Looking for a needle in a haystack

Bent needles

Ross Island has come home from its long sojourn at the framers. It took me months to scrape up enough money to pay for the most expensive frame I've ever invested in. As usual, Sarah at the Framing Workshop has done a superlative job, and I can't begrudge a penny. The frame is so good that I am even overcoming my usual post-completion loathing for my own work. This is useful, as now I have to write an irresistible artist's statement to compensate for the tiny 250kb photo required for an NCAA entry.

Ross Island framed (excuse the photo quality- it's impossible to take a good shot of a glass frame without studio lights and years of training)

Meanwhile I have finished another contour of the Antarctic continent; slip sliding down those steep slopes to the sea. My thread consumption is not quite so great on these narrow contours but I'm still going through needles quite rapidly. They quickly bend into curves working the heavy layers of blanket and a curved needle is harder to control and more likely to prick and scratch my fingers than a straight one.

I ran out of size 6 embroidery needles, which seem to stand up to my unreasonable demands better than the more common size 8. I visited five different shops before I found a packet of 6's and during the many days of searching I was using up size 8s like they were disposable. I actually snapped a needle while stitching, and my finger tips are shredded. Needless (pun intended) to say I bought two packs of 6s when I finally tracked them down. Thirty-two size 6s should see me through to the edge of the ice shelf

Two fresh boxes of DMC blanc ten days ago. Three skeins left.