Been stitching? (and Hyperbolic Crocet Reef)

Hello. I was going to call this post "Pathetic," but somehow I think that could sum up most of my stitching days so I'd have to use it all the time. Better I should save it for a really worthy occasion..... like say, oh, tomorrow.

I have been stitching, but apparently I've also been brain dead since I have only tken pics of part of what I worked on and then I only downloaded part of those pictures. What gives? Usually I'm all over thei picture thing. My money is on my new 5:30am wake-ups. I need to really need to commit to the pillows by 10pm.

Anyway, here's some of what I've been up to....

In case you remember back to the last time you saw this I can say I have done some stuff. I have filled in a penguin tummy, worked out where I went wrong compensating over a penguin head, and put in part of the secondary stitch (Silk Lame) in the background (ok, it's only a couple tiny rows, but it's something.

I also have made slow, small progress on Katherine--

I futzed with the gold and dark green stitches in the center of the light green medallions because I thought the called for version ended up wimpy.

I have to say I hated those two rows of pulled sqaure stitches. I kept breaking my thread. I resorted to using absurdly short cuts to make it work.... so annoying.

I joined Carol's Christmas Challenge this year in hopes of having myself 12 FINISHED ornies by the end of the year. Mind you, it might be a good plan to have a tree to put them on, but one thing at a time. Anyway, my January ornie is Miss Crescent's red bird from a reecnt JCS (I think 2009):

She's actually a lot farther along, but I lack a picture for the last 3 days. She's become my morning commuter bus piece -- I get some stitching done which makes the miles go faster, but I gotta say that smoother roads would improve my productivity no end! Eventually she's to hold a string of cranberries and popcorn in her beak. They are called for in floss, but I'm thinking of using a Kreink for the cranberries and possibly some Boucle or thin, stripped silk and wool for the popcorn.... stay tuned!

As for DC reporting I am going to limit myself to a photo montage of the Hyperbolic Crocet Reef that is currently on display at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Our croceting friends from around the world made a reef and it's stunning. No pictures can do it just, but I tried....














Pretty darn cool, eh?!