Sometimes I’m just really irresponsible and I don’t do my plan but follow my whim. I did that this week and started up this DMC alphabet heart, which was an old freebie that I’d share if I could find the link, but it seems to have been removed from the DMC site. Here it is so far, half done!

I’m stitching on 36 ct Truffle from Picture This Plus using a combination of Caron Waterlilies Chili and Cherry. Sounds delicious! Chili Cherry Truffle! Perfect for Valentine’s Week, not perfect for Lent! Let me just say again, how much I love Waterlilies silk. It is fantastic to work with, and so, so, so pretty.

The chart actually asks you to use 3 shades, combining them over each letter to get an interesting gradation. Maybe I’ll do that someday, but I have so many gorgeous silks in my stash, I really like to find projects to use them on, and this is the perfect kind of project for overdyed silks! Sorry DMC, but thanks for the pattern!

Earlier I promised that I would also show you some over one. Here it is, Snowbirds by Country Cottage Needleworks, Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2014. I’m using the closest color match for the fabric I had in my stash, 28ct pearl gray Quaker linen, which is a linen-cotton blend. I’m totally cheating on this one and loving every minute of it. See me stitching continental tent stitch 2 over 1?

So…why? Well, I bought this issue for this chart, after seeing it made up at my LNS. But I’m so lucky, my LNS is Attic Needlework. And they just love to present all these fabulous designs in teeny tiny versions! I go in there and fall in love with all these dainty little works stitched on 52/60 or 40, or over one on 36 ct, or whatever. Evidently that had been the case with this design because when I started to stitch as over 2 I thought, whoa, this is enormous! (it isn’t, but it is bigger than the shop model was). Now, I always have a fresh Christmas tree with little floppy branches, and if I made it full size over 2, it would be a big ornament. I need little ornaments. So I picked it out and set right back again over one. But that was tedious, so I switched to tent stitch, and I’m happy. It’s so cute!

I think sometimes we need projects where we have to work hard towards perfection in spite of frustration, to hone our skill and make a beautiful work of art. But other times we need projects that are just fun and easy, to play around and experiment with techniques while enjoying a quickly finished product. Do you agree? Or are you all perfectionists out there? 🙂