One of My Highlights of 2008 and Why

A Newbie just joined Shining Needle Society and she wrote to me asking about Mystery in a Corner. I have been busy all day long answering emails, doing bookkeeping, posting in Yahoo groups and so forth.

I was answering her email, just offhand the way one does, when I stopped and read what I had written. I realized, it did describe how I feel about Mystery in a Corner and what people have done with the pattern.

So here is my note to my Newbie:

"You will catch up and you can read the back posts.
And we look forward to hearing from you!
If you are falling in love with new colors, here is a chance to indulge.
If you have a lot of stash and are on a budget, use your stash!

Just because I used and recommended a watercolours, Impressions, pearl cotton and Kreinik braid doesn't mean you have to use those supplies.
You don't even need an overdye, you can use any Rainbow Gallery threads or any others that you might have.

The whole purpose of Mystery in a Corner is creativity in color and thread choices. You will get VERY high marks from me if you do something totally off the wall with the pattern!

Since you are new, I will write this to you: I am fighting for a field I love, a field that is mired down in technique (the more difficult the better) at the expense of emphasis on design and color. The stitches of Mystery in a Corner are simple, almost couldn't be more basic if they tried, so you can spend all that time focusing on color choices and (in parts 2 and 3) design choices and see how you do.

It has been a high point in my year that people have taken the project to heart and as you can see have done some wonderful things! It is even more heartening that the conversations in my classroom have almost all been about color. I am delighted!

And delighted that you are joining us!
Gay Ann"