October Pie and Stitch from Stash

It's the end of Dark October and time for a quick resume of what I actually stitched.  A very successful month as it turned out.

I'll show the Pie first and then go through the various designs.

I used the Tiny Decisions app to choose which piece I was going to work on each day.  Nora Corbett's Raven got a lot of love.

Here's where she was at the start of the month:

And here's where she is now:

stitched on 32 count Nebula by Crafty Kitten

A similar success story for Just Nan's Autumn Mouse House.  From here:

To here:

Plum Street Sampler's Brew Ha Ha became a finish:

stitched over 1 on 32 count Platinum linen

As did JBW's Smiling Jack-O-Lanterns:

stitched on 32 count Platinum linen

AND Jardin Prive's Happy Hallowe'en Night:

stitched on 32 count Cognac linen

I even managed to get half a gate stitched on my Lavender & Lace conversion of Enchanted Alphabet.  Can you tell where the gate came from?

I have a lot to report for my Stitch from Stash update too.  Fortunately, it all comes under the heading of Birthday Money.  I made a delayed trip to a needlecraft shop in Great Yarmouth with a friend who works in a school.  So it had to be during half term!  I use this needlecraft shop to order the Just Nan charts but this was the first time I'd actually visited.  We were there so long, the owner made us a cup of coffee each!  Here's my haul:

a nice offcut from a piece of Polstitches fabric

2 charts, both seasonal.

All 4 Indigo Rose Seasonal Samplers.  

I stitched part of the Autumn one for a Round Robin a few years back

The Just Nans from last month!

And here's the spending total.

October
Cross Stitcher sub	£8.72
Kingsland chart	£2.65
JABCO Autumn	£6.99
Indigo Rose x 4 seasons	£23.96
Polstitches fabric	£7.50
Total	£49.82

Finally, I shot a little video of some of my Hallowe'en display.  Hope you are able to upload and view it OK.

Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop 2018

Some of my spooky stitching on display

Welcome to the spooky hallowe’en mystery phrase blog hop!

All you need to do is visit each of the following blogs in order, jot down the letter displayed with their Hallowe'en stitched picture then return here and leave a comment telling me the Mystery Phrase.

It'd be nice if you left a comment on their blog too, especially if it's new to you.

I have "moderate comments before publishing" enabled so no-one can copy anyone else!

So without further ado,

start the blog hop – enter if you dare…

A Patchwork of Crafts

Purple Pixie Dust

Ariadne From Greece (extra giveaway here)

Wicked Stitcher

The Alchymyst's Study

Today I Found

Dragon Stitches and Stuff by Astrid

Jeremiah's Mom

Kitten Stitching

Ishkabibble

Jocondine

Needle, Pen & Sword

Aimetu's Stitching

The Crafty Princess

Tiffstitches a Blog

Le Coeur Celtique

Books, Crafts and Other Procrastinations

Beth's Needlework Stash

Tickled Pink in Stitches

The prize this year will be the chart for JBW's Smiling Jack-O-Lantern and some spooky goodies I put together.  

stitched on 32 count Platinum linen

People who posted a picture will get one entry for that and another chance for their guess too.  Everyone who comments get an entry into the Five Hops Challenge I'm running this year as well.

Don't forget, some of us are on different time zones so if you visit a blog and can't find a letter or picture yet, pop back later in the day.  

The competition is open for one week closing 00.01 hours 7th November GMT.

happy hunting!

        

all from Hyraea

October WIPocalypse Rotation or OAAT?

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World.  For me, this will be my "18 in '18".  Many of them are part of SALs so I will be working on them each month.

This month I worked on 4 of my 18 projects:

Lavender & Lace Enchanted Alphabet.  I have finished all the letters now and am adding the embellishments from various other charts.  I started a wrought iron gate at the bottom of the piece.

stitched on 32 count Tiger Lily Murano by Sparklies

Just Nan Haunted Autumn Mouse in a House.  This was my 10-a-Day project (stitching the frames) and it came up several times in the Tiny Decisions app so I got plenty done this month.

stitched on 32 count Antique Ivory linen

Jardin Prive Happy Hallowe'en Night - a finish!  Happy Dance!

stitched on 32 count Cognac linen

Mrs Peggotty Alice & The Flamingo

stitched over 1 on 25 count blue evenweave

Measi always sets us a discussion topic:

October - Do you prefer to stitch on a rotation or one project at a time?

Well, that should be obvious to anyone who follows the blog!  Rotation all the way.  As follows:

Each day - Ten-a-Day project - currently Just Nan's Autumn House, soon to be Winter in the Square

Each day - Hetti's Temperature SAL (see below for latest photo)

Each day - Mrs Peggotty's Alice & the Flamingo - stitched while supervising the Small Boy in the bath

Each month - one part of a Hallowe'en project (Jardin Prive this year)

Each month - one part of a Christmas project (Just Nan's 12 Days of Christmas this year)

Then I choose a project from my "18 in '18" to focus on.  These are the 18 projects I chose at the beginning of the year to stitch and hopefully finish that year.  This month I stitched on four of them.  You can see the full list and progress here.

Temperatures up to 16th October, 2018

stitched over 1 on 22 count hardanger

Finally, the next post you will see here will be the annual Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop.  Hope you all enjoy the spooky fun, visit some blogs and leave some encouraging comments!

October Smalls SAL

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Stitching Lotus

This year I have been showing my Just Nan 12 Days of Christmas blocks for the Smalls SAL and also my 30-a-day projects.  All smalls also by Just Nan.  It's a Nan-a-thon year!

October was a little bit different though.  I managed to get all of Day 10 done except the number itself in September so I could clear the decks for Dark October stitching.

stitched on 32 count Vintage Grain linen

From the 1st October I used the Tiny Decisions app to choose my project each day.  This was very successful and I got two more Small finishes out of that plus one larger one which I will save for the WIPocalypse post.

The first finish is by Plum Street Samplers, the freebie called Brew Ha Ha (click for the link to the design).

stitched over 1 on 32 count Platinum linen

The second finish is a cute JBW design called Smiling Jack-O-Lanterns.  All I had to do on this one today was the very fiddly plaits.

stitched on 32 count Platinum linen

Finally, I have everyone signed up for the Hallowe'en Blog Hop so I will be choosing the Mystery Phrase over the weekend and emailing everyone with their letter and further instructions.  If you signed up and don't get an email, please do contact me.  I'd hate to miss anyone out.

October IHSW

This weekend was the October International Hermit & Stitch Weekend where we all try to get as much stitching time in as we possibly can.  Just like every other weekend of the year but this is Official!

Unfortunately, I didn't get as much stitching as I'd hoped.  I didn't actually sit down to stitch until 3pm on either day and then there were other interruptions too.  But there was some progress and every stitch counts.

The Tiny Decisions app choose the same project for both days which was helpful.  Just Nan's Autumn Mouse House,  I completed most of one of the panels.  There are a couple of stitches of white and yellow as well as the black but I intend to do all four panels and then add the odd stitches at the end to save changing threads too often.

stitched on 32 count Antique Ivory linen

I stitched the grass on this panel:

My evening project this year is Mrs Peggotty's Alice and the Flamingo.  Here's where she was last IHSW:

And here's where she is now, slow progress again:

stitched over 1 on 25 count evenweave

Unfortunately there is some frogging due.  I started a new length of the light green and it's a totally different colour.  I can only assume the original length came from a different skein, maybe a leftover from a kit?  Anyway, it is too obvious to leave so it has to come out.

A few people have said that they don't do Facebook and asked if I could host a link-up for them, so here it is! Just add your name and the link to your actual IHSW post, not just your blog home page.

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The next IHSW will be 16th - 18th November so make sure you note the date in your diary or come and join us in the Facebook Group - IHSW on Facebook. If you don't do Facebook then you can check in here.

Finally the Harry Potter Quiz Night at work went very well.  A shop full of witches, wizards and Potterhead Muggles all enjoying having their brains tested to the limit.

Hermitting Starts Here!

It's the start of the October International Hermit & Stitch Weekend where we all try to get as much stitching time in as we possibly can.  Just like every other weekend of the year but this is Official!

I have no idea what I'll be stitching as I am using the Tiny Decisions app to choose my project each day.  But here's what it told me to do for the last few days:

Jardin Prive - Happy Hallowe'en Night

Day 14

JBW - Smiling Jack O' Lantern:

Day 17

Just Nan - Autumn Mouse House:

Day 11

Nora Corbett - Raven:

Days 8, 9, 10, 16 and 19

And a finish!  Plum Street Samplers - Brew Ha Ha:

Days 7, 12, 13, 15 and 18 

I stitched this over one on 32 count Platinum linen using some of the called for colours.  I changed the large coffee bean man into DMC 4130 and the coffee cups into the colours used for the leaves.  Because I stitched it over one, it meant I could stitch the border over two and just do a single X instead of 4 smaller xx.  It was charted to have the dark grey inbetween the orange in the border but I thought that would be too heavy and preferred it like this.

Depending on what comes up this weekend, we could see two more finishes!  Or a lot more purple on Raven.

I've also been busy with my rock painting, my second obsession.  This is not taking time away from my stitching but does take time from the computer.  So if I haven't visited your blog lately, I apologise; I was getting rocked!

Here's a batch I have done for a Harry Potter event at the shop where I work:

Just to prove that I am not the only artistic one working there, here are the wands my colleague made:

Look at them!!  Garden canes with hot glue and painted.  There's a YouTube tutorial apparently.  These are seriously incredible.  This is the disclaimer I added to our Facebook page:

"Please note - we are not responsible for the result of using the wands. Your own magical ability will determine whether it works or not. Please do not turn us into toads or complain if you are a Muggle and nothing happens!"

Don't want to get sued for defective wands.

Finally, it's nearly time for the spookiest Hop on the Blog - the annual Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop.  For this one, you send me an email or leave a comment saying you would like to take part.  A few days before the end of October I will send you an email with a letter of the alphabet.  On the 31st you must make a blog post featuring something spooky you have stitched (or crafted) and your letter.

I will list all the participants on my blog and we all hop around collecting the letters to form the spooky phrase - report back to my blog and leave a comment to win a prize!