The last few weeks I haven't posted much because I have been working on several projects I have been trying to get finished.  One is Barnwood Buttons.  I fell in love with this pattern when I saw it finished in a beautiful frame in a needlework shop this past spring.  It was a bit expensive because of the buttons, but I have the perfect spot for it in my living room.  I had a bit of a deadline finishing it because I wanted to have it hanging up before some company that was coming later in the month.  I have had such a terrible time with this project.  It is really difficult for me.  The linen is 32 count, and very, very hard to see because the fabric is so dark.  It took a few times of stitching and then taking it out to really get going on it.  I really couldn't see the squares.  Once I passed that hurdle, I felt really good about it.  I was told by the shop owner who had completed the piece to go in rows- finish the row at the bottom, then the little tree motifs, and then the back stitching, and then try the lettering.  As you can see, that is what I attempted to do, until I reached that 'h', and I found a mistake. That was about three weeks ago.  I have started and restarted that row a total of six times up until last night.  It is hard to see what the mistake is until you have gone a little ways in the pattern, and then I have found that I am a thread off, which affects the whole piece.  Back to last night, I thought I was off to a good pace, when again last night, I saw that I was off by a single square.  I couldn't believe it.  I was blissfully admiring how far I had gotten when I saw it.  I almost broke down into tears of frustration.  I just couldn't believe it.  From the 'h' all the way to the end, again has a mistake that needs to be pulled out.  I just can't take this project anymore.  Part of me doesn't want to give up because I am very stubborn, and I want desparetly to finish it.  I don't like having unfinished projects.  Also, I am really in love with the way it looks finished, and it really would look wonderful hanging in our living room.  I am just not sure what to do- try to regain my composure, take it apart, and start again? Take a break and go back to it?  Throw it away?  In starting over, it may be better for me to follow the pattern in a different way.  The pattern is in 5 sections.  I might be better off just doing a section at a time. I got so far with it, I can't even express how upset I was to be off by so little!  I decided to put the project aside, to gain some perspective, and thought I would stich a few letters on this miniature sampler that I started, which is 40 count, one over one. It is a kit from France using silk threads.  I started stitching away, and then started to think that I wouldn't have enough room for the letter 'k'.   Looking at it I saw the mistake- Can you?   I had started stitching in the middle, and went to the right, and then up to the top row.  When I first started, I apparently had neglected the 'V', and then everything after was off.  Well after the other mistake, and then this one, I was about to have a really unfavorable temper tantrum.  Today I bought a pair of scissors with very small blades, and micro-sized tweezers- time to start fixing some mistakes......... Thanks so much for reading about these problems I've been having.  Venting on this blog, has been very energizing, and has helped me look forward to continuing with these. Always, ~Jaime