2026 Rotation #2, Slot #4 (Pictorial) Changeover

"Santa of the Forest" by Lavendar and Lace is off to a good start.  Stitching started on March 23 after several days devoted to the set up.  So far I have 1,338 stitches in or 3.86%.  I'm working on row 26, using the same typewriter method that I used on the Dragon.  Though since there's no background on this piece, the rows are not nearly as obvious.  There are more 'swathes' of color on this project, so when I carry down a color (like the bright red on the hood edge), it can go quite a way before I run out of thread or stitching in that direction.

The "Raw" linen is a bit more irregular than the evenweave that I used for the Dragon, but I think the 2 over 2 coverage on the 32 count is good. So far, I'm just in the hood and hair, though the lowest point of the greenery is actually touching where the owl on his shoulder will show up and I'm touching skin colors in a couple of areas of his hair.  

Just a note, the bishop's crozier/staff is all metallics and metallic blends, so it will go in next to last and I'm substituting beads for the random metallic 'stars' scattered around St. Nicholas' head - those will be at the very last.