Happy Feet

Happy feet on chilly mornings and stash to continue the trend:-)

Mid Winter Christmas

We are having a Mid Winter Christmas lunch at work this week - with all the usual festive trimmings.
My contribution is these super sweet reindeer cookies. 

No cooking involved.   Toffee Pop biscuits, chocolate icing, pretzel crackers, white marshmallows and a jolly red Jaffa lolly for the nose.   I did a dozen on flat Toffee Pops and a dozen on half sphere Mallow Puffs.   Flat is definitely best.  All very simple -  the most complicated step will be to ensure I carry them to work without the requisite face parts breaking off!

Stash busting

While I decide what to do next I  have stitched up the ingredients for a small Mary Stewart Hussif.

It has been some time since I did any Wessex Stitchery and the rhythm took some a while to find but all is well.

The linen is a left over piece of 28 count in that vintage cloudy look that Zweigart loved a few years ago. 

The Silk floss and perle cotton are from stash.   Very satisfying on all counts.   I am hoping there will be a piece of lining fabric in the box when I look although at present I can't really think of what could be suitable.   Gaye Eaton's book on Wessex Stitchery gives clear instructions for the finger knotted cord and for how to do the fiddly little tags that go at each end.
Guess what I will be doing tomorrow night?   That is unless the DBEM has some other more pressing repair needs for her current knitting.

Biscornu

Here she is - finished!

This one came together very easily and while conflicted over whether she needs a button in the middle or not (currently not obviously) I'm happy with how she looks. 

And the geometry of the basket was no major drama either.

On the remaining square of linen I decided to try out another chart I had kept for years.

I have not managed to attain the same level of satisfaction with this one.   This was a chart only and had no instructions so the needle lace is an amateur effort.   Now I want to get a book or printed instructions or some such to try again and learn this properly.  Does anyone have any ideas for me?

The small bullion flowers in the corners were fun and seemed to work well but that flower in the middle was an effort and no where near a passing grade either.   However on red velvet for a book cover will make make a useful item which someone else may love.

Remember when..

Remember when there was a Biscornu Boom?   I saved this free chart then and finally 10 years later have stitched it.   Not without some reverse stitching I have to say but we made it to completion.
It's amazing what a trawl through the chat folders, a search through the fabric stash and a delve into the floss trove can do for stitching mojo. 

I am rather pleased with this and while I have the floss out will probably make another for a gift.  I only hope I remember enough basic geometry to set the points in the correct position to make that basket work!