Stash, Startitis, and Sweet Mail!

I have these:






This would be complete; but the top large snowflake at right is one stitch too high. I can't decide to change it because stitching on this 18 count aida with two threads was beyond punishment (Not a fan of the ol' Stab-and-Yank!) I picked up a piece of 35 count black linen that Nicole was clearing out, so now I am actually thinking of stitching another from this leaflet, Santa's Night.





Homespun Elegance's House on Pumpkin Hill, from their A Halloween Year series. The spider and tiny cat need legs. And I need to learn how to do colonial knots for the tree. Wonder how they compare to french knots (which I am fine with.)



I even have this one; which I was supposed to Reveal to You All Finished this time on the blog. It lacks only the cat's body at Top Right. :/

These are only a few. November Nights (remember that PS?) is just as close. Jenny Bean Christmas needs only her words charted and snow and berries stitched. And the signature area added (okay, more to do on this one).

...

So, I started these:



Not sure I like the linen/thread combo I chose for this one.





Day 11 from Santa's 12 Days of Christmas. This is the second of the charts I chose from Kathy A's gift; an important one for me as I love (and want ALL the PS Foxes! :o)

Stitched 1/2 on 36 count Days Gone By, this is an easy one due to to thread laying (non-existent) but a bit of a plodder due to small-size finish making the progress less appreciable. Also, I have run into a problem with Huntsman Santa's coat. It is supposed to be DMC 815. The last skein at the shop had the number tube shoved back on, and only one of the adjacent colors was in stock. I bought it anyway, and thought it looked dark at home. I went through my DMC stash to look for it, and did not find it, but DID find 814 and 816. I decided I thought the one I purchased fit in between them. So I went ahead with it. Yes, it looked too deep in comparison to the cover photo, BUT PS covers are generally washed out/yellowed up (as a former film processor, I call it the Kodak Effect!), so I wrote it off. But, when it was time to lay in the 902 browny pants, UHoh! They are pretty indistinguishable from The Coat.

Should I: Frog, Find, and Change the coat? Frog the pants and choose a more brown color? I would obviously take the second choice, BUT the fox is supposed to Match Santa's coat, and I don't think want to make him this pseudo 815. Also, I think I want to stitch 1-3 more of this series. How much will it bother me if they are different in their Brightest Christmas Red. Since this is a Prairie Schooler Fox(!!!) Piece, I don't want to see only error and disappointment when I spy it on my tree.

Ah, DMC; the low-hanging fruit of my childhood is now more rare than hens' teeth! The Michaels I went to for it (atrocious parking; never go there but in desperation) had less than half my list. Six facings of Blanc--ALL EMPTY. So, I inquired about the back room. Was told it was all out. "But Really?? No White?!?!?" "Okay, I'll (pretend to) check for you." Even my ONS has to be cajoled into selling me DMC. "Yes, I have it, but you should buy it from Michael's. Mine is 6X cents per skein. You really don't want to buy mine." Umn, yes. I do. That's why I asked for it. And I don't care if I have to spend an extra $2.47. Cost/Benefit reveals it as a bargain: Gas, fighting nightmare parking, never-my-complete-list-in-stock/Definitely Getting What I need. My kingdom for a skein of 815! (And 437, one of those 5200 whites... Oh, and there is the supplies for my new stash...)

Thanks, friends, for listening to my DMC rant. I should also say that my ONS does totally send it to me, when pressed.



Isn't this floss toss pretty, though? And I think this is a new record in away waste knots for me.

The Stash:




I am forever coveting "Hallows Eve" finishes, so I figured it was time. Mary Katherine's beautiful "A visit from St. Nicholas" still tempts me all these months after I first saw it. At first, I did not like this New PS Halloween, but when I saw it again on Kathy A's blog, I thought, "Okay, I do need this" I can envision some nice smalls made from it. :D I also bought a skein of GAST's new Otter Creek. It is lighter than I expected.



Perhaps best of all is this giveaway I won from Marjorie! She offered a Halloween Goodie to anyone who could guess the title and designer of her new Halloween Start! Of course, I knew right away that it was Primitive Needle's Ouja Board. :D I think of that piece as a sister piece to Kindred spirits. Thanks, Marjorie--the BBD pin pillow and finishing goodies will be enjoyed!

Thanks for visiting and all your kind comments,
Berit

P.S. Any other Downton Abbey Season 2 watchers out there? We are following it with avid interest over here.

Autumn Comes Again~

I am still acclimating myself to the concept that Summer is Over.

Stitching PS Christmas Ornaments. Some of them are even for Autumn. :)





First



Second:

Shops (4 in5 of my experience) need to do a competent job labeling their linen counts. Though these two are the same linen, they are not the same size. I filled the background 1/2 for ease and looks. I even like the sparse primness of the stitchy black sky. :)




Motifs fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 132 Autumn Leaves

Fabric: Vintage Antique Ivory

Fibers: DMC per chart




More fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 150 December





I love this Little Dog. It is my second favorite resident of this book (after The Fireplace).





This Tannenbaum seems so Norwegian/european to me. Warm Black, yumm! I altered the border on this a bit. I also changed the tree's color to a cotton overdye (WDW kudzu, if memory serves.)





Above as they stand now, with borders. I am planning to put "Merry Christmas" in the blank one using either French or German; can't decide. "Happy Holidays" seems like an over-PC Americanism that sticks out like a sore thumb in context of these designs. Fits neatly, however. :D These are worked on a neutral Wichelt (either 28 or 32). I did not always, but I do Love their stiff linen best!





The wonderful Kathy A. held a gift-cert giveaway in the spring which I won, and at length I settled on some stash! Yup, I got Prairie Schooler goods--Fox-Based ones I had been putting off forever! I want to collect all the PS Stitchy Foxes! :D The LK's were a bonus gift included by the shop.





Fox and Pheasant! <3

I still need to buy the DMC to rim Reynard's eye.


Previously, on Kindred Spirits:







I am even further along after getting inspired seeing another stitcher's Prim Needle project. I swear, this is a lingerer. I really want it done and framed; but I don't think this is happening this year. Putting a bit of a crimp in my mojo for it.

Next time I will show where I really am, as well as my new treasure (PS Santa's Night Ornament).

Thanks to everyone, as always. Should you have any spare finishing mojo, please send it my way. No frogs Necessary, however. We already need to frog out the final snowflake of aforementioned Santa. :D