Standing nutcracker, 4

Today was definitely a non-needlepoint day.  First thing I stopped at the post office to mail several packages, one to my main belt finisher and the others to customers.  Then I went to Verizon where I bit the bullet and purchased an I-phone 4S.  I'm going to a class tomorrow morning to learn about it.  I was surprised that it didn't come with a manual, but then I wasn't a star pupil at deciphering my flip-phone's manual.  My afternoon was spent at the movie theater where I saw Donizetti's L'elisir d'Amore from the Metropolitan Opera's HD transmission.  It was full of beautiful music and marvelous acting.  Great way to spend a few hours.

I stitched the hat brim in the nobuko stitch using three green shades of silk 'n ivory.  It was easy to maintain the pattern with the color changes.

 I couldn't wait any longer to stitch the "emerald".  It's done in the slanted gobelin over 2 threads.  It looks very real in person.  I used one of Kreinik's new lacquer metallics.  I added another couple of strands to the plume's long-short split stitch.  To me, while effective, long-short is like a fine wine--a little goes a long way!

I usually make myself work a canvas from the top right-hand corner to the bottom.  However, after I did the two-tone metallic braid on the hat, I didn't want to keep track of the partial strands of metallic so I skipped down on the canvas and started one of the epaulets.  It was so satisfying that I couldn't stop before I finished!  It is alternating rows of slanted gobelin vatican metallic divided by gold 3270 single rows.  The blue stones are blue Kreinik lacquer done in the Scotch stitch. 

What a pretty bow! Part II

The lavender square is stitched in the Scotch stitch variation.  The pale green is the Hungarian stitch while the light blue is the chain stitch.  The yellow circle is the satin stitch with a continental stitch center plus as is the large pink circle.  The smaller yellow circle and the dark purple circle are done in the octagonal Rhodes stitch.  The darker pink circle is a ribber spider web stitch.

Both the medium blue oval and the round green are stitched in the chain stitch.  The dark yellow circle, the medium green circle, and the bright blue circle are stitched in the octagonal Rhodes.  The blue rectangle is the Hungarian stitch as is the pink square.  The medium lavender circle is the satin stitch with a continental plus.