New Starts and Finishes

 I finished my Siamese Cat embroidery last Saturday. I am very pleased with it. I found a very nice frame among my stash that fits it nicely, I think, though it could have a slightly larger opening as puss has the edge of his tail caught!. The feet and tail I have heavily embroidered as their 'points",

A close up of the paws

 and although their points also

include the 'mask' on their face I didn't want to loose the defination of their facial features with very heavy embroidery, so I have left it somewhat plainer.

A rather plainer face

I have just started a new knitting project while I think about my next embroidery project.  I succumb to a very nice skein of variegated wool last Friday when I was in Geelong – Ella Rae Lace Merino, and with it came a free pattern -  the Holden Shawlette by Mindy Wilkes, which so far is very easy and then comes the lace! I shall do my usual little job of writing out the pattern – each row on a separate index card, punch a hole in the top left hand corner and put them on a hinged ring, turn the page at the end of each row. My simple way of knowing where I am in a pattern!

I have made a start on my 60/2 silk weaving. It is not going well!!  When I open a shed I have loose threads among those that are not opened, and at times the warp lifts off the shuttle race! Every shed I open I have to place my pickup sword in the shed to make sure that all threads that should remain down are down and the loose ones are not clinging to the opened threads and in danger of the shuttle going under them! Also my beating is quite irregular, so that the 90 deg slant line of the 2/2 twill is all over the place.

I have also finished my Festive Exchange Bag for my partner. This is the December activity for the OnLine Guild of WS&D of the UK Association. It was fun to do. I made it using some leftover material from the OnLine Guilds’ 10^th anniversary challenge, after making my vest.

Over the weekend I hope to catch up on my Workshop on the Studio Journal. We are now into week four and I haven't finished the exercises for week 2!  I just don't know where these weeks have gone!

Cheers!

Spread your Wings and Soar

                          Judy