Diabolical Pact

Here's my latest two blocks.  I love this Kelpie!  The K stitch is Kelim for his mane.  I used 2 DMC variegated threads to stitch this.  The first was the darker blue which is one of their original variegateds (numbers in the 100s) and the other, the pale sea blue, is one of the newer ones (numbers in the 4000s).  The newer ones are much more variegated, the colour changes more quickly as you can see.   The darker blue is much more subtle.

A Lightning Bird - "A mythological creature in South Africa the Lightning Bird is the size of a human, black and white in coloring and it summons thunder and lightning with  it's wings and talons.  It is associated with witchcraft and has quite an appetite for blood.  Sometimes it takes on the image of a young man to seduce women." 

  And here's the whole piece so far:


Those of you that follow A Note of Friendship's blog may know I have challenged anyone who wants to enter into a "Diabolical Pact" with me to see who is first to finish this piece.  I will treat the first person to complete the letters (not the personalised blocks) before me to something from ANOF's website shop to the value of US$10.  And Julie will add a prize too.  She will also be giving a prize to the first person to beat her.  And she's a long way behind me!  So if you've been debating stitching this or have been stitching in secret then let me and Julie know you're in the pact!  The blocks are actually quite quick (apart from C and I) and would be even quicker if you were sensible and did them over 2  so there's still time to catch up.

Other news:  I have found a rotation method which seems to work for me - daily rotation.  The trouble with a weekly schedule is I never want to put the piece down and my "weeks" stretched into 10 days then it seemed like a long time until I could pick the piece up again.  But with a daily rotation I can work on 2 or 3 pieces and still stitch them every other day.  So here is the current schedule:

Daytime:

Day 1 - Periphaeria Star SAL

Day 2 - Bronny's Sheepie Farm

Day 3 - Sssh, surprise stitch

Day 4 - as Day 1 etc

Evening:

Day 1 - Joan Elliott Green Goddess

Day 2 - Autumn RR

Day 3 - as Day 1 etc

As I finish each piece another one is waiting in the wings ready to start, we have 2 Gazette 94 freebies and M is for Mummy coming up in the next available slots.

Of course, the Large Boy goes back to school on Thursday and we start the weekly voluntary work schedule which will cut into the daytime stitching quite a bit.

And finally, Look - 99 Followers!   Only 1 more to go (or 9 days).