Should Have Put It Down

Last week I was taking a blackwork class from Carolyn Standing Webb. I mentioned that I could not put the piece down.

I should have.

I inflamed the tendon in my wrist that caused all the problems last year, so most of this week has been spent icing and elevating and compressing and resting my hand.

However, there has been a little bit of stitching. A very little bit, but some stitching.

 I started the hillock that the birds are standing on. This is where I was when I realized that I hadn't left room for the gold chips that are also supposed to be included.

Obviously, I will not be ripping out.  I decided that I could find a beading needle  which would fit between the French knots, and a hemostat I can use to pull the needle through, and use them to add some gold chips to the surface. I am rationalizing that a little bit of bling goes a long way.

And I've been doing a strand of thread on the lettering on No Place Like Home every day, which is about as much lettering as I want to do anyway.

My wrist does feel better today, so I may try to do a little more lettering. The more I do, the faster I'll be through with this part.

Or I could take a nap, which actually sounds very enticing.

Cannot Put It Down

 Second day of class and I literally could not put the piece down.

So here's the upper left corner of the front cover of the box/book from the set. And it was addictive.

I don't know if it's the fact that this is a new project or whether it's the design or just the fact that I love Tudor/Stuart embroideries and this is definitely inspired by that period, but I may be addicted. As in, I would love to stitch all night and all day on this.

However, my wrist is beginning to hurt and I have learned the hard way that's a sure sign I need to do something else.

So I'm going to do something else and try to avoid temptation.

Ch-Ch-Chains

(If you get the song reference in the title, you're like me--old as dirt!)

I am taking a wonderful class online through EGA with Carolyn Standing Webb. It is called Queen Catherine's  Book, Sweet Bag, and Pyn Pillow, and it's an exploration of blackwork designs like those popular in Tudor times.

I started the Pyn Pillow:

Carolyn, who is a fantastic teacher and the most patient person in the world, suggested we start with the flower in the middle. I am contrary. I've also dealt with the interwoven loops, or chain pattern, that make up the border. I decided to get the pain over with as soon as possible. So I did, and it is reversible and worked in double running and I think I lost only about 23% of my brain cells in the doing of it.

If you aren't familiar with Carolyn and her work, please go to carolynstandingwebb.blogspot.com. It is total eye candy.

I mean, total eye candy!

Still plugging away

In the evenings, when my brain doesn't need to think but my hands need to be busy, I've been working on more Nun stitch for No Place Like Home

 So the second piece is now outlined. I have to work a vine adorned by spiral trellis berries, then a whole lot of letters to finish this section.

Instead of doing that, I will probably iron the linen for the virtual class I'm taking for the next three days. Then I need to sew the linen to scroll bars.

I think I'd rather stitch letters.

Lovebirds?

I have spent a very long time today stitching wee tiny birds with filament silk.

I am assuming that they're supposed to be lovebirds since they're on the Cherished Letter Case. Actually, I think they look like pheasants; So I thought I would look up pheasants to see if they are monogamous birds who mate for life.

Mr. Google says nope, not monogamous--the males are more like roosters and go after all the females in the flock indiscriminately.

So then I wondered if there is a bird actually called a love bird, and there is. It's a little, brightly colored parrot.

And then I went, OMG, I am old. I keep reading articles that talk about retirees taking up birdwatching like it's almost a developmental stage of aging and here I am googling bird pictures and descriptions. If I go out and buy binoculars and a birding guide, you'll know I'm doomed.

Spangles and more spangles

 I realized last night that it's been almost a month since I worked on one of my Zina projects, so I set everything up before I went to bed. That meant that the minute I got downstairs, I could read over the directions for the next step and do it.

Spangles and beads make a sparkly flower, and I have four of them now.

I wish you could pick up sparklies with a camera. Somehow it just doesn't come through. I have to say that I am very, very happy with the way these flowers look.

The next step is stitching the lovebirds in the center of the design. I'll start them tomorrow morning.

I have another class coming up at the end of this week. I think I may unpack the box this afternoon and get the linen mounted so that will be ready to roll on Thursday. I'll show that in the next day or so.

So many stitches!

Done and Done

 I finished assembling the two Thistle Threads ornaments yesterday.

Now I have to straighten out the worktable and put up the leftover threads and decide where to stash these until it's time to put up the tree. Actually, I think I need to start a new ornament box because the box where my hand-stitched ornaments live is full to the brim. That may be a good Sunday afternoon project.

Or maybe I'll take my book out on the deck and read because the sun is finally shining--in short, it's not raining today!