Saturday, December 19, 2009

My Favorite Ornament for 2009: Byzantine by Caron



Of all the ornaments I have stitched this year, this is my stand-out favorite. A bit of a surprise really, since it is not a cross-stitched ornament but a needlepoint one.


A lot of factors came together to make it a favorite :



  • the novelty of doing needlepoint after a very long hiatus


  • the sheer pleasure of working with Caron Watercolours: such a buttery soft yarn like cotton


  • the fantastic colorway of the Caron fiber: the colorway is called Royal Jewels


  • the way the Kreinik High Lustre Gold braid makes the colors in the Caron fiber pop


  • the easy finish: just blanket stitching the two sides together


I also particularly enjoyed stitching the Prairie Schooler Peace Angel and the Prairie Schooler Partridge in a Pear Tree and, with one notable exception [see 12/16 post], I thoroughly enjoyed all the other ornaments I have stitched this year whether the themes were Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Patriotic or Valentine's Day. I don't stitch what I don't like. I have enjoyed experimenting with different finishing techniques. And I have enjoyed giving a large number of ornaments to the people I know and care for ... relatives, friends, stitching buddies. But somehow, the Byzantine ornament stands head and shoulders above them all.

4 comments:

Donna said...

How funny this is. I have the same piece (only framed in a small frame) on my wall. It too is one of my favorite pieces!
I did it quite awhile ago and still enjoy looking at it.

Annie Bee said...

Love the jewel tones of this ornament. Just beautiful

Carol said...

I can see why that is your favorite, Riona! It's colors are spectacular--wonderful job on it :)

Napa Needlepoint said...

One of my all-time favorite ornaments. You version is lovely.

Keep Stitching,
Janet