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I managed to get a honeycomb stitch that I like reasonably well. Here is my progress so far.
I'm not entirely sure this is what it is supposed to look like, but it looks better than my first two attempts, so I am moving on. I think that is my least favorite stitch so far. I even prefer Queen's stitches over this!! I am still enjoying this, however. It is good to try new things!
I'm afraid my Toccata has been neglected since I discovered I was one thread off. I managed to find and fix the error that I made. After all my work the bottom left corner was not matching up with the bottom section. I was truly exasperated by it--I couldn't find where I had made the error. I have discovered (so far) a few discrepancies between the stitch diagrams and the larger chart. Now I am trying to be much more careful--looking at both diagrams and making sure things line up. The inner motifs should be okay I hope (though I have so far spotted one error). As long as I count correctly everything should fit. Once I fixed my mistake I got right back into stitching on this one! I am once again really enjoying it!
Now I need help again. I am ready to do block 6, which is "honeycomb filling stitch". It is a pulled thread stitch and the instructions say to pull each leg very tight. I will have to put this in my Q-snaps for this motif, I think. Has anyone stitched this and taken a photo, by any chance? I am wondering how open the motif will be? I'm always curious on these as when it is framed you will be able to see through it--do you leave it as is? Or do you put some fabric on the back so you can't see through? I'm not sure whether to skip this block and go on to the next or just go ahead and give it a try. I don't mind pulled stitches--I only wish I could see what the end result is meant to look like.
I have splurged on a couple of needlework books recently. I bought In Praise of the Needlewoman: Embroiderers, knitters, lacemakers, and weavers in art by Gail Carolyn Sirna at my local museum's gift shop as they were having a sale. I have wanted this book for a while now. It has been on my Amazon wish list, but no one bought it for me. I decided I couldn't pass up a discounted copy. It is a lovely art book--lavish color illustrations on heavy, glossy paper. It is well worth the money. I shared a few favorite paintings on my book blog today as well. I can't wait to go through and read everything.
The second book, The Needle and the Blood by Sarah Bower, is a fictionalized account of the making of the Bayeux Tapestry in the 11th century. The blurb on the cover of the book reads "A powerful tale of sex, lies and embroidery". The book has come highly recommended by one of my favorite Litbloggers. It appears that the book is only available at the moment in the UK. If you happen to be in the US, however, let me recommend The Book Depository as a good source for British books. Oftentimes they discount, and more importantly they offer *free* shipping! I hope to make this one of my summer reads!
Have you seen the new Just Nan designs? I have tried to not browse too much. I am trying very hard not to buy new stash, and I have been very good this year. What I have bought has generally been for gifts. I have bought some fabric and I did buy a sampler chart and the supplies (which I need to share a photo of, but just haven't gotten around to it). But I received the JN newsletter yesterday and when I saw what is new, I'm not sure if I can resist. I really love that little Queen's Bluebird Box! And I am going to have to get Bellemeade. I have the other two (yes, as yet unstitched) designs in the "house and garden" series. I even like this whimzi design. The thing is, I am sure all three designs are going to be very pricey. This makes me think I better not go and read any market reports--it is probably better to not know what I am missing!! Now I will have to decide which I can afford first. These are always limited designs, which is great from a marketing standpoint. Get the consumer stirred up to think they will miss getting it if they don't buy it right now! But for those of us who would like it, but can't buy it all right away, it is sort of annoying!!
Any other favorites in terms of new designs??
I usually like to stitch something special for the Fourth of July. Now that it is only about a month away (how does that happen--it's only a month away??!), I need to think about what to stitch. I have several Shepherds Bush kits that would work. I have also had this Prairie Schooler chart for ages. I 
have made a few Christmas strawberries (gave both away), so I know they are fairly quick to stitch and the finishing is not too difficult. I think I will start with one of these. Now it is a matter of choosing which one to stitch. I think I will work on the middle right design that has the Bargello pattern. I also like the pinkeep, but I better not start too many things at once, or I won't finish any of them. The only thing is I have never been able to figure out how to make the three loops at the top of the strawberries (if you click on the photo you can enlarge it to see what I mean). I just stick with regular cording to use them as fobs.
Another birthday in my exchange group is also in July. I have already started stitching on the design. I really love the design and I hope the recipient will also like it. I chose it based more on what I felt like stitching rather than looking at the recipient's wish list. I think I should be safe as the designer is one that most people seem to like. Since I have started work on a gift, I may not have any progress photos to share (not that I have shared much lately anyway!!). Hopefully I can get to work on the strawberry as well, though. It would be nice to actually finish it before the holiday!!
