what i don't understand

Every day I make an effort to go toward what I don't understand.
— Yo-Yo Ma (1955– )

Another 2012 TAST Challenge temari — week two's stitch is the buttonhole stitch (view my first attempts here). I started with the quote, and sketched designs until I found a way to use the stitch to create a visual expression of one way I feel about classical music — and cello music in particular.

I created an S8 division but didn't tack it; I used the vertical guides to align the bases of the buttonhole rows and the ends of the stitches. My stitching needs a lot of practice, especially gauging how the tension pulls on the threads and "mis-aligns" the straightness the top and bottom of each block. I think an S10 or S12, with shorter and denser stitches, would be more successful.

Thread wrap in chocolate brown; no division lines; embroidery in four shades of olive browns and greens, gradated from one end to the other. The quote above by Yo-Yo Ma is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.27 cm. Completed 11 January 2012 (no. 088).

Update 20 January: I finished a second "buttonhole" temari, with narrower rows, which you can see here.