WIP: Wheels of Color (by Genny Morrow)

Today's featured WIP is Wheels of Color, designed by the late Genny Morrow.

Technique/Materials:  Counted canvas, with lots of canvaswork stitches (each wheel is a different stitch) on 18ct mono canvas using a mix of DMC and Anchor cotton floss.

Background:  I started Wheels one week prior to beginning a master's degree program in December 2004, thinking that if I could stitch one wheel per week, I'd finish within a year.  (Uh-huh.  Apparently, the prospect of starting a master's degree program rendered me temporarily stupid.)

Anyway, I really do like this piece, and I decided to stitch the gray background such that it is lightest near the darkest rings, and darkest near the lightest rings (rather than a solid light gray as shown on this website).  The instruction book has a version of this, but has the octagon areas of background moving from dark to light opposite the little squares of background, which change values with the surrounding circles.  My version will have the octagon and square background areas changing in the same direction.  (Wow, that's hard to describe! I know what I'm talking about, and I'm still confused. Let me know if I need to rewrite that.)

Why it's not done:  Did I mention a master's degree program? Yeah, right!  Keeping up with this piece went out the window very quickly.  After the degree, I started having flare-ups with nerve problems, exacerbated by using a laying tool. This is still a slight problem, which is why I'm working on it only a little bit each day now.

What's left to do:  It's only about half-done now. It will eventually be a rectangle, and then there's a border to add.

Ok, you win

Thanks to those of you who voted on my three projects.  Three out of the six commenters chose that I should try to finish Cinders by Marion Scoular.

So, here we go.  I'm doing a bit of a rotation, in which I can work on up to three projects each night.  I'll start with one length of thread on Cinders.  Here's where she stands now.  As some of you pointed out, there really isn't that much left to do on this piece.

After that length of thread, I'll stitch one segment---one section of a circle or one area of background---on Genny Morrow's Wheels of Color.

If I still have some stitching time after these, I'll work on How Great the Blessing from Catherine Theron.  I really want to finish this piece this year, since I've already stitched the date! 

My exception to this rotation will be the Thursday evening "open stitch" nights at my LNS.  For these, I'll just bring the sampler, simply for the ease of carrying only one (smaller) project.


If I get closer to the end of the year and the sampler is lagging behind, I may put the other two aside for a bit again, but I'll cross that bridge if and when I need to do so!

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Erin update:  We had a visit to the orthopedist, one month post-cast.  The right hip is still in great shape, and the left is still out.  She'll continue with the brace, since she's tolerating it well.  We don't go back again for four months.  Her next surgery will happen when she's 18-24 months old, which means we have at least 9 more months of squishy baby!  Speaking of which, somebody's trying to get my attention through the baby monitor...

UFO fun

On Wednesday evening, I attended my local ANG meeting. As we did in early 2008, we again had some fun with members' UFOs. Each member who chose to participate in the 2009/2010 UFO challenge brought in three UnFinished Objects, pieces started at least one year ago. The rest of the membership voted on which piece the member would be challenged to finish by December 2010.

I decided to bring My Way, Cinders, and Wheels of Color (the only remaining UFO of the three I brought in last year).  I really wanted them to choose My Way, and it received several votes, but Wheels was the winner.

It was an enjoyable evening.  The best part, as it was last year, was hearing the excuses regarding why certain pieces were set aside.

Which of my three would you choose if you were in my chapter?  Which of your pieces would you put up for voting?