A Bluestocking Knits

It feels sometimes like I’ve made very little headway on this “Peacock Tapestry,” and so it will do me good to post a monthly progress report. This does help me see that I’ve done quite a noticeable amount!

I did give in and put in some guidelines, after quite a number of times realizing that I’d put some particular color or other in the wrong place. I’m still doing that now and then, but not nearly as much (!) — there are a lot of leaves in here, not quite packed solid, but close.

It’s a bit startling to see how much richer the colors are in person than in the photo on the pattern cover. Even just this little bit of Mr. Peacock is quite stunningly blue compared to the pattern one —

It was at the above point that I decided to start doing some of the backstitch outlines around the leaves and pears here in the top corner. I’ve done the pears since this photo, and a smattering of leaves — it certainly does make it look more “finished”, and it will be good to alternate between cross stitch and backstitch.

Can you see the difference between J’s “right-handed” crosses and my “left-handed” ones?! No? That’s because to my chagrin, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I’d expected for me to do right-handed ones. I have slipped up here and there, as Laura pointed out just now, but for the most part they are the same as J’s — possibly this is because of the frequent color changes and jumping around, that stitches already in place make it a bit easier to see that they should go this way, not that way.

This lower-wing bit is a bit of a headache at the moment, to be honest, with all of the partial stitches — one of Wentzler’s “specialties”. So very many in one small section like this make it quite difficult to line up the rest of the stitches properly, even with the grid lines! Is that little fleck in the upper right of the stitch or the lower left? which makes for almost-constant reference to the chart. Thank goodness they’re all in one color, at least — I didn’t have to change threads!

Meanwhile, my “Lucy Diamond” quilt is waiting patiently, as it has been far too hot this summer to have it on my lap for any length of time, much as it would cheer me up to see it! (Despite my recording each block as I finished piecing it, I ended up with not just one but two extra! which are now part of the back ….)