Continuing education

Last weekend, I wrapped up another column for Needlepoint Now and decided I needed a break before jumping into the project for the next one. I'd been scouring my stitch books recently, and came across a few stitches that intrigued me. They were totally different from ones I use a lot for stitching models, but also totally cool!

It occurred to me: why not practice some of these stitches in a more formatted way than the typical stitch notebook? After a lot of counting on graph paper, I came up with a grid within a six-inch square to accommodate three of these stitches. I dumped out a bunch of perle cotton and floss from my stash--wild and crazy colors that I definitely wouldn't be using any time soon to stitch a lighthouse!

I've started stitching on top and bottom borders, using DMC #5 perle cotton #335 (hot pink) in a slanted gobelin stitch over three threads. I added DMC #5 perle cotton #208 in two bands of slanted gobelin stitches over two threads, and filled in the area between them with DMC floss #776. I'd already painted the lighter pink bands to insure coverage, since I used only two plies of floss here. On top of the pink I added my first new stitch--a quodlibet border, stitched with three plies of DMC floss #3340.

I've already added stripes of slanted gobelin stitches over two threads, which divide the center section into three areas for the next new stitches, using DMC #5 perle cotton #210. I'll finish the bottom border, just like the top, before moving inside.

The full effect

Hooray! I finally made it over to my LNS yesterday and picked up two skeins of DMC floss #825. Now the little fish canvas is REALLY finished!

I love the colors in this project, but I dare say I've never met a shade of blue I didn't love. Balancing the different blues and greens was a great learning experience, and I'm happy with the way this canvas turned out.

There are some colors in the rainbow that I'm not really crazy about, and I'm wondering if I should try another project that incorporates a few of these colors. Sometimes it's good to step outside one's "comfort zone"--I may just do that down the road!

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!

A fabulous finish

I received an e-mail the other day from Sally, a stitcher in Florida for whom I'd adapted to needlepoint the Ushuaia lighthouse in Argentina. As you can see, Sally has been busy--her ornament is finished!

She has personalized the ornament with the date of her visit to Argentina, aboard the National Geographic Explorer cruise. I love her needle-blended sky and the white cording around the ornament, which emphasizes the snow-capped mountains behind the lighthouse.

Super job, Sally!--and thanks for letting me share the photo with my blog readers!

Murphy's Law

My goal in stitching this little fish canvas was to pull all the threads I needed from my stash--I've dropped a lot of money at my LNS so far this year for various projects. As luck would have it, I ran out of DMC floss #825--the electric blue--just shy of the bottom of the background. Had I painted the background initially, I wouldn't have needed to ply up and would probably have come out even. Another trip to my LNS is in order, but not until next week as I have other priorities right now.

To keep this project rolling, I've started to stitch areas for which I do have threads! I filled in the bubbles with DMC floss #807, the same color in the border. Using three plies of floss, I first turned the canvas 90 degrees and worked a satin stitch, then righted the canvas and worked another satin stitch on top.

I stitched the white around the eye with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #032 in tent stitches. The lines dividing the body have been worked in tent stitches with DMC floss #906, the same green that I used to work the diamond ray stitch in the border.

I've pulled all the threads for the body of the fish. so I guess it's time to decide which colors go where and determining the stitches.

Happy Passover and Happy Easter to everyone!

Accentuating the positive

I zipped along with the Nobuko stitch for the background until I got close to the top of the fish itself. Decision time: what threads should I use to outline the fish and the bubbles?

Why outline? A couple of years ago, I stitched an underwater fantasy piece (shown on the right) in collaboration with Judy Harper. I worked the sea horse first, outlining it with orange perle cotton, and then moved on to the angel fish, stitching the various parts of its body in different colors. The little angel fish totally disappeared within the jacquard patterned background. It was only after I outlined the angel fish in a dark green perle cotton that its body became prominent. I certainly didn't want my new fish to do a disappearing act! As my grandmother was fond of saying, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!"

The navy perle cotton I had in my stash was too dark, so I used Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #033 to outline the fish and Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #032 to outline the bubbles. Confident now that the fish wouldn't "go missing," I resumed work on the background. I'll outline the remaining bubbles, and then finish up with the Nobuko stitch.

Embellishing the border

When all the slanted gobelin stitches and basketweave were worked on the border, I added the final touch: a series of diamond ray stitches on top of the basketweave. When worked in four plies of DMC floss #906, these stitches look--to me, anyway--like little water plants.

It was for this stitch that I readjusted the size of the border--diamond rays are worked over four threads, both from top to bottom and from side to side. When I reached the corners, I added two more stitches on either side of the centerray stitch to better fill in the area.

With that much accomplished, I moved to the center, working a Nobuko stitch with five plies of DMC floss #825. Had I painted the center background first, I could easily have used four plies of floss--possibly three plies. At that point, however, I was undecided about the stitch for the background--I was considering adding some metallic thread. I've since nixed that notion, since the metallic would detract from the fish itself. So a solid background it will be!