Mid-March updates

I am getting back on track after the wonderful time I had at my retreat. It is sad I had to come back to reality. Go to work daily, deal with making dinner everyday for ourselves, cleaning......... if only I was rich enough to have people do all that for me.........

I got my 6th package from Gadgets, Gizmos and Great Inventions yesterday. This month the focus is on beads and bead helpers. There were bead needles, bead needle threader, Thread Heaven, 2 invisible threads (clear and smokey) a bead box (inside it has sticky foam to hold the beads and on the outside it has a strong magnet set so you can attach the box to your work similar to a needle minder) and a bead scoop to help pick up your beads if you spill or if you have poured then out on a plate or tray. Lastly the little swirly gadgets are to hold your thread when it is on a spool. if you can not get the thread to hold in the slot of the spool you can use these rubber pieces to wrap around the spool and hold the thread. If anyone is interested the spool curlies they are called Peels and are available here http://www.smartneedle.com/PEELS.html

I am branching out just a very little. I found a beautiful canvas at my LNS about 3 months ago and it just was to nice to pass up. During our retreat the LNS gave the attendee's a discount at the store. Well what better time to kit up the project right!?!?! I did that and I have also had the owner help me chart out the stitches that I am going to use. Tuesday I went up and we sat down together to chart the side panels. The gold silk, I am not sure of the stitch but basically it is over 4 over 6 over 4 over 6 from dot to dot then turn 90 degrees and continue. The gold line and the lime green lines are both Elongated Continental one to the left the other to the right. The lime green boxes are Rhodes Stitch. The red velvet is Elongated Cashmere. And the black rectangle has Silk Lame around the frame and down the middle in Continental stitch with flat black silk inside the lines in Framed Cashmere stitch. The black dots are just black beads. I do love the adventure of this piece but I am not sure I will continue embroidery, to much planning the stitches and not enough actual stitching for me. I like my cross stitches much better.

I have a finish I finally completed the afghan for my hubby the stitching has been done for awhile but the cutting of the tassels is so boring I was putting it off. Now it is done and he can cozy up with it. The update for Whooligan's hangout a Glendon Place design. The owl and tree are complete, started just a bit of the fence and the spider web is almost done. Not sure if I want to stitch the spider or just add a charm there in place at the end of the straight line down.