Ballerinas first used darning to strengthen the toes of their flat shoes and so to allow them to go on pointe.  Modern shoes, obviously are made with tons of glue etc in the toe box to make them strong for pointe work, so darning isn't totally necessary.  I never did it myself, my shoes were pretty long lasting for me.  But I knew girls who took their shoes to a cobbler to have a rubber like material attached to the toe, or to have a leather like material attached (sorry I don't know the exact materials used).  Obviously darning is probably cheaper than this, so check out this tutorial from Freed: http://www.freedusa.com/magazine/14_6_tips.html
In addition, I've read that you don't have to go through all the layers of the toe box with your needle, just enough  for a secure stitch (http://www.ballet.co.uk/dcforum/training/634.html#9.  You can also customize what you do, so if you tend to roll out to either side of the box, you'd sew extra layers on one side.
  Hope this helps!

Such classy diapers! I to love the lobster! 

I really like your take on this pattern! I actually picked up the same pattern on sale a while back to, and had shiny fabric lined up to make it look just like it was pictured on the envelope...but I just couldn't get excited about sewing with that type of fabric!  Maybe I'll go your route and make something comfy! Woo! Very nice!

What a lovely simple design! I like that you embroidered on something entirely wearable and functional, rather than just embroidered random fabric then made it into something (as I have a habit of doing)! Very nice!

So cool!  I'm in neuroanatomy class right now, and we have a brain coloring book, but just think how well one would know the parts of the brain after stitching them for hours!  Lovely work!

Wow! I had never heard of that either! It looks great! What are you planning to use it for? (the site I found about biscornus mentioned a lot of possible uses)

I will unpick if I figure out I've made a mistake in time to easily correct the problem (meaning before I stitch all around the problem-area with other colors) or if it's crucial to the integrity of the design.

Indeed, I only found the problem when I was trying to connect two areas and they didn't match up! My new strategy is to forget what the back looks like and to go for a shorter stretch then cut the thread there=less to unpick if I mess up again.  I'm really liking Blackwork though!!   

Could you unpick from the very beginning of your work rather than the end, and see if you can sort it that way?

Thanks for saying that! I was getting seriously bogged down at the thought of taking it all out, or getting new linen and starting over...anyway, I searched for a nice spot near the beginning, and didn't have to unpick too much as it turns out!  Thanks again, truly 

I'm new and so don't fit the criteria yet, but this sounds awesome! For the Horde!

I have The Embroiderer's Handbook by Margie Bower (http://www.amazon.com/Embroiderers-Handbook-Step-Step-Techniques/dp/0715320378) which I love for reference. It has full color step-by-step photographs!

For Crewel related, I've found Margery Burnham Howe's book on Deerfield Embroidery to be very good.  It has patterns from colonial Massachusetts.  Many of the patterns were originally done in blue on white, but you could easily do them in more colorful Crewel style. I got it at the library, but: http://www.amazon.com/Deerfield-Embroidery-Traditional-Patterns-Massachusetts/dp/B000OMXTHK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203801995&sr=1-5

Good luck!