Does This Wool Roving Make Me Look Fat?

I got started on the new lessons for Mermaid Treasures.  The basting is in.  Then I got brave enough to try putting on the wool roving.  Luckily there are lots of photos to help along the way.  I wasn't sure if I was using too much or not.  So I email Amy Mitten to ask her if my mermaid was too fat.  She said she looked fine so I am good to go on to the next part.  I think the next thing I do is put the satin on.  Eek!  I'm a little afraid of that but I'm following Amy 's directions.

I worked the next cartouche (I love that word) on Needleworker's Pocketbook.  I changed some colors of floss based on how pale the other basket of flowers looked.  With just a few tiny stitches, you have to go darker than you think to have them show up.  Now, do I go back and change the first one?  Well, yes, probably parts of it.  I'd really like to finish up the top two bands today so I can go on the the landscape.

Mr. Mailman hasn't brought me anything all week.  Will he redeem himself today?
And how on earth can it be Friday again already??
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New Lessons

I am so excited.  There are three new lessons posted for the Mermaid Needlework Treasures.  I read through them and think that I actually can do it.  (Thank you Amy Mitten for great instructions.)  I'm just taking it a step at a time.  First I have to outline the mermaid's body.  That is my aim today.

 I may have to take out the basting lines down the middle.

I got the middle cartouche done on the Needleworker's Pocketbook.

I just copied Amy Mitten's since we have the same name.  In the next cartouche is another basket of flowers.  I want to change a few colors as the centers of the blue flowers don't show up as yellow, so I need a stronger yellow.  Hey, you can't even see the blue flowers.  Maybe I need a stronger blue too.

When I get these first two bands done I can move on to the large landscape that is the focal point of this sampler.  It will be interesting as it is a mix of over-two and over-one.

I ordered the M.Woods sampler (which is being released today) along with the linen (36 count) and silks from The Attic.  The sampler appealed to me as it is another Norfolk sampler with little octagons with over one designs inside.  I am not really a sampler lover but hey, it looks like fun.
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Strawberry Thief Complete

I finished off the Strawberry Thief yesterday.  He is done on 32 count Wichelt Sandstone linen.  He turned out better than I expected.  While I was working on him I felt he was a little messy. I'm not used to the technique of outlining and then filling in with tent stitch. I used that technique when making the pin pad in Cabinet of Curiosities.  It was good to get even more experience with it.   Even with my goofs (using two blues that you can't even tell apart) it looks good.  He now needs to be finished off into some sort of ornament.

I started another cartouche on my Needleworker's Pocketbook.  It is a basket of flowers.  Again I am replacing the blah color with a very light coral.  I don't like the harsh navy blue so I'm going to use a sweeter blue for a couple of the flowers.  I used a different blue for the basket as well.  You are really supposed to do all the outsides of the octagons and the eyelet stitches first but I can't resist the fun part of filling in octagons as I go across.

We've had a couple of gorgeous days here.  This is really the best time of year.  I've been thinking (dangerous) that I should sort through some stuff in my sewing room.  There are some things I can't find.  They are probably in one of the piles.  I need an organizer to put everything away somewhere.  But then I wouldn't be able to find it either.  Such is life.
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Marching On

Well, I started a new part of the Needleworker's Pocketbook.  I thought, what is the easiet part?  The ruler of course.

 It only has four strawberries that peek through the holes.  So that's what I started on yesterday.  Of course I can't count correctly so a strawberry had to be moved over a couple of stitches.  I am not crazy about basting so I quickly abandoned that half way round.  It was fun to see what it would look like in the ruler.

So then I went on to start the main piece.  There are cartouches at the top.  My favorite.  So I started on those.  I did the first half cartouche.  I got one thread off somewhere but I never did find it and decided it didn't matter really in the whole scheme of things.  I made my bird blue instead of blah.  He's the blue bird of happiness.

I decided I should finish the Strawberry Thief today so that I can send the chart on to a friend. There isn't that much left to do.  Over one is just a bit tedious though.

The Cabinet of Curiosities Kit 2 is supposed to be sent off today.  I expect it will be full of a variety of threads and maybe some paste.  That will be fun to get later this week (if I'm lucky).  The mailman didn't bring me anything fun yesterday.  I'll give him another chance today.
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Inside Pocket

I finished the inside pocket of the Needleworker's Pocketbook.  Now I can start the main piece of the pocketbook.  This is turning out nicely but it is a lot of work.  It will be something to be proud of when it is done.

I put some stitches in the Strawberry Thief.  I need to finish this up and it won't take too much to do that.

I'm hoping the mailman brings me something.
The bathrooms are clean.  I'm good, I went walking this morning.
We got to see Claire open her Playskool Elmo doll.  So fun.  She calls him "Melmo".  So cute.
We also found out that he sings the abc's and talks.  We didn't even know he did that.  Luckily he has an off button.
Upside Down Chicken for supper.
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Dear Deer

I finished the first cartouche that is the flap of the inside pocket.  It was fun to see it develop.  I am kind of sick of eyelets though.  My goal for today is to finished the middle cartouche that will be filled with a felt for needles.  There is a deer on the far cartouche that looks toward the middle (or toward the other deer).

I worked a bit on Strawberry Thief.

I am having fits with the colors.  Two of the belly's floss colors look exactly the same.  Rats.  I'm not taking it out.  No way.  I tried some colors on the vine and I think they will do fine.  I've decided that this is an exotic bird of strange colors.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

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Drive By

This is just a quick post to show where I am on the Needleworker's Pocketbook.  I got the top three bands done on the inside pocket.  Now I can work on the "Norfolk" cartouches.  Fun.

Yeah for Saturday!
I got the instructions for the trinket box stitching in the Cabinet of Curiosities class.
I ordered a kit of the materials for the Home Sweet Home book.  Maybe it will actually get made if I have all the stuff.
Playskool Elmo should knock on Claire's door today.
I am up to 9878 steps so far today.  I'm sure to get to 10,000.
I resisted the bad stuff at the Farmer's Market.  (Cookie Dough balls, caramel corn, etc.)
The Attic newsletter is tempting me. . .
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