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Mabel Figworthy wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:11 am Oh I do like those - what a clever way of creating them so small yet so recognisable!

I agree.

Around here, all the expectant ewes are being brought into the "in-by" fields. Lambing shouldn't begin for another fortnight, roughly, but you can never be sure with such wayward creatures.

Very effective miniature sheep, and I like the single black one

Blackface Sheep! Clearly this is a Scottish landscape

Jo

Here is February. Clearly not entirely completed. I have, as you can see, made the decision to keep up to date, and will back-fill (as it were). Otherwise I was in danger of losing heart, being so in arrears. Luckily rugby "watching" has helped with stitching time.

Good idea to keep the momentum going! How are you enjoying the process? I'm intrigued to hear what you find most pleasant/rewarding and what is most challenging.

It’s looking really good!

There are lots of challenges, the principle one being carving out a time to do a section! Then, having started, usually by outlining, I often find that what I thought I was going to stitch, isn't what is actually stitched. So, for example, in the first image, three from the left, I was initially intending to stitch some trees. However, a river surrounded by damp boggy bits appeared instead. Those trees will appear somewhere, I'm sure.

It's doing my surface embroidery confidence a world of good. I've even come to appreciate chain stitch!

Found a place for my fir trees. And I must say, cotton a broder is really lovely to stitch with!

Which weight are you using, 25 or 16? Oh, and have you tried floche? Lovely and soft and a bit more spready than coton a broder (because less tightly twisted)

I love seeing the embroidery grow. I tried my hand at it years (decades) ago and wasn’t very good at it.

Debby, I had the same experience (only earlier ), which is where my love of almost any sort of counted work came from. If there was a hole for my needle, I was a happy gal: it would look good despite ineptitude on my part. Then I was involved in the Tapestry of Scotland, and while I still don't much care for wool embroidery, I was stunned by what could be achieved visually using (mostly) very simple stitches. In the last year or two, I decided to be brave and try again, but with threads this time. I'm enjoying it. I like to think I'm getting better at it, too. It also helps that I'm older and no longer fear the Stitch Police.

@Mabel: I'm using Tk 16 from stash I picked up somewhere or another. Perhaps I'll find some floche one day, too. In a flight of fancy (Sorry!) I have idly wondered if coton a broder might be useful in Japanese braiding or even band weaving, being strong and smooth due to that twist. Hmmm...

We have lambs! (I'll need to adjust the head of one of them!) I'm not going to fill the space with ewes and lambs, as I only saw a few that day, so the rest of the field will be green, I guess.

Love the lambs - how expressive can two French knots and a few straight stitches be!

We're looking forward to a long weekend in Wales after Easter and hope to see many many of them (lambs, that is, not French knots)

Lovely, The Lambs and Mums all seem to be on one side of the field down here as well.

Jo

We have lambs in the field opposite us today! Very on-point for Easter. I reckon they are about 3-4 weeks. Sturdy.

Here is April from Karen Turner's stitch journal. There are a few I really like, and a few that I had to remember that no frogging was allowed. I'm off to start swapping more "spring" colours into the mix.



And here is the year so far. 91 days, apparently. Golly.

You probably won't be surprised I particularly like the "bulb field" - not sure if that what it is meant to be but that's what it reminds me of with its colourful stripes!

No frogging allowed yikes, I'm not sure I could handle that...

Mabel, you have made my day. A bulb field is EXACTLY what it was meant to be! Wish I'd had yellow pearl cotton, but alas!

Not great photos, but here we are with April completed, and the whole piece so far:

I'm thinking this will make a great quilt.

Jo