Long overdue update!

I am still breathing! Still here. I apologize for the long absence.

I am among those to have found this to have been an incredibly short summer! I love the cooler temps we have had, but I do hate the now, noticeably dwindling daylight.

Although I have been working on The Knox Family Sampler exclusively, I don't feel like I have made good progress. I think this is the longest it has ever taken for me to complete a sampler.

I finally finished the large letters. The filigree work took quite a while.

Between stitching the letters, I tried to extend the borders a bit. Next, I started on the houses. The first house was brick. There is a straight stitch around each brick which did slow things down.

The next house was smaller and pink. The stitching was quicker on this one.

Then I started on the first tree. I am currently filling in the foliage on this one. The stitch used is a wheat-ear stitch.

This is where I left off. It does seem like this sampler has taken a very long time. Of course one of the things we did this summer was to binge-watch 24, all nine days!
Watching Jack does not lend itself to quiet, careful stitching!

It was hard to get a good photo of the entire sampler so far. This is the best one I could find.

I really hope to finish this one up soon!

I have been busy in the garden, but it hasn't been such a good year. The tomatoes have been very small, and we had no luck at all with the squash or bok choy. Atleast we had a good crop of string beans and peas!

We did have some trouble with the chickens this year. We have a red fox of all things! I have been told they are rare in these parts. Lucky us! Unfortunately he managed to kill 6 of our chickens before we fortified the chicken yard fencing. It is very hard to free-range chickens around here between the hawk, raccoons, foxes, and the like! We let them out every afternoon for several hours, but only when someone is here to keep an eye on them. The worst, the absolute worst, was Bev! She was a mother hen who stayed to protect her 4 chicks. The other chickens ran away, but she stayed. Of course he got her and carried her off screaming! The chicks were very small, and in the following days, we lost 2 of them. The other 2 however, are now thriving! we always forget how violent nature can be. I know the fox probably had kits somewhere, but I sure wish she had picked on some squirrels, and left my hens alone!

Not to be forgotten is my August TUSAL!

Hope everyone is having a nice summer!
Back soon.
Erica

My camera is back!

Yay! I finally got my camera back from Nikon, and I can post again!

I have been working almost exclusively on The Knox Family sampler. It is a very slow painstaking process on this one, and it seems like I will never be finished.

The beginning rows of alphabet all use the same two colors, and it does get a bit monotonous.

Some of the dividers between the alphabets are interesting. It is hard to see the detail, but here is a slice.

The entire inner border is done in a straight stitch in dark gold.
The first dividing band is done in dark gold cross stitch.
The second band is done in a back stitch using medium green.
The third dividing band is done in a zig-zag fashion with alternating straight stitches of green on the upswing, and dark gold on the down swing.
The fourth dividing band is done in a Long Legged Cross Stitch.
The fifth dividing band is done in Old Fashioned Cross Stitch.

Finally I got to the point where I can work with pink!
Next come the large illuminated letters. Each one takes quite a while to complete.

First the letter is stitched, then the filigree work is completed.

This is where it stands so far.

 

(Donna, I totally agree with you about the colors. That is why I was drawn to this sampler was for the lovely muted shades. The linen colors goes perfectly with them).

I also did a little bit of work on Winter Watchers.
I finished the male cardinal.

I also finished the branch, and completed a few rows with the background gray, Here is how it looks now.

I will only be working on this once in a while, in between projects. I have to fill in all the gray, then do all the little white French knot snowflakes. That will take some time. I was thinking of making it into a pillow when it is finished.

Last but not least is my April TUSAL, just a few days late.

Although I get quite frustrated with the slow progress of the Knox sampler, I feel like it will be worth the trouble when it is finished, atleast I hope so!

I think my next project though will be an easy one!

Long overdue post . . .

It has been over a month since I posted. I wish I could say this was because I was off in some exotic locale, but unfortunately it has been something much more mundane. I have had a lot of camera troubles. First my Nikon broke, then the card reader I was using for my little camera broke.
Frustrating!

I have some updates on the Knox Family Sampler. These photos were taken three weeks ago, so I am a bit father along now. I will post another photo just as soon as I can,

This shows the first row of letters and initials. It is stitched one over one.

Also, during this time I worked on a old WIP needlepoint called  Winter Watch.

This photo shows the female cardinal completed.

Sorry, for some reason I don't seem to be able to rotate it.

Since this was taken, I have finished the male cardinal as well
 Photos to follow.

I decided to bite the bullet and send the camera back to Nikon to be fixed, so hopefully I will have more to show soon.

I finished the upper border of the Knox Family sample!

This took me quite a while, but here it is:

Not the best photo. I am still mourning the loss of my Nikon, and I am still learning to use my little camera.
This sampler is a little deceptive when you look at it. It is actually wider than it is long. I had to be careful with the linen when I started it.

Most of the border is done in cross stitch using two strands of DMC, except for the little tendrils that are done in a straight stitch using only one strand.

Next, I will do the inner border which is a gold line done in a straight stitch.

Will be back soon with an update.

Happy Valentine's Day !

Just in time, The Celtic Heart is finished.

The Celtic Heart - M Designs
Gentle Arts over-dyed threads on 32 ct linen

I also chose my next sampler from The Scarlet Letter. I love the soft, muted colors.

The Knox Family Sampler - The Scarlet Letter

I made a small start.

I am stitching with DMC on 36 count linen.

Hope all of you are surviving the snow if you are in the Northeast or Central US!

I am thinking of getting a dog sled!