This is the Day - 1st Finish of 2011

Yay! Finally a finish! I thought it would happen in January, but it just wasn't to be. I was stuck filling in that box with the numbers forever!

I decided to order another skein of Conch after all, so now the bottom box matches the top.

Unfortunately this is a terrible picture, but here it is:

It looks a bit more gold in person than it does here. The picture is out of focus. I couldn't straighten it out no matter what I did!
I haven't found a frame yet. I may actually have to buy one for this one.

We are being crushed by all this snow and ice. I am worried about my porch roof. It is flat, and at the moment it is supporting a lot of weight with all this snow!

I didn't shovel yesterday, so now all the snow that fell yesterday is encrusted with a thick layer of ice. UGH! My muscles hurt already!

We always try to feed the birds in this sort of weather. Here is a picture that was taken last weekend before the recent snow. Just look at what showed up at the feeder!

You can't tell so much from the photo, but this thing is HUGE! I actually saw the shadow of his flapping wings, before I saw him. He was not interested in the birdseed. He was interested in the things eating the birdseed! When we went out later, we found the blood. He ate someone!

This is the Day is coming along.

I am liking the colors a lot more now. The fabric looks more goldish in person than it does in the picture. Here, it looks more tan than gold.

I was stuck for the better part of a week in the box with the alphabet. I didn't like the tannish color, but now it looks a lot better against the richness of the other colors.

I managed to finish the background, but there will not be enough of Conch to finish the piece. I think I will use the DMC alternative rather than re-ordering. If anyone decides to do this design, plan on ordering (2) Conch.

I am working in the lower left. I have just finished the base of the beehive.

The vines on the side are the most time consuming, with the little viney offshoots that I always have to count, no matter how many I do!

It is still snowing here. I think it will be June before we see the ground again! Has been so cold, none of it has melted. Our heating system isn't working very well. Thank God, we have a woodstove to back it up. Hope our wood lasts. We have burned through quite a bit of the wood so far. My task for today is to try to find another source of firewood, (not an easy task this time of the year)!

Enjoy your day!

This is the Day Update and a Winner!

I have made some progress on This is the Day.
Unfortunately the day before yesterday I noticed that I made a mistake very early on in the alphabet. It is off by 1 stitch. I know, not a big deal, but I must admit that it bugs me, when I was being so careful! Now the little box will be too close to the border. Anyway, I have come way to far to take it all out. I had to make an adjustment in the vine in the top left-hand corner. I was holding my breath, but I think it worked out. This is what I have so far:

I didn't think the sheep showed up against the linen well enough, so I outlined them with a slightly darker shade.

As you can see, I still have a lot to do. The background in the letters takes a long time (partially done pinkish area). Hopefully I will not find any more mistakes. Undoing or working around mistakes is always so time consuming!

On another note, I have a winner of my little blogiversary drawing! The winner is Carolyn who incidentally has a drawing of her own going on, so hop on over and check it out!

Congratulations Carolyn!

New Year! New Start! and my TUSAL

My new start is This is the Day, by Tracy Riffle, from the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Just Cross Stitch Magazine.

I love the deep, rich colors!

I am stitching it on 40 ct Zweigart in Sand, using the suggested overdyed cotton floss.

This is what I have so far:

Also I have my first installment of the Totally Useless Stitch-a-long (TUSAL), hosted by It's Daffycat.

Not much to show, however in my defense, I am stitching on 40ct, so it is only 1 strand over 2 stitches.

I have been reading with great interest about the Crazy January Challenge. I am amazed how many people are organized enough to do this!

This is definitely not for me! A few years ago, I resolved to finish what I start. This policy has held me in good stead! For the most part I have stuck to this with a few notable exceptions (large quilts and the Loara Standish sampler, which require a lot of concentration). I hear the UFOs nagging at me, and it just bugs me too much! In fact, I don't even decide what I am going to do next until I am very close to finishing the one I am working on. Then it is just whatever appeals to me at the moment. This keeps it fun and fresh for me.

I really admire people who are successful at this! Also it makes for great blog reading! I love to see all your pictures!