The Unpicking is Done

Is unpicking even the word I want to use? I guess technically it does meet the criteria of frogging. There was just no restitching involved afterwards, as would be implied by the term reverse stitching.

I know, I know, no one has any clue what I’m talking about. I’m referring to the decision that I made around the delicate question of what to do with Phoebe’s Christmas stocking. I truly appreciate all of the input that I received at that time. I’m almost afraid to say that I went against the majority and picked her backstitched name out of the stocking today. It’s been sitting on a chair in my little reading room for months now and I happened to walk by it today and thought “today’s the day.”

I know that I’m at peace with my decision because I didn’t feel any strong twinges or pangs of regret while doing it. While it’s not the decision that many of you would have made for yourself, it’s one that I feel comfortable with and that’s what really matters in the end. The only thing that I regret is not having a picture of it with her name still on it. I guess that was from the period before I became so obsessed with cataloging my finishes photographically. I am contemplating my options for the future use of the stocking. I had a brief thought of tacking a piece of fabric to the top where Phoebe’s name used to be, with the names of all of my girls, past and present, stitched on it. If I’m able to tack it loosely enough, then the personalized portion can be remove and replaced, as needed.

On a side note, I have to say that I am really impressed with my craftsmanship. The backstitching was nice and tight, with no gaps in the longer stretches, and was actually a little challenging to remove at some points. Go me. I’m also really glad that I thought to initial and date the thing in a very pale color at the very bottom of the toe. I almost didn’t even realize that it was there. It’s hard to believe that I completed that stocking in January of 2002 and haven’t managed to do a single one since. In my defense, though, I think that there is a HUGE difference between stitching a needlepoint stocking and a cross stitch stocking, especially considering that the cross stitched stocking kits I have for me and Terry are done on 18 count aida. That’s a whole lot more stitching.

At any rate, my final thoughts as I look at the stocking now are that there are 5 dogs in the scene. I hope to be so lucky as to be blessed with the companionship of 5 little furbabies through my lifetime, if not more.