Just One More Thread - Practical Blackwork , or ...

Boo!

2012-01-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

Seriously, I really really am not dead, but mercy on us do I have a galloping case of the hibernations this winter!

The completion of "One Heart", this year's "anniversary sampler", is on hold while I wait for the perfect background fabric; meanwhile, I have been much into the production of summer dresses, gramma sweaters, and hopefully soon baby dresses for That New Girl -

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T14:34:00.001-08:00

Will catch up soon, I promise!

Meanwhile, a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving from all of us here at The Little House and Practical Blackwork!

Welcome to the World!

2011-09-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

Born this afternoon, Miss Kaleigh Ann Brown Edwards, 9.4 lbs, 22 inches, everyone doing well! May God grant them many years!

Yiayia Liadain's gotta get sewing! :-d

Running to Catch Up

2011-09-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

Mercy on us, ain't dead, just up to the eyeballs in "new baby" - here she is in her latest portrait!

I swear, as soon as I get the sewingroom/office/design studio/library (that's a lotta use for a 9 x 13 space!!!) back in order - tomorrow? - I'll have something more interesting to talk about... :-D

Surprise!

2011-08-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Had a gullywasher of a thunderstorm last night, and after midnight when it had all gone away and was tossing lightning over the hills far to the north, Himself went outside to look for downed branches, etc.
He heard something crying, and came back for the flashlight; a few minutes later he returned with THIS

-which had come running to him when he called. She's about 3-4 weeks old, just starting to get teeth, and from all we can tell in pretty good health - she's eating, squalling, and squirming like a champ.

#1 Granddaughter thinks her name is Kisa, which when Googled means an amazing number of things in an amazing number of languages - and funny how many of them apply to this little girl!
Is she staying here? Oh, yes, of course she is, just call us the Crazy Cat People...

Still ain't dead

2011-08-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

Just having the usual August "bad wiring" flare...

The model for the wedding design "One Heart" - is in work, though, and hopefully cooler weather will soon restore me to as-functional-as-I-get condition. Meanwhile, here's a teaser from "One Heart".

Aprons and Shops and Stuff

2011-07-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Here, then, are a couple of pics of The Horrible Apron - actually not too bad, considering how much I hated it at the time I finished! Now that I figured out Teh Stooopit, I'll probably sew this pattern again (when I've forgotten the 50 miles of bias tape) and do it correctly!

It's not quite as crooked as it looks, Headless Annie (my model) suffers some scoliosis after being climbed and crashed by the Clowder.

In a sewing fit, I also turned an old worn-out jumper into a "yucky job" apron by cutting out a wide strip of the back and turning that strip into ties, and a

clothespin apron (pics later) from scraps in the Big Box O Cabbage.

In Practical Blackwork news, the "shop space" has been staked out, and only a few details of taxes (argh!) and the like remain. Coming to an Internet near you!

And finally, stuff. Tomorrow I have my first doctor's appointment since 1986,

hoping to get an Official Diagnosis on the Brain Wartz; wish me luck!

Tales of The Bad Seamstress part 1

2011-06-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

It's finally sort of summer, and so the mind turns to new wardrobe. For me, since I am (a) a lotta woman [fave Terry Pratchett quote- "She was a lot of woman. She was as much woman as you could have in one place without having two women."] and (b) hate and despise polyester, which The Fashion World seems to think that women of size need to wear, means that I sew for myself.

Nothing fancy (unless I'm wandering into historical costuming land); just some simple "feedsack" style dresses like my grandma wore...

And to go with these, you need aprons! Aprons are fun, functional, and (should be) simple! There are tons of free patterns online! Of course that was too easy...And so I began with the most complicated apron pattern I could find, from Simplicity, here-

http://www.simplicity.com/p-1914-aprons.aspx

and chose the most complicated view ("A"), and chose fabric that really didn't go with the pattern but tickled my fancy for some reason. And I cut it out, and I started sewing - and got it WRONG, and had to frog it, and got it wrong AGAIN, and frogged it, and AGAIN - and threw it in the back of the UFO closet in disgust.

The other day, in anticipation of getting my (now vintage!) Singer Touchtronic 2010 back from the Singer Doctor, I retrieved the apron bits.

And discovered that, being a bad seamstress and not looking closely at the directions for a pattern I'd never made before, I'd been sewing the wrong two pieces together, again and again and again...

And so now it's assembled CORRECTLY, and it's an actual apron, and I will show it as soon as I've finished stitching the 90 miles of bias tape it uses! And I will never ever make that pattern again!!!! (At least until I forget how much I hate sewing bias tape...)

And while we're waiting for that picture, a glimpse of what happens in my kitchen when "dinner for the Clowder" is a minute or two late...

And so, in between posts about fabulous things from Practical Blackwork, we will be having posts from the Bad Seamstress - feel free to offer sympathy, advice, chocolates...

Just a Peek

2011-06-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Of the 36th!!! Practical Blackwork design - our wedding sampler. Will show it to you "big" when That Stitching Woman has stitched the model-

In Stasis

2011-05-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

Ain't dead, just seem to be on hold for so many things - spring is refusing to get all the way sprung, plans for getting the e-store open are going forward but sssslllloooooowllllllllleeeeeeeeee; I'm working on a design for a wedding samplerbut I'm not satisfied with its direction (ooooo, I just had a BRILLIANT idea, thanks, PB readers!!!!).

The only thing making progress is my genealogy research, which I know is sssssooooooooooooo boring to other people! I'll just say I hit a spot where everyone in my family was trying to kill everyone ELSE in my family, with some notable success... :-O

So anyway, to end today's post, a photo I took out my kitchen window a couple of days ago - this weather could be why I'm so non-motivated, d'you think?

Blessed Feast!

2011-04-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

A most Blessed Feast, however you celebrate this time of year!

Updates....

2011-04-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

The first little "leaves" of a wedding sampler broke the surface today...

Am wandering the wilds of Staffordshire/Yorkshire/Cheshire while poking into my ancestors' bidness...

Spring is still hanging on the edge of springing...

And the kids are waiting impatiently for sunny windowsills.

Back to the Drawing Board and Spring and Stuff

2011-04-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

That Publisher/Editor/Merchanting Woman has returned triumphant (and tired!) from Needlin' Fools EGA seminar - enough sales that I actually get a "paycheck"! Woo-hoo! - so it muct be time to get back to work. Have been thinking about, in addition to the usual stuff, about personalizable (is that a word?) things like wedding and birth samplers, for a beginning, and more things with color...

I haven't even LOOKED at a design for the last 3 weeks, been having a wonderful time playing genealogist. Amazing how many resources are available online these days - and amazing how many folks don't pay attention, and publish pedigrees going back to - like one I was looking over last night - to a Byzantine Emperor WHO DIED WITHOUT CHILDREN. Hey, folks, if there were no children, that person cannot be your direct ancestor. Sorry. ;-) Check Wikipedia, if nothing else. If they're famous, they're prolly gonna be there.

Had our very first thunderstorm of the year last night, and today there's a haze of green across the pastures and the hills, and buds on the cottonwood in the back dooryard. Makes the mind turn to thinking about what sort of trees and shrubs we can murder this year by planting them here. I want a million lilac and rose bushes, to make up for the fact that I can't have crepe myrtles...

And speaking of genealogy, check out my great-great-grandparents in all their "Sundy-go-t-meetin" best -

Duh!

2011-03-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

And BTW, I forgot to mention that today is our 29th!!!!!! wedding anniversary - how's that for a case of OCD about the other stuff? Sigh, nobody tell Himself...

Vacation!

2011-03-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

In order to be nice to That Publisher Woman, who is working hard to finalize and actualize the Needlin' Fools EGA Seminar at the end of the month, I'm having a vacation from blackwork designing (though not from laying Cunning Plans...). I have to - anything I design I immediately want to stitch, and anything I get charted and stitched I want to get published, and this just doesn't help put the seminar on!
So in its place - gotta do something with those Idle Hands! - I'm poking my nose into my ancestors' bidness with some genealogical research. I made a tiny little start at it in the late 90s, before the last time my computer was struck by lightning - there's a reason this area is called "Thunder Basin" and "Lightning Flats"! - those were also the days of nuthin-but-dialup, when 24K was "lightning speed". You'd enter a page, then go cook dinner or whatever while it (maybe) loaded....
Anyhow, now Auntie Liadain has DSL, and a faster computer, and genealogy software, and mercy on us there are SO many more resources out there! I "met" a cousin I didn't know I had last night, and found my first ancestor so far who was pre-Revolutionary War (don't tell any of my hillbilly kin he lived in NEW JERSEY!!!!). I'll try not to bore folks too much with that stuff, just letting my buds know where I've gone!
Hope spring is springing for everyone!

For the Paschal Season...

2011-03-15T11:43:00.000-07:00

And I've caught up with myself again - "Faith", from Practical Blackwork.

All done in spring colors of purple, green, sky blue, crimson, and daffodil yellow...

Forgiveness Sunday

2011-03-05T23:55:00.000-08:00

Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesefare), and Lent begins.

Forgive me my sins and offenses, my brothers and sisters!

New Small Fanices Design!

2011-03-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

New and (almost) in print! PBD Small Fancies "Filigrana", in the "Murano" line...

Finished! "Xelidoni", from Practical Blackwork!

2011-03-03T01:12:00.000-08:00

Tah-dah! Stitched and named - "Xelidoni" (swallow), for the bird-shaped motifs...

And now it is WAY past my bedtime, so nighty-night! :-D

That Greek Thang

2011-02-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

Stitching away on the model for a new "Rare Needle-warks" design, as yet un-named. It's based on an 18th-century Greek (specifically Ionic) piece in the V&A. Here is the inspiration piece and a "sketch" of That Greek Thang-

(artifact pic belongs to the V&A)
And here's my progress so far, about 7 hours in -

this one's fun, like stitching a puzzle! Now if I can only NAME the blessed thing - a friend suggested I stay with "That Greek Thang", but I don't want to catch flak from Those Greek Raltives! ;-) Trying my best to get it finished in time for the pattern to be available at the EGA seminar "Needlin' Fools" in Kansas City, Mo the end of next month.

Meanwhile the snow is melting, spring is TRYING to sprung, and it's busy busy busy here at Little House. There are seed catalogs to wishful think about, and Cunning Plans being laid to "demodel" my kitchen, and tons of new blackwork design ideas bubbling away...

Amazing what a little sunshine will do! :-D

It Was COLD at Little House...

2011-02-02T23:06:00.000-08:00

How cold? This cold - Prayers that everyone is safe, dry, and warm!

Shiny New Freebie!

2011-01-30T23:37:00.000-08:00

In celebration of - well, I guess a kind of late New Year! - there's a new free blackwork pattern available at PB - go here-

www.practicalblackwork.com/id20.html

and look for the "New Stuff" box.

Here's the sketch -

It's called "Ukrainian Rhapsody" (guess what was on the radio!) and is a non-traditional take on very traditional Ukrainian folk designs...

Enjoy! Send me photos for the Gallery page at PB!

New Pattern Sale!

2011-01-27T14:32:00.000-08:00

The two newest Practical Blackwork designs - Murano and Millefiori - are now available! $5 each plus postage for hardcopies, PDFs on "new" sale (limited time) for $4.

Go here - http://http//www.practicalblackwork.com/id7.html

for contact info and to see all our designs!

We will now return you to your regularly scheduled programs, and some cats -

"M" Is For "Murano"

2011-01-26T22:14:00.000-08:00

The newest "Spanissheworke" (historically based) design from Practical Blackwork - this one is inspired by a variety of 16th-cent. Italian needlework, including a blackwork sampler in the V&A. Here's the sample pic-

Available momentarily (as soon as it comes out of editting!) along with "Millefiori", first in the "Rare Needle-warks" line....

"Millefiori"

2011-01-18T14:14:00.001-08:00

Tah-dah! "Millefiori", an original design from Practical Blackwork! Inspired by a 16th-cent. Italian embroidery, now in the Hermitage Museum.
Pattern should be available in a week or so.

First Fruits!

2011-01-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

Still having a lovely time "strolling" through online museums - the most fun are the little "folklorica" types where I get to guess which links to click because I don't speak the language - you find some unexpected things that way! :-D

I found plenty of inspiration at the Hermitage to get the brain cells fired up, and I want to share the first fruits of that here! First of all, the inspiration piece- a 16th-cent Italian embroidered pillow cover. And then my

"translation" - pattern coming as soon as I can stitch it and write it up!

Ah, the Internet!

2011-01-07T21:45:00.000-08:00

I heart the Internet. It's a cold nasty night outside, here in the Wildernesse, but I've spent it warm and cozy inside, in my jammies, with snacks, wandering the paintings, textiles, and costumes of the Hermitage Museum in Russia.

And I got me some fresh shiny INSPIRATION, y'all. My little brainz are bubbling! Now to get it on paper!

And like I said, it's cold and nasty here. Proof? Count how many of the Clowder are sardined into Himself's chair....

And Cocoa has taken up bearnapping again. Himself opened the bedroom door to witness a black flash running by, which in the bathroom became this -

Note the tail floofing, because he is threatening all comers with Horrible Bloody Death (or at least a Serious Maiming!) -

And then a run for the kitchen, where the teddy was deposited first face down in the kibble bowl (sorry, that pic didn't come out) and then was arranged BY COCOA, mind you! - in the kitty-napping-box.

It was more than an hour later when Cocoa finally forgot about his "baby", and we could return it to the bedroom to be stolen again later. Apparently, unbeknownst to us, our teddies suffer from hunger and lack of socialization!
(I suppose we should be glad Cocoa didn't think the teddy needed a drink of water as well.)

And now off to play with new ideas, coming soon to a pattern near you! Good night, keep warm, and guard your teddies!

A-Knittin' and A-Thinkin'

2010-12-30T14:52:00.000-08:00

It's the very beginning of the worst weather here - today we have a high of (almost) 9 degrees, tomorrow is forecast for *2*.... got the house as cozied up as is possible for an old drafty house, and am knitting as fast as I can manage for the shelter. Here's what I've got so far -

The mittens to match the multicolor helmet are on the needles now. All of this is quick stuff - the balaclavas take me the longest, about 3 evenings each - and I found all the patterns on "Ravelry". The yarns are whatever is in my stash...

And in the depths of cold cold winter, an old granny's thoughts turn to (of course!) redecorating the kitchen. I've been wishy-washing over various choices - easy to get -vs- what I really want! - but this picture snagged somewhere on the internet has made up my feeble little mind -

Isn't it beautiful? Got a start, my sink cupboard is amazingly like this, once we remove the "remuddling" of stainless sink, flat white paint, and blah modern beige formica....

And of course "research and development" into the next Practical Blackwork pattern is ongoing - here's hoping the Etsy store is up and running soon after the New Year! Here you see my crack team of design advisors in their afternoon meeting -

Rough job, eh? They're pointing me toward something Italianate for PB's "M".....

For The Feast of the Nativity-Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

To all who read these words, a most blessed Feast of the Nativity, and the blessings of the Light on all your celebrations...

I behold a new and wondrous mystery! My ears resound to the Shepherd's song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn.

The Angels sing!
The Archangels blend their voices in harmony!
The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise!
The Seraphim exalt His Glory!

All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below, and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised....

(from St. John Chrysostom's Homily on the Nativity, 4th cent. AD - to read the rest go to www.abbasmoses.com/stjohnnativity.html )

Happy Solstice!

2010-12-21T00:12:00.000-08:00

And Yule, and every other celebration of midwinter I can't recall this late at night!

May the Light shine upon you and bring you all blessings and warmth through the season!

Knittingknittingknitting

2010-12-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

While I contemplate shiny new blackwork patterns, I'm knitting - specifially, I'm off on a helmet-liner (or balaclava) jag. Done 3 so far off the free pattern from Lion Brand yarn ://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/90383AD.html

(on the second one, I changed it up a bit by short-rowing the top instead of binding off/seaming) and another from what I think is a Paton pattern - found on Ravelry, search for "balaclava" or "helmet liner". Worked in wool of specified color, these can be donated to our troops-

http://www.packagesfromhome.org/

knitted in color and stash-busting, can be donated to local charities to help people in your area through the long, cold winter. These are taking me about 3-4 evenings in front of the TV, and I knit pretty slowly; I've gotten just short of 3 from one skein of Lion Brand's "Fisherman" virgin wool (400+yards). (There are only 3 in the picture because Himself has taken one "wooly" to add to his gear at the firs station - another use!)

So if you're looking for something to have in hand, and you're not buying and stitching Practical Blackwork patterns... ;-D

Since I live in the Far Wildernesse, I "sent away" for my LB yarn. This had the added bonus of a Shiny New Box for the Clowder - here we see Junior G-man

(AKA "Quality Control" over on practicalblackwork.com) triumphant, as the first owner of same, surrounded by envious kinfolk...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

2010-12-12T23:12:00.000-08:00

- is next, and alleluiah, I have An Idea... hopefully something to show in a few days, if I can pry my poor little brain away from that stupid Facebook game!!!

There's also a new sampler idea fluttering around, but that will probably take a little longer...

Where has the year gone? Hard to believe only 2 weeks left to Nativity, but thank goodness the year is turning soon. Darkness at 4 in the afternoon gets old pretty quick, I can tell you!

But meanwhile, in our continuing photo series on "How To Spend A Snowy Afternoon" -

Come Shoppin'!

2010-12-04T13:01:00.001-08:00

Excuse the bad photo, but I'm happy to announce that the entire Practical Blackwork line (to date) is ready to come home with you - come have a browse

at http://www.practicalblackwork.com/!

If you've stitched something from PB, including the freebie patterns, please send us a photo for the "under construction" Gallery pages...

If you're attending Kris Kinder in Calontir, check out PB patterns in person at "Scrap Ends" in Merchant's Row!

And since there hasn't been one in awhile, How Cocoa And Buds Spend A Snowy Afternoon -

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...

2010-11-30T22:33:00.000-08:00

Only 15 days into the 40 days of Advent, and I am dreaming of chili dogs... ;-D

We've finalized ALL the current Practical Blackwork Patterns, and only a couple of large samplers (the Ackhorne Alphabet and the Anniversary Sampler)
need a couple of last touches - these are going into booklet form. If you are visiting Kris Kinder in Calontir next weekend, visit Liriel at Scrap Ends; if not, you can contact her through the PB website to do a bit of "website special" shopping before we open the "doors" of the Etsy shop.

I've completed one Apostle on the Iveron sampler from Solaria Galleries; I'm still pecking at it while I take an eyeball break and knit some "helmet liners" (balaclavas) for Himself, the troops overseas, our local homeless shelter, and whoever else's head I can cover before my carpal tunnel gets tired of knitting. If you're a member of Ravelry, search "helmet" for several versions which include the requirements for the troops and where to send finished items - there's even a pattern from the USMC Museum! If you knit and you have some time and stash on your hands, please consider doing a few of these...

All Caught Up!

2010-11-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

The last (to date) pattern in the Practical Blackwork line has "gone to editing"-if there's anything you've been waiting for, (the Anniversary Sampler is getting its last tweaks as I write!) it will be available momentarily through That Publisher Woman at the PB website, and shortly after on Etsy.
Woo-hoo! Right now I'm experiencing the euphoria of having caught up with myself. In a few more days, I'll start in on the terror of "what if I never ever have another idea?"

And now for Something Completely Different...

2010-11-15T23:07:00.000-08:00

For me, anyway. For my very own stitching pleasure, I have purchased this -
http://www.solaria-gallery.com/gobelins/gob/i79.htm
which I will finish, most likely, sometime right before they wheel me off to The Home...

On the Practical Blackwork side, the "Small Fancies" designs are in the final stages of preparation for sale, and we're more than halfway through prep of the samplers (including the Anniversary Sampler, y'all!), you can contact The Publisher Woman through the PB website for info.

Winter is setting in here, time to wrap up the house in winter blankets and settle down to some serious designing and stitching, and the Advent Fast which began today...

Off to That Publisher Woman -

2010-11-08T23:30:00.000-08:00

All 10 "Small Fancies" patterns, in plenty of time for Kris Kinder. (Not going to Kris Kinder? Go to the website ( http://www.practicalblackwork.com/ ) and the PBDesigns page, to order by mail.... Etsy store coming soon, we swear, as soon as everybody isn't having such an "interesting" life...

Anyway, here's the whole shebang in a basket -

How many uses for small square and band patterns? Borders, ribbons, biscornu, pincushions, sweetbags, cards, chess boards, sachets, ?????

Next to print - the big samplers, including (woot!) the Anniversary...

Beware Caffeine And Companion Animals

2010-11-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

Kind of a sad public service announcement, I guess - in case anyone doesn't know, coffee and tea (and anything else with caffeine) are just as poisonous to cats and dogs as chocolate.

Our beautiful beautiful Buster Brown was accidentally shut up in the library last night, where Himself had spilled coffee - full of Irish Creme creamer, so it smelled very sweet - and we must have missed some in the cleanup. This morning we found Buster already in the last stages of death by caffeine poisoning. I can't tell you how devastated we are, or how much we will miss his sweet face...

Wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge, Buster Brown. We are so very sorry that we are stupid careless humans. We know you will forgive us, because you gave nothing but love from the day we found you. Thank you for the time you spent with us. We will see you again someday.

Edit- a site from the ASPCA listing foods toxic to companion animals -

www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/people-foods.html

Lots of other info out there as well - google "cat+toxicity".

Little Fancies

2010-10-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

Almost caught up to myself on the stitching of "Little Fancies" models, and 7 of 10 are ready for print; here's a basket of "so far"!

The shop is getting closer and closer! :-D

Little Fancies

2010-10-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

Haven't been stitching-idle while we hammer the techno-changeover; here is a photo of a little basket of "so far" Little Fancies models. The patterns will be useful for all sorts of things - here they're made up into sachets and teeny little pincushions (the smallest is just short of 1" wide). The patterns you see here are

"Autumn Dance" (acorns); "Blossoms in Snow" (bright blue); "Briar Rose" (black and gold); and "Rebato" (dark blue). More to come!

Technicalities

2010-10-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Please bear with us as we switch from prehistoric dialup to (almost modern) DSL - it's hard to beat all the lumps out when you're a technodufus! :-D

Meanwhile, these guys were just outside my library window a couple of weeks ago-

PSA - Copyrights

2010-09-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Important Stuff for needlework designers big and small, and stitchers everywhere. Want to keep stitching beautiful designs from your favorite designer? Then respect that designer's copyright - even a free design is the intellectual property of the designer, and buying/selling/trading/transferring/
copying/sharing any part of it without express permission is THEFT, and a violation of international copyright laws.
You can get this image here-
http://needleworkcopyright.blogspot.com
and display it on your own blog or site - spread the word! The next copyright theft victim might be you!

Magpie Eye

2010-09-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

has created shiny-One side of "Quene's Crown", a Little Fancies design from Practical Blackwork (taa-daaaaaaaaah, working in a bit of advertizing!) in all its sparkly glory -

silver-grey 32-count linen

DMC cotton 115 and a touch of black

3 different gold threads

silver thread

old irridescent Czech glass beads

Wish you could see the real thing - the camera flash washes out the colors of the beads, for instance.

This will look entirely different in classic black...

Off My Beaten Path

2010-09-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

With my blackwork, I've tended to stick to a very traditional palette - on the one hand, because much of my work is "historical", and on the other hand because when left to my own devices I tend toward a galloping case of Magpie Eye - loud colors, shiny things, some creative clashing.

And in that spirit, I'm showing you a teaser of a new model I'm stitching, giving the Magpie Eye a little bit of free rein. I couldn't lay hands on the silk I imagined, so I'm using DMC 115, goes from almost-hot-pink to almost-black-wine, on a color-saturated silver-blue-grey 32-count linen. It's pretty much 100% backstitch, to control the color.

There WILL be sparklies, and mercy knows what else...:-D

Busybusybusy and Blessed Feast!

2010-09-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

Busy busy here at the Little House; stitching madly away at models on the one hand - I like doing the embroidery a LOT more than I like making objects up, so I've been just doing the stitching, sigh - and getting ready for winter.
And in the midst of it all, Himself's position was done away with and so he is job-hunting, and this week a surprise visit from The Strayaway Child, and it may all be too much stimulation for my poor old brain!

Meanwhile, to all who observe, blessed Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, blessed Rosh Hashanna, and blessed Eid - may GOd grant you many more!

Looks Like A Book

2010-08-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

(let), that is - the chart for the Practical Blackwork First Anniversary Sampler is too big for our regular printing set-up, so looks like it's going to be a booklet - with color charts, which are in the process of being built right now...

Heck, the NAME of the thing almost requires a booklet! :-D

Coming soon, to the PB website near you!

Quickie

2010-08-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

Occurred to me that Cocoa's friends haven't had an update in awhile! Here's how he spent yesterday afternoon, with his very favorite "teddybear", Tink -

He wubs his baby sisser...

;-D

Next!

2010-08-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

The e-store is creeping ever closer - stitching stitching stitching away at models! I need more hours in my day...

Meanwhile, there are 2 new "history" patterns, involving pomegranates(pics soonest!) and a whole new line of "Little Fancies" with patterns for things like this -

Each one will include a front-and-back design suitable for biscornu, needlecases, sachets, all sorts of little "fancies", a mini coordinate design for matching pin-cushions, emeries, etc, and a band design for chatelaines, what-have-you. (I "do" the patterns, you get to imagine what to do with them!)

More "history" patterns and sampler designs in the works too! I love it when my brain is busy!

Plus I now have the fair bug, and so I must plot and plan for something absolutely stunning for next year, fit to go to the state fair, bwaahahahaaaaa...

Blue RIbbon!

2010-08-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

A blue ribbon for my very first county fair entry - I'm pretty happy! Gotta start earlier for next year, for a better presentation, etc - due to all the plumbing emergencies, Himself didn't get to make the hanger he was planning...

Anyway, plans for the e-store are moving on apace, and models for the lovely new patterns are a-stitching! Happy
August!

Happy Anniversary To Us!

2010-07-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

Today is the one year anniversary of the Practical Blackwork website! Huzzah!

See, Mom, I can TOO pay attention for more than 2 seconds.... :-D

The Pause That Is NOT Refreshing

2010-07-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

We live in the country in an old, old house. 99.99% of the time, I love my old house-

Until the plumbing crashes, and we revert to the 19th century. We have running water still - INTO the house. The problem is that there is no water running OUT, and hasn't been for over a week.

It's hard to sit down in the evenings and embroider much at all when your poor old 21st century arms are worn out carrying all those 19th century buckets... ;-)

Hopefully, the final repairs tomorrow. Meanwhile, I will just admire my Popeye muscles and try to be very very happy this didn't happen in the dead of winter...

First Look!

2010-07-22T22:21:00.001-07:00

The color version of the Anniversary Sampler is finished, in plenty of time for the fair! Now to have Himself make a nice wooden hanger for it... anyway, here's a badly lit first look at the Whole Enchilada -

front (left) and back.

This was a fun pattern to work, and nostalgic as well. The designs, from the top-

"Ackhorne". First designed and worked for a friend's Christmas present.

"Bostocke" - the first original design I ever made! If you look back in this blog's history, you will see it terribly misused on the "Dret(ful) Pyrate Shirt".

"Cinquefoil" - designed from Himself's device, his shirt stitched with this design brought me the honor of being the Arts and Sciences Champion of the Outlands.

"Dragonfly" - first designed and stitched for the gracious Queen Aindrea of the Outlands.

"Eglantine" - designed for my granddaughter.

"ffraser" - my second original design, for Himself. This shirt was Judge's Choice at Queen's Prize, my first Kingdom event. I still have every token gentles left for me there.

"Gillyflower" - the first design of my Official Pro Design Career!

"Hartes" and "Impresa" - adapted from favorite 16th cent Italian portraits.

and finally, for that first year,

"Jerusha" - especially for a friend who wanted columbines...

And now to work towards The Terrible Twos - I love my job!

Meanwhile, Back At The Website -

2010-07-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

I'm halfway through the next-to-last band on the Anniversary Sampler - it's so long that I can't take a proper picture without taking it off the rollers, so the next pic will have to wait a day or too until I've finished the stitching...

Meanwhile, I've been updating the Practical Blackwork website in anticipation of the coming e-store. If you "tune in" to the design page, you can preview our entire line to date - a little different from the 6 designs PBD started with!

http://www.practicalblackwork.com/id7.html

Let me know what you think!

Cruisin' on Through

2010-07-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

On the downhill slide- and back.

I suppose it's time to think about how I'm finishing this piece, huh? :-)

Halfway Home!

2010-07-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the halfway point, front and back!

Wish I could get a better photo of the colors, but I'm really happy with the look so far. Tonight, we start the downhill run to the Fair. :-D

Dragonfly Blue

2010-07-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

Finally laid hands on a entry form, and I have to be finished before 4Aug, when entries are due in. Plenty of time! :-)

Here we are at about 24 hours, and the blue dragonflies. Seeing the little ultraviolet-blue dragonflies all around our yard is what convinced me to do this one in color - the darker blue here is the closest match I could find to them.

Oo Color!

2010-07-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

About 16 hours in (including some frog-stitching time) to the Anniversary Sampler -

The flash washes out the colors a bit, alas. I guess my skills are NOT in the photography field!

The back is not bad, though of course not every pattern is reversible. I think I'm going to do this one a second time in black as well - the colors are great, but I have to say my heart and my little OCD brain belong to the Classic Black!

Racing The Fair

2010-07-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here we are at about 12 hours of stitching - some of it a little distracted from trying to watch "Alice In Wonderland" at the same time. I'm still not all that pleased with the back, and I wish I could get the pics better lit to show the colors better.

Tonight I'll start the first polychrome band, woot! Hope you have a safe, happy 4th of July!

Finally a Start!

2010-07-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

I admit to totally twaddling over the colors - finally got them editted down to a small variety of greens and some accents.

Here's the result of about 4-5 hours' stitching - the back is not QUITE as tidy as I'd like, but the best I can manage with hand tremors (Lord, please let that go away when the weather cools!)

And We Begin

2010-06-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

The linen for the Anniversary Sampler is cut and hemmed - and that was the QUICK part. Most of my "needleworking" day was spent noodling over color - should I go "polychrome blackwork", like the samplers from the late16th/early 17th centuries, or should I stick to classic black? I seriously want polychrome, but am having trouble editting down to a reasonable number of colors. I need to make up my mind quick, because there's really not much stitching time!

County Fair and Cocoa Beanzz

2010-06-28T23:18:00.000-07:00

Every year, I want to do a piece to enter in the fair. Every year, I don't think of it until the week BEFORE the fair.

This year, I'm a whole month (plus a bit) ahead. I'm going to try and finish the Anniversary Sampler (an entry or two back) in time to enter.

Started today, prepping the linen and choosing colors - working on a palette like that used in 16th-17th century pieces - will show it when I've got it all planned out.

And a colander full of Cocoa -

The Last of the Ackhornes

2010-06-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

For now, at least - a finish on the last of the "Ackhorne" series of samplers, "Ackhorne Alphabet".

I really do have interest in other things besides acorns; it's just that I seem to have to design and stitch in alphabetical order... ;-)

Meanwhile, many new things and the e-store getting ever closer!

I Made a Boo-boo!

2010-06-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

And just discovered it...
If you purchased a copy of the "Jerusha" pattern, be it known that I mischarted the square neckband, because sometimes I expect people to read my (feeble) mind. Please contact me after Lilies War to find out how to get a shiny new CORRECT copy of the pattern, and a little giftie for your aggravation.
For anyone saying Bad Words because of this mistake, so sorry! Will do my best to be sure it never happens again...

One Year

2010-06-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

for Practical Blackwork Designs. And so in the works is the Practical Blackwork History Sampler (1st edition!) - this is a low-res sketch, because

of the size-

Hopefully it won't take me until NEXT Lilies War to stitch it and figure out how to print it! :-)

Curtains and Kittens and Stitching Oh My

2010-06-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

Another model finish - here is "Individuality", and look Ma no acorns! :-) I wish the photo showed the colors better - I used the brightest tangerine, cherry, and lemon I could find without going "neon". This is a great pattern, I think, for stitchers to - well, individualize! - with their own text, colors, etc...

Finally got the heavy winter drapes down and summer sheers sewn/hung - of course it seems like spring is running as far behind this year as I am. No sooner were they hung than they were "tested" - got up this morning and found Tink using my door curtain for a hammock. Here she is making a break for it when she heard the camera whir - I wasn't fast enough to catch her snoozing. (Gotta start keeping the camera in a more accessible place!)

And for the moment, at least, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, I'm only minimally gimpy, and there are get-ready-for-summer house and stitching projects to do on a sunny afternoon...

Methinks it Might Be Spring (sort of)

2010-05-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Spring may finally have sprung - just in time for summer! Temperatures in the 80s, the grass is growing faster than Himself can cut it, there are redwing blackbirds arguing by the creek and meadowlarks on every fencepost.... And tomorrow, huzzah, marks the one-year anniversary of Practical Blackwork Designs! Yay! (wait a minute... shouldn't I be Rich And Famous by now?)

A little hitch in my stitching getalong. Did you ever start a project, know you didn't like it in the first 15 minutes, but keep on anyway because surely you'll like it better when you see a completed bit? Mmm-hmm, so now there's that to pick out and start over... so I put that sampler aside in momentary disgust, and started a nice little piece WITHOUT ONE SINGLE ACORN ON IT!! I know, I can hardly believe it myself!

A new line of designs in the works, will show you when the first one is complete. Seriously, I need to find myself a modelstitcher, there are only so many hours in a day. Or even better, find a cook/housekeeper/critterminder, and I could spend all my time stitching and drawing...

Calontir's Lilies War is again in Smithville,MO, for 2 weeks starting June 10th; if you're there, see all the Practical Blackwork and Stitchin' Vixen designs at Scrap Ends, in the merchant's area.

And lastly, Cocoa says it is hot, and he has retired to his tent for the afternoon-

Let Nothing Disturb Thee...

2010-05-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

The baby kitties have gone into the hands of the Baby Kitten Lady, who specializes in fostering the tiny ones. They're listed for adoption as soon as they're big enough... Still no sign of any possible mother.

I miss their pretty little faces and their great big purrs, but I find that I'm not up to being the "single mother" of four right now...

Finally finished the model for "Let Nothing"- worked over 2 on 32-count linen,

DMC threads in antique blue, burgundy and silver, as a gift for my mother.

Now to get busy and finish everything for Lilies War, and to celebrate the upcoming 1st anniversary of Practical Blackwork Designs! Woot!

Oh Dear

2010-05-19T22:40:00.001-07:00

Tonight, I finished the version of "Let Nothing" I was making as a present for my mother; photos tomorrow, if I retain my sanity that long... I also finished a kewl design for another gift which I HOPED to start stitching tonight...

But before all that happened, I went to the coal shed at the back of our house to put away a bucket - and mind you, the coal shed is completely enclosed - and I found THESE -

I promised myself no more little orphans - we have 11 cats and 3 dogs already in our Little House on the Prairie. But once you find them, what can you do? Still hoping the "baby kitten" fostering lady from the Humane Society calls me back, before we get attached or I drop dead of exhaustion.

Meanwhile, there are 2 boys and 2 girls (I think, might have counted somebody twice), somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks old (probably closer to 3, just starting teeth) and they are HUNGRY and LOUD. Also dirty. Himself's t-shirt you see there was fresh out of the drawer before we started trying to feed the fearsome foursome.

Sigh. ;-)

New Freebies!

2010-05-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

While I'm dinking around finishing the next sampler model, there are a couple of new freebie blackwork charts up at Practical Blackwork - enjoy!

Go to http://www.practicalblackwork.com/id6.html and scroll down to "Freebies from the Management"...

Almost....

2010-05-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

Tantalizingly close to finishing another sampler - hmm, are they properly "samplers", or would they be closer to "mottoes"? - and will, as soon as my hands are steady enough to stitch...

Meanwhile, Wyoming seems to have backslid to winter! Today barely hit 30 degrees, and "the rain it raineth every day". Would be lovely, though, if the cold and the wet was enough to wipe out the plague of grasshoppers forecast for the summer!

The Oaks and Acorns Trio finished!

2010-05-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Yay! Finished, framed, photographed (fotograffed?)
and ready to hang -

A closer view of "Mighty Oak", the centerpiece - over 2 threads of 28 count linen, classic black/red/gold color, DMC threads. Also an object lesson about buying all the same brand/dye lots - the large sampler is on linen from one manufacturer, the 2 small ones on another - and both are labelled as "cream".

Not a big deal here for wall hangings, not good if you want all your table linens to match... :-)

Tah-dah!

2010-04-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

The first 2, all nice and framed and stuff -

Sampler "2 Model - "Storms"

2010-04-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

Here is "Storms", a companion piece to "Creation" - neither of these have been stretched/blocked yet, BTW.

There are 3 more pieces (so far) in the Ackhorne series, and other designs (without acorns!!) on the drawing board.

Meanwhile, spring is trying to sprung, and the kids are enjoying whatever sunspots they can find -

Bright Monday! And the first finished model -

2010-04-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Christos Anesti! Happy Bright Monday!

Finished the first model for the Practical Blackwork line of samplers - "Creation".

Here you see it worked over 2 on 28-count Irish linen (Charles Craft) with DMC threads - 2 strands 310 (black) for heavy outlines, 1 thread 310 for lighter outlines/fillings, 2 strands 498 (Christmas red) for text, 1 strand "Light Illusions" gold for sparklies. At 14 st/inch, this works out at approximately 8" x 10".

Pattern will be available soonest...

Blessed Pascha!

2010-04-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

Christos Anesti! Alithios Anesti!

(Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!)

Tomorrow, we return to our regularly scheduled foolin' around with needles and stuff...

Blessed Holy Friday

2010-04-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

"Today , He who hung the earth on the waters is hung upon the tree..."

Blizzardly Goodness

2010-04-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

Our usual "Easter Blizzard is here on Holy Thursday - feels like 500% humidity! Still, there is progress to share -First of all, have got a good start on the model for the first of the Practical blackwork blackwork samplers - here is the beginning of "Creation", after about 9 hours of stitching + TV watching -

Next, another "feedsack" dress added to my summer wardrobe. This one is in a pretty "repro" cotton, with eyelet neckline and cuffs-

Of course there will be aprons - you just can't wear these dresses without the aprons, unless of course "front room" company comes!

And finally, a little bit better photo of the church rushnyk (it's so large that this is about the "closest" I can get!)

Joyous Happy Dance Of Project Finishment!!!!!!!

2010-03-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Happy happy joy joy! Last night, I put the final embroidery stitch in the church rushnyk - the first stitches went in on April 7, 2008, almost 2 years ago.

I need only trim and hem the ends, and off it goes to my godmother, who will do the filet lace to finish it off. We will not, sadly, make it by Pascha, but by Pentecost you should see photos of it in its place in church!

Blessed St. Padraig's Day!

2010-03-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

A blessed and happy St. Padraig's Day to all!
Another dress almost finished; this one is a repro calico of rusty red ground with a white, grey, and black flowering vine. I'm using my own wardrobe to get through all the crooked seams and other hiccups of getting used to a different sewing machine; want to do some summer dresses for my granddaughter too, but hers come "next" when they'll look less like her blind gimpy shaky-handed old granny made them...

Last night I started THE LAST BLACKWORK BAND on the church rushnyk - I'm within days of finishing!!!!!! Reckon how fast my godmother can crochet the lace? Pascha is 2 weeks from Sunday....

And then I get to buckle down to stitching models for Practical Blackwork samplers. Can't just SIT in the evenings (idle hands and all that!) so these will keep me busy for some time to come...

Sewing Like Grandma, Dressing Like Grandma

2010-03-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

We live on acreage out in the sagebrush - (we can't decide between Hardscrabble Farm or No Tengo Ranchito to put on the sign at the gate) - and I am a stay-at-home purveyer of my little "shanty industry". I've been leaning more and more toward changing my clothing ways - had too many jobs in the past where I HAD to wear jeans, fatigues, etc, and now I would really really like to look more like a girl.

And so, since Beulah Pearl and I have gotten used to each other, I've begun my summer wardrobe - and much to my surprise, I find that I'm not only sewing on a "granny" machine, but sewing dresses my grandma would have been perfectly comfortable in on HER farm -

Please excuse bad lighting and bad photography (and my crooked dress dummy - she fell down the stairs yesterday!); these are very simple cotton dresses, comfortable, easy to wear, and probably the very first things those mean people at What Not To Wear would throw out - perfect, yes? :-)

Need a few more, and I'll be ready for summer...

Meanwhile, the church rushnyk goes on apace - photos when I can unroll and show the whole thing! - and my helpers are, as usual, "helping" -

I can't tell for the life of me where Tink's head is in the picture, but they're all very happy...

Happy almost-spring!

"Clean Monday"

2010-02-15T22:53:00.000-08:00

The first day of Great Lent. Spent it in housekeeping, experimental vegan cooking (a totally yum pilaf of barley, bulgar, quinoa,orzo (Himself doesn't like rice) and vegetables) and watching the Olympics while I stitched away at the church rushnyk - a couple of the blackwork bands on "this" end were worked in a different floss, and don't have the same visual "weight", so am correcting. Probably no one would ever know, but it doesn't please my eye and it will be right there in front of me in church for many many years...

Also have a dress, a blouse, and a couple of snoods cut out to sew on Beulah Pearl - Himself brought me home a packet of bobbins today - a great gift, since until now I only had one!

And while I was working, my assistant Cocoa was holding down the fort for the morning-

-in the laundry basket with Tink, his "real live teddy bear", and the afternoon thus-

-in Daddy's chair with his "twin sister".

It's a rough life being the King Of All You Survey.... :-)

Sunday of Forgiveness

2010-02-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

I bow before you. Forgive my sins and offenses...

Distractions

2010-02-08T23:04:00.000-08:00

New in the category of "stuff that distracts me from embroidery" - my pretty pretty 1921 treadle Singer. Himself has been helping me get her up and running over the last few days, and tomorrow I get to do a bit of sewing on my summer wardrobe. Here she is - I can't think she was ever used much by her original owner. Boy, is THAT gonna change!

A little more goldwork to do on the church rushnyk, and one end is finished - pictures in a couple of days!

We'll Be Right Back After A Word From....

2010-01-26T16:56:00.000-08:00

Well, not from our sponsors since we ain't got any, but a word about Practical Blackwork/Stitchin' Vixen Designs.
Folks travelling to "Ursulmas" in An Tir this weekend can find our complete line, available from the fine folks at "Horsefriend Armoury" in Merchants Row.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled reading....

Next!

2010-01-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

Finally! I don't know why this band was so difficult, but I think I did more frog-stitching here than the rest of the rushnyk so far! But here it is, a traditional Ukrainian pattern -

One more band of blackwork, and this end is finished!

While I'm Working....

2010-01-20T22:36:00.000-08:00

...away at the church rushnyk, and new designs, and sewing my summer wardrobe (and breaking my sewing machine, argh!!!) my helper Cocoa is doing THIS -

nice job if you can get it, huh?

Prayers for the help and comfort of the people of Haiti, and strength and steadfastness for the relief workers there - Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

A Beautiful Site!

2010-01-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

While I'm dinking around getting the next band done, I wanted to share a great "freebies" site from another blogger -

http://www.patternmakercharts.blogspot.com

lots of lovely cross-stitch patterns from old out-of-copyright patternbooks, ready to download in PDF, Patternmaker, and PCStitch charts - yum! Happy browsing!

Argh!!!! and Yay!!!

2010-01-05T21:09:00.000-08:00

It's one of those days . I finalized the chart for another sampler design -

And then spent 3 hours stitching and un-stitching the same 1/2 inch of a Ukrainian pattern on the church rushnyk, until I was annoyed enough to want to toss the work of more than a year out into the blizzard.... maybe, for embroidery, tomorrow will be a better day...

Tomorrow is the Feast of Theophany. A most blessed and happy Feast Day!

Back to the Needle

2009-12-29T22:57:00.000-08:00

The past couple of weeks have been a little TOO exciting - a winter storm, the "death" of our car and the search for another, a little mini-relapse - but the weather's been warmer for a day or two, we have a "new" car, and my fingers work again so I'm back to the rushnyk. Didn't get finished, alas, for the Nativity Feast (and didn't make it to the service, either, through the blizzard!) and am now setting my sights on Pascha...

While we wait for me to make enough progress to make a photo worthwhile, a pretty portrait fo Cocoa and his "twin sister", cuddling on a cold afternoon -

Samplers

2009-12-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

A kinda blurry pic of my first set of samplers - based on my "Ackhorne" design. Will be acailable (God willing and our creeks don't rise!) at the almost-there Etsey store after the first of the year....

And in case I don't "get back here" before the day, Happy Hannukah, Good Solstice, Merry Christmas, and Blessed Feast of the Nativity to all who read this! Season's blessings to you!

The Sun Came Out!

2009-12-12T22:56:00.000-08:00

For a day, anyway. And so I managed to get a couple of pictures before the next Arctic front comes in - tonight!

I like the effect of this one. It's another adaption from an 1890s de Dillmont.

And just because the colors are so beautiful - Buster Brown, sunspot-napping on my shawl...

And finally, a day late I know, but a Happy and Blessed Hannukah to all who celebrate!

Notes from Nanooka of the North

2009-12-09T22:38:00.000-08:00

Another band finished on the rushnyk - I promise pictures as soon as this %&*^(^(
Arctic front goes away and it's not too cold to open the curtains and take them!

Meanwhile, been busybusybusy getting the 10 historic blackwork patterns into finalized shape to print - see them at Kris Kinder (Calontir/Kansas City,Mo, this weekend!) and AnTir's 12th Night (8-10 Jan,Ocean Shores, WA) and Ursulmas (29-31 Jan, Monroe, WA). Kind of exciting... my babies are wandering so far from home.... :-)

Off to bed where it's warm!

Thankful!

2009-11-26T22:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!
Hope everyone who passes this way has had a blessed day...

Sigh...

2009-11-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

Signs of the times, I guess - I've had to go to "moderated" comments, after getting several spammy advertising bots here...

So sorry if your comments don't show up right away - I'm still getting used to the fact that I have to come "publish" them!

Cocoa "says" hi and, in case we don't get back here beforehand, a happy and blessed Thanksgiving to everyone!

Progress!

2009-11-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

Some actual progress on many fronts - first, there is the church rushnyk , only a few bands short of embroidery completion - I can hardly wait to unroll this and see the whole thing at once!

Here's a close-up - this is another pattern from "The New Carolingian Modelbook", slightly modified to fit my overall design.

And here's a detail of the sweater I'm knitting - a pattern from "Knitter's", again adapted because I just can't leave well enough alone, in superwash wool sock yarn... hard to tell it's a lace pattern, but of course it hasn't been blocked yet.

And there is progress on the Practical Blackwork pattern-designing front, too, but will have to show you pics of that later....

But meanwhile, remember how Cocoa was helping with our redecorating efforts? Seems he likes ladders, whether they are standing tall or have been knocked over, LOUDLY, on the kitchen floor......

2009-10-31T13:44:00.000-07:00

These three little bands mark the center of the rushnyk ends - the lowest is traditional Ukie, the center is a border adapted to Assisi, and the uppermost is an a rework of a pattern from an 1890s de Dillmont. Now for the downhill run!

For Cocoa's friends - he's not as "into" hanging out in the bedroom since the cold weather set in, so there have been fewer episodes of teddy-thievery. Instead, he's spending more time hanging with his "twin sister" Pixie...

Pecking Away

2009-10-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

Snowing, snowing, snowing.....

Another band on the rushnyk almost ready for its close-up - actually, it's 3 narrow bands that mark the sort-of center of one end of the rushnyk, if THAT makes any sense. :-)

Meanwhile - and probably retarding my progress significantly - there is a sweater in progress on the knitting needles - in sock yarn and lace stitches, this will probably go with me half-finished to the Home! - and I'm pecking away at patterns for non-period blackwork things - samplers, and table linens, and cushion covers, and and and... more historical stuff is also brewing, and I'm contemplating adding in some stuff featuring my take on traditional cross-stitch designs as well. All in all, I think that right now I am a beautiful example of a scatter-brain in action...

And for the kitty-fans, the "babies" caught mid-slapfest.

Meanwhile, back at the Rushnyk

2009-10-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

Another band done! If I can only keep my nose to the grindstone (and alas, we all know how easily I get distracted) I COULD finish this in time for the Nativity Feast...

Thia pattern is a slight modification of one from "The New Carolingian Modelbook".

Almost Done-

2009-10-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

-with the home-demodelling, anyway. Tonight we'll do a quick update for the Cocoa and Tink fans -

Cocoa was hard at work all afternoon, hanging family photos -

while Tink supervised all activity from her new throne -

at least until she fell asleep from boredom...

And Now We Are Ten

2009-10-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

Finished designs, that is - and thanks to all my readers who were kind enough not to say "Hey, dufus, you skipped "H" too..."

What can I say, the Brain Wartz makes me forget stuff like alphabetical letters and things... ;-)

Anyway, the "skip" has been filled in - now we have "Hartes", inspired by a 1530s Bronzino;

"Impresa", inspired by a 1520 Scorel;

And "Jerusha",

of course.

I like things in nice round numbers, don't you? :-)

Meanwhile, on the home-decorating front, I have an actual adult front room - paint, furniture that matches, woodwork, drapes! Yahoo!