December Stitch from Stash and Pie

 It's Old Year's Night and time for a look back at the past 365 days of stitching.

First of all, here is the Pie for December:

Definitely a 12 Days month!  You've seen the Stoney Creek in previous posts and the Bothy Threads almost finished.  Here's my French Hen all couched:

stitched on 32 count grey-blue linen

There is a small gap in the metallic border but that will be filled when I stitch Day 6!

Here are the first three days all completed:

For this year's 12 Days of Stitchmas I am stitching the Jardin Prive designs.  Here are Days 1 to 6, all stitched on 32 count Millenium Blue linen:

I'm using Anchor threads for this, nice bright colours, and I've added white to the top of each roof to look like snow!  You can see which days I was busiest doing other things.  There are large margins because I am going to finish these individually once they are stitched.

My final finish for the year was the Bubbles of Happiness from Lin Pulsion.  This was originally free but you can purchase it now.  I chose a rainbow theme for my piece:

stitched over 1 on 25 count white evenweave

In my WIPocalypse post I showed you my 12 finishes from my "21 in '21" list and now here are the rest of my finishes for the year:

Let's have a look at the Annual Pie Chart now:

The top three individual projects were:

Bothy Threads 12 Days - 54 days

Stoney Creek 12 Days - 44 days

Just Nan Scream House - 32 days

Then another seven projects with between 21 and 29 days on them.  This was very much The Year of the Rotation. 

I also stitched on a number of Just Nan projects, totalling 64 days when I only stitched those projects. 

Here's my current progress on my Christmas Elegance sampler:

stitched on 28 count white evenweave

I am a couple of weeks behind schedule but I might catch up in January.  Or I might just extend my stitching time on this one. 

I came into the year with 18 WIPs and started 35 projects over the course of the year of which 7 are still WIPs.  I also completed 3 projects started prior to 2018.  My current WIPs are:

Prior 2019	7
2019	1
2020 2021 Total	3 7 18

How did the spending go last month?  My magazine subscription came out and I bought another three of the Nora Corbett Zodiac Girls charts.

I also tallied up the spend for the whole year:

That figure is about £40 up on last year.  Once again, I spent more on charts and less on fabric and threads.  Those Zodiac Girls were my downfall!  I bought 9 of them for £9 each plus the fabric to stitch 1 on them in 2022.  I also bought more DMC than the previous year but still only 34 skeins which isn't a lot when you consider how much stitching I did!

Finally,

Have a very Happy Old Year's Night

and a very Peaceful New Year's Day

November WIPocalypse New Discoveries

           

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 "21 in '21" for this year.  This month I stitched on 6 of them and had 2 finishes plus I met 3 WIPGO Goals.   

7. Lin Pulsion Bubbles of Happiness

10. Stoney Creek 12 Days of Christmas

12. Mirabilia Fairy Idyll

13. Bothy Threads 12 Days of Christmas

16. Hands on Design Scary Apothecary Coffin Paint

21. CCN Halloween Village Millinery

The full list can be seen here - WIPocalypse and 21 in 21

Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too:

November – What new discoveries did you have in the stitching world this year?

To be honest, a lot of this year is a blur which does mean doing the Yearly Recaps next month is going to be news for me as well as you all!  I do remember being introduced to a new designer by Rachel and Tiff and having to purchase their charts immediately!

See if you can guess what it is from these photos:

Colour 1 completed

Colour 2 completed

Colour 3 completed

No idea? It's a dragon from Stitch It Picasso on Etsy!  Here's the link to the shop - Stitch It Picasso on Etsy

Finally, I emailed all the participants for the Advent Calendar Blog Hop this morning.  If you signed up and haven't had an email with your date, please get in touch and I'll try again!

The Wonder of WIPGO

 

What is WIPGO?  It's like Bingo for your WIPs.  At the start of the year you choose 25 goals for your stitching and pop them all on a numbered board.  Each month the Admin call out two numbers and those are your goals for the month.  You can stitch things out of sequence but you can't tick the numbers off until they have been called.

It's worked really well for me this year and I'm looking good to complete 24 out of my 25 goals.  It would have been all 25 but I thought I had stitched more on my Chatelaine than I actually had and I don't think I can meet that goal this year.

What I did manage was to stitch the final six days on Fairy Idyll to make a total of 24 days this year.

I added the darkest gold at the bottom of the dress and then the purple frills of the bedding.  On the original these are pink but I didn't like the colour with my fabric.  I looked at two other conversions and used the darker shades from one and the lightest shade from the other.

stitched on 32 count Murano in Vineyard from Crafty Kitten

The other WIPGO project I've been working on each evening is the Lin Pulsion Bubbles of Happiness:

stitched over 1 on 25 count white evenweave

I went for a rainbow scheme for this one using various Anchor threads from an inherited stash.  Now all the bubbles have been released I am completing it colour by colour so that gap is for an orange bubble which will wait for the final bubble in the bottom left corner which is also orange.

Here's what the Board currently looks like:

Outstanding blocks are

5 - Lin Pulsion Bubbles of Happiness - will be completed in December
7 - Hands on Design Scary Apothecary - will be completed in November *
9 - Bothy Threads 12 Days of Christmas - will be called and completed in December
16 - Chatelaine Gardens of London - thought I had completed this one but sadly not
23 - Just Nan Scream House Roof Pieces - will be called in December, already completed

I am currently putting together my Board for 2022 where my focus piece will be Halloween in Hawk Run Hollow.  Trying to decide whether to have 12 numbers for that or not.  How many other WIPs should I include?

* It's also IHSW so I'll make that my focus piece and see how far I get, check back on Monday to see!

 

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎅🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

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:

2020 Online Advent Calendar

November Smalls

 

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Mary's Thread

This year my Smalls will be my JBW 12 Days of Christmas ornaments which I started on Boxing Day 2019 for the 12 Days of Stitchmas.  Because I skipped October for Dark October, I completed two days in November.  As usual, the beads will be added when I stitch the third design:

stitched on 40 count white linen

I decided to use small charts for my Naughty November with Rachel and Tiff.  The first weekend I stitched three tiny Haunted Houses from the Stitchonomy SAL:

stitched over one on 28 count Moondust Murano from Crafty Kitten

The second weekend I started another Haunted House by the Cross Stitching Guild for the same piece:

stitched over one on 28 count evenweave in Moondust from Crafty Kitten

The third weekend I went for Christmas and started and finished a design from the Gift of Stitching magazine.  Red Berries by Rosewood Manor from December 2006:

stitched on 32 count mid green linen

I wonder what I will start this weekend?

My evening project has been Just Nan's Owl Winder Pocket.  I have finished the central Owl Mandala and the lovely zigzag design for the front of the pocket.  Now I just have the design for the back of the pocket and to make the whole thing up:

stitched on 28 count Tan Jobelan

Finally, some little Bubbles of Happiness from Lin Pulsion:

stitched over 1 on 25 count white evenweave

October WIPocalypse What to Stitch Next?

  

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 "20 in '20" for this year.  This month I only stitched on 1 of them but I did have a finish!

October was always going to be a weak month for WIPocalypse because it's Dark October where I focus on my Spooky stitching.

Only one piece was on my 20 in '20 list and that was Just Nan's Autumn Mouse Scissor Roll.  I showed the piece rolled up and unrolled before, so here are a couple of close-up photos:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Country Mocha linen

I love each of the little scenes with the cute mice running around.

This photo shows the part which ends up inside the roll.

The phrase says

"Where pumpkins hide, scissors slide"

because the panel at the end becomes the scissor pocket.

The rest of the projects I have been stitching are not on my WIPocalypse list, but it's OK, they are still keeping the End of the World at bay!

The first one is Just Nan's Scream House.  I decided to stitch the internal walls first.  This is Netty Nightshade who is directing the decorating with her faithful cats at her side and her pet spider in her hand.

stitched on 28 count Wood Violet linen from Permin

The fabric is actually this colour:

At bathtime I have been stitching this little small on a scrap of fabric. This is Happy Halloween by StitchyFish Designs:

stitched over one on 28 count linen from a Crafty Kitten grab bag

This is a freebie I have been stitching whenever I have five minutes spare!  The title is  Bubbles of Happiness from Lin Pulsion:

stitched over 1 on 25 count white evenweave

I only have 6 more bubbles and I am caught up.  Then it's just one bubble per week which will be easy.

Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:

October – How do you choose what you’re going to stitch on next?

As most people know, I have my rotation which I set at the start of the year to make sure I stitch on my WIPocalypse projects.  This year it has been:

12 Days of Christmas

Scary Apothecary

Alice in Wonderland

Discworld

Project chosen by Tiny Decisions app

Except for Joan Elliott July and Dark October!

One of the things I decided back in 2015 was that I was going to stitch more gifted designs which was the start of the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL.  I was being given so many nice charts that I wanted to make them a priority  When I am planning my WIPocalypse lists I do give precedence to charts which have been a gift to me.

I also try not to have more than one design from each designer, with the exception of Just Nan!  I have been determined to stitch more of the chart collection I have so I have been choosing a different sampler every two months.  The lovely Leonore and I stitched Morning Meadow in the summer and we are about to stitch Snowfire Christmas starting in November.  If anyone would like to join us, please let me know!

I also work through my Just Nan Smalls that I stitch for Maynia, stitching on one until it is finished.

In between that, I see what is calling.  When the Just Cross Stitch Halloween Ornament Special arrived this year there were a lot of designs I really liked in it so I decided to stitch a few of them this October.

Making plans is fun, but sometimes you have to go off plan and stitch what you want!

Finally, last chance to sign up for the Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop.  I am sure you all know how it works but for those who need a reminder - here's a link to last year's

2019 Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop

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.
 

September Smalls

 

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Mary's Thread

This year my Smalls will be my JBW 12 Days of Christmas ornaments which I started on Boxing Day 2019 for the 12 Days of Stitchmas.  I completed the Ninth Day in September: 

stitched on 40 count White linen, 1 over 2

I finished a Just Nan small, Jasmine Mix:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Country Mocha

I am catching up on the weekly SAL from the Lin Pulsion blog entitled Bulles de Bonheur or Bubbles of Happiness.  I have been saving all the charts while I decided how I wanted to stitch them.  In the end, I decided over 1 on 25 count and using rainbow colours:

stitched over one on 25 count white evenweave

This small was for Aimetu Clare's Christmas Tree.  Her theme this year is "Flowers".   This is Amaryllis by Moss Creek Designs:

stitched over one on 28 count white evenweave

For the last Smalls post I noted that my Just Cross Stitch Hallowe'en Special had arrived that day.  It's a great issue and I have one finish and one WIP already.

This is the finish - Downdraft by Turquoise Graphics & Design:

stitched on 32 count Platinum linen

And this is the WIP - Mosaic Halloween by Twisted Willow Designs:

stitched on 32 count Platinum linen

Finally, there will be a Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop as usual this 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

2019 Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop

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.

 

September 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.

I worked on Friday so my weekend got off to a late start, bath-time to be exact!  I have started a new bath-time stitch, another one of the designs from this year's Just Cross Stitch Hallowe'en Ornament Special.

This is a designer I am not familiar with - Twisted Willow Designs - but I loved the 1970s colour scheme!  I have a piece of 32 count Platinum linen I have been using for a number of Hallowe'en smalls and had one piece left.  I looked through the magazine and chose the design which would fit best and look good on Platinum!  The title is Mosaic Halloween.

stitched on 32 count Platinum linen

Once I got into Saturday, the serious stitching started and I focused on my Chatelaine; Gardens of London.  Here's where I was at the start:

And here is that lower right Garden now.  All done except for a few lime green Algerian Stitches and the backstitch:

stitched on 32 count Belfast in Cotton Clouds by Crafty Kitten

I start work on the lower left Garden tomorrow.

I completed another band on my Just Nan Hallowe'en Sampler - Beware:

stitched on 32 count tea-dyed linen

I also continued with the Bubbles of Happiness, a freebie from Lin Pulsion's blog:

stitched over one on 25 count white evenweave

Finally, the next IHSW will be 16th-18th October 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.