Working in Grey

I don't think I've previously mentioned on this blog that I've been working on a new kit? The idea for it probably came over a year ago, the fabrics have been sitting waiting for their moment for nearly a year, and this actual hoop was started a couple of months ago! Everything seems to run in slow motion at the moment! 

I have been determined to crack on with it but unfortunately it's not really a kit you can work on in the evening when the light is dim, unless you have already picked out your colours and it's just a case of stitching. The different greys are so difficult to judge when there is dull or artificial lighting, even when using my day-glo lamp! So I've been mostly working on it during the day when I have the odd moment. 

On Tuesday The Mother kindly offered to look after Little F for me whilst I sat and stitched pretty much all day (utter bliss!) so I came on leaps and bounds! Everything is noted down in a little pad I have, the quantity of threads I'm using (cut at 60cm at a time), what stitches, the thickness of the thread, how many twists around the needle for any knots, any tips or tricks that pop into my head whilst I'm stitching. 

I could go really overboard with the number of thread shades I use in this, there are just so many greys! I have had to restrict myself a little bit, especially as I have been considering using a pop of colour somewhere to lift it. With kit designs I have to be more restrained because the more I add the more it will end up costing and the less people will actually buy it because it's expensive. 

The sheep are the most time consuming layer with all of those knots and the seed stitches (which are actually in two shades of grey, can you tell? It's hard to see the difference with only one strand.). I have tried to keep the other layers fairly simple, and they'll also change depending on the pattern placement you get in each kit. So for the layer above the sheep you go around the dark leafy swirls and work running stitch between the sections, with a whip stitch perpendicular to those stitches - this is still a little more involved, especially with the two colour bullion knots edging this layer, but after that it gets a bit simpler....maybe? Single strand back stitch around the big shapes of the batik layer and couching down a deconstructed strand of Stylecraft Bambino DK yarn (a slightly odd choice I'll admit but I've made a lot of blankets for new babies in the last year and I had a lot of the misty grey left!!). 

Above that it's just french knots to edge the fabric, using 5 twist, 3 twist and 1 twist knots to trail down into the layer as you like, and the top layer is just a single strand of blanket stitch at the top with a decorative running stitch at the bottom. 

It's all about the journey - each layer is a journey and has its own uniqueness to it. You can't rush this project and, if you were to buy it when I've finished, it will force you to slow down and just stitch and breathe. That's what I love about hand embroidery, you have to take time to yourself - if you rush it you will just end up in a pickle with your knots so don't bother rushing and enjoy the ride!

Which brings me back to my pop-of-colour-bullion-knot-flower-dilemma. I was initially going to do the knots in a metallic silver thread but, when I thought about it, that is not at all beginner friendly. Sometimes it's not even me friendly and I've done a few bullions in my time!! So metallic thread was a no (although I may add some little clear beads to the bottom of the reeds to get a glitter to match the sparkle in one of the fabric layers) and I wasn't sure that I wanted the entire thing to be grey, I have done completely grey pieces before and they are ok but they can get a little lost sometimes. 

I thought yellow would work well as a contrast, it's a well known colour combo (my sofa for one with mustard throw cushions on a dark grey sofa), but what yellow is the question? I had two I could try, a pale one and a brighter one. The pale looks too washed out and the bright one is possibly too much of a contrast and too bright?

So I opened it up to social media with the below photo and the overwhelming response was the brighter yellow, with a few saying keep it grey and a between number saying the pale yellow. Then there were the few who said to combine them! Which, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of the colour appearing at you out of the mist. I might cut off a few knots and try the bright yellow right at the bottom of the piece, with a mix of pale yellow and pale grey in the reeds behind? It's something I'll need to have a play with as I could also just mix the colours throughout. But then do I need to balance the colour elsewhere? Tiny little yellow knot daisies in the field somewhere? This is where I can get carried away.... Watch this space!!