Well, my itchy fingers got the better of me, so I started on "The Village of Hawk Run Hollow" this morning. There is not much to see yet, but you have to start somewhere! I was afraid the linen was going to be too small to see, but I really didn't have any problems with the 40 count. I really like the way the NPI silks lay on this fabric, too. Hopefully it will be so nice to stitch that I won't want to put it down. I did notice that the first square calls for backstitching as well as (the dreaded) french knots! I may wait until the very end to make the french knots, since I will be dragging this along with me to work. I need to think of some sort of rotation now between this and my other projects as well as HoHRH!
There were a few questions when I posted about my supplies arriving, and I don't think I ever answered them. Natacha--I plan on stitching mine starting with square one in the upper left corner and making my way across the top and then row by row. I am afraid to stitch all the squares first in case I make a counting error somewhere. But it would be nice to see them all laid out and ready to be filled in. Also I am not sure I will have the patience to stitch the borders first. I tend to jump from motif to motif! I was also asked about the linen. Leslie, I just ordered this all kitted up from Drema, so I only specified the linen count. I think this is just the regular linen and not the distressed. I am guessing it would say on the label on the bag if it was "vintage" (which is the distressed?). Actually I am happy with the plain hand dyed linen. Normally I love the distressed look, but for such a large design and with it sectioned off, I think I prefer one tone to the linen. I hope everyone else is getting their supplies quickly, too! I'm looking forward to seeing lots of progress photos!
I am not sure how I got on the mailing list, but now I am happy I did--Homespun Elegance has updated their website. I love her designs, but I don't often check the website. She has some lovely things. I really like "Heart of the Home" and "Wishing Thee Freedom"! Her punchneedle designs are really nice, too. I have not forgotten about wanting to try my hand at punchneedle, but I don't have the time or money at the moment. So I think I will ask for something at Christmas, and I will have more free time as well. Her website has lots of lovely things--you should go take a look!