I started this entry but forgot to finish it… so backdating it to keep it in proper sequence. Whoops!
February’s WIPGO numbers have been pulled, bringing four new pieces forward for my monthly focus. Two are more intense pieces, and two are lighter stitching… a very nice mix for the short month!
First up for February is Bayun Cat from Owl Forest Embroidery. This was my New Year’s Start for 2022. I purchased this as a full kit from Owl Forest Embroidery before the travesty in Ukraine I’m quite sad that getting another kit from the designer is virtually impossible right now.
Her kits are absolutely beautiful. So much so that I honestly felt a bit guilty breaking it open to start stitching. If you follow the link above to the designer’s website, there are images of the pretty presentation to the kit. Yes – it’s that pretty! It comes with the pattern, a backup copy of the pattern divided into smaller segments to cut out that are easier to handle while stitching, the floss – attached to bobbins pre-labeled with the key symbol (!!!), fabric, a needle minder, a needle, and a small pamphlet about stitching. DMC alternatives are given for the patterns, but Owl Forest’s threads are lovely and unusual. I would recommend getting them if you can.
The Bayun Cat is a creature from Russian folklore. He’s a bit of a complicated character – much like everyday cats. In many tales, he’s a huge talking cat with a voice that can lull a person to sleep with his tales and murders them. But in some tales, he’s more of a “learned cat” and an antagonist that can be defeated and will serve a hero, healing wounds with his purring. In the Soviet era, connections to Baba Yaga were made, associating him more with evil than good. But in this piece, I prefer to think of him as the teller of tales and a challenge to worthy heroes in all the ways a cat can be. After all – housecats remind us with those nibbles that if they were bigger, they’d probably eat us, too. 🙂
I really only worked on the piece last year for a couple of days before moving onto the flurry of chaos, so it will be nice to get back to this. I doubt I’ll finish this piece in 2023, but if I recall – it was a relatively quickly moving piece to start. So you never know. My goal on it is really just any progress, wherever it leads me. I’ll likely stay focused on the tail for a while and the rest of the houses he’s curled around.
Until next time… Happy Stitching!