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Saturday 8 October 2011

Dark Alphabet - A to O

A Dark Alphabet - designed by A Note of Friendship

Here are the latest 3 blocks.  This is all that will fit onto my scanner so this is the last time you will see the whole stitched piece until it is finished.

These were fun and quick blocks, about 6 hours each.  I love the Fortune Teller and will stitch her again.  Maybe with the Ouija Board design Julie also gave as a freebie recently.

The over 1 does make it hard to do all the specialist stitches.  I did the Mummy in plain crosses and the Norwich stitch on the tombstone became tied crosses.  But the Octagonal Rhodes in Occult looks great.  Funny how the thickness of the different coloured threads affects the coverage so noticeably.




There is a touch of bronze in her earrings:


And here is the whole thing so far...


I'm really enjoying stitching this design, I love the mystery aspect and how different each block is while still having colours which go well together.  It makes you think how difficult designing really is.  Julie could easily have thought of each block as a standalone piece and make a real mish-mash of colours and styles but it really works as a whole piece.

If Lisa is looking down on us all I'm sure she is impressed by it!

The large boy is enjoying each square with me. He has a macabre sense sometimes. When we first moved house the neighbour's cat kept bringing us dead mice. One day we saw a dead snake in the road (grass snake) and the next a dead bird. He announced "I need to see another dead bird, then it would be one dead snake, 2 dead birds and 3 dead mice. I could draw them and make a book".  He was 5!

I could just imagine it - "My Dead Things Counting Book"
I'm also being inspired when I'm stitching the more methodical parts (the long rows of earth on N for example) to do creative something I haven't done since school.  Can you guess what it is?

12 comments:

cucki said...

wowwwwwwwwwwww it is really very lovely stitching..i just showed to my little son he is 8 year old and he said a big AWW too..we both love it so much..
very lovely project..have fun dear..hugs cucki and little baby xx

Rachel said...

It looks great Jo!! I look forward to seeing your updates (it also reminds me to go get the latest letters! I was missing N and O.)

Susan said...

Love it! Really enjoying watching your progress. I'm still collecting the pattern, but not sure when I'll start stitching.

Topcho said...

Awesome project and it's getting better and better! And LOL for the counting book. Reminds me of some kind of Goose Bumps episode - those used to scare the hell out of me when I was little.

Jenny said...

Love the story about your son, Jo - "My Dead Things Counting Book" - LOL
The sampler looks awesome. The motifs are so cool and your stitching is simply perfect! Love the lighting bird - too cute!

Penny said...

Lovely stitching ~ all those specialty stitches and over one wow! Cute story about your son, that would have been an interesting book. :)

Christine said...

What a great piece, I think the mummy block is my favourite so far.
LOL at your son's dead things counting book, you know I think there could be a market for that somewhere...
Is your creative activity knitting?

The Knitting Cross Stitcher said...

Great designs and lovely stitching too :)

Blu said...

What a gorgeous piece! I really should save this! (Not start just yet...)

Jennifer M. said...

This is a really cool piece you are doing Jo. Very different and fun. I like it!

Jen

Sally said...

It looks brilliant Jo!

Julie said...

Jo, thank you so much for the lovely compliment. I wish I was planning all this to coordinate so well, but to borrow from your blog name, it's just a bit of serendipity. I think Lisa definitely has something to do with it. I also don't think you should discount your own input in choosing colors and changing the suggested colors and stitches to suit.

Your piece looks stunning, to say the least!

Julie