2023 recap, Updates

Good morning! Here we are on the cusp of 2024 and it's time for my look back at this year. First up though is Christmas. I went to my daughter's place for for the day. I made pumpkin bread and breakfast burritos of eggs and Chorizo, a Mexican sausage. We don't do formal dinners for Christmas day, just finger foods that we can graze on all day. It was pretty iffy as both my daughter and her roommate were sick but 6 days later I'm not sick at all. Just a touch of my friend Vertigo. It's been a couple years of being fine but now I'm pretty lightheaded, ugh. I'm taking it easy the rest of the day  

Alright, let's look at my recent finishes, progress, and a new start. I'm hoping my phone memory cooperates!

I have 2 more finishes for this month...here's Christmas Lodge by Verbena on Etsy...

How cute is this?! On 32ct Taupe lugana. So I have a couple possible ways of FFOing this. As an ornament with a large bead at the top with a trim as the hanger, or put on a wooden shape from Hob Lob or a wood bird house shape using mat board with magnets. Stay tuned!

Next finish is Moonlight by LHN...

So pretty! My cell camera washed out the pic. I used the called for Belle Soie in Icing. That whole skein was used and I ran out of it at the N and the whole last border portion above the N. I decided to ransack my floss stash for a matching DMC or overdyed, and guess what? CCW Bamboo was the perfect match!! I can't see a difference at all. I love it!

I had a Christmas Day start and that was Dog's Declaration by Ink Circles....

Just a tiny start. I am missing 3 of the 6-strand Valdani floss and put in a 123stitch order which arrives on Tuesday. 

I have progress on 2 pieces that I'm stitching for a challenge and they are Jack's Bash and the Noel Sampler...

Jack has gotten some pretty good progress but I've already made a mistake in the sawtooth border beneath the alphabet. I'm leaving it!

And on Noel....

I'm looking forward to the big house that's kind of started to the right of the bird and flowers. I'll continue working on Noel whenever I can in '24.

I also had a tiny start...

This is The One by Asbery's Echoes Stitches on Etsy. If you like primitive style designs, she's a good one. Since this picture was taken, the heart is now at the halfway point. I hope to have it finished by tonight so I can count it in my Stitch from Stash numbers. The fabric is shown as super dark but it's not. It's Parchment from Zweigart.

Time to talk about 2023. The phrase for me in 2024 is Taking it Easy! From my stitching to books on Goodreads, I'm not signing up for a bunch of SALs or joining the reading challenge on Goodreads. For reading, I read 6 books but at the end I powered through the last book to  make it to 6 but I don't like reading books that way! So for 2024, I'm not signing up and I'm reading what I want....

These are it! My umpteenth reread of the Outlander series and Mexican Gothic, a scary story that I bought myself for Christmas.

I had 25 finishes this year! Twenty six if I can finish the tiny Valentine's start. Some were large like Song of the Seasons and Frosty Forest. I also made the mistake of counting the pile of unfinished things and that number is 46! They're big ones that need a frame or smalls that need to be a flat ornament or a pin pillow.

I'm doing just one Challenge in 2024. It's called the Big Spooky 4 in 2024. All 4 designs need to be bigger than 100 x 100. In the first quarter, Jack's Bash is the first project, and 3 new Halloween starts for the remaining 3 quarters in the year. Last year, I took on 4 challenges or SALs. That was a bit too much!

I'm continuing with Stitch from Stash next year. While I'm stitching the big pieces, I'd like to finish some smaller WIPs and SFS helps with that. I'm ending this year in the black with a positive balance of $16!

My last post of 2023! 

Here's to a fantastic 2024 to you all!! A year of wellbeing, prosperity, family happiness, and lots of great stitching!! Thank you for following me all year long and watching me keep up with all the projects I stitched this year. 

See you in 2024!