Mini Mystery Monday #8

Another little Christmas finish.  This one is Laura Perin's Mini Mystery Monday #8.  Isn't it pretty?
I made a few changes because I didn't want a border around the outer edge.  It turned out pretty good, although a tad larger than I wanted.  Oh well.  It is much, much sparklier than the picture shows!  The canvas is white silver sparkle and the silver is #8 Kreinik 001.  There is also some FyreWerks #F45.  The red is Watercolours 219 Cardinal, not as much variation as I would have liked, but this is what I had on hand!  Then there are 2 #5 Pearl cottons, White and 817.

2012 SOTM October & November

Surprise!  I'm caught up on SOTM!  This week I completed the sections for October and November.
October is Double Straight Cross worked in Soy Luster and Wildflowers.  I reversed the way the threads are worked, using the Soy Luster for the little "hearts" and then filling the background with the Wildflowers.  Worked up very quickly.
November is Chottie's Plaid, using Trebizond, #12 Kreinik, and Grandeur.  Now, I have been a needlepoint plaid lover since the 70s or 80s when I first discovered it.  But I did not enjoy stitching this one.  Why?  Because I didn't like the threads.  You can see in the photo that the Trebizond doesn't cover well on the white canvas.  The Grandeur is OK, but the white Kreinik, which is 001HL is too heavy.
I still do not like this project.  I am curious to see what December brings.  If I don't like the background that is called for, I have decided I am going to do the background in Bargello hearts.  I will also outline all the areas and the whole heart, probably with a whipped backstitch.  Here is how it looks now:

Christmas Caper, Finished

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

The Christmas Caper by Charley Harper is finished.  I love this piece - it is just sooooo cute!

The garland took quite a while.  The popcorn is French Knots in snow white Watercolours and the red balls are Neon Rays Rhodes variations.  The tree is in Arctic Rays and I added a few gold beads.  I found a cute little silver moon to hang in the night sky.  Using the glitter canvas, I didn't have to do the stars!

Now to try to get it framed in time to enoy some before Xmas!!

Mini Mystery Monday #5

Another small Christmas project completed.  This is Laura Perin's Mini Mystery Monday #5.  I changed the colors to Christmas colors, but used the same type of threads.  I am now out of the red/green Watercolours, so will have to do another color scheme for any more that I do for this year!  I am determined to only use stash for these.

New Bargello Finished

The New Bargello is finished.  It is not really what I had envisioned.  Partly because I didn't remember to follow my own directions!  The "background" behind the 2 brown center sections was supposed to be in the aquas.  I was fairly far along before I looked at my chart and discovered what I had done.  So, I decided to just let it be a variation!

I will eventually stitch up several different arrangements using this design.  I think the next one will be monochromatic.  My plan is to stitch 3-4 variations and then publish the pattern.

I do not have a name for this yet.  I'm not going to try to name it till I get other variations done.

Starry Night by Ro Pace

Finished another small Xmas piece.  This one is Starry Night by Ro Pace.  I think this was in the ANG Chapter Notebook several years ago.  Anyway, the pattern did not have a color photo, but all the colors called for were blues & purples.  Not me!  Changed to Xmas colors.  And I don't think I used any of the same threads.  Oh well, made it mine!  It'll make a nice little ornament.

Marta Mask, Progress #3

DH was out of town this weekend, so I worked on the Marta Mask.  I rarely work on this if anyone is around - it requires a lot of concentration.  The photo is just of the areas I have stitched.

 

This weekend I worked on the "scarf" beneath her chin.  I had completed the solid area on the right side of the scarf awhile ago.  Sometime since then, I determined that the painted area extended further than I had stitched! 

And, in studying the pictures I have from the Leigh website, I noticed that there was sheer stuff behind the solid.  Oh boy, that's gonna be tough!  I experimented with several different threads and stitches and ended up with a Persian stitch with just 1 strand of silk.  The solid areas are a brick stitch in Flair with backstitching in #8 Kreinik braid.

 

It looks good from a distance, but less so up close.  Well, you are supposed to view it from a few feet away - not right on top of it!

Christmas Caper, Progress #4

These Raccoons are just getting cuter every minute! 
I have made some serious progress on Christmas Caper.
All 4 raccoons are finished.  The candy cane is done and the star.  I just used straight stitches for the candy cane, in Neon Rays.  The star is a Jean Hilton 8-pointed star, compensated. 
I worked the candy cane and the star out on graph paper first.  The star was really tricky!  But it turned out pretty good, in Kreinik #3 braid.  I haven't decided yet if I will put something in the center of the star!
Next up will be the garland.

Mini Mystery #3

Christmas is coming fast!  So I decided I'd better get busy and make up a few small things.

Yesterday I stitched this one up!  It is Laura Perin's Mini Mystery #3.  I've been printing out her Monday Mysteries every week since she started doing them.  Thanks Laura!

I changed the colors slightly.  I used:
Watercolours 025, #5 pearl 890 and 817, Fyre Werks F3 and Kreinik #3 002.  The beads are Mill Hill Glass 02011, which I put on this morning. 

I'm not sure exactly how it will be finished, but will post a pic whenever.