The first skein of the Perle 3 has been completely used (DMC 937, Medium Avocado Green). These vintage skeins are 15 meters, not the 25 of modern skeins. Current Hours: 1,127. Skeins Used: 167. Click for full size.
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Oh, digging into the big bag, which I have yet to organize, need a suitable container. Anyroad, digging, and continuing to find foliage treasure, like Dark Topaz and Light Old Gold. *Happy*
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Current Hours: 1,119. Skeins Used: 166. Click for full size.
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I will be replacing all my needle stock, which is considerable, with Bohin Needles. They are like holding silvery slices of infinitely sharp air. Speaking of, as much as I love DMC threads, do not ever buy their needles. As good as their thread is, that’s how bad their needles are. Oh, and technically speaking, I’m not doing French Knots on the canopy. I’m doing an odd blend of Candlewick & French, so that I don’t need to alter my wrap direction when going between the canopy and trunk.
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I’m in a thoroughly rotten mood today, and as my Bohin needles have arrived (and huffable hedgehogs!), I think I’ll load up four Bohins and play with the foliage today. Click for full size.
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Current Hours: 1,107. Skeins Used: 165. Click for full size.
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That patch of very dark brown? That’s one skein. (Approx. 1 x 2″) There are a couple of bald spaces though, so time to pre-wash another skein of DMC 3371, because it’s prone to colour bleed. That takes me to 163 skeins used. Back to work!
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Work, Work, Work 80. After playing about a bit, I decided to use DMC Perle 3 for the foliage; I have it in abundance, thanks to the generosity of Kestrel, and in all the colours needed for Autumn foliage. I hadn’t noticed at the time Kestrel sent me all this bounty, but all of the Perle is vintage, all the labels are old style, and there’s not a bar code in sight! As I’m already using a good amount of vintage threads, that makes the choice all the better. The quality of it is fantastic, and it’s a joy to use. Current Hours: 1,098.5 1,100.* Skeins Used: 161. For those who don’t know, one skein is 8 meters (8.7 yards). Click for full size.
*Updated to include today’s hours.
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Work, Work, Work 79. Got the branch tied in, now, it needs to be reseated in the frame so I don’t have to do contortions to reach. Time for more tea. One nice thing about DMC is that they never change numbers, so even if you do find a nice pile of vintage, you still know what colours you have. Current Hours: 1,087.5. Skeins Used: 159. Click for full size.
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As I noted earlier, back into my stash of vintage thread (deliciously fat, fluffy threads, with such luster!), selected two DMC Mouliné Special, and a Star Six Strand, and look what someone did, decades ago! Oy. Treat your thread well, and don’t wrap wire around it, twisted all about in the strands. Auuugh. Oh gods, they put on cello tape too! Double Auuugh.
Oh, all that ill treatment was to secure this to the skein:
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Time to tie colours in. Click for full size.
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Oh, I wish pain meds kicked in much faster. Current Hours: 1,083. Skeins Used: 158. Remembered to bring out the vintage thread, too. I love working with it. Click for full size.
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A bit further on today. Total Hours: 1,075. Skeins Used: 158. Oh, and I heard that Hedgehog Handworks was closing, and unfortunately, it’s true. That’s a bit of heartbreak. I did manage to grab 2 more beeswax hedgehogs (oh, they smell glorious. Makes your day better having a huffable hedgehog) and a couple of packs of Bohin 22s. Probably be a bit of a wait for them, but that’s okay. Like all arts, embroiderers have specialist gear and tools, and there’s often lively debate over the best this or the best that. Needles, of course, come up often. While there are different viewpoints as to the best, Bohin always comes out at or near the top. Fabulous French needles. Click for full size.
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