It started snowing here on Saturday, so I psyched myself for a weekend of cooking, laundry and stitching. I'd already started the wallpaper, so continued with that, adding DMC floss #644 for the darker areas. As luck would have it, just as Saturday was winding down, so was my DMC floss #712!
After using up the last smidgen I had, and filling in with the #644, I moved on to the floor boards. These were worked in DMC floss #436 in a gobelin stitch over two threads, ending the stitch and restarting at random to mimic where the boards butted together. Next I added the shading around the wainscoting, using tent stitches in DMC floss #822.
By that time, it was still snowing, so I cautiously began to stitch the clock--I figured if I took care starting and stopping threads, I wouldn't cause problems for myself down the road with wisps of darker thread poking up when I added the off-white floss later. I used DMC floss #3685 for the face, with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #221 for the gold accents. With two plies of black floss, I added the markings at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock with a single cross stitch, then worked the hands in an oblong cross stitch. The banding on the clock cabinet was stitched with DMC floss #434, adding the Kreinik metallic for the corner trim.
On to the clock cabinet itself! For this I chose Sheep's Silk "Dark Chocolate," a silk/wool blend. Unlike other colors of Sheep's Silk, this one is more mottled than variegated, and as it comes out of the needle imitates the variation of color found in wood grain. The wool provides a loft, so the clock will be able to hold its own next to the perle cotton molding. And the silk element gives the sheen of well-oiled wood.
The snow kept falling and I kept stitching--by nightfall the clock was almost finished! I added the pull on the face using the Kreinik metallic in two cross stitches on top of one another, tacked down by a single horizontal stitch. The larger handle on the pulley enclosure was formed with an oblong cross stitch with a cross stitch centered on top of it.
Here's hoping I can plow my way out of here and get to my LNS for more floss soon!
4 comments:
I really like the way that Sheep's Silk looks like wood grain! It's amazing what exploiting the nature of a fiber and it's spin makes the work come alive! This is really looking fine! I'm learning a lot, here.
Thank goodness for snowy days so you can stay inside and stitch!
This is wonderful and you've used a thread for the clock that I would not have thought of using. And I love all the history lessons we get along with the stitching tidbits.
If you are ever out here in the Central MA area, the Willard Clock museum is in Grafton
Thanks, Julie! I checked out the museum's website extensively while I was doing my research, and will definitely put it on my to-do list for roadtrips!
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