I've not been idle!

I know, I know, it's a while since I promised to update you on what I'd been doing - not sure where the time goes just recently. Anyhow ... better late than never they say don't they? So here I am, very late and this is really going to be a pretty long list of projects completed and in progress, and quite a few photographs.

 A couple of months ago I went on a one day course in a tiny village called Copt Hewick, which is near Ripon in North Yorkshire, to play with beautiful fabrics, silk cocoons and silk carrier rods. This is the result. I really want to do more of this kind of play as I have a whole box full of hand dyed cocoons, but just at the moment my time is otherwise occupied I'm afraid.

 This piece of 'blackwork' stitched in space dyed threads, rather than the traditional black, is destined to be a book cover for a whole series of blackwork samples which I've been working in odd moments.

This is the completed piece of goldwork samples which was begun at our Guild Summer School in a class with Llinos Spriggs. Traditional goldwork supplies (and some less traditional) and techniques but used in a very contemporary way.

 This little peacock was a cross-stitch kit which I bought in a National Trust shop on my holiday to Norfolk this summer. It was supposed to be a needle-case but I already have several needle-cases so I made mine into a little notebook. It kept my evenings occupied whilst I was away from home.

Those of you who are regular readers of my blog will know about our Embroiderer's Guild's travelling books and this is my latest piece for these, inspired by the maple (acer) trees in my garden, which are resplendent in their autumn colours at the moment.

 I'm also busy making pieces of lace for my solo exhibition next April. That sounds very grand I know but it really isn't as it's only at a local haberdashery shop but it is still a bit scary and I know that I need to have ideally around eighteen to twenty pieces of embroidery to put in there. I'm nowhere near there yet. The theme I've chosen is 'Nature's Jewels' so there are butterflies and seed heads,

 storm clouds with silver linings,

more ...

and more ...

and yet more butterflies,

 and autumn leaves.

 I've also been making a workbook which I intended to fill with whitework samples, except that I find it really hard to work purely white on white. So some of my samples have space-dyed threads.

I've also begun another book - why oh why can't I stick to one project at a time?! - This one is going to be about the Lewis Chessmen, which were discovered on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides off the West coast of Scotland sometime prior to 1831. The 93 pieces are carved from walrus ivory and thought to originate in Norway, and to date back to the 12th century. 82 of the pieces are on display in the British Museum and I intend to visit them when I'm next in London.

So I've been working on Celtic knotwork patterns -

 and here are my first two chessmen pieces - both sides of a knight.

I've just joined Karen Ruane's Simply Stitch 5 course and this morning was spent painting on paper for a workbook page. Lots of fun!

And finally (was that a cheer that I heard?!) I thought I'd show you my progress on my marathon cross stitch designed by Thea Gouverner of Mother of God, which is coming along nicely but very slowly.