What I worked on -

 

All over the map on finding something that I could focus on stitching.  Dasher and Dancer got some love....

Hannah Wilson - Needlework Press... got some love....

Then I tried the restart of a Blackbird Design - but the fabric again was just gonna crash, so I tried a third restart.... which I ended up pulling the threads out, and giving up.  

Then this got pulled back out again...  and filled in more to look like what is below.... flowers at the bottom got filled in.... 

Then it got tossed back....  But I was happy that it was filled in more.

Then I started Eliza Evans 1831 - and I can't see the designer.... and the photo came out really sad, so no photo.  I only have an area about the size of a post card started.  It's another alphabet samplar.  I ended up doing several jigsaw puzzles.  I just was not focused on stitching.  Nothing was able to hold my attention.  Eliza Evans had me fussy counting - but I got it started, and I think it's correct so far.  

I had a bunch of medical things - not because there was any problem, but because it had been two years since I finished my treatment. The results were all good - so to celebrate I donate blood - and I donate cash to the breast cancer group that helped me.  But I worry as the tests got closer - and I worry till they tell me the results.  And it takes me a day after to reset - so tonight I am pulling the stitching table closer to where I sit.  And updating this blog.  Things are good.  And I am picking back up Eliza Evans 1831. 

Three new starts....

Started two from Lizzie Kate.  Cat Lessons for People is the bottom one, and Dog Lessons for People is the top one.  Using the suggested fancy flosses.  On a 28 count Affogato lugana from Fiber on a Whim.  The colors are slightly different for each, but both seem to work on this fabric.  Not sure how well the white will work, but it is in that milk bottle at the very bottom.  I wanted to start them both since I needed to leave an odd spacing between projects. 

This is Hannah Wilson from Needlework Press.  A new start.  DMC 938 on PTP Doubloon lugana 28 count, one over one.  The pattern was meant to be stitched, two over two, and then had some areas that are one over one.....  so I will have to substitute something else, or fill with something else.  But have just decided to enjoy stitching the large stuff one over one, and figure that part out later.  I just love the weird alphabet letters, and I end up buying patterns with those letters in them. 

I was doing jigsaw puzzles, and not stitching, or just too tired to stitch in the evening for a while.  Usually that means it is time to just switch projects.  But doing a puzzle has become the alternative.  Mostly it is me doing other things, and not the things that I should be doing.  But I take photos, and then don't update the blog - so honestly, I had kind of forgotten I even had started Hannah Wilson.  And she is really lovely.

Finish #2 for 2025

Winter Kaleidoscope - Modern Folk Embroidery.  Finish #2 for 2025.  Oh, that seems really sad.  Started it in Sept of 2024, finished April 2025.  The goal was two pages a month, 20 pages total.  I finished it in 8 months, not ten months.  Do I wanna stitch it again?  Nope.  It is just over 13.5 inches square.  I used EXACTLY 11 skeins of dmc 498.  On 28 count antique white jobelan, one over one.  I do mean I used right down to the last thread of the skein.  I was totally convinced I was gonna need to pull another length from a next skein, which would have been fine.  I still had 5 skeins.  But as it slowly filled in, I got down to the last eight stitches, and I had inches to spare.  Not a lot of inches, but it was fine.  I never had an huge counting mistakes that I had to pull out several threads.  I had a few where I had to pull out maybe a couple dozen stitches.  Nothing that would make me say, oh, just get 11 skeins, you'll be fine.  Nope.  In all my years of stitching, I can't remember it being that exact.  It's lovely.  Why dmc 498 ?  It was just a red that some store had a bunch in the same dyelot, so I bought them, and stashed them.  It was a nice stitch.  Originally I liked the deer on this pattern.  He had a few others with that same deer that I have considered buying over the years.  But stitching this - funny thing was - the deer are what I hated stitching.  So those other patterns are not gonna suddenly show up in my stash.  They aren't hard to stitch deer, or fussy, but after the first deer, I was over the idea of liking to stitch the deer.  Or doing more deer.  It's a lovely pattern.  I have stitched a few of his other designs.  It was a nice one to finish and be able to move onto something else. 

Almost....

  Rose Quaker - Stickideen von der Wiehenburg.  This is where I got to before switching back to the red design.  It was time to do the next to pages on the red one.  But it was a good time for a break from this one.

Winter Kaleidoscope - Modern Folk Embroidery.  I just started filling in the frames to complete frames.  Which was me trying to keep going in the last few pages.  

Two of the frames were finished...

Completed that center area, which just leaves the outer frame, and that inner frame.  This is where it is as of this morning.  I'm hoping to finish it yet in April.  The quaker one is sitting near me ready to be picked up again. 

On the health side of things, I donated blood.  Whole blood - and just when I think that nothing new that is weird can happen....  it does.  Skipping the details, I can usually donate a pint in 6 minutes.  From needle in, to needle out.  This time was about 4.5 minutes.  They told me to stay seated, they worry about you being light headed, or getting the blood to stop flowing.  I asked why I was bleeding so fast.  She had simply gotten the needle in the perfect stab, at the perfect angle.  I had drank more water the two days before, last time I did not have enough water in me, so I tried harder this time.  But I have donated 65 times with just this place, and several gallons at other places over the years.  I would donate blood for free, and I have.  But for this donation, I got a $40 gift card.  Every region is different.  But you can go every 56 days, 8 weeks. 

Another New Start....

 Rose Quaker - Stickideen von der Wiehenburg.  Another new start from my pattern stash.  Watched a random floss tube - she talked about stitching it, and I pulled mine out to start it.  This is only three days of stitching on it, and I have the side laid in.  Yeah, not complete, but just the one to fill in a bit more on the edge.  Using the suggested dmc flosses on a 28 count antique white lugana, one over one.  I had not started it before because I was not thrilled with the floss colors.  And doing it, it would probably not be my first choice.  But it's not awful, so I am just rolling with it.  I like quaker, so that part of it makes me hang in there with it, and got me to just start it, rather than debating.... should it all be darker?  All just one color?  The pattern is from when my local needlework shop was going out of business.  It is 8 pages, and I have no pages complete yet.  

Ink Circles - Quaker Geometric Puzzle.  This is basically the first skein of dmc completed.  I'm kinda random, but now I'm kinda trying to keep the light areas light, and the darker things dark.  Again, the camera photos are not great.  And I am not gonna fussy cut to get the colors to land.  And if you have wondered, is there any logic to where I start and stop stitching in any of these things?  At the moment, I'm sometimes trying to complete the skein of floss.  Or the page, or the thread.  Sometimes trying to complete the thread leads me slightly over into the next page.  But that is never a big deal, it is whatever happens is fine. 

I placed another order for stitching things.  A couple patterns, and the flosses I would need to do those, and another pattern I have from a magazine, and I know I have it started, but having the pattern might make it easier.  But no pattern could travel alone.... 

Two more pages, and a new start...

 Modern Folk Embroidery - Winter Kaleidoscope.  Completed the two pages for March.  16 of 20 pages completed.  I love it, but I will be glad when it's done.  Each time I get a bit slower at completing the two monthly pages.  

Ink Circles - Quaker Geometric Puzzle.  A new start.  9 pages.  An older stash pattern that I just knew I wanted to change the colors somehow.  This is dmc 111 varigated floss on black 25 count lugana, one over one.  It is nicer than the photo, my camera sucks, and the flash is blowing out the colors.  The pattern says the stitch count is 225 x 225, but as soon as I finally started stitching, the count on the pages is more like 235...Not a big deal, but enough to remind me I should double check numbers against the pattern.  I have had it pop up on other patterns in the past, it happens.  I have done other Ink Circles patterns on black with Weeks floss in Whiskey.  But then Whiskey became more like Tiger's eye....which... dyelots change.  I think I have some of this dmc in my stash, but it was easier to just order more from 123Stitch.  I was ordering the fabric and a couple market patterns, and the cookbook anyway.  The hoop is sbout 7 inches.  The finished design is 9.4 inches.  I always start bottom right corner, unless it's something really weird.

5 of 24 pages

 

Courtney Collection - Mermaid's Folly (Mirrored).  This is 5 of 24 pages completed.  That bottom row is a third of a whole page.  I have done a few jigsaw puzzles lately.  As of now I am back stitching my two pages for March on the red Winter Kalidoscope design.  Got a couple patterns from market, and the cookbook.  A few flosses, and some cuts of black fabric - so I could do a pattern from market, and one from my stash.  Got all the stitching copies made, they are kitted up.  But I am enjoying the red one, once I finally pick up the needle. 

Pages for February

Modern Folk Embroidery - Winter Kaleidoscope.  Finished February's two pages, 13 and 14 of 20.  Six pages to go.  This is 8 skeins of dmc floss used at this point.  It does take me longer to get the two pages finished each time.  But I do get a few days to work on something else each month.  I did a couple jigsaw puzzles.  It gives me a break from stitching.  I picked back up the mirror image of Mermaid's Folly.

A new mirror image start...

Modern Folk Embroidery - Winter Kaleidoscope.  Working on the upper right corner.  Doing my two pages for February.  Pages 13 and 14, of 20.  This is still just barely starting the first of the two pages.

This is Mermaid's Folly from Courtney Collection.  A new start for me this year.  The bottom one is finished, and I am doing the mirror image again on the top.  It is 24 pages, and this is three pages completed, and one skein of dmc black used at this point.  I wrote that it took 8.25 skeins doing the first one.  It is PTP 28 count, Brash, one over one.  I finished the first one mid December 2020.  Finished it is 18.75 inches by 7.5 inches.  I did try working on something else that I have already started, but that did not seem to last very long.  I have completed several of the Courtney Collection patterns with both the original, and mirror images.  

An extra page done this month...

Modern Folk Embroidery - Winter Kaleidoscope.  Added an extra page this month.  This makes 12 of 20 pages completed.  I tried just starting something else from my stash, but it is silk flosses, and I just kept pulling the needle off the thread.  It did get started, but it was just sad so far.  So I went back to add another page onto this. 
Today I grabbed several things from the piles, and not sure what will be next.  The one I want to grab is 24 pages...  it is one I want to start a mirror image of the original pattern.  I have the original pattern completed.  But starting something else big seems crazy.  But the plan to do two pages a month does seem to be working for me.  And that plan would take a year..... ugh... 

Stitches and more stitches...

Modern Folk Emboidery - Winter Kaleidoscope, 11 pages completed.  My two pages for January.  Top to bottom, and side to side. 

Working my way to the corner,

Dasher and Dancer - Hobby House Press.  Working on the center christmas tree looking area.  Just stitching areas I like, or want to stitch next.  Not completing pages or being logical. 

Finish #1 for 2025

 

Finish #1 for 2025.  Ink Circles - Squirrels of Sumatra.  On Fiber on a Whim, 28 count lugana, one over one, and the color is Brown Sugar.  Used almost exactly 4 skeins of dmc 3371.  Start with more than four would be my advice.  It's about the size of a piece of paper when finished.  The photo has a flash on, so it's prettier than this photo. 

Long ago I did the little corner area with the suggested flosses in color.  It has a photo date of April 2019, but I don't know how accurate that is.  It is included with the pattern, and is called Squirrel's Garden to be specific.  

I grabbed back up the red one again to do the two pages for January.  I have almost a half a page done so far.  I thought that I would get this one finished before year end, but it was slow going, so I was 9 days into the new year before it got finished.  But any finish is fine, and it did not get tossed back, it did get completed.