We’re back!  I’ve been short on time because our lead designer is away on Maternity Leave.  Also note, our other designer is going away for 3 weeks in August to help her mom move, so we’re taking a break on custom work from Aug.1 – 22.  We can still do simple custom projects and Karen is here to do production on photo designs and stock designs, so feel free to email and check if you are in a rush.

And onto Peggy’s next two stitch guides!!!

DAY 5, Five Golden Rings

Five Golden Rings Needlepoint

The Five Golden Rings needlepoint kit is a diversion from all the feathers, and also a challenge to get the correct placement of stitches for the interlocking of the rings. The center of each ring is done in Continental and each ring is done in a different stitch as noted on the diagram.

The interlockings of the rings are number and a detail below shows how the stitches overlap. I am not a fan of metallic threads, but if I were, this block would be an ideal one for them. (Using different stiches for each ring does complicate the block but it gives the finished block more depth. Some depth can be achieved by using the Mosaic or Brick stitch for all the rings.)

The Medieval Mosaic background stitch is a pattern found in mosaic ancient floors. Once the first rows are done, working top to bottom, and the patterns established, the stitch is easy and it covers canvas quickly.

Day 6, Six Geese A-Laying

Six Geese A-Laying Needlepoint

It’s back to the birds with one of the Laying Geese. I doubt that the geese of the original song were Canadian geese, but I couldn’t resist making make one for Day 6.  The Six laying geese needlepoint kit is on our website here.

Nor could I resist giving my goose colored eggs. The blue and pink eggs are done in standard stitches as shown above, but the lavender egg has horizontally symmetric stitching as shown in the detail below.

The center is a vertical straight stitch over 3 canvas threads and the top and bottom are Continental and Slanted Gobelin 2×2, done left to right for the top and right to left for the bottom.

The Shingle stitch for the background is my favorite of the background stitches used in this project and is the only one that I repeated. It will be seen again on Day 11.

This is the half way mark… only one more feathered friend to go!