Landscape Stitches Book

We just received the new book from Little Shoppe Canvas Company, "Landscape". This is the first of a series of books to be published, each based on effects for a specific category. "Landscape" includes stitches for clouds, flowers, grass, mountains, sand, shrubbery, sky, snow, soil, stone, trees and water.

I saw a rough draft of the book at market and placed an order on the spot. Now that it is finished, I love it even more and here's why:

• the categories for natural scenery stitches are all things we stitch often
• the book is small and lightweight, but packed with ideas each category includes a great variety of stitches, many of which are not in other books that recommend an effect each of the stitches is numbered and shaded for multiple layers
• each category includes important factors to consider when stitching for that landscape effect
• stitch hints are provided for each category to optimize stitch and thread choices
• each chapter begins with a stitching example that shows how to create a specific effect using a combination of threads and stitch.

This book is a welcome addition to my personal library of needlepoint books.  We have them in stock now.

The Ark Monkey House

Hooray!  Except for the part where I ran out of my silk floss, the Monkey House from the Ark is complete.

I love the stitch I used for the red walls--I found it in Jane Zimmerman's "Canvas Embroidery" Volume One.  The inspiration stitch is a "variation of basic Scotch alternated with elongated Cashmere".  I reduced the row height by one stitch, used 3 strands of silk and the result looks like wood shingles.  The best part is that I only had to rip out one previous stitch to replace it with what I think is the perfect one.

Back to the rooftops of the Ark!