January 1: Sue Hillis' Cookie Santa. For the past several years now, I have started a Christmas project on the first day of the New Year ... my way of extending the Christmas season a bit longer. I didn't see any reason to deviate from this practice during the Crazy January Challenge. I usually choose a Sue Hillis or Prairie Schooler piece. This year it's the fifth in the Charmed Santa series by Sue Hillis, stitched on a 28ct Silkweaver linen called Desert Sky using the recommended DMC floss. A respectable start, if I do say so myself, with a good bit of the border done. Once I have completed my 15 starts, this is the piece I shall return to first, hoping for a January finish.
January 2: Dragon Dream's The Ice Dragon's Kingdom. Another piece that starts with a border. While I love Jennifer Aiken Smith's designs, I am not crazy about using rayon floss ... and I am learning I really dislike Anchor Marlitt floss. I am not entirely certain that the final result is worth all the irritation. I have stitched another of the large Dragon Dreams dragons, Storm Bringer, which proved to me that the designer really knows what she is doing ... in spite of my personal preferences. I am stitching this on another piece cut from my 28ct cashel Silkweaver [Desert Sky] using the recommended floss. I have one of the needed Kreinik and one of the Marlitt on back order along with some Mill Hill beads. Otherwise this is all kitted up ... at least I have what's needed to start it all off and I should have the rest of the materials by the time I am ready to pick it up again in February.
The biggest problem I am having with this challenge ... yes, I am already having problems at day 2 ... is that I don't have startitis as badly as I thought I did. Starting a new project each day means that just as I get interested in a project, it is time to move on and start the next one. Most irritating! Even though tomorrow's project is Homespun Elegance's The Stitcher which I have wanted to do for ages ... I don't want to put The Ice Dragon's Kingdom down until I have completed the bottom leg of the border, at least.
7 comments:
Looks good so far. I just couldn't do that challenge because I have so many UFO's and WIP's now. Good luck to you on yours! Nancy
I love both your selections. Great starts. Isn't this fun?
The Marlitt will cooperate a little better if you stretch it a bit--wrap each end around a pencil and gently pull. For some reason, this keeps it from kinking and snarling.
It will also keep you from snarling . . .
Ann
Lol I kinda have to agree. I haven't felt it too bad yet considering I finished my day 1 project but i'd love to continue on with my day 2 but alas time to start day 3.
Can't wait to see how things progress. I know where my Ice Dragon Kingdom chart is, so I'm going to start my work on that as soon as I finish the ornament I'm working on. That rayon is slippy stuff and I don't think that silky stuff DMC came up with is any better.
Lovely starts! And I agree. This is going to be more difficult than I thought. I don't want to put down the current day's project.
Well done. I share your dislike of rayon floss. Once I bought some as the recommended floss but we soon parted company and I gifted the hank to our trading table at the Embroiderer's Guild. Best wishes for good progress.
Post a Comment