Evelyn's stocking part 4

The nutcracker is tent stitched with cross stitches for the buttons and an elongated Smyrna cross for the belt buckle.  His beard and hair are French knots on a stalk.

The garland is stitched entirely in French knots using Tone on Tone Vineyard Silk in Landscape.  The berries are also French knots using a red #16 Kreinik braid.

I was taught a long time ago that white-white stocking tops usually draw your eye first, a bad thing when the stocking should be the focus.  I used Natural Silk & Ivory and the Nobuko stitch for the cuff.  The name and the area around it are basketweave.  Trying to carry a specialty stitch with its compensating stitches into small areas results in a mess, so the area around “Evelyn” is just plain basketweave.

Next week - stitches I used on this project.

Now on to the new project--I’m thinking Halloween.