A double finale

It's nice to know I have a leg up on next year's gift-giving--I've finished the mini-socks for the new baby and her 2-year-old brother!

Presents for the sock on the left were worked in a 5 x 5 Scotch stitch (DMC floss #699) and a framed mosaic stitch (DMC floss #321), trimmed with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002.

Using the same Vineyard Silk Classic "Holiday" that I'd used for the earmuffs, I worked his scarf in a slanted gobelin stitch over four threads and added looped turkey work "fringe" on the tails.

For the presents on the baby's sock, I used Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #5760 in a 5 x 5 Scotch stitch, trimmed with DMC floss #962, and DMC floss #3716 in a diagonal mosaic stitch trimmed with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #031.  The scarf was stitched in braided knitting with Vineyard Silk Classic "Cherry Tree" with more looped turkey work.

The only difference between the original design for both socks is the way I depict the penguins--girl penguins have a pointy beak and "eyelashes."  Changing the colors and stitches to personalize each sock for its recipient makes a world of difference, as you see here!

Heel, toe, one-two-three-four

Moving right along! 

I worked the heel and toe of the little boy's sock in a skip-tent stitch with Vineyard Silk Classic "Holly" and "Holiday."  The penguin's earmuffs were added in tent stitch and French knots with "Holiday."  Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002 in tent stitches formed the name and date.

The heel and toe for the baby girl's sock used the same pink Petite Very Velvet as was used on the cuff.  The name and date were added with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #092.  The girl penguin's earmuffs were worked the same as the boy's, using Vineyard Silk Classic "Cherry Tree."

Only the scarves and presents remain to be stitched--I'm almost there!

Yikes, stripes!

The background of Big Brother's stocking is finished with the addition of candy cane stripes in Vineyard Silk Classic "Holly" and "Holiday."

I worked the background of the cuff with "Holly" in a diagonal mosaic stitch, which is easy to compensate around the letters of the name.

Like the other penguin, this one has the white sections stitched with two strands of Medici.  I added eyes in Smyrna crosses with DMC #5 perle cotton #310.  Using Silk & Ivory "Pumpkin," I worked the beak in an upright gobelin stitch and the flippers in a satin stitch.  Now I have a little penguin face peering at me as I stitch the rest of the mini-sock!

A background for Baby

The checkerboard pattern behind the little girl penguin is finished!  The diagonal rows of Scotch stitch in Vineyard Silk Classic "Bright White" and "Blossom" created the soft, quilted look I was aiming for.

I moved on to the inside white sections of the penguin's body, using two strands of white Medici from my stash in basketweave for the face and tummy and a slanted gobelin stitch under the wings.

With two mini-sock projects underway at the same time, I think I'm actually working a little faster than I normally would on a single canvas.  Time to finish the background on the other sock and make decisions about the toes and heels of each!

All dressed and ready to go!

Pete the Penguin is ready for the finisher! 

The date was worked in tent stitch with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #003HL.  Trio "Really Red" from Brown Paper Packages provided the earmuffs and scarf.  The earmuffs incorporated tent stitches with French knots.  The section of scarf around his neck was worked in a Kalem stitch at a 90-degree angle to the tails.  Looped turkey work formed the fringe.

I'm satisfied with the amount of texture I was able to achieve on this small ornament, and I'm pretty confident little Pete will bring a smile to the face of his recipient!

Pete takes shape: stash-busting again!

Pete the Penguin now has a body!  Like every other character in my Penguins on Parade series, his outer body has been stitched in basketweave with black Petite Very Velvet.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  you can't be too rich, too thin, or have too much black PVV in your stash!

I decided to switch threads, however, for the white sections.  Sometime prior to 1998, when we moved to Texas, I bought half a hank of white Medici wool from my then-LNS The Village Stitchery in Wilton, Connecticut (which closed nine months after I moved, a coincidence not lost on DH).  Since the original Medici hasn't been made in years and I couldn't use it for a model,. the thread has languished in my stash.  But I always thought it to be the "whitest white" of threads, so decided to use it here. 

Pete's eyes were worked in Smyrna crosses with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #005.  Silk & Ivory "Pumpkin" was used in an upright gobelin stitch for the beak and a satin stitch for the flippers.

Only the red areas remain, which I hope to finish in the next day or two!

A background for Pete

Pete has a background now, worked in a woven stitch with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #032.  The woven stitch compensates easily around the numbers for the year, and once you establish a rhythm to your stitching, it works up fairly quickly. 

Interestingly, this stitch also seems to provide a little more twinkle than some other stitches when worked with a metallic thread.  Perhaps the reflective quality of the thread is enhanced because the stitches slant in two different directions?

With a nice frosty background in place, I can begin working on the little penguin himself!

One last gift

For the last few years, I've stitched a dated ornament for each of our sons.  In the appropriate years, I worked up ornaments representing the universities from which they had just graduated.  Another year, I designed mini-socks which reflected their very different personalities.  I have one more to stitch, for the son who's hardest to please.  The year I stitched a Boston ornament from another designer, he thanked me, but mentioned that he'd prefer a design of my own.  So....I decided to rework Pete the Penguin, since the guy needing the ornament brought Pete into our family in the first place and launched the Penguins on Parade series.

This son is the Minimalist, who's decorated his apartment in black and white with sparing splashes of primary colors.  So I've kept the colors for this Pete to a minimum, but that doesn't mean I can't spiff him up with some decorative stitches.  The ornament itself is only a little over three inches in diameter, so all of the stitches will be small.  I'm hoping to give this ornament as much texture as possible, so stay tuned!

A little comic relief

Thanks to everyone who left a comment yesterday about The Nutcracker series! It's interesting to see how different designs appeal to different people--that's what makes the needlepoint world go around!

I may well be "danced out" at this point, but I did have to chuckle at Edy's thinly-veiled hint about doing some designs based on Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake. It, too, is one of my favorites--in fact, the last role I ever danced was that of the Swan Queen.

That memory prompted me a couple of years ago to add Pavlova to my line of Penguins on Parade. She was so named in honor of Anna Pavlova, a famous Russian prima ballerina, whose signature performance was that of the Swan Queen. "Set decoration" here was provided by a lot of Kreinik metallic threads, and her fluffy tutu and head adornment were supplied by white Peluche, worked in tent stitches and then ruffed up with the tip of my needle. It's a great thread for special effects!

Grounded and planted!

The Cinco de Mayo party is over for little Pedro the penguin, but he's recovering nicely in his completed habitat!

Using DMC #5 perle cotton #642, I worked the sand in a Nobuko stitch, which is non-directional but provides some texture to this area as well as balancing the light shade of his sombrero.

The cactus on the left was worked in a satin stitch with Silk & Ivory "Guacamole"--how appropriate!--with flowers in French knots of DMC floss #3837. I stitched the cactus on the right the same way, but switched to Silk & Ivory "Dill Pickle" and DMC floss #601. Working each outgrowth of the cacti in segments, the Silk & Ivory provides just the right loft to make them distinct and look more realistic.

Dressed for the fiesta!

Pedro the penguin is decked out in his finery for the Cinco de Mayo fiesta!

Before I could dress him, I needed to finish his body, adding the black Petite Very Velvet in basketweave. I used Silk & Ivory "Big Orange," which covers 18-count canvas perfectly in upright gobelin stitches for his beak and satin stitches for the flippers. The loft of this silk/wool thread also provides some dimension to these two areas.

For his sombrero, I used DMC #5 perle cotton #739 in basketweave for the crown and diagonal mosaic stitch for the brim. DMC #5 perle cotton #321 was used as an accent and as the ties to hold his sombrero on in a stiff wind!

Stitching Pedro's serape was a trip down memory lane! I pulled from my stash some Tweedie 18, since replaced by Rainbow Gallery with Tweed. I remember purchasing the red at least 14 years ago at my old LNS in Connecticut for a Santa suit! This thread is 100% wool, with a rough heathery look to make a perfect blanket. I used three different colors in tent stitch and slanted gobelin stitch over two threads here.

Not a lot of stitching left to go--this little penguin should be finished by the end of the week!

Sunny skies

As eager as I am to stitch Pedro the penguin himself, I was a good girl and worked the background first!

I needle-blended the sky with DMC cotton floss, more to provide a little variety of intensity in the background than to create a realistic sky--after all, how realistic is a penguin in a sombrero anyway? Using four plies of DMC floss #519, I worked in basketweave halfway down the canvas before changing over to three plies of DMC #519 and one ply of DMC #3761. I ended at the horizon with one ply of DMC #519 and three plies of DMC #3761.

I then began working on Pedro's body, using one strand of Felicity's Garden "Snow" in basketweave for his face and tummy. I've consistently used this thread, along with black Petite Very Velvet and Silk & Ivory "Big Orange" for the beak and flippers, for all my penguin models.

With any luck, he'll be fully dressed in time for Cinco de Mayo!

Getting ready to party!

It's only two days to Cinco de Mayo, Spanish for "the fifth of May," a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. On that date in 1862, Mexican forces scored an unlikely victory over the French army at the Battle of Puebla.

Today Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the United States to honor the contributions of Americans of Mexican ancestry--the Mexican equivalent of St. Patrick's Day, Chinese New Year and Oktoberfest. For the occasion, I've created little Pedro to join others in my "Penguins on Parade" series.

I've got a fair amount of sky to stitch first if I want Pedro's sombrero finished in time for the holiday, so I'd better get cracking!

Paradise Lost

Isn't it funny how things change as you get older? When I was a kid, summer was my favorite season: school was out, and my friends and I could go to the beach, have picnics, and generally chill out. Now summer is my least favorite time of year. The good news is, I live on Cape Cod, one of the prettiest places I know. The bad news is, I live on Cape Cod, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the US.

Little Parker the penguin needn't worry about my usurping his spot on the beach. A) I'm too busy painting; B) I never was a sun-worshipper; and C) I'm waiting until fall, when all the visitors have gone home, to go back to the shore and collect shells.

May Day!

Petunia Penguin and I wanted to wish you a Happy May Day! Here on the Cape, flowers are taking their good sweet time to pop. Hopefully, by the end of this month, my perennial garden will be as lush as Petunia's!

As with all of my penguins, Petunia's body was stitched with black Petite Very Velvet and "Snow" Felicity's Garden. Her picket fence was worked in gobelin stitches with DMC #5 perle cotton, and her flowers are satin stitches in vibrant shades of Silk & Ivory. Her edger blade and watering can are courtesy of Kreinik #12 tapestry braid.

And to all you stitching lawyers out there, Happy Law Day!

Move over, Pepper!

Yesterday, I was itching to stitch my newest project, and went looking for the stretcher bars to mount it. Occupying pride of place on those self-same stretcher bars was Pepper, the cheerleader, my newest entry in the "Penguins on Parade" series.

Poor Pepper had been sidelined for lack of pompoms, and I had even made a trip to my LNS some time ago to obtain the necessary threads. So I pulled out my assortment of Paternayan wool--wow, how long ago has it been since I've used this thread?--and proceeded to stitch pompoms in a single strand of red, white and blue wool in French knots. Definitely a tight squeeze, but how fluffy the final product!

Next up on the stretcher bars, courtesy of DH, executive vice president of stapling, is the St. Marks, Florida, lighthouse.