The Goblin Market and Other Projects

I went with my first instinct and used the 28 ct ivory linen.  I am using the recommended DMC floss.  So far, I have stitched the bottom border. the tile like band just above it and a bit of the left side of the booth.  I am loving the colors as I work my way from left to right across the bottom third of the design.  Since I stitch with over dyed silks and cottons so very often, I sometimes forget the pure joy of crisp solid color.



Next, I finally set up my recent needlepoint class piece [from July] on the stitching stand so I could get back to work on it.  I'd like to finish at least one class project in the same year I started it.  A quick  glance at my sidebar on class pieces would prove that this would be a major accomplishment for me

Before September whizzes past, I wanted to get the PS Year Round for the month stitched.  Like the others in the series, I stitched this on 40 ct natural linen in Belle Soie silks instead of the charted DMC.  In this case: Poison Apple, Scarecrow, and Collards

I was in the mood to do some beading.  Creating a few more Easter/Spring ornaments for my entry hall tree is one of my annual goals.  So I pulled out this Mill Hill kit, a daffodil Easter egg, and got started on it.  The instructions said to use two strands of floss but the floss was too bulky and showed between the beads, so I am using just one strand.  I hope this won't cause problems in future.  I'll be lining the back with felt, so I trust the stitches will be adequately protected.  Ornaments don't see much hard use so it ought to be fine.

And I cut some more denim strips from old jeans.  I figure when I have four balls as large as the first two, I should be able to start work on a braided rag rug.  I also had some old slipcovers in colors that will work with the denim that I can use in the ratio of two denim strips to one slipcover strip to add a little interest and variation.

Another scrap project I'd like to work on soon is a woolen penny rug.  I've got an old coat and some remnants left over from a cape I made, the first a solid dark green and the second a tweedy medium green in the same bluish green color way.  I won't actually make a full sized rug but I am fairly sure I have enough for a table runner.  Anyway, I cut up the coat [which has given me good service for a little over 30 years - LL Bean sure makes products that last] and ran it through the washer on gentle cycle using Woolite.  It has a slightly felted appearance now which is perfect for my purposes.

And, finally, I selected a winner of the giveaway ten days ago, Bette, and e-mailed her.  But she never responded so I selected a new winner, Carolyn [Stitchinowl].  I will e-mail her tomorrow morning.