April 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.

This year I am trying something different for IHSW - an A-Z Challenge!  These usually take place in April and people stitch one letter every day except Sunday.  I don't want to swap projects daily so thought I could do 2 or 3 letters per IHSW instead.  

April is G and H.  Once again I wasn't working Friday so I started there with H for Hocus Pocus Cabinet from Primitive Hare.  

Here's where I finished:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Country Mocha  linen

Next up on Saturday was H for Head - Art Nouveau Head from Craft Collection and now my oldest WIP.

It went from here:

to here:

stitched on 14 count white aida

I got loads done as it was quite easy and repetitive.  I had originally swapped G and H over as I thought my big stitching day was going to be Sunday and I wanted to focus on Gardens of London for the day.  However, it turned out that I got more hours in on Saturday.  The problem with Gardens is that I need to have the computer open and sit in front of it to stitch which wasn't possible on Saturday.  Whereas the Art Nouveau Head is just one piece of A4 paper and a smaller piece of fabric.

I did get the gold backstitch finished on one Guard's Box and started on the final one:

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast from Crafty Kitten

I'm thinking of adding in another day on this one before the end of the month to make up for it.  At least to finish the gold on the boxes.

Another very successful IHSW.  It's fun to get a chance to work on some of my older pieces for more than just 30 minutes for the Longest Day Marathon.

Next month I have only one project for each of I and J.  Then we come to my first blank which is K.  I do have a Lizzie*Kate design on my 24 list so I may have to start that one.  To fit in all the letters in 12 months I have to have two months where I stitch 3 letters or skip a letter.  It makes sense for May to be that month.

Finally the next IHSW will be 17th - 19th May 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.

November Stitch from Stash and Pie

 It's time for Pie!

My plan for November was to stitch my Chatelaine, Gardens of London, for as many days as possible.  It's a large, complex design that I really need to sit down and focus on for an extended period of time.

It went from here:

to here:

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast from Crafty Kitten

I managed to complete both the telephone boxes and the two guardsmen.  I just need to finish the metallics on both boxes.

When I wasn't able to work on my Chatelaine, I focused on a new start.  The Tree of Life from Steady Thread.

stitched on 28 count Cashel linen in Meadow Mist from Silkweaver

I was really pleased to get the branches of the tree completed as it means I can start adding the daily leaves from 1st January.  

This was also my evening project throughout November:

The other four days were my Zodiac signs from the Circle Cross Art Nouveau Tarot.

I completed Scorpio and Sagittarius this month:

And made a very small start on the border for Capricorn.

stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers

I'm actually ahead of target on this one which is a good place to be.  Especially as she keeps on releasing new designs I really want to stitch!

Stitch from Stash - after the excitement of my Birthday month, I am back to zero!

Finally, the Advent Calendar Blog Hop starts tomorrow.  The post will go up early so you can see all the doors and I'll update it each day as the participant posts on their blog.

November WIPocalypse Ornament Finishing

          

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 "23 in '23" for this year.  This month I only stitched on 2 of my WIPs.

3. Chatelaine Gardens of London

So much detail in those little guardsmen!

18. Circle Cross Blackwork Tarot

Sagittarius

The full list can be seen here - WIPocalypse and "23 in '23"

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too:

November – What is your favourite way to finish ornaments and/or smalls?

You mean apart from "popping them in a folder to be finished later"?  I call this The Ron Method.  Because they will be finished Later Ron hahaha.

A lot of my Smalls have been scrapbooked as I simply don't have space for loads of smalls everywhere.  I do try finish my Christmas Ornaments and have a lovely garland I put up each year with some of my ornaments and some gifted by my lovely friends.

Here's a couple of photos from last Christmas:

Mostly simple pillows.  Although I do like a 3D finish and here's my festive bookshop from Living on the Rainbow:

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.

My main project was my Chatelaine, Gardens of London.  I'm stitching this as often as I can throughout the entire month as it's not very portable!

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast from Crafty Kitten

I managed a little bit of Sagittarius from Circle Cross too, you can see her arm pulling back her bowstring just appearing:

stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers

In the evenings and during the days when I can't stitch my Chatelaine, I've been working away on my Tree of Life from Steady Thread.  The tree itself is quite complicated but the border is very simple and once that is in place it's easier to see if the tree itself has gone wrong.

stitched on 28 count Cashel linen in Meadow Mist from Silkweaver

Finally, the next IHSW will be 15th - 17th 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.

Gifted Gorgeousness November 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.

For October, my focus was my spooky conversion of CCN's Main Street which was a lovely Halloween finish:

stitched on 32 count Charcoal Slate Murano from Sparklies

I continued with my Dark 13 project which is Mani di Donna's Halloween Sewing Basket and FFO'd that in time for Halloween.  

So far this month my focus has been my Chatelaine Gardens of London.  This was a gift for a Big Zero Birthday.  This month I've been stitching the iconic phone boxes.

I also had a new start which was a prize I won, stitched on gifted fabric.  This is Tree of Life from Steady Thread and will be a Temperature SAL for 2024

I made some more progress on the Zodiac Signs from Circle Cross' Tarot design.  I finished Libra and Scorpio then started on Sagittarius: 

stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers

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.

*

*

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:

2022 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

 

It's TUSAL time!  

Here is my TUSAL jar with two of my current projects:

At the back we have my Chatelaine Gardens of London:

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds linen from Crafty Kitten

I'm working on the two phone boxes at the moment.  I want to get them finished and maybe one of the guardsmen this month.

It's quite tricky finding time for this as it's not something you can easily pick up and put down!

So my other project has been a new start from Steady Thread.  This will be a blackwork Temperature Tree for 2024.  I figured that stitching all the border and the tree trunk would make it easier to keep up next year.

stitched on 28 count Cashel linen in Meadow Mist from Silkweavers

Not the easiest fabric to stitch blackwork on but it's a pretty pale grey-green in exactly the right size and count.

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:

2022 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.

August Stitch from Stash and Pie

  It's time for Pie:

For the first time this year, Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow did not get the full month.  Because I finished it!  Here's where I started the month:

and here's my glorious finish:

stitched over 1 on 25 count Cassia Rose from Chromatic Alchemy

The number of days it took to stitch each block is as follows:

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 - 27 days

Block 10 - 31 days

Block 11 - 32 days

Block 12 - 34 days

A grand total of 269 days, pretty much 9 months so it's been like having a baby!

The blocks took longer as time went on, partly because I've had less time for stitching in the last 12 months that before that for various reasons.  But also because those bottom four blocks are much more full coverage than the other two rows.

I then moved on to Taurus by Nora Corbett to get a good chunk of progress on her.  I've completed nearly all the cross stitches and have started the metallic gold.  There are a lot of beads in this one!

stitched on 32 count Murano in Taurus from Sparklies

I stopped after 13 days so I could fit a full 7 days into Gardens of London.  I worked on the borders for a while then stitched the blue in the Guardsman's Hut then finished on the border for the last day.

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Linen by Crafty Kitten

This is a project you need to sit down and focus on.  It's not something you can pick up and put down, or carry around the house easily.

My evening stitching was split between the Little Snapdragon from Kustom Krafts and Turn, Turn, Turn from Noteworthy Needle:

Little Snapdragon was so close to a finish I decided to move that to the evening and get it done this month.  

stitched on 32 count Evening Sky Murano from Crafty Kitten

These photos are taken after I ironed it facedown into a fluffy towel.
You can see how the stitches puff up and look amazing just from a dry iron.

Turn, Turn, Turn currently looks like this, over halfway done now:

stitched on 32 count Sea Spray linen from Wichelt

Finally, Stitch from Stash and I got two embellishment packs for my Nora Corbett Zodiac Girls.  I checked my inventory and didn't have many of the beads Taurus needs so it was more economical to buy the whole pack.  I also bought the beads for Scorpio which I plan to do after Capricorn.  I have most of the beads for Capricorn already.

August WIPocalypse WIP Workout

           

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 "23 in '23" for this year.  This month I stitched on 6 of my WIPs and had 2 large finishes.

2. Kustom Krafts Little Snapdragon - finish!

3. Chatelaine Gardens of London

5. Carriage House Samplings Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow - Finish!

11. Nora Corbett Taurus

13. Mani di Donna Halloween Stitching Basket

18. Circle Cross Blackwork Tarot

Leo

The full list can be seen here - WIPocalypse and "23 in '23"

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too:

August - What is your comfort zone regarding the number of projects to have kitted and in progress at any one time?

When I started stitching, I was pretty much a OAAT stitcher, maybe one larger and one smaller on the go.  Then I discovered the Yuku Boards and blogging and the joys of serial starting!  Also rotations and SALs.

A few years back I decided to make an active attempt to reduce my older WIPs.  When I started this attempt, I had 27 WIPs, of which 13 were older.  At the start of this year, I had 15 WIPs of which 9 were older.  So they are coming down!  This month I completed a WIP from 2015.  I now have 5 WIPs older than that of which 3 could be finished if I focused on them!

My current plan is not to start anything without a clear idea of how it fits into the rotation and the timescale for stitching it.  I've been focusing on my larger projects for a while now so next year will see a change.

It's 2024 so I'm planning "24 in '24" with 12 medium projects and 12 smalls.  The idea will be to stitch one medium and one small per month.  I have so many lovely charts in my stash I thought it would be nice to actually stitch some and take a break from the BAPs.  My WIPGO Board will help decide which order to stitch them in.

That should satisfy my need for some new starts without building up the WIPs too much!