String-or-Nothing

It has been a while since the last post. But I keep going. After all, I have a reputation for stubborn persistence to uphold. First, here’s a shot of the whole Anything Could Happen sampler, unrolled, as it was just before I began the current strip. A few things to note. First, there is much less room remaining at top and bottom that needs to be filled. In fact, I have shorted myself. I should…

As you can see, I am keeping busy. I started the yellow double running step voiding behind the lower half of the motto, as promised. I will alternate between that ultra-speedy fill and the long armed cross stitch (LACS) behind my monsters, just for the variety of doing so. But the LACS is not going to be done quickly. Too many nooks and crannies. Plus the thread is less cooperative – very slubby…

Moving right along, and answering questions. I’ve finished the first panel. I’ve drafted out the motto and it’s obviously in process, too. What you see here is just the second half of the phrase. The first half will go above the completed strip, but I have room to add this part without advancing the scroll, so I am doing it first. And here are some details which should help folk looking for more…

Moving right along on my latest. I’m just past the point of flipping the frame over. I’ve got all the black double running outlines for the main motif done. That’s not uncommon for Azemmour Cluster pieces, but is not a usual treatment for these larger ones. In the larger museum snippets they are usually outlined in the same color as the voided ground. In the later multicolor ones, anything goes.…

And the latest piece continues to grow. At this massive gauge – 28 threads per inch compared to my normal 40+, it’s mile a minute. All in all I am pleased. While the voiding is sparse (one strand of spun Au Ver a Soie’s Soie D’Alger – a thread economy measure), it is solid enough to be effective. Another thread economy issue is in the black. The reeled long fiber Alori silk is divisible into…

As folk following along here know, I like to keep busy. I need the comfort of fiddle-food for my fingers. Waiting is particularly annoying without it. Just before heading off for my second diagnostic procedure, I had started an experiment in Buratto, on a chance find bit of cloth that mimics the weave of that Renaissance era open mesh ground. I am not pleased with it. I’m using some of the…

Just because things are a bit in the air here at String Central right now, doesn’t mean that our dedication to Relentless Forward Progress has been put aside. There are things to do, things to make, and accomplishments waiting to be notched and acknowledged. First, we did have a wonderful weekend of low key celebration here. The Resident Male (and Executive Chef) outdid himself. He did homemade…

For those who have followed me for a while, you may remember that a year ago this week past I was hospitalized for major cancer surgery: the removal of a chordoma – a rare type of spinal tumor and the bone it compromised in my sacral area, and the implantation of a system of internal braces to carry my weight and enable movement. Over the past year I’ve clawed my way back to a new normalcy,…

And so the stitching on the Italian multicolor piece is complete! The sprigs are done. I will do a final patrol over the thing to see if I might have forgotten to fill a spot, or left out a curlicue, but unless something surfaces, there is no more double running, Montenegrin, or two-sided Italian cross stitch to work. What I am up to now is the narrow rolled hem. I want to thank long-distance…

Greetings to all on the flip side of 2025. The year had its ups and downs, but ended with a sweet rush of family and friends, both visits and visiting. Thus fortified, I head forward into 2026. First a couple of housekeeping details related to my books, broadsides, and posts. To the person who wrote to my address saying that they heard I was deathly ill, and asking if I had passed, so that my…

The holidays being party over, our latke party, Christmas Eve feast, present exchanges being done, the luxury of time is creeping back into our daily routine. So I can post about my other two big end of year projects. First is my Italian-inspired cloth. Still not sure what I will do with it, although it’s looking likely that it will end up as a piece of honor on a credenza here in the house. I…

And as promised, the family shot of our 2025 cookie plate, with prep notes. Half for the entertainment of those who follow our misadventures, and half so I remember what the heck I did next year, when cookie time rolls around again. To start, we did two sets, more or less divided between keto/slimmed (lower carb) cookies, and “full octane” ones. You can’t call any of these truly-free, even if…