Naughty November

Four new starts per weekend in November.

This idea was cooked up by Rachel and Tiff in order to add some excitement to November.  Because who doesn't need some new starts just as we come to the close of the year and are trying to finish projects?

I was so undecided what to stitch to join in with this - four Hallowe'en, four Christmas, four Just Nan, four random freebies??  Four BAPs to get a head start on 21 in '21?

In the end I decided I didn't want to add to my total number of WIPs this year which meant stitching something I could finish in a weekend.  Something small.  Something tiny.  Three tiny things in the end!

stitched over one on 28 count Moondust Murano from Crafty Kitten

I've been helping admin the Stitchonomy Facebook Group this year.  Because apparently it's a rule that if I join a group, at some point I will be asked to help admin it.  

(Side story - when I left work to have my son I decided not to go back at the end of my maternity leave.  One of my colleagues said "I'll give it six months and you'll be running something".  Sure enough - I was running the Toddler Group we went to!)

Anyway, Stitchonomy have just finished the Halloween SAL and I was planning to stitch my favourite motifs for my scrapbook.  Alyssa had designed a cute little haunted house and one or two others had done their own versions.  Which was when I had my plan - a tiny haunted village!  The top left design is the original by Alyssa and the other two can be found in the group on Facebook.  We are taking sign-ups for the Winter SAL, why not join us?

So that is three new starts and finishes for the first weekend.  Is it a bit naughty to count three minis as separate projects?  Well, that is the name of the SAL!

Next weekend I intend to stitch some more freebies I have been collecting and build my village up.

I actually had a new start the previous weekend, a new SAL with Leonore and some of the Just Nan FB group.  Yes, there has to be a Just Nan in my rotation at all times.

stitched on 28 count Burgundy linen

(think DMC 816 for a colour match)

The design is Snowfire Christmas and we choose this one because Leonore had it, she does not yet have such an extensive collection of JN samplers as I do.  I've set up a schedule of 2-3 bands per week to finish by Christmas.  The original is charted on white linen so this is a bold choice.

The other project I've been working on is my Alice in Wonderland SAL.  I didn't stitch the October block because it was Dark October so the plan was to do two blocks this month.  But last month the design was The Frog and Fish Footmen and this month is The Knave of Hearts.  With only one month to go, there is still no sign of The Queen of Hearts or the Caterpillar.  Both essential characters for me.

So I stitched the Knave of Hearts in his block.  If next month is the Queen, she will go in the bottom left block and I will chart a Caterpillar for the bottom right.  If next month is the Caterpillar, I will chart the Queen.  If next month is neither than I will just have to chart them both!!

Knave of Hearts before backstitch

Knave of Hearts with backstitch

The whole project so far:

stitched on 32 count Yellow Belfast linen

It's an absolutely gorgeous design and I've loved stitching it.  It's a little disappointing that she randomly chose not to use the Tenniel illustration for the White Rabbit and used The Tweedles from Looking Glass but no other characters from that book.

The Knave has some gold thread and lots of beads to add.  I'll be doing those at the end.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎅🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Finally, it's time to sign up for the Advent Calendar Blog Hop!  For this hop, each participant is allocated a day in December to make their post on.  They will show something they have stitched on a Christmas theme and answer the topic question I set.   I then copy their photo onto my blog post in the style of an Advent Calendar.

So if you'd like to join in, please leave a comment or send me an email.  Let me know if there is a date you would particularly like or one you'd like to avoid.  I will be in touch towards the end of the month!

Here is a link to last year's so you can see how it works:

2019 Online Advent Calendar