November Stitch from Stash and Pie

 It's time for some Pie:

I decided to just do one week on Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow this month so I could get more time on both Joan Elliott and Fairy Idyll.

I'd made a small start on Block 9 in September and had reached this point on 1st October:

Now I am here:

stitched over one on 25 count Cassia Rose evenweave from Chromatic Alchemy

So far the number of days is:

Block 7 - 13 days

Block 6 - 16 days

Block 2 - 19 days

Block 3 - 20 days

Block 4 - 15 days

Block 1 - 19 days

Block 5 - 25 days

Block 8 - 15 days

Block 9 - 10 days and counting

I completed another block on the Joan Elliott Faces SAL:

stitched on 28 count Snapdragon Jazlyn from Crafty Kitten 

The Mani di Donna Halloween Sewing Basket is going to be my Dark 13th project, so I stitched for one day on the 13th

stitched on 32 count grey linen

Which leads us to Fairy Idyll from Mirabilia.   Here's where I started her this month:

Here's the part I've been focusing on, I really wanted to get this stone face finished:

And here's the whole piece so far:

stitched on 32 count Vinyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

Next year she will be my focus piece once I complete Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow.

I've kept my usual bath-time stitching pie as well.  

I knocked the Jardin Prive 12 Days of Christmas out as well as my Stitchonomy Cabinet of Curiosities and was wondering what to put in the evening slot when my Cross Stitcher magazine appeared on the doormat.  On the front cover was this lovely house:

The first in a series of 13.  Here's where I am so far:

stitched on 28 count grey evenweave

These will be a lovely bathtime and work project throughout next year.

Finally, Stitch from Stash:

The final two Shannon Christine 12 Days of Christmas designs plus the 10th and 11th Year in the Woods charts.

November WIPocalypse Stitching Planning

         

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.  Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "22 in '22" for this year.  Since my last post I have stitched on 5 of them, with 2 finishes and one goal met.

1. Joan Elliott Faces SAL - Goal met

stitched on 28 count Snapdragon Jazlyn from Crafty Kitten

5. Carriage House Samplings Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow

stitched over one on 25 count Cassia Rose from Chromatic Alchemy

6. Mirabilia Fairy Idyll

stitched on 32 count Vinyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

10. Stitchonomy Cabinet of Curiosities - Finish

stitched on 28 count tan evenweave

17. Jardin Prive 12 Days of Christmas - Finish

stitched on 32 count Millenium Blue linen

The full list can be seen here - WIPocalypse and 22 in 22

Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too.

November - When do you begin planning your stitching goals for the next year?

Answer - probably about June!  Or earlier if something catches my eye.  I have a WIP list which forms the basis for my 22 in '22 and my WIPGO Board.  As the year progresses I start thinking about which projects will be finishes before the end of the year and which one I want to focus on.  When I do my Longest Day Marathon in June, that always mades me think about the WIPs I have active.

At this point, my WIPGO Board is pretty much set for next year.  It's quite similar to this year, with 10 spaces dedicated to my Focus Project.  That will be Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow until it is finished and then Fairy Idyll for the rest of the year.  The other 14 spaces will be shared over my main goals which include completing Little Snapdragon and the CCN Main Street conversion.

I am undecided about my 23 in '23.  Focusing on larger projects means I end up filling the list with smaller things and then something comes in which I want to stitch instead.  This year it was 3D buildings!  But it does make a good basis for my WIPocalypse post, rather than just showing my WIPGO Board projects each month.  We shall see.  Stay tuned and all will be revealed on the last Sunday in December!

Finally, I have one space left in the Advent Calendar Blog Hop, send me an email if you would like it.  

November Smalls

          

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Mary's Thread

This year my Smalls have been the Jardin Prive 12 Days of Christmas which I started on Boxing Day 2021 for the 12 Days of Stitchmas.  I started well, completing one per month but ran out of steam in September and sort of lost interest in the project when I got into the 3D Haunted Mansion and then the Stitchonomy SAL.

So in November I was determined to knock the last four out and get this project finished.  Not FFO'd though!

Here's the final four:

stitched on 32 count Millenium Blue linen

And here's a collage of the first eight:

Isn't it funny how different the fabric looks in the different lights when each photo was taken?

These are the two I have FFO'd so far:

I managed another day on my Mani di Donna Halloween Sewing Basket for Dark 13 Stitching:

stitched on 32 count grey linen

Finally, it's time to sign up for the biggest Blog Hop of the year.  I am sure you all know how it works but for those who need a reminder - here's a link to last year's:

2021 Advent Calendar

If you want to take part, just leave a comment here or email me if you are a "no reply" person.  I need an email address for you to take part in this hop.

November TUSAL and Stitching Library

       

It's TUSAL time!  

Here is my TUSAL jar with my current project:

Here's the part of Fairy Idyll I have been stitching this week:

stitched on 32 count Vinyard Murano from Crafty Kitten.

I haven't had a lot of stitching time this week, but I'd like to get this stone face completed by the end of the month.

What's on my Shelf?

This is a feature I'm going to include on my TUSAL post until I run out of books! I started a Page on my Happy Dance blog for my Stitching Library and realised what a huge task it was so decided to break it down to one book per month. For the next four years...

Title: Fairy Enchantment

Author: Joan Elliott

Publisher: House of White Birches
ISBN: 9781592173464

I'm quite a fan of Joan Elliott's work and this has some lovely larger fairy designs in it.

The cover design is the one I used for the centre part of my Faces SAL.

I stitched some of the butterflies over one:

This is a favourite of mine because of the book

Spider woman!

Another favourite because of the dragon

Fairy's Garden

And four cute smalls

The back cover has pictures of all the designs:

It's a lovely book, good value.  The charts are nice and clear with mock-ups of the finished designs.  Butterfly Fairy is the only one that has a stitched model.

It's a very slim volume but has instructions about how to start cross stitching and a full supply list for each project as well as recommended fabrics.

Like many books, it's quite hard to stitch from the book because the pages don't stay open unless you crack the spine!  You would be best to make a working copy and stitch from that, or remove the pages and put them in plastic wallets.

Finally, it's time to sign up for the biggest Blog Hop of the year. I am sure you all know how it works but for those who need a reminder - here's a link to last year's:

2021 Advent Calendar

If you want to take part, just leave a comment here or email me if you are a "no reply" person. I need an email address for you to take part in this hop.

November IHSW

 

IHSW or International Hermit and Stitch Weekend always starts on the third Friday of the month.  It's a chance to lock yourself away and focus on your stitching for the weekend.  You can take part on your blog or via the Facebook page - IHSW on Facebook.

Not a very successful IHSW this month.  I was working full days on both Friday and Monday so very little stitching time on either day.

But I did manage a bit on my focus project for this month - Fairy Idyll by Mirabilia.

Here's where she was on Saturday morning:

And here's where I finished:

stitched on 32 count Vinyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

There's a lot of confetti in this portion of the design, a lovely Caron called Java and then several shades of grey for the stone head which you can just see appearing.

I'm going to carry on with her until the end of the month.  I'd like to see the stone head finished.

In the evenings I worked on my 12 Days of Christmas designs by Jardin Prive.  I decided just to plough through them all and have nearly finished Day 12 so I'll save the photos until they are all done.

The next IHSW will be 16th - 18th December 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 by leaving a comment on my post.

Finally, it's time to sign up for the biggest Blog Hop of the year. I am sure you all know how it works but for those who need a reminder - here's a link to last year's:

2021 Advent Calendar

If you want to take part, just leave a comment here or email me if you are a "no reply" person. I need an email address for you to take part in this hop.

November Gifted Gorgeousness Link-up Post

       

Welcome to the November Gifted Gorgeousness link-up. The link-up date continues to be the 15th and I will keep the link-up open until the end of each month so you have plenty of time if you are late posting.

The format remains exactly the same, there is a list of rules on the main sign-up page if you want to check what is required but basically anything connected to the word "gift" is allowed, whether it was a gift TO you or is a gift FROM you.

My main gifted project is my Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow which is my focus project for the year.  I've been working away on Block 9 recently.  The fill-in on the Mummy took for ever!  It still needs wrapping with straight stitches on top.

stitched over one on 25 count Cassia Rose evenweave from Chromatic Alchemy

Just Nan's Scream House became a fully finished object:

The Stitchonomy SAL, The Cabinet of Curiousities, is finished now.

stitched on 28 count tan evenweave

I also completed a block on my Joan Elliott Faces SAL.  The fabric was a gift:

stitched on 28 count Snapdragon Jazlyn from Crafty Kitten

This was a new start for Dark October.  This was a piece I bought with Birthday money back in 2020. It's by Mani di Donna and is going to be a Halloween Sewing Basket:

stitched on 32 count grey linen

This is going to be my Dark 13 project and I plan to stitch it on the 13th of each month.

Now it is your turn to show us your Gifted Gorgeousness for the month.  Please use your name or your blog name in the field and NOT the words "November Update" so I can easily see who has linked up this month.  And link to the actual post, not just your blog.  It is easier if you copy and paste the link, rather than typing freehand.

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Finally, it's time to sign up for the biggest Blog Hop of the year. I am sure you all know how it works but for those who need a reminder - here's a link to last year's:

2021 Advent Calendar

If you want to take part, just leave a comment here or email me if you are a "no reply" person. I need an email address for you to take part in this hop.

Finally Fully Finishing for November

       

Hosted by Rachel the Ten Hour Stitcher

This SAL is designed to motivate us all to do something with that box of Finished pieces instead of just storing them under the bed.  We will all be linking up on Rachel's blog on or after the 10th of each month (10 Hour Stitcher - 10th of the month).

As I reported in my IHSW post, I managed to FFO Just Nan's Scream House.  I am so pleased with this finish, it was my unicorn chart for so long and looks great in my Halloween display too.

And now the House has a Mouse:

This is Miss Stitchy Witchy Mouse:

The kit comes with a gold plated needle that is supposed to be attached to the mouse and has threads trailing from the eye.  (Hence the name - Stitchy Witchy).  However, my son is quite attracted to these mice so I don't think it's a good idea to have a needle in one.

I do like her little black cat:

And now, a professional finish, my purple conversion of Nora Corbett's Zodiac Girl Virgo:

My framer chose the frame, she thought this burnished silver would compliment the design.  There is no mount so plenty of the fabric can be seen but there is an inner insert so the glass is away from the beads.

Finally, thanks to everyone who took part in my Annual Halloween Trick or Treat Blog Hop.  The mystery phrase was "Spells & Potions", which went well with the final block on my Cabinet of Curiosities: