Christmas Rules Give Away Winner, &tc.

Pulled the name just a few minutes ago for the collection of Lizzie Kate Christmas Rules charts.  Without further ado, the winner is Jonette.  If I'm recalling correctly, she is in the medical profession and we've been corresponding lately over our shared trauma joy of stitching those detailed stockings for our family members.  So, Jonette, I've sent you an email to get your mailing address.

Speaking of stockings, I put the final touches on the one for my DIL.  Here is how it looks overall:

Bookcase Detail

Tree Decorations Detail

The cranberries on the bookcase were kind of a flop in my opinion, but I'm not unstitching all those beads!!!!  Shudder to think!  I was, however, particularly happy with the candy canes on my tree that peeks out behind the chair in the toe.  In fact, if I didn't tell  you there was a tree there, most people would probably miss it, right?  Anyway, the candy canes are stitched  with Kreinik braid #4 in white and some dazzling hot pink/red using the Whipped Backstitch that I learned in the Encyclopedia of Needlework by Donna Kooler.  Funny that it should be that writer on this project as these stockings (at least most of them) came out of the Donna Kooler Design Studio.

I'm pretty sure most of the stockings were designed by Sandy Orton.  I think that's funny, because she also designed the American Sampler and that's the project I've picked up to work on since I finished the stocking.  Here's one of the little sheep from the front yard . . . .

 And I do mean little.  This sucker is only about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch.  I'm sure I told you this already, but my family is used to my repeating myself - ya'll might as well get used to it too.  I am not going to go out of my way to stitch over one on this bad boy.  If it can be stitched over two, I'm going to.  This sheap is an example of that.  It was supposed to be all over one, but I think the combi-stitches give it a fluffy, sheep-like appearance.  What do you think?  And, if you don't agree, you can say that too.

Here's how far I've gotten:

I have made a huge mistake that is also going to stay in.  See all the green grass?  Well, the chart called for 732 (DMC - that's what I'm using to stitch this with - on Lakeside Navy Bean 32 ct.).  So I had my little bobbin of 732 and was stitching away.  And I thought, wow, this is pretty dark, the other things aren't showing up too well on this.  I checked my bobbin - rechecked the chart, several times - to make sure I was using the right color.  And it was the right color.  And then, I ran out.  I reached into my stash of DMC to pull out another 732.  And I didn't have one.  I had 730, 731, 733 but no 732.  Then I noticed that 731 (or was it 733?) anyway, I noticed that whatever number that was looked an awful lot like the one I'd been using to stitch the grass.  And so I pulled some off and threaded my needle and started stitching and it WAS a perfect match.  GASP!  I had been stitching with the wrong color.  I had the wrong color on my bobbin!  Sacre bleu!   (fill in horror show music here).  I sat there starring, because you see, I'd already stitched 3/4's of the grass.  Oh, screw it!  I said and finished it off in the wrong color.  Then I back stitched in a darker brown the tree trunks and decided that everything else contrasted well enough.  And it's fine.  Right?

Working on the tree trunks now and figured out - after I thought I'd made another mistake - that the two tree trunks, while very similar, are both actually different.  Whew!  So, that's what I'm doing now. 

The new granchild is due any day and then I'll have to finish stitching up his birth announcement.  I also have to get his quilt quilted and finished.  Granddaughter's skirt is on the way to her as is the changing table pad cover that I made.  Remember that I told you they have a pirate theme going?  Well, here's the cover I made for the pad:

And yes, for the English majors out there - I do know that I left out the apostrophe.  That's it, that's all I've got.  Jonette, don't forget to email me - and I hope ya'll enjoyed.