The Cape Stitcher has a birthday

You've heard the saying many times: "My, how time flies when you're having fun!" A year ago today, The Cape Stitcher made its debut in blogdom. Pierre the Penguin and I offer many thanks to all of you who have visited, occasionally as well as regularly, to follow my projects in progress!

In reading the blogs of other folks, I've noticed two things different about this one. First, I don't have a "blogroll" listing the contributions of others who are equally passionate about needlepoint. My response to frequent queries about this absence is simple: I don't want to take the risk of leaving someone out and hurting anyone's feelings!

I also don't have a "completed projects" list--I sure wish I were computer-savvy enough to add this, and perhaps in time I'll catch on! So, in the meantime, I scrolled through the 167 posts of the previous year and compiled a list of everything I've stitched--and finished--since Nov. 29, 2008.

My own designs: 10 lighthouses (bringing the total number to 86); four "Eggs for All Seasons;" three mini-socks; three angels; and one Penguin. Then there's the crazy- quilt box-lid insert, the Halloween door-hanger "Dreamgirls," and the model for a Lobsterman stand-up. I adapted two original pieces of artwork for needlepoint: my father's pen-and-ink drawing of Central Park, which launched the blog, and a Kyrgyz pillow from a textile fragment.

Collaboration: An underwater scene, with fish designs provided by Judy Harper.

Canvases designed by others: Mindy's "Country Christmas" pillow and a Zellig tile design by Jan Fitzpatrick. I stitched the models for two designs by Gail Hendrix--"Nippon Textures" and the "Sweet Tooth" gingerbread house--as well as three more of her ornament canvases for myself.

I counted them all and discovered I'd finished 34 projects in one year. Gee, guess I'm not a slacker after all--and I sure do love to needlepoint!

New meaning to "vegetation"!

With the addition of greenery, the Jupiter Inlet lighthouse is now finished!

The grass was worked in a diagonal horizontal cashmere stitch using one strand of Impressions "Emerald," an over-dyed thread that provided built-in shading at the base of the lighthouse. The fronds of the palm tree on the left were formed by a satin stitch with one strand of Wildflowers "Moss."

I had the leaves of the trees on the right to stitch as well as the bushes in the foreground, and I wanted to use French knots for each while still keeping the trees in the distance. I chose a thinner silk/wool blend thread--Sheep's Silk "Green Leaves"--and stitched the trees in a single strand with one wrap. By working a French knot over each canvas thread, the Sheep's Silk became compacted and each knot less pronounced.

On to the bushes--and a veritable vegetable soup! On the left, I used a single strand and one wrap of Silk & Ivory "Spinach"; on the right, I chose Silk & Ivory "Broccoli." Using a thicker silk/wool blend and stitching over every other canvas intersection produced plumper and more distinct French knots suitable for a foreground.

Tomorrow--a celebration!

A very red lighthouse!

One of the things I was thankful for yesterday was the fact that my eyes are better than I thought! I grabbed the wrong glasses--for distance, not close-up--on the way out the door for a two-hour trip to Boston. But somehow I managed to make some progress on the Jupiter Inlet lighthouse anyway.

The lantern room and railing below it were stitched with black DMC #5 perle cotton to set these areas off a bit from the background. The railing supports were worked in a satin stitch with DMC floss #644. The bright red tower itself was stitched with DMC floss #817 in basketweave. The tiny window is a single cross stitch in DMC floss #317; the same thread was used in a diagonal vertical cross stitch for the panes of the larger window. Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #202HL in tent stitch was used for the beacon.

I also added the tree trunks: in DMC #5 perle cotton #801 for the palm tree on the left, and DMC #5 perle cotton #938 on the right. More perle cotton--#842--was used for the path at the base of the tower.

At this point, only the greenery remains to be stitched, but I see a lot of French knots in my future!

The sky's my limit!

For stitching, that is, before Thanksgiving Day! I'll spend almost four hours in the car tomorrow, up to Boston and back to share a holiday meal with No. 2 son, a victim of "Black Friday" who couldn't make it home for the traditional feast.

I just finished needle-blending the sky for the Jupiter Inlet lighthouse. Believe me--needle-blending is not something you want to attempt in a car. All those plies of DMC cotton floss, in different shades, floating around and likely to get mixed up--it's not a palatable thought! So I picked out my color family and started in with DMC floss #3755, in four plies, from the top of the canvas to the black railing below the lantern room. I then used the following "recipe," in intervals of six threads deep, to reach the horizon line:

Row 2: DMC #3755-3 plies; DMC #3325-1 ply
Row 3: DMC #3755 - 2 plies; DMC #3325-2 plies
Row 4: DMC#3755-1 ply; DMC #3325-3 plies
Row 5: DMC #3325-4 plies
Row 6: DMC #3325 - 3 plies; DMC #3841 - 1 ply
Row 7: DMC #3325 -2 plies; DMC #3841 - 2 plies
Row 8: DMC #3325 - 1 ply; DMC #3841 - 3 plies
Row 9: DMC #3841 - 4 plies

I've pulled threads for the lighthouse and some of the scenery, which I'll be able to work on in the car fairly easily. So next time, hopefully, I'll have some progress to share!

Meanwhile, I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving Day!

By Jupiter!

Thinking ahead to my next trunk show in March 2010 at Needle Nicely in Vero Beach, Florida, I've decided to adapt the Jupiter Inlet lighthouse as my next project.

The site for the lighthouse was originally surveyed by Robert E. Lee; a design was submitted in the mid-1850s by Lt. George Meade of the Bureau of Topographical Engineers. Ironically, these two men would meet less than 10 years later as commanders of opposing armies at the Battle of Gettysburg, with then-General Meade emerging as victor.

Construction of the lighthouse under Meade's supervision did not go smoothly. An uprising of members of the Seminole tribe halted work until 1858. The Jupiter Inlet then silted over, causing stagnant water to accumulate around the site and creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes. "Jupiter Fever," a cross between malaria and yellow fever, ensued and brought about a considerable loss of lives.

Finally in 1860, the tower reached its height of 125 feet and a first-order Fresnel lens, with a characteristic flashing white light visible from 25 miles away, was lit. The light was extinguished little more than a year later when raiding Confederate soldiers stole the lens and hid it in a nearby creek. It was reinstated in 1866.

Various restoration projects at the lighthouse occurred in subsequent years, but it wasn't until 1999-2000 that a major renovation took place. Excavating the hill upon which the lighthouse stood, an incongruous 46-foot elevation in an otherwise-flat terrain, workers uncovered shells and pottery fragments. Archeologists later determined the artifacts were remains of a Native American colony dating to circa 700 A.D.

A grant made possible by the economic stimulus package was designated just this year for the lighthouse and surrounding land, and will be used for lighthouse maintenance and habitat restoration. So the bright red tower will once again undergo a facelift!

Getting ready for Turkey Day

If you're anything like me, you're wondering whatever happened to August?! There are only four days left until Thanksgiving, and--scarier still--one month and three days until Christmas!

To get myself in the holiday mood, I dug out my "Autumn Glow" egg, a crazy quilt design featuring colors and motifs of the season. The "backbone" of this egg is a wonderful thread--"Autumn Bouquet" Sheep's Silk by The Thread Gatherer, one of my favorite silk/wool blends. It forms the basis for the segments at one, four and seven o'clock.

The rest of the egg was stitched in DMC cotton floss, Kreinik #12 tapestry braid, and Petite Very Velvet--all in basically simple stitches that, by virtue of the colors chosen, still pack a punch!

Very little stitching for me today! I'm off to wash and iron my kitchen curtains!

Three down, ? to go

This pink and green version of my "Gretchen" egg is all finished and ready to join the two pastel mini-socks for next year's dining room Christmas decorations!

It took very little time to stitch the one remaining ribbon--the center horizontal one--to wrap up this project. I used the DMC floss #503 which already formed its edge and DMC floss #3733 in mosaic stitches surrounding Scotch stitches in DMC floss #819.

Am I "hooked" on mosaic stitches? Not really, although I seem to have done quite a few of them lately! But the mosaic stitch is such a tidy way to work areas covering an even number of stitches, and can form interesting patterns in combination with other stitches. I've used it to form hearts, flowers, checks, plaids, wreaths and Christmas trees. It's a stitch that's easily mastered and looks good using any number of different threads.

At some point, I'll probably stitch another egg-shaped ornament to add to this collection, but I'd like to include ornaments in different shapes as well. Hmmm....I'll have to think about that one!