A tired camel

After the last few years, I didn't think I'd every say it, but the Screaming Camel of Happiness is tired.  Yes, I have another finish!  Those that may be new to my blog, please do not think this is normal!  I typically go months and months without progress never mind an actual finish.  I will be back to that pattern soon enough but am enjoying this while I can.

Here is my completed Just Nan's Kari's Snowflake:

It's stitched on 28-count opalescent Desert Sky evenweave from Silkweavers with DMC, Kreinik and the embellishments that were included with the pattern.  I like the design, but oh my aching head, I had more frog visits on this piece than any in recent memory.  The design is less than 3" square so it's not like I had to count to much more than 5...  Anyway it's done and will soon be moving in with the other several dozen unfinished finished pieces.  Someday I need to sit down and figure out what to do with all of them.

After finishing the snowflake, I pulled out Just Nan's Holly Bows and got it to here:

This is stitched on 32-count Stone Grey Belfast.  I love how the colors pop on this fabric.  If you look closely you'll see something very unusual in this picture.  Yes, it's in a hoop.  I seldom use a hoop for smaller pieces but my hands were protesting after I finished the snowflake so I pulled the hoop out and clamped it in my lapstand.  My hands are happier and it is so much nicer to use both hands for stitching.  Fortunately the design fits within the opening so I don't have to move the hoop or really worry about marks.

Before I started stitching this weekend, I pulled fabric and threads for the two projects that will be my focus pieces next year Goldie a special order stocking charted by Heaven and Earth Designs and Japanese Zen Garden from Chatelaine.

I was heart sore to hear the news of Martina Rosenberg's passing this last week so when DSon picked a Chatelaine for me to stitch for him I was thrilled. What better way to remember a wonderful designer.  Unlike Goldie, Japanese Zen Garden was not a planned start, but sorting through my stash, I have most of the fiber (I'm using Martina's DMC conversion) and a large enough piece of fabric (32-count Summer Sky Jobelan) that I should be able to start in the next couple of weeks. 

I will be starting both Goldie and Zen this year as I want them on my WIPocalypse list for next year, so Holly Bows will be my last finish for this year and probably a while. 

Because the two new pieces are large and detailed (each in their own way) they will be the only two pieces in my rotation next year.  I may have to take some time out to stitch another wedding piece and am reserving Sunday mornings for small stitching just so I can have some finishes next year but you will be seeing mostly Goldie and Zen next year. 

So remember a couple of weeks ago I showed you this? 

Well the same yard looked like this

on Saturday.  Yes, winter has arrived in central Virginia.  It's all gone today but it was very pretty outside this weekend made all the prettier by the fact that I didn't have to go out in it.  No snow forecast for the rest of this week, but it is supposed to be very cold on Wednesday almost cold enough to pull out my New Hampshire winter coat and then warm by the weekend again.  I don't think I'll see the dandelion again until spring but with the weird weather we've been having I'm not sure I'd count it out.