In for a penny, in for a pound

Two factors influenced my decision on how to stitch the water for the Presque Isle North Pierhead lighthouse. The reflection of the moon on the water appears only on the left side, in single lines, making the use of a decorative stitch to indicate movement next to impossible to compensate. Whatever stitch I used for the left side would have to be the same on the right, and in addition provide the illusion of depth to the water. My solution: to needle-blend the water, just as I had for the sky, and solve both problems at the same time!

I began at the horizon with four plies of DMC floss #312, one of the values in the sky at the very top of the canvas. I then subtracted one ply of DMC #312 and added one ply of DMC #311 as I worked my way down to the bottom of the canvas, ending with four plies of DMC #311.

The reflection of the moon on the water was added in tent stitches with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #032. All that remains to be stitched is the pier itself, which I should be able to complete by the end of the week!

To the lighthouse

I've stitched the Presque Isle North Pierhead lighthouse itself, maintaining the illusion of nighttime in my choice of thread color.

To make it stand out from the sky, which was stitched with DMC cotton floss, I used DMC #5 perle cotton for the lighthouse: black in tent and satin stitches for the roof of the lantern room and #762 for the white bands, which don't appear really white at night. No decorative stitches were suitable for the bands, as the surface of the lighthouse is a smooth cast-iron, so I worked these areas in basketweave.

The door was worked in a satin stitch, outlined with DMC floss #415, and the windows completed with DMC floss #413 in a Scotch stitch or variation. I chose DMC #5 perle cotton #642 for the foundation, using a slanted gobelin stitch over two threads.

With a few tent stitches in Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #003, the lantern was lit--and I love the way it twinkles in the night sky!

Looking at the lighthouse in a different light

Every so often, a little variety is a good thing. Only three times have I stitched a lighthouse canvas in which the sky wasn't sunny. East Chop on Martha's Vineyard was portrayed in fog; Point Lookout in Maryland was deliberately gloomy in keeping with its haunted history; and Grand Haven in Michigan was shown at night to accentuate its illuminated boardwalk.

For the Presque Isle North Pierhead lighthouse, I decided to take advantage of the expanse of sky and water by setting the scene at night. And, unlike Grand Haven's sky, this one is needle-blended.

Turning my canvas upside down, I began at the horizon with DMC floss #3755 and #334--two plies of each. For each layer of basketweave, I subtracted one ply of the lighter shade and added one ply of the darker shade, moving on to DMC floss #322 and #312 as I completed four plies of each value. By the time I reached the top of the canvas, I used two plies each of the last two values.

Lest there be any doubt about this being a night sky, I then added a full moon, using DMC floss #746. The presence of the moon will enable me to add some reflections when I begin stitching the water. Altering the time of day in the design provided a welcome change from all that endless sunshine without compromising the integrity of the lighthouse itself.

Along the shores of Lake Erie

This armchair traveler is headed for Erie, Pennsylvania, to visit one of three active lighthouses in the state. A sand bar along the Lake Erie shoreline forms a peninsula, dubbed Presque Isle, or "almost an island," by French explorers and traders, which has given this lighthouse its name.

Presque Isle North Pierhead lighthouse, completed in 1857, was not the first station to serve navigation in this region. In 1818, Erie Land lighthouse was constructed on a bluff overlooking Erie Harbor, and a beacon was placed on a pier at the harbor entrance in 1830. A storm in 1855, however, caused a ship to crash into the tower and destroy the beacon.

The design of the 1857 lighthouse, pictured here with its distinctive black band, is unique among U.S. lighthouses surviving today. The two-story, cast-iron structure, built at a cost of slightly over $5,000, was fitted with a fourth-order Fresnel lens displaying a fixed red light.

The lighthouse was relocated to its present site in 1940. In 1955, a modern flashing red light replaced its original lens, which is now on display at the Erie Maritime Museum.

There's a lot of sky and water to work on here, so I'd better get stitching!

As far as I can go--for now

Little Humpty Dumpty is finished--just shy of popping in some initials when my neighbor's new granddaughter is born at the end of August.

I decided to work the tulips with DMC floss #891, the same coral as his mouth, instead of the yellow as I'd originally painted the canvas. The coral provides an additional spot of color against the wall and ties the top and bottom of the design together. The tulip leaves were worked with tent and straight stitches with two strands of Wildflowers "Evergreen."

The centers of the tall flowers on the left used the same DMC floss #444 as the pants, but were pretty much covered over by the French knot petals worked with DMC floss #826. This shade of blue is the intermediate value between the darkest shade of the sky and Humpty's jacket. The leaves for these flowers, again in tent and straight stitches, were worked with two strands of Wildflowers "Moss." I like the effect created by mixing yellow-greens and blue-greens together in a canvas, since it mimics the variety of greens found in nature.

The "2010" was stitched with the same Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #221 as Humpty's buttons and belt buckle, and I'll use this again on the bottom left when the new parents decide what the baby's initials will be. The grass was worked in a diagonal mosaic stitch--providing a little texture but easy to compensate around numbers and letters--with one strand of Sheep's Silk "Green Leaves Dark."

Why did I stop work on the grass where I did? Based on the alphabet I'll be using, I figured the worst-case scenario would be if the new baby were named "Wendy Marie," for instance--M and W being the widest letters in the alphabet. So I counted over 19 threads from the left, allowing for my margin, and put a tiny dot where the outside of the last letter would fall. I know, I know--stitch painters are always counting!

A firm foundation

Humpty Dumpty is well-anchored now that his wall is finished! As I mentioned in my previous post, the bricks were worked in a cashmere stitch in Sheep's Silk "Lingonberry" and the capstone and mortar in DMC #5 perle cotton #644.

So far only one little vine is growing along the wall, worked in tent and satin stitches with one strand of Trio "Shamrock." Staring at the flowers as I finished stitching the wall, I decided I should change the color of the three tulips--too much yellow going on here! I'll make my final decision after I've stitched the leaves of all the flowers and started planting some grass.

The Great Wall of Humpty

Humpty Dumpty is finally a well-dressed egg! His pants were worked with DMC cotton floss #444 in a vertical slanted gobelin stitch over two threads. Using black Petite Very Velvet, I stitched his belt in braided knitting and his shoes in a satin stitch. Lastly I added the belt buckle, a Smyrna cross variation, using Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #221.

Now to the wall! For the capstone and grout lines, I wanted a thread that looked somewhat rough. I dug DMC #5 perle cotton #644 out of my stash and began with a slanted gobelin stitch over two threads for the capstone. I'll start filling in the grout lines with tent stitches when I've finished stitching more bricks.

The choice of a thread for the bricks was easy: ever since stitching "Joy to the World" for ANG's Needle Pointers magazine 10 years ago, my favorite thread for bricks has been Sheep's Silk "Lingonberry." The color is just right, and the spacing of the variegation in the thread as it plays out of the needle makes each brick look slightly different from the one next to it. I started working the courses with one strand in a cashmere stitch, and will start adding the vines and flowers when I'm a little further along in my brick laying!