We are getting lots of rain - finally - so now I have an excuse not to go outdoors or to go to the studio to glue more letters in the haiku book.

Therefore I gained great progress with the rug. The Delicas really slow me down and I have not had the courage to try two or three bead stitches so now I only have three inches done. I figure I need the rug to be about nine inches across to have the proper relationship to the rest of the scene. All in all, I am pleased with the colors. They have the warmth and old look I wanted.

This colors are the result of my loving the beads in the center, and forgetting to save the package. Every time I ordered from Fire Mountain I would attempt to order the same beads without the number. This palette are all the mistakes I got instead. It feels good to be ableto use them up and the way they go together is better than I could have planned.

I started the rug the way one would start a braided rug. Beads do not make the smooth curve fabric does and I doubt that it will ever be oval, but it gives the feeling for a braided rug. I think. I wish it laid flatter. I am trying to keep my stitches very loose, but the finished project is going to need some serious retraining.

Looking in a book of Christmas carols I got the idea of how to make a spinning top and am eager to get bored with the rug so I can make that.