May IHSW

Yay! Another IHSW! Now, if I could only get one where there isn't something else going on......

This time is was the Girl Scout Zoo Expedition.  Couldn't let my little Daisy Scout miss that (well, I thought it would be fun, so I signed us up).  Miss Alex had my parents and DH's mom there as well, and a good time was had by all.

Even though it was crowded......Michigan Humane Society's biggest adoption event - Meet Your Best Friend at the Zoo, on the same day as the Girl Scout Zoo Expedition?  Brilliant!! 

And even though it was HOT.  But we got an awesome show from our newest Zoo residents, three grizzly bear cubs.  They were having the time of their lives playing in the water and with each other.

These "little" guys were orphaned in Alaska when their mother was killed by a poacher, and were not only too young to be on their own but were also venturing into "human" areas to look for food.  So they were caught, and spent some time at the Anchorage Zoo before making their way to their new home here.  We hadn't had any grizzlies for a while since our zoo's emphasis is species preservation and rescue.

And on to the stitchy stuff!  Just before IHSW I managed to finish off Mini Mandala 6, so here it is in all its glory.  Gotta love Martina's designs:  beautiful, and a joy to stitch.  With this one done, I only have the two Mini Cirlce Mandalas to do, and I will have completed ALL of the Mini Mandalas. And it's giving me a lovely sense of accomplishment since other than the Temari, it's the only thing I've finished this year.  I'm usually at 4-6 finished projects by this time, but I've been moving between several BAPs this year and it shows.

For this month's IHSW, I decided to start something new - literally.  I'd decided to try my hand at needlepainting, so I ordered a kit from Tanja Berlin.  This little guy is what I've been working on.

Friday's progress

Saturday's progress

Weekend's over!  At least it looks like a bird!

So, my little Bluebird of Happiness is progressing along nicely.  Ms. Berlin's instructions are impeccably detailed. But all of this is done with one (yes, one!) strand of DMC.  Splitting those stitches are a wee bit tricky. Although I am wierdly proud of myself for not using a magnifier.  Justification for the money spent on Lasik, perhaps?

He doesn't look quite as nice as the picture, but this is my first time with this technique and it's been FOREVER since I've done any sort of surface embroidery so I'm willing to cut myself a little slack.  I'm even pretty sure what my problem is.......randomness.  You see, my rows of long and short stitches are just a little bit too precise (well, that and some are a bit too short).  I think there needs to be a bit more unevenness, especially on the border between two different colors, to make Birdie look a little more natural.  And my little engineering brain has a hard time computing that.  The best I can usually manange is a random-looking pattern.  :)

But despite that, I'm pleased with my progress and can't help but remember that, like everything, this can only get better with practice.

And, I'll leave you with this little gem, from Miss Alex. To clarify, I only eat bagels about 4 times a year, but apparently it leaves an impression. The rest of it is pretty much right on.  :)