Yesterday's Three Finishes

How did I manage this? It is almost cheating, but technically true...




Day 11
fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 127 "Santa's 12 Days of Christmas 9-12"
Fabric: 36 or 40 ct. Days Gone By
Fibers: Recommended DMC


Shown with Scissors for scale, here is M.F.H. Santa in all his gear on the field. The fox seems to be popping up; "You called?" or maybe "You Mad, Bro?" I did change the white to B5200 to make it show up better on the linen. I DID rip and replace the the red after reflecting on Vonna's advice particularly. It seems that life's trick is knowing what "moving on" in life means in each situation. I will say that I thought the previous red was prettier on the linen; too bad I don't know what color number it really was.





I am beyond thrilled by this Autumnal Hunt themed Ornament. But...I couldn't figure out what the fox was doing. Their paws are actually white, so I though he was pointing. Is he telling the chasers to run the opposite direction from what the Huntsman is calling? That's awfully goofy for PS. After comparing the cover image, the graph, and mulling it over, suddenly I knew! That appendage is his brush! Oh.

I like the idea of fox hunting, though I only know reports of it as given by Rita Mae Brown. She portrays it as a noble game which the fox naturally always wins, as he is so sly. Recognized American clubs never kill the fox.




fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 159 "Fall Fields"
Fabric: 28 ct. Wichelt Antique Tan (?)
Fibers: Recommended DMC


Have you seen this before from me? Well, I added in the ring around his eye, finally, so that now he doesn't look like some sort of soul-less carcass! :)




A Visit
fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 48 "A Christmas Visit"
Fabric: 28 ct. Wichelt Antique Tan (?)
Fibers: Recommended DMC


Though I am quite vocally sour about The disease of Early Christmas brought on by our American Marketing Machine, this one had me singing Jolly Old St. Nicholas all week. Though I only know the first two sections, I somehow love this old song; perhaps one of the reasons is because aforementioned Machine hasn't worn it out for me. I can't recall the last time I heard this one; can you?

The colors seem quite different from the model picture, particularly the chimney/window. This publication is from 1994 (eep) and I think perhaps the dye lots are that different now. I decided to just go as charted, however, because I fell in love with the version seen on Mary Katherine's blog. If possible, I'd like to find some green gingham ribbon just like this to finish this piece! :D





This roof-haunting santa wound up with a bit of a smirk. :]



I started this goody from Primitive Betty on big, big 28 count wichelt...and I don't like how huge it is. But...It looks so good in the picture that it makes me want to finish it rather than moving on as I had planned. Hurmn. I think this will be a good candidate for the walnut crystals I have on order from Stacy Nash. :) Maybe I will stick with the plan to make it a smaller pin pillow...but will I re-stitch the whole design after that? This calls for over-two stitching on 35 count, which I find tortuous! Even some tight 32 counts I hate to stitch over two. What do you think about the 35 or 36 count 2/2 practice?

Speaking of my love for this pic, I almost love photos of stitching more than the real piece. (Does anyone else concur?)
Here are some Stitchy Still-Lifes; I just love this stuff when I see it in blogland!



Three Culprits





I love the floss toss for Santa's Days! Why is only poor languishing JB in focus? I found the fill text I want to use for her, now I need to decide what image editing software I want to use for charting now that I have moved to my new computer. Any suggestions. I had macstitch and it was an abomination.

~*~

Previously, I wrote that I was struggling to "Get My Autumn On", but I have been making strides:





Do you remember "My Tree"? It is one of the first in the neighborhood to turn its leaves and loose them, so I was happy to catch this photo recently.




I made Oxtail Stew twice last week! Chef John is my modern american cooking source. I made this with a friend using his pressure cooker (50 min meat and etc., + 5 for the veg), and subbed thyme for the rosemary. We made it again adding Guinness and some mustard powder, and while both were good I would prefer Chef John's italian style with a pint for drinking!

Oh, also! I did not add any potatoes but instead did roast veg (cauliflower, carrots, brussels sprouts, fingerling potatoes) in the oven and served it in the same bowl. This is an amazingly delicious, incredibly healthy collagen-rich (woo-hoo; youthful skin!) way to eat red meat. A small amount of meat is incredibly satisfying. I really want a pressure cooker now!





I love presents; especially giving and wrapping them! So, here is Edgar's Birthday Card.



And some of the two spliced together with a few already-wrapped packages in the background!



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Thanks everyone, for your visits and comments! I am behind on reading last week's, so please excuse me while I catch up.

Yours,
Berit

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).

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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.

Announcing Jaunty Fox Designs!

I am thrilled to finally begin publishing cross stitch design works with this first release, a freebie entitled

Fence Cat's Hallowe'en!





The chart itself is free for download from The Fox Shop.

I hope everyone will love stitching this as much as I did and display it with Joy this Autumn. :D





If you love the look of the model as much as I do, you're in luck because I had some extras and I'm compiling them into kits available here.(Same post as above.)

If you are "on the fence" about the kit because you hate fill-in stitching (like me), go ahead and get it! The properties of the materials along with a tip I'll share make this the easiest and most enjoyable fill you'll ever stitch! That orange silk is an overdye which glides along like paint; and indeed the color variation which turns up makes you feel like you're painting a beautiful impressionist painting. I had fun "Hiding" shapes in the background; rather like reverse cloud-watching. :) I think you'll find it a great way to cut loose and brush away your perfectionism; it's no-fail artistic stitching!




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Now, on to the Release Party!

I want to thank all my friends and readers for their support while developing this work; it has been a labor of love! Of course I'd love to give away as door prizes more of my own designs, but they aren't ready yet! Also, I really wanted to celebrate with something I made for you myself; So, I chose a Prairie Schooler pattern that reflects my love of scissors AND exact feelings about this launch project! (design from PS Bk 115 "Pins & Needles")





Both of these Scissor Cases (but not scissors) will be given away!


How to Win:

Case "A"

• Leave a comment on this post for 1 entry.

• Post about Jaunty Fox Designs and this Giveaway Party in your own blog along with a link for +2 entries!

Case "B"

• Purchase one of the LE Kits!

• The winner of this pool gets first pick (Blue or Purple) on colorways, the remaining case will be the one given to the blog party!

Closing date for these giveaways is Friday, 15 July 2011. A winner will be chosen from each pool and prizes shipped out!


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Everyone, for everything, Thank You! More than I can say with words, Thank You!

Yours,
Berit