Sorry for not posting many interim images this week past. The repeat has been established. Memorized, even. So progress is pretty much more-of-the-same. Not particularly visually interesting, just being repeat after repeat. But I’m now on the run up to the second corner.

That diagonal just beginning to appear in the right side of the hoop will be the one that spans the corner, just like the one in the first corner.

Because I was very conservative in picking my starting point on the left hand edge, centering my beginning to the center line of the narrow end, but not having a drafted corner, just winging it – my right hand edge will be a bit further from the fabric edge than that on the left. No worries. I’ll end up trimming off about an extra inch of fabric when I do the final hemming. That’s not enough to be worth improvising a new, partial corner. I prefer to replicate the one I’ve already done, since that one worked out so well. Here’s a closer photo of the bit currently in the hoop.

You can see the bottom of the stitching is so close to bottom of the fabric that getting a nice, firm hold and an efficient span is difficult. I still may mount this on a scroller once I get up to working the spans across the middle, but for now, since I’m sticking with the small hoop for portability and the ability to get as close to the hemmed edges as possible.

In terms of thread consumption, even though (in theory) the stitching on this is based on two-sided principles, the work itself is quite economical. I am using DMC standard floss, single stranded, and I’m still on the first skein of all three colors. I figure that to do the whole rim around I am looking at two skeins of each. Since I’m not quite sure how densely I’ll be working the center I might be looking at as many as four more of each, but probably closer to another two. And I have them all in stash. No worries.

I do admit that going on and on in the same repeat is a bit of a challenge in perseverance and diligence. One reason I do so many narrow band samplers is that I get to go on to the next Interesting Thing before I run out of patience with the current strip. Still, this is a good study in applied discipline over time. A skill I have always had in short supply. It’s training. Yup. Training. 🙂

As far as my other exercises in discipline, I have been Very Good about my physical therapy homework, walking, and other activities to increase strength and endurance. It’s slow going (not unlike the current stitching), but I am seeing results week on week. Horseback riding and quick step galliards may be in my past, but there are lots of other things I hope to resume over time if I keep at it.