Stitch of the Month 2013

ANG's Stitch of the Month program is going strong, as you can see from the Polski Needlepoint blog, which is highlighting various color schemes for the 2013 Stitch of the Month design from various Polish stitchers.   If you would like to read a bit about each design, scroll down to the bottom of the right hand column and turn on the translator.
http://polskineedlepoint.blogspot.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

I Love Dogs

If you love dogs like I love dogs, you'll want to see what The Young Needlepointer has been stitching! 
http://theyoungneedlepointer.blogspot.com/2013/12/labrador-christmas.html

I didn't find this on the Cheryl Schaeffer Designs website but I am sure your local shop can order it for you.
http://www.cherylschaeffer.com/category_results.cfm?Category=14

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

A Toast!

One of the more unusual needlepoint gifts I've seen is Liz's whiskey flask. I'll let her tell you about it.
http://lizartblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/motorcycle-flask.html

I think Liz got her flask from Elizabeth Turner Designs, which offers several patterns for the inside.  Liz needed a plain piece of canvas as her design was custom.  Liz told me that the leather wrap is attached with velcro.  She's still trying to find a good way to adhere the NP canvas to the back side of the leather.  If you remove the leather wrap, the needlepoint canvas falls out.  Any one have good ideas on how to do this?  The glues she has tried don't work as they don't bond well to leather.  After all, the canvas has a lot of holes.
http://elizabethturnercollection.com/needleptDesigns_flask.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Inside Orna UPDATED

Orna Willis isn't just a designer with a great color sense, she is willing to explain how design elements balance each other as she creates a new piece.   I find this fascinating, particular for this design which in my mind is one of those Tiki figures....
http://ornadesign.blogspot.com/2013/12/understanding-designs-progression.html

UPDATES on the design's progress....
http://ornadesign.blogspot.com/2014/01/moving-along.html

http://ornadesign.blogspot.com/2014/01/more-design-development-or-where-do-i.html

I have no idea why this makes me think of Trader Vic's!
http://themenupage.com/tradervics.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Odds and Ends

You may have noticed that there have not been quite so many postings here on Blog recently. The Needlepoint Blog-o-Sphere has been busy with holiday fun instead of blogging their brains out.  So have I, plus I have a big TNNA deadline looming--eeeekkkk!   This means fewer things to report on, whether they are my own or someone else's.  Sorry about that.  At least I have not started talking about the six month project to reorganize the Monthly Clubs tab so that you can actually FIND something there!  (But it is coming, I feel it.  LOL)

Before I lose all self control and start babbling on that topic, let's go listen to Nimble Needle who has laid out some goodies to spend our Christmas money on.
http://thenimbleneedle.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-splurge.html

Then we can go gawk at Mary Agnes' pelicans design.  I have no idea how she managed to find that many wing stitches so that each pelican is the same but different.  Nice job!  MA's been working on this piece at odd moments in the life of a shop owner since September.  This is a Trubey piece, by the way, and exclusive to the shop.
http://needlenicely.blogspot.com/2013/12/pelicans-everywhere-done-done-done.html?showComment=1388410500659#c7936299847522357846

Finally, we can talk new threads.  Anna Scott, former editor of Inspirations, does a lot of crewel embroidery and loves Paternayan which has been hard for her to find.  However, she does have a substitute that she says is quite nice--Strand Mohair Embroidery Yarn.    Because this is a New Zealand thread, it may be quite hard to find here in the USA.  The site says that this is a crewel yarn, a bit thicker than Appleton's crewel.
http://annascottembroidery.blogspot.com/2013/08/back-in-business.html

I managed to find this information about it--it is half mohair and half wool.  The colors are more limited than Paternayan's but of course New Zealanders are used to working with limited supplies since island life means they have to grow their own or import from far away.
http://www.nancys.co.nz/strandnz.html

http://www.nancys.co.nz/STRAND/strandyarn.html

Maybe tomorrow my postings will be more coherent.  (But don't bet large sums of money on THAT.)

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.