the last corner from Lesson Three. Then using one strand of Marlitt, I started the Bead cup stitch. I will work this around all four corners of the design.

Step three

Moving on, I did a row of single strand Kreinik Gobelins and followed that with a border stitch design in a single strand of Floche. Last I did another row of Kreinik braid and have enclosed the diamond shape again. I finished three of these and I am working on the fourth one.

Moving on

Last night's picture was crap so you get to see a lot more this time. I am still on Lesson Three. This is step two and three. I first did Flat Base Sprat's heads on each side using one strand of Marlitt over 30 threads. They are very shiny! Then I did slanted Gobelins around each of those. DH likes how this keeps switching from diamonds to squares and so do I! I looked ahead and tomorrow I will be adding more Floche again.

Lesson Three Step One

Lesson Three, step one is done. I finished the mirror image by completing the very inside rows with one strand of Marlitt. I then filled in the center band with a single strand of Floche and did an upright cross stitch all the way around. You are not going crazy, I have been messing with the color so this does appear very black and white--which it is not. I wanted to see if I got clearer detail.

Closer

I finished all the sides with the Kreinik braid and then did the two rows of Floche as well. Next up is going to be the two last rows of Marlitt to have the mirror image completed. Jane asked what was next. This is step one of Lesson 3. There is a step two and a Lesson 4! Stay tuned!

Another closeup

It seems I can't stop working on this piece! These inside rows are turning into a mirror image of the outside ones I completed. As you can see I did more Floche and am now working on the #4 braid. This is the first side with those rows completed.

Ecrusheen up close

I played a little with the camera and white balance and this is pretty true to color for Ecrucheen. It also gives you great detail on the border I am working on. I turned this so it looks vertical but it is being worked on the diagonal. I completed the floche rows next to the Kreinik and then to the right of those I have started around again with the single strand of Marlitt. Looks like a fancy schmancy gimp doesn't it??

The top is done

Tonight's rotation is the Tooth Fairy Box. I finished the top with the Kreinik and then added the beads in the center of the gold stars. I moved down and started the bottom and got quite a bit of it in already. Remember this is all basketweave as the sides are going to fold up and create the bottom of the box before the hinge is attached and the top put on. Sorry that I did not focus better on this one!

Zip, zero, nada

Yup, that is it. No picture tonight and my most humble apologies for it! However, I was stitching on the Honeysuckle and Hummingbird piece. I did more of the fishbone stitch leaves and finished four of them. Not a significant enough progress to take a photo. Next time, I promise!

Starting September

I know I am a long way behind on this, and I admit, it has been a busy summer!! I started the Cassique stitch by working the Scotch portion with DMC #5 in overdyed color 4150. Next I did the fill in design with #12 Kreiik in 017HL. This stitch continues on the other side and you can see where in the bottom right of the photo. This is where I will resume stitching when this is back up in the rotation.

Down to the nose

I did, guess what?, French knots again. I did all along the top from his nose up to his eye and then finished filling in above his eye. Directly above his eye, I switched from three and three in shades of gray to six strands of my lightest gray to highlight that area. I still think he looks like he has a smirk on his face :)

More inside lines

I am working the border, per the instructions, from the outside in. In the last session I completed the stitches in the floche. Tonight, I did them in the #4 braid. The first row is the diagonal Gobelin over three threads and the second row is a single tent stitch skipping one thread all the way around. The pattern called for completing each of the four sides, and then moving around the piece. I knew that if I did that, I may get bored with the design and it would move slowly. This way, I watch it develop all the way around!

The reveal

We had the party last night, and now you can see the piece I gave as the birthday present. It is the Dragonfly Sampler by The Victoria Sampler. It is a combination piece with Hardanger, Stumpwork and Silk Ribbon. Only the wings of the dragonfly are done in stumpwork. The flowers on the top right are done in silk ribbon. The rest is Hardanger and a little decorative stitches in the bottom left. She loved it!

What in the world?

Well, you say this looks just like it did the other day....Ok, now look at this one.
See, I really did do something! In the last work session, I did the Slanted Gobelin in the single strand of Marlitt. Tonight I first did a row of tent stitches right next to the first row skipping one thread all the way around. Then I came back and filled in the skipped thread with a single tent stitch in the Floche, all the way around. Last I started the Slanted Gobelin this time using the Floche.