Happy Dancin'!!

I am back on this last day of January to show updates and, gasp!, a finish! First, let's talk about weather. Winter finally visited us! Monday through Wednesday we had a total of 3 inches of snow with some ice. There are still patches of snow in the shady spots. However, this weekend our temps will soar again. We're just happy to get any kind of precip that we can.

Happy Dance!

I finished Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler, yay!

Love it! I had to order a skein (with a few other things!) of GAST Black Crow to finish the words. I love the rat in the box on the left! Here's a few other photos I took ..

This last picture I just wanted to show those doodads, those single stitch or more that are strewn about. They were all over the border of this piece. After awhile it became easier to stitch them because they were stitched in the same places near the 3 stitch 4 side blocks, and the leaves. See that inner border of the beige-y color? That's GAST Fudge Ripple, a favorite color.

I have 2 more pieces in my 61 New Starts sal to show. Week 4 was Raven Moon...

This from the 2022 JCS Halloween issue. I started in the middle because I was unsure of my fabric. I don't know how I'll FFO it but I think there's enough fabric to work with. 

Week 5 is the White Christmas series from Hands On Design. I started Reindeer Games...

I'm using the called for 32ct Straw linen by wdw and floss. So, on a 9 x 13 piece of linen, I can fit 2 of these designs. I have 2 others but there's 9 total in this series. Below are the others plus the finishing pack...

I buy a chart when I see them on the one destashing group I'm in and started 2 years ago collecting them.  It was time to get them started!

I keep them in this project bag...

that I bought in the same group. That might be Theresa Kogut fabric.

As I mentioned on the last post, I bought into the newest SAL by The Primitive Hare, and here's the first design...

Isn't that pretty?! Isobel the designer said there will be all different sizes through the year. I thought I'd stitch them all on the same kind of fabric but now I'm not sure. You'll have to stay tuned!☺️

And that is it! My plans are to keep stitching Reindeer Games until next Wednesday when I choose the next piece. It's becoming quite plain that I have a lot of Christmas patterns chosen! I'm trying to pick the non-holiday things but I automatically pick up Christmas!🤦🏻‍♀️lol.

Take care everyone! Thanks Carol for the b-day wishes. I was taken to dinner for that and a surprise bday dessert from the restaurant but thankfully they did not all congregate and sing the bday song to me!! Haha!

See you in a couple weeks🤗 

Helloooo🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

Hi everybody! Crazy weather we're having, right?! Except for a couple times this month, it's been balmy here!! And those of you in the snow belt are really being hit! Stay safe and warm! We've had cold fronts come through but they're dry🤷🏻‍♀️it sounds weird but that's what going on. It's so dry that any precipitation doesn't reach the ground. 

I have the beginning of my 61 new starts to show, and a finish. Let's go!

On the stroke of midnight January 1st, I started this sampler...

AH 1832, a freebie by Soed Idee. It was offered in one of the Facebook groups I'm in that are sampler focused. I tried to search for the post but couldn't find it. What attracted me was the dark color in this sampler. It's navy blue, my favorite color. It's all DMC and I can't remember my linen. (The brain fog has been so bad lately). I already made a mistake in the border by using the wrong color. As I was stitching, I kept thinking that's an ugly color of vine. I didn't have the 3858 DMC and still don't. Been too busy to go to Hob Lob.

My 2nd week start is 

A Victorian Christmas by Samplers and Stitches, an Etsy seller. I have the called for floss but I'm using Cedar Plank by Lakeside linens 36ct instead of the called for Tin Roof I think. My picture doesn't do it justice as it's looking very nice. I hated to put it down but I must move on when the week is up.

The 3rd week I started Clara's Christmas. I noticed HOD sold this as a stand alone at the Jingle Ball but my design comes from a very cute book I found that tells the Christmas Carol story and has a few cross stitch patterns in it...

and here's my version, just started 2 days ago...

All DMC, and I'm using a 28ct Lugana from Fiberlicious called Sweet Tea. It's always a treat to stitch on these evenweaves. It's been fun.

That's it for the first three weeks of my stitch alone😁

What I'm doing is stitching 61 new starts for my birthday. I turn 61 in a couple weeks. I start a new piece on Wednesday and stitch for a week, then start a new one. I have everything kitted and ready to go.

Whether I stick with it is anyone's guess because it'll last into 2026. After I'm done, I'll have 77 WIPs! 🤣🤣

My plan is to keep working on my current WIPs and stitch on them in between the new things.

I do have a finish, and that's Sweet Autumn Vine by Threadwork Primitives...

I love it! Four GAST colors using 36ct Renaissance by Colour & Cotton, there's a slight rosy cast to the fabric. I made a change to the house; I left out a 2 row line of the dk brown color through the middle of the house which by the way is left unstitched. I wanted the house to have the Federal style...

Flat in the front, no porch or over hanging roof for a porch. I thought of stitching in the little bit over the front door like the picture but nah, I left it empty🤩🥰

I bought this magazine after seeing the hearts stitched up in one of the groups I'm in...

So pretty!

I also bought into a mystery SAL that The Primitive Hare is offering. It's the 12 Months of Christmas, based off Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Can't wait for the first pattern on the 31st. I'll save room in my 61 new starts for those patterns.

I believe this is it. I finally bought a skein of GAST Black Crow, among other things, from a seller in Etsy so I should be able to finish Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler before the month is up. That'll put me at just 15 WIPs left. Woohoo! 

Take care everyone, see you the end of this month!