Digressing Yet Again

 First some housekeeping -- thank you to everyone who commented on my last post.  Apparently blogger is having some issues, and no matter what I do, it won't let me respond.  So please don't think I'm ignoring you.  I'll respond when blogger works out whatever the problem is.  Now on to the post....

Still working on Leo!  But in the meantime, I've completed a really fun needlepoint fireman nutcracker painted canvas by Damarj with stitch guide by Susan Portra.  The piece belongs to a guild friend. . . who had purchased the canvas because her little boy loved firemen.  Word is the "little boy" is now in his mid-twenties.  (Boy can I sympathize with that scenario.) 

This was an enjoyable piece to stitch and I very much liked Susan Portra's stitch guide.  Her stellar reputation is truly well earned.  Here's a picture of the full piece and a close up of the torso. 

And here's the stitch combo that I'm adding to my reference notebook. . . the nutcracker's hair. . .made by alternating two diagonal rows of french knots with two rows of basketweave.  I never would have guessed that this combo would create this effect!