Size Matters

Day 126: Hardanger embroidery came up in discussion with an internet friend a few days ago, a needleart I've not done much of since burning myself out on it producing pieces for display in a Scandinavian shop. It's an enjoyable pastime, although the repetitious nature of the blocks can be a bit tedious. The filler stitches were always the most fun for me, the intricate detail appealing to my creative muse. As they say, "size matters," and I've always preferred working with the finer threads regardless of the type of stitchery involved, and hardanger was no exception. It's most commonly done on coarser fabrics than the 22-count shown here with the acorn satin-stitch design, but typically Crow, I decided to go finer still and executed the gooseberry piece on some 44-count I had set aside for pulled-thread work. Since I could only see to work it with my glasses off and the fabric held inches from my face, you have no idea how many times I poked myself in the nose with the needle.