Thanks for the close-up, your stitches look great and I that colour!

About the other forum, I can see that they would feel abused if people just joined for the chart, and while I was stitching I did try to contribute on a regular basis, but it is a VERY confusing forum and I could never find threads that I had contributed to back again! Also I don't have that much forum time and I prefer to spend it here . I cancelled my subscription/membership (what is it called) after finishing TOS, I hope they didn't feel that was abusing them as I did contribute while I was stitching the design, and I did explain why (lack of time, not lack of interest) and i was very grateful to Abi for designing this and making it available!

I've been in Yahoo groups before, and am in a less chatty one for a local BookCrossing group, so I did know what they're like before joining that one. I also read their rules before signing up and wouldn't have joined if I hadn't intended to abide by them. I can see why they have them and I think they're fair.
I like the format here much, much better but I can cope with belonging to two groups if the reward is designs like these

So, I've now finished part two of TGE. I loved Feather stitch once I'd persuaded my thread to form little 'U's instead of little 'V's. I just had to be gentle with it. Basque stitch was a bit more complicated but once I'd worked out what I was doing I just had to practise to get my tension more even. I like Basque stitch. It's pretty.



My friend has just sent me some Peapod green in the hope that it's the right shade for my ToS, and it is, so I can start on that again now. If I can tear myself away from what was in the box with the thread, that is. It was a huge box and it was packed with books
And

Beautiful. The close up is great because it really shows the stitches you have done and they look perfect. Great job.
I belong to two book groups on yahoo too which are way less chatty also. now that I filter the emails from stitchspecialists its a lot less overwhelming. This format is sooooo much better, but your update shows why its worth it to put up with the yahoo format also. I hope you do closeups of your TOS too. Glad you finally got the right thread. I am looking forward to seeing that one too.

Carole

This is beautiful. I love the gold colour of the thread, and your stitches look perfect!

Beautiful stitches,this is a lovely design. I am not a member of the Yahoo group but I do follow Abi Gurden's blog, so I saw this design on there. Abi does amazing designs,the TOS was a triumph and I have enjoyed seeing the way it has been interpreted by other stitchers.

Beautiful update on your TGE!

I also find the Yahoo group message system a bit confusing but I belong to two groups and although I'm an infrequent poster I can handle the system enough to pop in every few days and see what's going on.

I also belong to other forums about other things, I've always been a net geek in a sense. For cross stitching, this is my favorite place though.

A box of books would be very very tempting to me, so good luck using the peapod floss!

Very very nice stitching!!! It's coming along great!! What a nice friend you have---enjoy those books and other goodies!!

Great stitching!!!!!

Look at that thread!!! It's so shiny!!! I looooooove it!!
Faith

Lovely update, your stitches are coming out beautifully!

I've managed to tear myself away from the books long enough to do the first specialist stitch on the tree. I love the shade of green that I'm using so I'm really glad that I held out for it instead of settling for the other shade of Peapod that was available. I'll just do a close up for now so you can see how pretty the colour is.



I should have part three of TGE done any day. I like having these SALs with just little bits to do. I feel like I've made lots of progress when I've only done a wee bit

very pretty. I like the shade of green you are using. Are you going to use it for all your stitches? It will make a lovely tree. And I felt the same way about each part. Finishing one stitch has a nice completed feel to it. Then all of a sudden you have a tree, an owl and a rabbit. good progress.

Carole

This looks lovely Carole, the green is beautiful

Lovely neat stitches, and I like that shade of green too. Good choice!

That's a lovely leaf colour. I like the sheen on the thread.

Thanks
Yes, I'll use that for all of it now that I have enough. My friend sent me one and a half skeins to add to what I already had.

Delicious green-awesome start on the speciality stitches. Looking forward to more!

I absolutely love the shade of green that you've chosen for the ToS, it looks magnificent. Keep it up!

Wow that is a nice shade of green It's looking wonderful! Your stitches are so neat!!
Faith

Thanks for all your lovely comments

I'm now caught up with The Great Escape. Or at least I was for about an hour, and then I checked my email and saw that part four was out
Still, at least I'm 'almost' caught up now.

I loved Sorbello Stitch. It was a bit fiddly and it didn't look right in two strands so I went for one. I think it looks quite delicate. Cretan Catch looked ok in two so I went with that. I like that varying the amount of threads used is giving it some more texture.



Part four looks a bit scary. It's his beak and head and I'm undecided whether to stick to this colour or use something lighter for his beak. I've got something in a cream but I'm not sure if it'll show up on the fabric. Might need to have a play.