A few photos

Having given a pretty detailed accounting of my current stitching in last week's post, I thought it time to post a few photos.

The WIPs I have actually worked on in recent days:

I have stitched and finished two more Halloween Ornaments, complete with twisted cord ... I am really getting the hang of this stuff:

The front

and the back

of Glory Bee's Oct 31 Halloween ornament from the current JCS issue.

And Home Spun Elegance's free chart featuring a black cat jumping over a pumpkin [sorry about the photo being out of focus - it looked much better when viewed on the digital camera screen]: I used Waterlily 28ct linen and stitched over one with GAST Gold Leaf, Old Hickory, Fragrant Cloves and Bittersweet. There's a little more unstitched space on this ornament than I normally like ... I prefer a much tighter finish that fills most of the space but I was using some punched out cardboard circles leftover from an old Vacation Bible Club project as my form ... I never throw away things that have crafting or stitching potential, especially when such good quality cardboard involved, pre-punched in perfect circles, too.

And then there is the progress to-date on Workbasket's Quaker Cow.

Brightneedle's Esmeralda's House [I ordered my floss from Stitchery Row on Friday and received it on Saturday - WOW!!] When you look at the chart, it looks like such an open design that it ought to be a quick and easy stitch. But, now that I have read the chart and cut my fabric and begun the stitching, I doubt it will be done in time for this Halloween. While not quite a BAP, this will finish out at a little under 10" x 14" on 36ct and includes enough specialty stitches to add interest to such a large piece. I suspect I will have to order more of the WDW Pelican Grey ... I don't remember seeing any chart notation about needing more than one skein [the model was stitched one over two on 40ct] but I believe it will be necessary since I am stitching two over two on 36ct. I spent the better part of Sunday stitching on this piece and am pleased by my progress. It may not seem like a great deal but there was nearly as much counting as cross-stitching. You know the old carpenter's motto "Measure twice, cut once." Well, my stitching equivalent for this piece is "Count, recount and count yet again, never frog" ... don't I wish! The designer recommends stitching the outline of the house completely before filling in the rooms ... so careful counting is a must if everything is to line up properly.