Fox Stitch-a-Long, part 1

This #101in1001 project -- at least the crafty part -- has been going along really well so far. So now I'm going to start one of the bigger projects on my craft list: the Beth Russell / William Morris "Fox" needlepoint kit.

I've had this kit for several years now -- though, at least, I didn't allow myself to buy it until after I finished the "Hare" kit. It's been languishing in my basement along with more kits than I care to admit (including The Kit That Dare Not Speak Its Name, about which more later... in theory...).

But having found an old yet serviceable needlepoint frame on a visit to our favorite thrift shop in the world, and really wanting to complete the set, well, it was time to get cracking.

I separated my yarn -- a task much easier on this kit than with either Hare or Raven, since the small threads were bunched up on their own. I stretched the fabric on the frame, and then had my usual trepidation about making the first stitch. (Why is that? It's like the first line / page in a notebook, I suppose.)

I've been stitching the foreground flowers first, followed by foreground leaves. Once all of those is done I'll stitch the fox himself, and then the acanthus leaves in the background. Those acanthus leaves in blue and green are stitched in a precise manner; first the veins, then the edging, then the darker shade around the veins, and then the remaining color. Then, finally, the navy background.

Here's where I stand, 4 possibly over-eager, Winter Olympics days into this project:

I've got all the petals of the flowers stitched, and am starting the palest green of the leaves. While it's satisfying to have done "all the stitching" for 6 of the 26 colors -- but I know they're all the easy, little bits.

I expect this project to take me three or four months -- it's a big one -- but in order to have some extra motivation, I'm thrilled to be joining my first ever stitch-a-long. How I discovered this SAL is a story in itself, which I'll tell in a future post, but for now, check out the amazing projects my fellow stitchers are working on!

Avis,  Claire,  Gun,  Carole,  LucyAnn,  Kate,  Jess,  Sue,  Constanze,  Debbierose,  Christina,  Kathy,  Margaret,  Cindy,  Helen,  Steph,  Linda,  Mary Margaret,  Heidi,  Connie,  Jackie

My fellow stitchers are in a lot of different time zones, so if there isn’t a post when you first look, check later in the day. Fancy joining us for the SAL? Send a message to Avis.