Swimming along

The "pool" of blue around it still isn't finished, but my little fish is all done!

I wanted to use various shades of blues and greens in different stitches--but not too many colors or stitches, which would have created a patchwork effect. So I settled on five colors and assigned an area to each.

All the fins were worked in a diagonal mosaic stitch with DMC floss #959, with the canvas turned 90 degrees to stitch the three fins at the bottom. The center section used DMC floss #3839 (periwinkle) and #943 (teal) to create alternating stripes in a slanted gobelin stitch.

The face (do fish actually have faces?) was worked in an encroaching gobelin stitch with DMC floss #519, and Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #005 in a Smyrna cross stitch formed the eyeball.

I am so glad I outlined the fish with the Kreinik metallic braid--now that the inside areas have been stitched, the outlining really makes the fish stand out.

It's a busy week here, with a magazine deadline looming, but I hope to still get over to my LNS for the last little bit of floss to finish off the background!