Two Updates

Here is the latest on my Contemporary Bargello. This is the most fun project! It does have a lot of color changes, but I love watching the design come together each time I rethread the needle! (Feel free to click on the picture to see it better.)

I'm afraid I have been neglecting Prairie Schooler ABC while working on this.
And I finished one of the two Pat Mazu mini-stockings on the canvas below. The one on the left was finished last night-it is from Needlepoint Now's Jan/Feb 2008 issue. Beading is called for on the bottom portion of this one--but I am still undecided about adding the beads. What do you think?

The purple one (upside down) on the right is finished EXCEPT for the metallic thread. It is from Needlepoint Now's Sept/Oct 2006 issue.

I will tell you a secret-the threads called for are silks. I used 1 ply of Caron's Watercolors. They don't require laying, are less expensive, and I have many choices in my stash. Also, when I finish them the Watercolor thread gives a more sturdy feel to the stocking and I don't have to worry that I am going to snag a thread or otherwise damage the stocking from my handling of it. It seems a little strange to substitute OUT of silk into cotton instead of the other way around.