Maybe Next Month

Is it me or are the months passing more quickly? Jane-Beth says it's my age. I'm not so sure, but then that might just be my age. 

It only seems about a week since I wrote about my leap into the world of Hardanger, but it's been a month. It's been an exciting month in its way. With lockdown easing I have been able to visit my Chiropractor and my Dentist. That's exciting? Maybe not quite the right word. Pleasing doesn't fit either, but I was 'well pleased' to discover that after nearly a year and a half of lockdown and shielding I didn't need any dental work. With the Chiropractor, it's back to the old monthly 'adjustments', which I feel the better for. 

The relaxation also means that I can get together with the other "Leith Friendly Crafters".

Photo Courtesy of "Inspiring Leith"

This is me alfresco stitching in the summer sun with some of the other members of the group. Yes, there are two men. I'm still working on finding men who do embroidery and persuading them out of their corners. And yes, that is me at the front left, working on a test piece for my current "big project".

What about the Hardanger? How is that going?

The Mysterious Mr. G decided I should start his tablecloth. Three rows of Klosters as a border and five diamonds of them in the middle, he instructed. I obliged.

I'm working in the traditional white on white using Hardanger linen and DMC Perle 5 and 8. The Klosters are all worked in the Perle 5. It took me 20 hours to get this far. 

Next, Mr.G pronounced that he wanted a Blanket Stitch outer border, and could he have eyelets in the central row of the outside Klosters? And a long-ship motif in each corner?

Why not? After another 7 hours, the Blanket Stitch border is complete and the first corner of eyelets and long-ship are in place. I am using the Perle 8 for the eyelets.

I don't think I fully realised how thread hungry Hardanger is. It took two skeins of the Perle 5 to complete the Klosters and the Blanket Stitch. When the excess linen is cut back to the Blanket Stitch, Mr. G's tablecloth will measure 9" by 12". 

Considering it's my first piece, I don't think it's too bad, though there are some fairly rough bits. 

The Mysterious Mr. G. inspecting the work so far.

I'm not sure what we're planning to do next, but I did hear him muttering about cutting threads and woven bars.

Still, it's nice to have something I can put in my pocket and work in-hand.

Headbanger

 Last time, I mentioned that I had been trying Hardanger. I started from the basics, using Janice Love's "Hardanger Basics and Beyond" and of course the support and advice of Jane-Beth who said that I should start with Kloster Blocks.

I tried to find an ISBN for the book, but I think it's self published. The back cover credit is to a shop called Love'nStitches in Athens, (Georgia, not Greece). One thing I loved about this book is that at the end of each section Janice gives instructions for left handed stitchers.

I always think of Hardanger as being white on white, but I decided that since I had no idea what I was doing I'd work with a coloured perle. I started with a vibrant orange on green. That was a disaster - vision wise - so I gave up and tried orange on white. Why orange? It just happened to be at hand, as did the teal and the red.

My first 'doodle-cloth'

Kloster Blocks are simple. (Left side of image.) Well the basic stitch is simple, but then you have to remember how to move to the next block without leaving a trailing thread on the back. Trailing threads are a no-no. It's not that Hardanger is 'double sided', but as it's used for table cloths and such like, the stitches should be well enough finished that it should be difficult to tell front from back. I'm not going to embarrass myself by showing you the back of my doodle-cloths.

My second 'doodle-cloth'

After Klosters, Buttonhole. I'd not tried that before. It didn't go well to start with, but it's one of those stitches you can get into a rhythm with - until you come to a corner. I got lost on them to begin with, but perseverance was rewarded.

My Third 'doodle-cloth'

After about 30 hours I have reached the stage of the image above and tried eyelets, which I had done before, wrapped bars (bottom right) and woven bars (top right) both new to me. I also managed to cut the wrong threads.

It still needs lots of practice, but 'The Mysterious Mr. G' of whom I have written before has decided that I am almost competent enough to make him a table-cloth. He may have to wait a little longer.

Speaking of whom, in earlier blogs I've mentioned his army of knitted bears, using which he plans world domination by teddy-bear. I recently received a picture of some of his minions starting their work.