X is for Xmas (Make that Christmas)

I think this page is one of the reasons it took so long to finish this book. I hate using "Xmas" to describe the season we are in, mostly because in math "x" means an unknown, and in Christmas, the Christ part is very known. However, when I was working on this, I read an article that said that the "x" stood for the cross, adding extra meaning to the description of the season. So I went ahead and made the Christmas tree, specially since I couldn't work out how to make any other activity with X. I considered Xylophone, and X-ray, but it was getting way too complicated.

This is another page the kids like to play with (like the acorns on the tree). The ornaments can be hidden in the present. I did let myself go a little bit, and I made the ribbon on the package out of real silk ribbon. I don't know how well it will hold up, but it is very soft and special.



Here are the two balls I wrapped on Sunday, and the finished stitching on one of them. After discussing the rayon thread I received for Christmas with my friend, I decided it was too fine to use to embroider a ball, I would have to use it to wrap a mari. I knew that using rayon for wrapping would be a challenge, and I was right. Every time I would let up on the tension on the thread a little bit, I would face several rows of thread unwinding while I watched. I learned that when I slowed down, I had to hold the thread down that I had just wrapped, and even so, several times the thread would just slide off. I stopped trying to unwind to a point where everything was tight, and just started winding over anything that was coming apart; it seemed to work okay. I do like the color and the shine of the base, and once the mari was marked I didn't have to worry about things coming un-done any more.



This is a copy of the GITS I made for Anne. I liked (and was intrigued by) the pattern so much that I wanted one for myself, and the other is for Moonsilk Stitches, who gave me the thread (plus she guessed quilt squares). It is a c10, that ends up having a c8 pattern on it. Having the base shinier than the stitching gives it a very different look... I would have to get used to that. For the stitching I used the Pearle #8 on spools that I got. It is not DMC, but is labeled with DMC color numbers, and I have enjoyed stitching with it a lot.