Fjord Ponies - Done! 17 Dec ETA new pic

[msufly]

My MIL is half-Norwegian and I found this Ink Circles pattern which she loves so I'm stitching it for her. Growing up, her family would visit Norway every couple of yrs and her parents spoke Norwegian when they didn't want the kids to understand them. There were lots of Norwegian elements in their house.

MIL picked the fabric count based on the finished size of the piece so I'm working with 40 ct Newcastle linen, in the color of Ale from PTP. Today is my first day working on it so I'm trying to figure out if I'm just going to stitch really close to my face or use the magnifying glass - it's definitely smaller than I'd prefer! It's 2 over 2 and I've already discovered I have to be VERY careful to prevent knots because they're just about impossible to get out. You can't really tell in the model but there's 7 different shades of blue in the whole piece.

What the finished piece will look like...it resembles the style knitted in Scandinavian sweaters.


What I got done today, with a bobbin for size comparison...I started in the upper left corner & you can make out 2 birds & a fleur de lis from the first motif:


I think this is going to take me a long time to do & that I'll definitely need a rotation to give my eyes a break from this from time to time.

[tiffstitch]

Beautiful start on a gorgeous piece!

[karen4bells]

Love the design and you've made a wonderful start on it!! The colors are just beautiful!!

[rcperryls]

Beautiful start on a lovely design!

Carole

[gyork]

beautiful

[kiwirach]

this is really lovely, ermm...i might have to see if i can find the chart for myself!.

ETA :: i have now looked at whats on 123stitch - 3 of their charts appeal to me, including this one!. might have to gone on a buying ban for now!!

[wendywombat]

40 count!!! But over 2 seems better...that's equivalent to 20 count isn't it?

I love the design.

[curly sue]

It will be just gorgeous!

[Squirrel]

I the Norwegian knitted sweaters so many detailed motifs on each one.

Your new project is very beautiful and you have made a good start on it. Please do take care of your eyes though and take lots of breaks whilst stitching such fine fabric.

[Fizzbw]

It's a wonderful design, your MIL will love it. Wow 40 ct is small small small though!

It's the counting between parts of the design that would confuse me!

Looking forward to seeing more progress, when it pops Up in rotation!

Niki xx

[vanessanjf]

Great start on a beautiful design

[LadyS]

The design is gorgeous, the colors are stunning! And 40 ct? Ouch!

[felicity53]

Wow!

[Parksfarm]

Great start! I love this chart, bought it when it first came out but of course I haven't done it yet...

[Rose]

Lovely!!!!!!!

40 count even over 2 that is small I would definitely us a magnifier.

[Mabel Figworthy]

What a beautiful design, and so thoughtful of you to pick it for your MIL! You've made a great start, and it'll look stunning on that 40ct linen

[fccs]

Beautiful start and it's going to be gorgeous when done. 40 count? That would make me go cross eyed for sure.

Looking forward to updates on this one.

[works4me]

Such a nice design and a great start.

My thought - use the magnifying glass. I'm working 2 over 1 on 22 count and I use a magnifier all the time. Otherwise, my poor eyes go buggy.

[msufly]

Totally didn't expect it but I've got the 1st page done in one week. There are 12 pages total but 3 of them are partial pages. Makes me wonder if I can keep this pace up...if so, it'll be ready by Xmas!

There are 4 shades of blue on this first page:

I'm getting used to the 40 ct fabric size. I've tried using a magnifying glass and also putting a bright light underneath to shine through the holes but I can't do either for very long so using my own 2 eyes works best.

[Parksfarm]

Gorgeous! Congrats on your speedy finish of page one!