What Have I Been Up To?

Well, not much actually.... Last week was March Break here and we mostly hung out at home and didn't do a heck of a lot. Naturally that translates into extra stitching time for me. The weather has been unusually warm for this time of year - I've never run around in a T-shirt in March before, so we've been outside enjoying the gorgeous sunshine too!

I've been working on my Kimono, but my progress has definitely slowed as of late. I finished the braided fence pattern (including all the compensating stitches) that makes up the bulk of the kimono. Now I need to fill in the empty canvas spaces with a combination of Silk Mori and Kreinik Blending Filament. I'm attempting to lay the fibres - have you ever tried to lay BF? Painful does not even begin to describe the process. I love the sparkle it adds, but it may kill me to get it all done. Hence why progress has slowed on this piece. Once I get the Silk/BF done too, I'll be moving onto a relatively complex part of this piece which has me a little worried. Mostly, I think I just need to read and re-read the directions, then put on my big-girl panties and do it. I think my dread of the next part is making me procrastinate... And there's all the BF to deal with first.... Anyway, here's the Kimono today:

So, since the kimono was giving me fits, I went back to one of my dragons and finished her (and her offspring):

Treasure Them Now...Or Eat Them!

Designed by J.L. Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams

Stitched on 28-count Lambswool Jobelan with recommended fibres

This piece stitched up super-fast and was lots of fun. I enjoyed watching all the little baby dragons emerge. All the backstitch on this piece just about drove me round the bend - I think I spent close to 10 hours doing all the backstitch - but it's soooo worth it.

And since I was avoiding the Kimono, CdC came out to play and I've made a great leap forward on it. Stitching with only one fibre sure does speed up the process. I had to go buy more floss today though - I'm on my last skein and there's still a good bit of stitching to do. Here's Cdc in all it's glory:

Sorry for the dark & wonky & wrinkly pictures - still no iron and I forgot to take pictures earlier today when the light was better.

I've also got a new creature taking up space here - a little hermit crab that my youngest has named Phil:

He's really quite friendly and enjoys exploring. I'll be using him in one of my science programs as a demonstration of an animal that carries his habitat around with him. I just hope he'll hold off on molting until June - when he's molting, he's not up for public appearances and we've got a busy April & May ahead!