kj and the paycock*

i'm back from my visit to nyc and i've finished the cross-stitch project that i was working on. here it is:


this is my first multi-colored cross-stitch piece (well, unless you count the one that i used as my learning piece, which i took over from what my mama had started years ago).
i got the pattern by taking a photo of a piece that i had seen in a book of german cross-stitch samplers.


then i just counted and copied the stitches. it is a lot of stitches.

as per my usual style, i completed one peacock and then i decided that i needed to do another and make some slight changes. the first one i did was the more brightly colored one, where i copied the pattern almost exactly. i did the second one because i was really interested in trying out the darker color scheme and because i wanted to play with and tweak the pattern a little bit. i actually think i like the first one best. maybe i'll try again... i still think there are improvements to be made. for the time being, however i'll leave it as is. i've got other projects to complete; i have to get my butt in gear to start preparing for renegade!

*title is a reference to a sean o'casey drama (which was made into a film by hitchcock). also, the tale of juno and the peacock is my favorite myth; if you don't know it, look it up -- it's a good one. (this is not the best version or retelling -- i prefer bulfinch's, but i can't find it anywhere on the web.)