Slipping away...

The days have been slipping by this month! Maybe it’s the record breaking temperatures we’ve had. The calendar says March, but the trees are budding and the lawns are greening so it feels more like May!

I’ve been working on two main projects these last couple of weeks.

First is my Whale Hunting by Finger Work. The grass is done in several shades of green in both Weeks and Gentle Art. It is done with a single strand, over two and in a tent stitch. The designer suggested doing random stitches and not just going back and forth or up and down. My strategy has been to do the outline of the color I’m using and then to stitch in oblong patches, working my way around the area and then back to where I started. So far I’m seeing nice coloring in the grass.

I do need to work around the whale spouting so I decided to start stitching the spouts so I would have less counting and skipping to do with the grass stitches.

The Z frame allows you to move the frame to just the right spot for you.

I’ve been stitching with my K’s Creations Z lap frame I recently purchased. This is actually my second frame. I had to return the first one because it was missing a drilled hole. So far I really like it. The clamp holds on to my Q-Snap frame nicely. When I need to end or start a thread I just flip it over and then flip it back and tighten the knob.

Flipped to start/end a thread

There are some "lap" frames that you sit on. This one rests right in your lap. It’s very comfortable and I like that I have both hands free to stitch. The only negative about the frame is that for the price it could have been finished better. The staining is pretty light and the edges aren’t as smooth as I would expect, but all in all I’m happy with it and would buy another one should anything happen to this one.

I’ve also been working on my tote bag for the knitting class I am taking. I finished the first project, a scarf, which was just basic knit stitch. I have the pieces of my tote bag knitted and now need to learn how to get them all closed and attached so the tote can be felted. I did learn that I was casting on incorrectly and I also think I have finally learned how to purl correctly!

It doesn’t look like much now, but trust me, next week it will be a tote bag!