Of BoInks and Lobsters

I apologize for not updating recently. This may be a slightly longer post than usual since I'm catching up on sharing all the photos. For starters, I need to write up a post mortem on Book of Ink Circles. I've showed the pictures around the Internet, but I really haven't squeed here properly. It's my biggest project to date so I'm understandably Proud.

I started BoInk when it was first online. This was the first project I actively picked my own colors for, rather than whatever was called for by the designer and I'm overall pleased with the results. Do over again, I'd do two things differently. First, I'd pick blues with more contrast. Since it was a Mystery project, I couldn't see all the pattern and realize "hey those will be next to each other and will need some pop!" I would also buy slightly more than suggested skeins for certain colors. I got a little bogged down a few years ago when I started running out of colors. People warn you of this all the time with overdyes -- buy early and often and even more than you think you'll need. There will be frogs and tears and you will suddenly run out of that one color and the next dye lot will be completely different. Fortunately for me, all the new colors were near the bottom in small areas, so it's not a massive change. I know where the issues are, but hopefully it's not too noticeable to the average person.

 Fabric is 28 ct Platinum Jobelan and the colors are all Vikki Clayton's Hand Dyed Fibers silks.

For this year I've gone back to small projects until I get started on the bigger ones. I finished up Ink Circles' (I don't just do her patterns, but it seems that way!) Ink Spot #3 aka "Lobster Bouquet" using some Olde Willow Stitchery "Philadelphia Red" thread I had in my stash. I used nearly two whole skeins on the project. I am fuzzier on the fabric. It's definitely a linen in consistency but not sure color, count or type. I am trying to get better at writing down fabrics.

 What's in the works: I'm slowly working on Ink Circles' "Pot Luck" but I'm have some frog infestations, so I need to sort that out. I really want to tackle the Mary Wigham sampler. I have the fabric for it but haven't found a good sunny afternoon to look at color options. I'm thinking of using assorted HDF colors from my stash rather than strictly what's expected. It might be a nice color challenge for me. I'm also pondering turning back towards blackwork, but I have to find the right project. I'd like to read more about historical needlework as well.

Celtic Swirls

Hello everyone. I realize I haven't posted much in awhile. Truthfully I've hit a bit of a dry patch on needlework, but hopefully that's changing. I didn't go to Stitch N Pitch this year, but I understand we lost to the Orioles again.

A couple of weeks ago, Tracy Horner sent out this "Celtic Spiral" Ink Spot freebie for those that subscribed to her mailing list. So I went through my stash for a suitable small piece of linen and some Hand Dyed Fibers silk floss to go with it.

Unfortunately I can't give you color names, because they'll all HDF d-bag/mystery spool colors, so they're usually not labeled. They off-colors -- ones where the dye wasn't quite right or where she was trying out a color combination. Her grab bags are great for small projects like this one.

The red and purple spools are both variegated. The red was mixed with a brownish shade, while the other combines different shades of purple, along with blue or black.

I finished it last night, despite the onset of frogs last week. The one thing you have to be careful of with samplers or motif oriented needlework is spacing. If you're off by just a hair, it throws everything else off. And sometimes it's a pain figuring out where you went wrong. This is unfortunately where cross stitch earns its reputations for being all about counting and swearing.

I have one or two other projects in mind to return to needlework. Not forgetting the great Book of Ink Circles. It will get done... eventually.