A Marly Dilemma

 I am trying to escape to the lake as I am desperately in need of some unplugging and recharging. BUT, before I leave, I wanted to ask for your help in a kind of Marly-ish dilemma.  

Those who follow Marly (Samplers-and-Santas) know that she just can't follow a cross stitch chart. 

I in no way mean that in a negative sense....In fact, I admire her courage and creativity and her down-right mad talent for changing up the "called-for" linens and flosses of a design.

Me? Not so much.

Actually, me....not at ALL.

I am a slave to whatever the designer calls for and it causes me great angst when I cannot find the called-for linen and/or floss.  (Really and truly.)

I just don't visualize.  When Marly suggests swapping this for that, or "editing" a design, I just screw up my nose and puzzle.

And each and every time (well, at least as far as I can recall),  I am the first to admit that her changes were nothing short of brilliant when I see her final result.

So.....that brings me to Salem Village.

It is a design by Lori Brechlin of Notforgotten Farm which I started years ago.

(Sadly, that's all the clearer the cover photo really is and sadly, the frame is not available.)

When I first saw the design, I decided I had to do it as a tribute to my grandmother (8x removed), Mary Easty, and her sister, my aunt (8x removed), who were hanged as witches in Salem.

And, of course I used the called-for linen and the called-for flosses (all DMC).

I guess I knew from the get-go that I didn't care for the colors palette much...but I, being me, had not the courage to change things up and by the time I realized I did not really care for them at all, I had stitched too much to redo. 

So, it was put aside.

In my (rather long) hiatus from hooking The Beast, I pulled it out again....

Stitching (or hooking/punching/whatever) "in season" (as Edgar would say) appeals to me....and this being a bit "witchy" was somewhat seasonal....especially given that my grandmother was hanged on September 22nd.

And, gee....I like the color scheme even less.  (Sorry Lori!)

But, I will finish it....after all, I only have one more house to go....(please don't look for "ditches" Marly!!)  

However, as I started the bottom "vine" border, it occurred to me that, mayhaps, I could change the color of the "bud" and that might make things more appealing to me. 

(It isn't as "wonky" as it appears here...that's because it is on my frame...really LOL.)

Mind you, it won't be a cakewalk taking the 7 I have already completed given how I wind and bury my beginnings and tails) and I don't possess a Lift-n-Snip type scissors, but it is do-able.  The called for floss is DMC 436 ("Tan")....but it is a real peachy type tan (which I have a phobia of as that was the color of the gross Formica counter in our bathroom prior to WWR).  I suppose it works well with the other strange colors like DMC 734 ("Light Olive Green"), but would a darker, more rust-like color work better to "anchor" things??? Or would that be lost amongst the browns of the stems and vine??

What say ye???  And if ye be a stitcher and think a substitution is advisable, have ye any suggestions????  I have a sizable stash of DMC, WDW and GA....so the possibilities could be endless.

HELP.

 

I hope you're keeping your sanity out there....Just when we didn't think things could get any nutty crazier, eh??