Almost an Ending and a New Begining

Over the past 6 years or so I have needle-pointed Christmas stockings for myself, Bob, a few friends and now my nieces. Since October I have been working on a stocking for my youngest niece, Sophia. Her older sisters received their stockings for Christmas this past year and while I first thought that I could finish Sophia's up by this Christmas, I soon realized that hers would have to wait until next year - which is okay, she will be turning three this spring. All told, I believer this is the ninth Christmas stocking that I have made.

The last few weeks I have been working away on Sophia's stocking (getting near the end always makes me work a little harder). While at baby pastor school, I stopped working on the pattern itself (takes more concentration) and started the background while listening to the key note addresses. About three weeks ago at Stitch and Bitch I finished the pattern, a week later the background and all that remained was the back-stitching (outlining). Well last week I fell short. About two yards short. That is how much thread I still need to complete the back-stitching on the toe part of the stocking.


I still need to do some back-stitching around the snowman, the bushes and the lower left hand window. After that is complete I will do some couching with a thick gold thread for the reins for the reindeer. Unfortunately the closest craft store to me that I know carries embroidery floss is about 10 miles away and it is out of the color that I need. So I have to wait to get to another store so I can finish the stocking.

But in the meantime I have started another project. I haven't started the next Christmas stocking which will be for my godson. Instead I started this:
I was a math major in college so I really like how the fractal/chaos pattern is formed into a cross. But this is a HUGE project with the final size being around 28.5 x 21.5 inches. Fortunately it is on black fabric so I don't have to do the background, unfortunately it is on black fabric which is hard to see and therefore stitch with. It also includes A LOT of colors, 75 to be exact.
I did start it this past Thursday and this is how far I have gotten on it thus far:
The ruler is to give you an idea of size - it is 6 inches long.