Tag Archives: resting birds

November 28, 2016 · 2:36 pm

Resting Birds

Resting Birds are blocking

Resting Birds are blocking

The embroidery is finished! By the end it was terribly out of alignment – more a rhombus than a square. I have blocked it, but I suspect I will have to block twice.

I have been terribly grumpy all day today – for no real reason, but I feel angry. Two hard games of netball didn’t help although often a good run around can lift my spirits.

Anyway, to feel less wild, I decided to ignore my to do list and knit …

Favourite Scarf

Favourite Scarf

This is the second half and I don’t think I have too much more to do, which is great because I have subscribed to the Inspired by Islay club that Kate Davies is running. I always love her patterns (even if I don’t knit them) and her essays are fabulous.

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November 17, 2016 · 11:00 am

More Birds …

Still working on the background

Still working on the background

I am still working on the back ground – it is a good thing to do while watching television or when I am too tired to tackle anything challenging.

I am hoping to get it finished this year – so I can start a new embroidery project next year.

I have been watching The Crown

thecrown

How amazing is this show? You see the Queen young and a bit awkward (Philip already seems like a bit of a tosser).

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November 5, 2016 · 1:35 pm

Resting Birds are Ongoing

Resting Birds - The Background

Resting Birds – The Background

I am still working on the background – diagonal cashmere stitch – it is much quicker than the tent stitch and I have got myself into quite a nice rhythm, so even the tricky edge bits aren’t so bad.

I have been listening to Tess of the D’Urbervilles while stitching (read by Anna Bentinck) – damn you Alec D’Urberville and Angel Clare!

 

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October 25, 2016 · 12:57 pm

The Birds – background

Background of my resting birds

Background of my resting birds

Well I finished the design on my Resting Birds cushion, so now it’s just the acres of white background. I didn’t want to do more tent stitch, but wasn’t sure what else would work and then I came across an image of this – it’s a canvas work lobster from the Royal School of Needlework and I loved the background.

By RSN Future Tutor Auburn Lucas

By RSN Future Tutor Auburn Lucas

I searched through my needlepoint ‘bible’ (-The Needlepoint Book by Jo Ippolito Christensen) and discovered it was diagonal cashmere. I have to say there is quite a bit of compensation and I am finding it a bit tricky when I need to restart (after running into an edge or something), but I do like the effect.

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September 7, 2016 · 2:22 pm

Birds — what am I watching now?

More of my birds ...

More of my birds …

One day this might be an amazing resource of how long one woman took to finish a needlepoint cushion cover! I am still working on it – and thinking about what to do with the background? Same stitch? Something different?

But while I am stitching this I have been watching things – The Night Manager, Nebraska (this is such a beautiful story – definitely worth watching if you like character development over plot) Gemma Bovary (this is a bit of a modern re-make of Madame Bovary and it is in French and English with subtitles – incredibly beautiful to watch (I wanted to move to France), but subtitles do make it a bit tricky to do your needlepoint!) and now Suffragette (I haven’t watched all of this, but I am impressed with what I have seen).

I have a few more things – in what Mr H calls my digital pile – The Baz Luhrmann Collection (I am sure this will be fabulous), The Musketeers Season 3, Indian Summers Season 2 and the first season of Orange is the New Black (I have to be careful when I watch this that there aren’t in little people about). I wonder if I have enough to make it to the end?

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September 4, 2016 · 1:42 pm

More Birds

Resting Bird progress - I have finished all of the light green sections

Resting Bird progress – I have finished all of the light green sections

I have been working away at this – a little bit every day.

There is a huge amount still to do, but I feel that I have reached some kind of corner and then end is not too far away (although there is a lot of background to do!).

I have been watching The Night Manager – how amazing is this series? Some of the actors (Hugh Laurie, Tom Hollander) have really stepped out of their usual roles. Having just seen Tom Hollander in Dr Thorne I am amazed by his versatility. And isn’t Elizabeth Debicki beautiful?

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August 31, 2016 · 11:22 am

Birds …again

Resting Birds Progress

Resting Birds Progress

BirdsBack_01

It is easier to see my progress when you look at the back.

So in the evenings (or during the day) when I am tired and very unlikely to do anything productive I sit down with my needlepoint and work a few more stitches.

I’m just working tent stitch (which is a fancy way of saying half cross stitch). Being an orderly type of person (some might say a bit of a control freak), I like to have an order to my stitching. Currently that order is rotating through the colours; white, light-green, medium-green, dark-green, navy blue, white, … even just listing all of the colours is mesmorising.

I have now finished all of the light-green (yay! although this is all about the process and not so much about the end product).

This particular project has proven to be easy to do and very relaxing – more people should take it up.

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August 22, 2016 · 12:48 pm

Comparisons

Birds_04

It’s like watching grass grow – not that that is a bad thing. There is definitely a place for slow stitching. It is quite mesmerising – pulling the needle through the canvas.

Comparison is the thief of joy

I have been doing a lot of this lately  – stealing joy.

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

And this as well – although I think (or hope) that I have had the fall. Sometimes I think I should not leave the house and socialise with people as I do it very badly.

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August 16, 2016 · 4:19 pm

Birds …

Birds - look they match my flowers

Birds – look they match my flowers

Miss A has been unwell – headache, sore throat, cough (usual winter ailment), but it means we have been sticking close to home. So there has been a bit of canvas work done (and a lot of television viewing – 800 Words, Pitch Perfect 2). I am enjoying the process – very calming, although I suspect the back ground will be extremely annoying (do I do a different stitch to make it more interesting?)

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August 5, 2016 · 4:02 pm

It’s all about the birds

Resting Bird Progress

Resting Bird Progress

So every Friday I go to an embroidery class here – it is run by the amazing Ann-Marie. I love going to this class – although I am not the best student – I enjoy the chance to just sit and chat and occasionally pull a needle through my canvas.

The class is full of women of different ages, backgrounds and interests and it is a joy to spend time with them.

My project is the least ambitious (painted canvas and tent stitch), but there is something comforting in the process. There is so much action, busyness and stress in the rest of my life I like the chance to sit and do something simple.

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