Hardanger Homework

 I have stitched the homework for the class I missed last Saturday, and for the class coming up this Saturday.

I need to watch the tape of last week's class to do the insides for the top three. Hopefully, I can get the bottom three finished in class this week.

Meanwhile, in my online whitework class, I now have to finish today's lesson, work the two motifs from previous classes, and do three homework assignments.

There's going to be a lot of white fabric with white threads in the next few weeks. I have a feeling that once I get caught up, it's going to be technicolor all the way.

Catching Up

I decided I had better spend my stitching time catching up on the online whitework class I've been taking. Today I finished the homework I needed to have done before tomorrow's class.

 I still have two motifs to stitch from previous classes, and I have two more homework assignments for future ones.

And I need to work on last week's Hardanger class samples and get the homework done before this Saturday.

I thought I had left deadlines and homework assignments far, far behind me. Maybe this is what's meant by second childhood?

Just a little early?

 I'm supposed to rest my wrist until tomorrow, but BDE and I went to our local EGA chapter's stitch-in this afternoon, and, well, I cheated a little.

I stitched.

It felt wonderful, even though I couldn't count to either four or five or apparently read a chart.

I persevered and have this to show for about 90 minutes of sloooooooooowly stitching.

This is the beginning of the first motif in the online class I'm taking in Hardanger filling stitches.

And I'm not going to do any more. I am going back to resting until tomorrow. Maybe.

Oh, it feels so good to stitch again!

Progress Report

 I finally got to see the hand specialist, who discovered that I may have had a hairline fracture that was about a millimeter long in my wrist--it had healed but may have precipitated or aggravated the tendonitis--and he then stuck a needle in my wrist.

That may not have been the most painful experience of my life, but it was right up there.

Now, in my ignorance, I thought I would get the shot and come home and stitch. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I am now in Brace #3, for those keeping track of my brace wardrobe, which I am to wear 24/7 until Monday. I really can't stitch with this one. On Monday, I can stitch for short periods interspersed with longer periods of rest when the brace goes back on, and I have to sleep with it. This will last for 2-3 weeks.

So basically, I will lose half a year of stitching time.  Blankety-blank-blank-blank!!!

And, of course, today I have two online classes. Yes, scheduled at the same time.

On the left are the supplies for a class that EGA's Cyberstitchers chapter is offering on Hardanger filling stitches. Jane-Ellen Balzuweit, who is one of my favorite teachers, is offering it over a six week period. It is being taped, so I can watch the tapes later.

On the right is the design for Tanya Bentham's underside couching class, one-day only and that day is today. I've done some underside couching in goldwork, and found it takes both hands sometimes to pull the couching thread through, so I don't even dare to cheat and do that. But since it's only today, I plan to watch the presentation and hope I remember how to do it.

And, of course, next week I have my online whitework class. I was planning to be all caught up before class on Tuesday.

As usual, I should never make stitching plans.

Making Holes

 I am continuing to deliberately make holes in perfectly good linen, otherwise known as eyelets.

Although I am still wearing the brace, awaiting a call from the specialist's office, I have found I can stitch with cotton threads without shredding them--so I'm trying to catch up with my online whitework class.

My tension is all over the place. I can't figure out if it's the lack of stitching for a couple of weeks, or if the brace is interfering, or if it's a combination of both of them.  I keep telling myself this is practice and a learning experience and at least I know what I'm supposed to do.

Whether I can actually do it or not is the question. Practice, practice, practice!

Hot off the Hoop

 When you have three Zoom stitch-ins in one weekend, plus an online lecture . . .

And when your relatively small project uses relatively thick threads and large stitches that cover a lot of ground . . .

And when you have two weeks of pent-up desire for a threaded needle percolating through your system . . . 

You have a finish.

This is one of Tanya Bentham's Bayeux Stitch dragons from a class taken with the Oatlands Chapter of EGA.

And all the stitch-ins this weekend were sponsored by EGA in one way or another. I had the Carolinas Region stitch-in on Saturday morning, the Surface Embroidery stitch-in offered nation-wide Saturday afternoon, and the Mid-Atlantic Region stitch-in on Sunday afternoon. As traumatic as the isolation caused by Covid was, meeting via Zoom created many opportunities to spend time with other stitchers.

Always a silver lining. Now if I could figure out what the silver lining for a damaged wrist could be . . . 

I'm Back. Maybe. Sorta.

 After two weeks of enforced idleness with no stitching, I still have pain in my wrist, so I'm going to see the specialist as soon as I can get an appointment.

I talked to my doctor and he said I could stitch if I'm careful and keep the brace on. (The fact that I was quite possibly visibly twitching may have influenced his decision.) However, the brace has practically every surface covered with velcro. Velcro is designed to catch on stuff. I quickly discovered that it will shred silk from six feet away, but it doesn't bother wool too much.

And, luckily enough, I took an online class from Tanya Bentham, who wrote the book, literally, on Bayeux Stitch. The thread is wool and it's on a fairly big scale for embroidery--no fine, fiddly stitches here--so I can tackle it wearing the brace.

And this is where I am:

It's basically a series of long stitches that are couched down. Then there are outlines worked over the top of the design to create the details.

I'm glad I took the class and that I've had the opportunity to learn how to do this. Am I going to do more? I kinda don't think so. Silk threads and fiddly little stitches are my jam. Let's just hope I get back to that ASAP!

Of course, I do have crewel kits in the stash . . .