The Small Sweet Heart is finished – but I did have some trouble with all those French knots. First I managed to fasten on in the wrong place. Unpick, re-fasten. Then after 5 knots realised I was using 2 strands instead of the 3 I had intended. Unpick 5 French knots, re-thread needle with 3 strands. Work 10 French knots, realise they are far too bulky and I can’t see what I’m doing because the knots cover the holes I need to use next. Unpick 10 French knots, re-thread needle with two strands. Off we go! From then on there weren’t too many problems, apart from some of the knots failing to sit where they should and having to be un-knotted, and the fact that because the threads of opalescent fabric include a metallic strand, the holes are much less defined and you find yourself splitting the fabric threads instead of going down the intended holes. In the end I worked the French knot sections with my glasses off – I am very near-sighted and working without my glasses I can get really close to the fabric so I can focus on the details. The downside to doing this is that you notice every irregularity which is very discouraging, but on the other hand looking at it from a normal viewing distance is suddenly a very pleasant surprise because it doesn’t look nearly so bad as you thought!

In order to keep up my goldwork, I am interspersing work on Orpheus with completing my little RSN bee from way back in 2009. I cast a critical eye over it, and the later dragonfly, and have come to two conclusions: A) that both leave a lot to be desired, and B) that goldwork can look remarkably pretty even when it does leave a lot to be desired .

Here are a few close-ups to show what I mean. The first two are of the dragonfly (which I think I did in 2012), and quite apart from the fact that I haven’t covered all of the design lines, some of the cutwork is too long and buckles (arrow in the first picture), and some is too short and doesn’t quite cover the felt padding (arrow in the second picture). The next two are of the bee; nothing buckles, but several bits were cut too short (arrows in third and fourth pictures). The bits pointed out in the dragonfly, by the way, are smooth purl, the ones in the bee are bright check. There is some bright check in the dragonfly as well (a thicker size than in the bee) which miraculously appears to have been cut to the correct length throughout.

The watering can project I started at the day class last month has some cutwork, but not over felt padding, so there wasn’t the need to cut it to exactly the right length. Much easier and less fraught, but the padded work does catch the light rather beautifully. So back to the bee, and I may well see if I’ve got enough bright check to start again. It may work if I use bright check from my stash for the chipwork that is to cover the leaf. Here is what it has looked like since the workshop in 2009; so now I need to finish couching a double Japanese gold thread around the leaf (blue arrow), complete (or completely re-do) the bright check cutwork on the bee’s body (red arrow), and finish couching the pearl purl stem (green arrow), then use the pearl purl for the bee’s wings, and bright check chips for the leaf. I’ll keep you updated!