It's true...

Diamonds are forever, well at least they seem to take forever.   The hardanger cutwork diamonds on the table runner are taking a long time.   Five to go and this piece will be finito.

The next photo may show this complete, ironed and in situ.   We shall see.

Finished, finished and almost finished

This week I have been fighting a head cold so progress on the stitching front has been very slow.
But tonight I have these to show off
A finish -  still to be made into the centre piece of a notebook cover

Another finish - to be made into a hanging Christmas Tree ornament.

An almost finished!  This is nearly half of half of the green hardanger runner.

I think at this point I may take a break and go back to my knitting.   Our weather is turning colder and I feel the need to finish off a winter cardigan while it is still winter :-)
My head cold is finally on the mend now and I am feeling much better -  just in time for a busy weekend with household chores and nursing duties.   The HD3QBEM is still not well and needs cheering up.

Preparing to mitre

I have retrieved the green hardanger runner from its box and started work on it again.  My aim this time is to complete half of it before having a break.   So tonight I planned to back stitch and satin stitch the border while watching my recorded Episode 3 of The Dunedin Study documentary.  

Alas!   Somehow my pre-setting of the recording had failed.   Doom and despondency until I remembered that I had registered for TVNZ on Demand.   So the HD3QBEM and I sat in front of the computer and watched and we both feel as if we have made technological advances :-)
Last night we tried to Skype Little Sister and although we could see her she couldn't see us.  That too was doom and despondency until I had a light bulb moment and realised that I had pushed the red button not the blue one.  Oh yes.   Of such technological insight is my life filled!   So tonight I Skyped "the husband of Little Sister" and he saw me and I saw him.  And, he laughed at my limited skill at mastering even such a simple thing as this.   He and he alone is my only Skype contact, so now I know how to work the stupid amazing technology I may call them again.

Anyway, back to the stitching.   I have tacked out in three different colours guidelines for a mitred corner - the edge of my runner - thereby ensuring mathematical precision when I come to the hem.
However before the great day of hemming arrives there are endless back stitches, multitudinous satin stitches and innumerable eyelets to finish.   This will be a long term project??

Hardanger again

Going back to work after a break is always hard but today has definitely been a difficult day.   What better way to unwind than with a piece of hardanger.

Tonight I made a start on the edging ribbon.  Rhythmical back stitch and the odd shaped diamond serrations have worked their magic and the stress has melted away.

Spot the mistake

Tonight has been a lesson in frustration,   Everything was smooth sailing and the whole diamond joined up....but.... one thread out.
Can you spot the mistake?

Yes -  the very first stitch of this diamond.   So rather than reverse everything I opted to snip and pull.
The TV programme on the Isle of Skye was just too distracting.   I have stopped stitching and will try again tomorrow.

Good night all.

And so it's back to the diamonds

On 15th March I have an Embroidery Class and I'm unwilling to start a new piece before then.  So tonight it was back to the diamonds.   Having made the decision to leave the filling stitches until the very end, I have the unpleasurable task of 14 times foundation klosters.   Four are now done and all have met up perfectly with only minimal reverse stitching.

This afternoon I had some time off work (time in lieu) so sorted out some scraps of linen and tacked out one hexagon.  

I'm thinking of using toning linens and one quilting cotton for the bindings and lining.   My idea was to make this a sampler with each hexagon a different stitch but I have been looking through my hardanger books and think I will do them all in hardanger with different filling stitched.   There are another five hexagons to tack out yet so I have plenty of time to think and plan.

As hard as diamonds...?

Today has been a hard hard day.  
A power cut over night cut off the CCTV security cameras at work on the very day when visiting offenders decided to play up!
The same power cut caused a fuse to blow in the air conditioning control panel, so the temperature got hot and the tempers hotter still.
A roof top water tank linked to said malfunctioning air conditioner leaked and the sky fell in.   Well to be honest, it was actually ceiling tiles which turned to mush and collapsed downward.
Eventually the water found its desired home in another circuit board and turned off half the computers and the telephone system.
But, did we go home?   No way.   Our client base never sleep or become inactive and thus neither shall The Department.
So what can I say?   Thank the Lord I was wearing cotton and not man made fibres!  I am quite sure Pollyanna would not have been so selfish as I was in inwardly thanking the Lord that it was not my computer that was affected.   I managed to leave my desk clean, all necessary tasks done and an empty To Do List for Monday while still getting out the door at 5pm.   Not bad?!

Anyway, I am in no mood for Noddy tonight so made a refrigerator cake, set the fruit mixture to steep in tea so I can bake a fruit loaf for the HD3QBEM tomorrow morning, and started another diamond.   Hardanger is guaranteed to ease my stress.

Hardanger runner

Every girl needs a diamond...
Will I feel the same way about diamonds when I have stitched another 13 and done all the filling stitches?   I hope so.

I am happy with this and in reality it is simple to stitch so is quite relaxing.  Just what I need after a dismal day at the office.
Off to bed now.

Comfort stitching

Having completed both the basket and the thimblepod I am allowed to part company with the little crosses and indulge in some comfort stitching/
My next project is going to be a hardanger runner for my coffee table. So tonight I stitched the kloster blocks on a sample motif.   This I will make into a notebook cover (the spiral backed sort of notebook not the computer version) but first I wanted to check the size etc - rather like kntting a swatch to measure gauge I suppose.  

This will be satisfactory and on Monday ( public holiday here) I will make a trip to The Ribbon Rose to get the necessary DMC perle thread.   The fabric is a 28 count evenweave - Jobelan I think -  from stash and is actually a pretty greenish shade rather like DMC 522.   I don't really like stitching on anything but linen but this fabric is stable and really suitable for the runner I have in mind.
Today has been wet and hot so indoor jobs are all done and my stash cupboard has been cleaned and tidied.  
I even managed to finish my book - the latest Val McDermid.   Now I am off to bed with the latest Peter May.   Both of these were ordered from my local library and I had a long wait as they were very popular.  Other readers will be waiting so I cannot renew and must finish by the due date.   So off to bed I go:-)