Still here

Its been a while since the last posting - its been a busy, but not terribly creative time!


Firstly, this is a photograph of the Band Robin which I completed for my friend Ktj:



Its just arrived, I'm relieved to say. Its always a heart-stopping moment when a piece of work is passed on to Bob at the Post Office. He is very kind, but it is nerve-wracking especially when it usually takes around two weeks to get to the USA from here.
The next photo shows a detail of the section I did - its the lowest one on the photo. Here is a close-up.



The section above mine is the most enchanting design I've ever seen. Its based on a knot garden. This was stitched by Margaret.
I was blown away by Margaret's design when I received this. It took me some time to catch my breath and explore ideas. Luckily, the cherry blossom was just coming into flower in the gardens around my house..,. Hence the design. I kept it simple. The sketch below is the one I used for the Band Robin.






The other photos are ones I took as references. First, the flowers:



Now the bark:



I really love the texture of the bark, so used french knots and bullion knots to try to imitate this.
At present everything else is continuing quite slowly. I still have not finished the shopping bag. It is sitting next to me, the side seams are all stitched, with the bindings pinned. These need to be handstitched in place.
Why is it that I always prevaricate with the last bits of anything I work on? It seems to happen with everything I make. Whatever it is, it sits there for at least a couple of days before I get around to finishing off the last touches. How silly..........
Oh yes, the new piece of knitting is carrying on. I have ripped it back three times so far. I kept on misreading the instructions! Its been far too many years since I last knitted lace.