a "grate" week

I finally finished my Yumiko Higuchi embroidery panel!  I took her center design of the red snake and contiguous designs and then augmented with random patterns taken from her books.

photo is askew...sides are straight in the original project!

It was originally meant to be a sampler for me to learn different stitches, but I tended to stick to my favorites...stem, chain, and french knot.

Since I did the transferring of design with charcoal, I now need to CAREFULLY wash it and dry it without distorting the stitches.  Another issue is wrinkling in tight spaces.  I'm hoping that I can get it washed, ironed, and stretched over a wooden frame within a week or two.  

Another stitch project completed just in time for Christmas - Todd's "NASA nerd" t-shirt.  

It's cross stitched...not one of my favorite things to do, but I worked on it a little every day and got done in plenty of time.   

This was my first time cross-stitching on a knitted (store bought) t-shirt.  One of the problems with cross stitch is working on the stiff woven fabric that forms the guiding Xs for your needle.  It's great if you want a bookmark or maybe a wall hanging, but not for much else.  But now you can buy a water soluble sheet to stitch through.  Attach it to anything, stitch, wash, and the sheet just melts away.

It's a little bit awkward, but I love that it opens up a whole world of possibilities!

Another Christmas project:  a long knitted cowl for a friend.  It's designed to puddle under your coat collar and also be pulled up over your nose if it's extra cold outside!

My favorite feature is the little leather tabs for the drawstring ends.  I picked them up on Etsy and I think they are fantastic!

I'm already almost halfway through another knitting project.  I started a cowl for myself, a beautiful stranded knitting design inspired by Portuguese tiles.

photo courtesy of Kate Davies

I'm knitting one long tube...fifty inches!...and when completed, I'll block it and then stitch together the ends to create an enclosed circle.  One side of the pattern is light-prominent...

...and the other side is dark-prominent.

You can see the contrast if you turn the work on its side:

It's really pleasant work and nice to stitch on for maybe an hour every night.  Now that my hands aren't getting sore from knitting, it's a delight.  I already have my next project picked out!

So, the Christmas pie has been put away...

(SOMEONE couldn't wait for Christmas lunch!)

...and our mischievous elf has packed up his bags...and threats...for another year.

Now life will take on a slower pace for a while.  I'm ready for it.

Have a "grate" week!