Holy Moly ~ get out your long-janes & warm woolies! it is C O L D here in VA this morning! poor chickens are laying ice cubes again, and the donkeys & sheep won't even come out of the barn! thank goodness for the sun Last night I was able to pull a few stitches on the "Pin" project, as we shall refer to it ;) I must say that I do love working on my 30ct Ironstone linen! I like the splotching & staining and how the base linen that I use takes the staining, with little halo-ing. I don't even need a hoop as it has a good 'hand', or is a stiffer linen. I prefer a coarser linen than a floppy soft one. I'm working this project 1 over 2 or one strand of DMC floss over two threads of linen. and I am waxing my threads lightly. I love the smell of pure beeswax & how sweet and smoky the scent is ~ I cannot wait until Spring this year ~ Peter & I are hoping to begin keeping a hive of honeybees again! waxing your threads helps keep it from knotting up as you stitch ~ it also helps protect the thread color if you were to stain your finished project… {which is really good for protecting specialty over dyed threads such as Weeks or Gentle Arts} for whatever reason, I have always waxed my threads. I prefer natural pure beeswax to the commercial 'stuff' on the market. …the old ways are just best for me I guess :) so below, you can see that I've stitched the border of the project and have begun the wording. the finished stitched portion will be approx. 5" x 5" … but the finished project will be around 6" x 6" or a hair larger. I'll share more progress tomorrow ~ keep warm everyone!! Hoping you all have a honey of a day!! ~ Blessings from the Farm ~ Lori