According to my Jen Delyth calendar, today is Christmas, if you are Eastern Orthodox – so Happy Christmas! And thanks to Dragon Dreams’ Jen, I now know the Year of the Dragon is drawing to a close, in favor of the Snake. We’ll see how that goes for this Sheep… If the 2% tax hike is any indication, it might be a challenging year 🙁 But, since my yard is FULL of the Bluebirds of Happiness, I’ll just have to go with it:
In stitching news, so far the new year is going gangbusters! First up, my start on From Nancy’s Needle‘s Desert Star, which I started at IHOP on 12/26, and worked on again there last week:
This is the fist time I’ve used RG Cresta d’Oro – it’s nice to handle, but it kind of shreds going through that canvas 🙁 In Woodland Star, which is also kitted & ready to go, and is almost this same design – different colors, RG Gold Rush is called out; it’ll be the first time I use that one, too, so I’ll see how I like that one then.
EDITED TO ADD (per Nancy’s reminder): I finished all of the Santas! I may need to top off the stuffing in the red one a bit (he’s a bit crenellated), and I won’t tell you how many times we had to glue the made-in-China toy train back together, but finally, they are DONE:
Last Thursday, I got out Secret Victorian Garden, after finally getting part 4 of Tuscany completed. On SVG, I was up to Part 5, which is the beginning of the houses that go around each side. I worked JUST Part 5 this time, but in reality, it might have been a good idea to work parts 5-7, one side at a time, together – except that’s a lot of pages to contend with, as once you get the basic base of the houses done, and I think the basic roofs, the details are different for all 4. Maybe the next time it comes out, I’ll work part 6 & 7 together – it might not be feasible once I get into it, we’ll see. Anyway, I did get Part 5 done – it was pretty quick, really – Rhodes go pretty fast 🙂 No beads, though 🙁
I have put SVG away, and now have Desert Mandala on the stand, waiting for me to get home tonight to begin Part 2, which looks like it’s going to be pretty labor-intensive – a ring of cacti around that giant part 1. I didn’t look close, but I’m guessing lotsa 1/4 stitches and counting! Actually, the next couple of parts of Desert look intense – it’s a while before I get out to the panorama panels, and the beaded rattlesnake… Oh well, at least I got the black silk to use instead of that $#*&ing rayon 🙂 So between Desert Mandala and Desert Star, I’ll be in my own little heaven while stitching this week – if a 5-day week doesn’t do me in 🙂 Happy Stitching this week to everyone!
