Weekend Progress Elsa Williams Crewel Kit

I dont know about where you are , but we are having a very long spell of hot weather here and only a sprinkling of rain which really didn't count . It has become too hot to do anymore gardening , my arms are tired from carrying a heavy watering can back and forth from the outside tap  , up to the veg garden  .
 This weekend I have been putting my feet up with a good book and also doing a bit more of my vintage Elsa Williams crewel kit .
                                 I,m reading Hovel in the Hills by Elizabeth West .

It was the picture  of the cottage on the front cover that caught my eye , it looks remarkably like ours ! Only ours is in Cornwall ...theirs is in Wales .
   I,ve only read the first two pages  ,  but I can tell you it is already drawing me in .

Anyway sitting in the summer house , being serenaded by our male blackbird up in the cherry tree , I have been making some progress on my little Elsa Williams crewel kit .
I work from the most boring bits first , all the green leaves and stems, then as I begin to tire of it , so I reward myself by doing a lovely bit , such as the cream flower, then the even more lovely blue flowers.

The wool is not as thick as tapestry wool , but thicker than my usual Appletons  crewel wool and the elements of the design are quite small , for the amount of long and short shading with such thick wool . Shame the design was not printed onto the linen , just a little bit bigger .
I,m managing to do it , but it might be a bit fiddly for a beginner .

I am getting some good practice on all the different embroidery stitches ..such as long and short shading , french knots , buttonhole stitch , chain stitch and stem stitch  .

                                                             Chain Stitch

  Stem stitch ..only I have always thought this to be crewel stitch with the thread over the needle ..stem stitch I thought to be with the tread  under the needle .
 So I ,ve found a couple of little confusing puzzles on the instruction leaflet .

For example , it says there should be guide lines for working buttonhole stitch , but there was no guide line printed on the linen .

                            So I lightly drew a guide line in a soft leaded  pencil .

                                            ...... and all seems to be going well .

I,m packing it all away now ,  into my handbag , with my needle threaded up all ready to go with this gorgeous Bittersweet  colour crewel wool ..... it will help calm my nerves in the dentist's waiting room .