December with Dragon, Peacocks and a Catbus
Well, here we are, Happy New Year everyone, and onwards into 2019. Which will probably be just as mixed and tricky and confusing a year as usual, despite our good wishes and good intentions. And we shall cope with it all, as usual. I don’t usually make New Year resolutions, but when I do I like to start them early. So since I finished work for Christmas I have been making sure I do at least a little stitching every day. At least one needle-full every day. And so far so good. How about you?
This piece was started at the beginning of November, but made little progress – it was interrupted by the Christmas card run, and by indifferent health and life in general. But by Christmas Day the end of the slow, slow outlining was in sight (That’s one strand of DeVere Yarns 695 Peat – an extremely dark greenish-brown that I tend to use rather than black for these sort of projects.) I finally got started on the coloured silk shading on the 30th, and the photo above is the state of play at the very end of the year. I am using Chinese silk for this stage.
Progress will slow a little now, with work recommencing – this project needs good light. (I have simpler things on the go, so I shall keep stitching!) Regular readers will remember I worked this same design in 2017, my very first project with the Chinese silk, when I only had limited choice of colour and was learning how to use it as I went along. Now, I can build on that experience, have a much better palette of shades to choose from and hope to do the design full justice. It’s a Victorian printers’ ornament. I’ll show you how I am getting on in my next post.
I haven’t only been stitching. I enjoyed my break, good food, rest, good company. A trip to visit friends in Welshpool last week featured a visit to the National Trust property Powis Castle. We went to see the interior decorated for Christmas, with some magnificent trees and room settings. It looked very festive and very grand. The peacocks were strutting around in the courtyard – here’s one.
I also watched lot of video. I always enjoy The Muppet Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve, and My Neighbour Totoro on Christmas Day – a tradition of quite a few years standing, now. And my favourite character in Totoro is the Catbus. So imagine my delight to get a cuddly, plush Catbus from my friend Sam at work. Catbus now sits on the arm of my sofa. (The picture also shows that I downloaded the Prisma photo-processing phone app on Boxing Day – I shall have fun playing with this and adding effects to phone photos.)
My other ‘not quite a new year resolution’ is to write Tortoise Loft blog posts much more frequently this year than last year. I say this every year, and it usually doesn’t happen. But here’s one, on the very first day of the year. It’s a start.
So what shall we talk about next?
January 1, 2019 at 10:37 am
Welcome! As you say, another varied year to look forward to. I intend to finish two long standing cross stitch projects, one over 20 years old.
January 1, 2019 at 11:59 am
That sounds like a good plan. Happy stitching, KRin!
January 1, 2019 at 4:20 pm
Happy New Year to you Sue! And I love the shading on the leaves; it will be so pretty when completely finished.
January 1, 2019 at 4:47 pm
Thank you, Jessica. The leaves went so very well that I can’t help feeling it will all Go Horribly Wrong before I get much further.
January 2, 2019 at 8:15 pm
Happy New Year Sue! Hope 2019 brings you lots of stitchy adventures 🙂 I love your printer’s ornament, can’t wait to see how it turns out!
January 2, 2019 at 10:41 pm
Thanks, Aurelia. It’s a delightful design. I wanted to do it in embroidery when I first saw it.
January 3, 2019 at 2:31 pm
Some of our visitors mentioned the Catbus and My Neighbour Totoro, and now I get to see a plushy Catbus!
Using the dark brown is a great idea. It isn’t as stark as black, and it doesn’t have quite the same “cartoony” feel…
January 3, 2019 at 2:43 pm
It’s a lovely film, beautifully drawn. If you haven’t seen it yet, you are in for a treat.
I want to avoid too much outlining on this version of the dragon. Some, but not too much. Fingers crossed I can get the balance right!
January 4, 2019 at 12:56 pm
It’s been recommended several time now…