"Gourmet" gravel and one little fish

I'd thought long and hard about what thread to use to stitch the gravel at the bottom of the fishbowl. The stitch itself was a no-brainer: French knots! I was looking for a thread that looked slightly "wet" without any sparkle and "hard" like little pellets.

Then I remembered a recent trip to my LNS, when I was rummaging around in the plastic boxes of Kreinik thread and came across one I hadn't seen before. The owner explained it was the "Gourmet" line and I distinctly remember asking him what it might be used for. I suddenly had my answer: aquarium gravel!

I've used six different colors of Kreinik #16 medium braid here, ranging in colors from Pink Lemonade to Boysenberry Blue. I switched to the #16 medium braid, instead of the #12 tapestry braid I normally use on 18-count canvas, because I wanted a compact French knot that could be executed with one wrap of the needle. The threads immediately adjacent to the bowl itself were worked in tent stitches to keep the gravel "inside" the bowl.

I then treated myself by stitching the little black-and-white angel fish, using Vineyard Silk Classic "Bright White" and black Trio in a combination of satin and tent stitches. The fish eye was worked in a single cross stitch with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #150V.

Two more fish to go, and I can start decorating the bowl!