0-This is my year of finishing up (or tossing) all the projects that have been languishing for a while. That “while” may well be more than five years (one project) or partially completed Mystery SALs of which I started way too many in 2021&2022 while dealing with both the Pandemic and long drives to Alameda County Immunization community center locations 1-4 days a week… In any case, I tossed all those project bags into one of my lovely Fenton & McClarin cubes and planned on picking up one after another so that the current, well overdue WIPs gained stitches every day.
Obviously, at the start of the year, my emphasis was on finishing, not new starts. I assume that there will be new starts as the year progresses as I have fewer and fewer old projects hanging out. If there is something interesting about either the fabric or floss I will include it. Otherwise assume Aida and DMC. If there are stitch counts present it means that either the pattern was purchased in PDF or that I scanned & skinned it so as to not drive myself insane with paper patterns,
January 2024
Summary – Seven finishes – six from the WIP pile and one new start&finish (a birthday present).
#1 – 1 Jan 2024 – Follow the Yellow Brick Road SAL by Little Dove Designs. Turned out it was only back-stitching left to do+ maybe 40 stitches left from where it was in Sept 2021.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
#2 – 3 January 2024- Bob’s Burger, Started in spring of 2021 while working the immunization clinics. Pattern came in a kit from Taylor&Cromwell
(Note – this is June 2025…. and I finally remembered to take a photo at my daughter’s house where it is hanging on the kitchen wall).
#3 – 5 January 2024 – Witches Cabinet. by WitchesGardenCraft (on both Gumroad and Etsy). This SAL came out in Fall of 2023. I was fine till we headed off on the Star Breeze to cruise the Pacific. It just wasn’t a project that I could easily take along. I believe the fabric is a hand dyed Aida. Floss was all DMC. I skipped the thousands of stitches along the bottom declaring this a “Witches Cabinet” mostly because the fabric wasn’t large enough.
#4 – 15 January 2024 – Death of Rats. This was a new start for my son’s birthday in March. Figured if I didn’t do it early, it wasn’t going to get done. The fabric is 14 ct printed Aida from DMC. The thread is DMC and the pattern is by 1000sPatterns on Etsy. He is a Terry Pratchett fan which should explain everything.
#5 – 20 January 2024 – Horrorflies by NoctifloraDesigns. Again, started before our trip in fall of 2023 and not taken along. This time I took it along on the Navigator of the Seas trip I took with our youngest out of LA.
#6 – 27 January 2024 – The Beaver by Cottage Garden Samplings from their Year in the Woods Series (2022). This is the last of the twelve. Fabric came from BeStitchMe and stitched with the called for DMC + specialty floss.
This is what he looks like with the other two fall patterns. The second photo is just him. It was his tail that took the longest. And, the fact that two of the symbols, for whatever reason weren’t read by Pattern Keeper (no, the pattern isn’t available in PDF, it takes scanning, layering under the grid in PCStitch and skinning the thing. The time taken is more than made up for in speed of stitching and decreased errors).
#7 – 31 January 2024 – Emi – by Nora Corbett. Started in fall of 2023 and, again, not completed prior to our fall extended trip. This wasn’t a mystery SAL but rather suggested by Helen D (EastCoastCrafter) who was looking to stitch one of the Bewitching Pixies prior to Halloween. The fabric is 32 ct Country Mocha Linen with the called for floss, kreinik and beads.
February 2024
Summary – 12 finishes of which two were new starts this year.
#8 – 3 February 2024 – Alice in Wonderland by OwlForest Embroidery – Again, one of the 2021 Mystery SALs. Owl Forest generally does one a year. Usually staring in about March and finishing at the end of the year. Alice had been all but done for quite a while. Stitched on 18 ct white Aida with DMC except for a bit of specialty floss. This is where I picked it up near the end of January with three sections to go –
which included the Mad Hatter, the Tea Party and some filler motifs. The finished piece –
This piece was snatched by our youngest daughter, framed and now hangs in her kitchen.
#9 – 8 February 2024. The Castle – started 27 January 2024. This year’s Cottage Garden Sampling’s Fabulous Houses. Stitched on 18 ct Vintage Stormy Clouds with the called for DMC and specialty floss. Except for the white which I substituted B5200. Those buildings have a lot of stitches. Just saying…like about 9654 +/-
#10 – 10 Feb 2024 – Virgo – Zodiac Girl by Nora Corbett. Stitched on 32 ct Vintage Country Mocha linen with called for Caron Waterlillies, beads, and DMC. Started ~ 23 Aug 2022.
#11 – 12 February 2024. Cancer – Zodiac Girl – Nora Corbett. Started 21 June 2022. Same fabric as above as well as using all the called for.
# 12 – 14 February 2024. The Book Hobbit. Started 9 February. Officially called Classic Novels Pattern. This was my third new start of the year. Designed by AtomicTikiPins (Etsy) and stitched with DMC on stash fabric as a present for the youngest (March Birthday). 7553 stitches in total. FFO’d in one of those fake wood frames with built in hanger.
#13 – 18 February 2024. Octavia Morgan. One of the Sheeppunk Sheep series from ForbiddenFiberCo, Started Nov 2023 while on the Star Pride. Stitched with kit. It took 3421 stitches to finish.
#14 – 20 February 2024. April Quaker by From the Heart. Started in April 2022. Stitched on 32 ct even weave from ForbiddenFiberCo with the called for specialty floss. Not thrilled with my fabric choice since some of the colors practically disappeared.
#15 – 21 February Cleo – a three part SAL by Barbara Ana. started 23 Sept 2023 and finished 21 Feb 2024. About 1150 stitches to complete. I skipped all the backstitch hieroglyphics around her head.
#16 – Capricorn – 22 March – Zodiac Girl from the Nora Corbett series. Started Sept 2022, I think. but a single record sheet floating around says 22 Dec. Go figure. In any case, I don’t have many posts concerning her. Stitched, from what I can tell on a 32 ct linen. – Completed 22 Feb 2024. Beads, so many beads.
#17 – Scorpio – 22 March – Zodiac Girls from the Nora Corbett series. Started spring 2022 with the basic stitching completed in August. . Completed 22 Feb 2024. Not as many beads, but plenty of stitches and backstitch to be finished. Fabric 32 ct Vintage Country Mocha.
#18 – Tea Rex – 24 February from Silver Creek Samplers who has both wonderful design sense and a great use of puns. I started this in fall 2023 while cruising. There were three letters, one tea pot, and four cups left to be stitched. Fabric is 18 ct Rustic Aida
#19 – Pisces – 25 February Zodiac Girls and my final finish of the month. Started 19 February 2022 )There was backstitching and about 780 beads.. Stitched on 32 ct Vintage Country Mocha.
(later note – my youngest is a Pisces and has claimed this piece. It is now up on her living room wall in an antique gold frame.)
March 2024
#20 – Aries – 2 March 2024. Zodia Girl started 21 March of 2022. All the backstitching + all the beads. If I haven’t mentioned it – all of these have been stitched on 32 ct Vintage Country Mocha linen.
#21 – The Solar System SAL – 7 March 2024. – by Climbing Goat Designs. Started in Jan 2021.. Stitched on a navy Aida. Which means that those last 32xx stitches felt like forever. I skipped all the not-so-random stars.
#22 – Tired Trio – 8 March 2024- Plum Street Samplers. Started Feb 2019. As it turned out, there was little to stitch + some backstitching. Learned my lesson – not this designer on Aida…ever.
#23 – Libra – 9 March 2024 – Zodiac Girls by Nora Corbett. Started summer 2022 – completed 9 March 2024. about 400 beads + backstitch on 32 ct Vintage Country Mocha
#24 – Hanukkah SA – 15 March 2024 – from Snarky & Modern. Started in Nov 2022 while I was trucking around Australia with my friends Jill & Graeme . There were 1929 stitches left… The fabric is a 16 ct Aida, one of Ship’s Manor FOM.
#25 – Amur Leopard – 22 March 2024 LindyStitches as the first of the six patterns in her Endangered Species SAL. Started 8 March, (7518 stitches) on an orangey 18ct Aida from MyVintageNeedleArts (Etsy Store). I substituted a number of Forbidden Fiber Co threads for the called for specialty threads. As a result, my color matching isn’t exact and I didn’t get the stripes in the rocks. (my 4th start this year)
#26 – Greenhouse – 23 March 2024. #3 of the Fabulous Houses Series from Cottage Garden Samplings. Started 4 March. So far this seems to be the smallest/lease dense of the patterns being under 4k worth of stitches (when skinned for pattern keeper). Stitched on 18 ct vintage stormy clouds.
#27 – Silhowitches – 29 March 2024. Designed by Teresa Kogut. Started summer/fall 2021. Almost 4k worth of stitches left. The fabric is an 18 ct from TheVintageNeedleArts (Etsy) and was stitched with black plus whatever bright specialty floss I had on hand.
April 2024
#28 – Taurus – 1 April 2024.. Nora Corbett – Zodiac Girls. Started May 2022. Added ~900 beads plus the backstitch. All called for beads and floss on 32 count Vintage Country Mocha. I thought I was finished a couple of days ago, but found a few more beads that needed to be added.
#29 – Rooky Woods -8 April 2024. Tempting Tangles. Pattern modified from the original 2022 SAL. Started 2022. (found the piece hanging with everything else needing final finishing)
#30 – Gemini – 16 April 2024. Nora Corbett – Zodiac Girls. Started 2022. Called for floss and beads. on 32 ct neutral linen
#31 – The Cottage – 28 April 2024. Fabulous Houses #4 from Cottage Garden Samplings. Started 13 April – Stitched on 18 ct Vintage Stormy Clouds with the called for DMC. The pattern is square – 120×120. 9298 stitches when skinned and imported into Pattern Keeper.
MAY 2024
#32 – Potuguese Dreams – 1 May 2024. A three part SAL by Barbara Ana off of CreativePoppies. Started 1 April 2024, called for DMC and stitched on a ShipsManor 16 Ct FOM Aida.
#33 – Savanah Elephant – 9 May 2024. Lindy Stitches. 3/6 in the Endangered Species series. Started. 28 Apr 2024. Stitched on 18 ct lambswool with DMC, two CCW substitutions for the Weeks (Driftwood & Pewter) plus some Threadworms #12-1046 for most of the fronds.
#34 Poison Apple- Snow White – 12 May 2024. Bella Filipina. Started Stitched with DMC, Petite Treasure Braid and move 700 various beads.
#35 – Treasure Island – 22 May 2024. Owl Forest 17 Part free SAL which started in spring 2023. This 17 part SAL was released on an every two week schedule. It is a downloadable free PSF with a SAGA imbedded file. Fabric is an 18 ct Aida Stitched with random silks from stash that looked like they might work (read Dinky Dyes, BeStitchMe, Silks4U) I stitched some from paper and skinned the last few releases into Pattern Keeper. I can use Saga, but find it challenging.
#36. – Hobbit House – 26 May 2024 – by Cottage Garden Samplings. Stitched with the called for on the same fabric as the others. Two substitutions – I eliminated the pigs and added an extra wheel and a sheep.
June 2024
#37 – Fiddle Fern – Nora Corbett
#38 – Treehouse by Cottage Garden Samplings
#39 – North Atlantic Whale by Lindy Stitches
#40 – Miss Pink Mushroom- 22 June 2024 by Nora Corbett. Stitched on 32 ct Vintage (something) from Zweigart with the called for DMC + beads except for the backstitching which was done with the left over chocolate silk from Treasure Island. . Started 18 June 2024. Approximately 83xx stitches, beads, & backstitch skinned into Pattern Keeper.
#41 -“Never Laugh at Live Dragons” – 26 June 2024 by ModernFolkEmbroidery. Stitched on 16 ct Leaf Pile by ForbiddenFiberCo with Silks4U PR something (yes, this is all the sam hank just with each strand stitched pretty much as it came off the hank.) Started 23 June 2024. . Total of 4619 stitches. This wasn’t on my planned list of starts, but hey, who could resist?
#42 – Forest Mushroom Girl – 7 July.2024. Nora Corbett.
#43 – You Got this. ArtsyHousewife. Started 7 July and finished 9 July.
#44 – Dreamer – ArtsyHouseWife – Started 12 July finishing 16 July 2024.
#45 – Miss Yellow Mushroom by Nora Corbett. Started 17 July finished 4 August 2024. Stitched with the called for DMC + beads on a 32 ct linen by Zweigart. This is the last of the three Mushroom Girls
August 2024
#46 – Sapphires in Sunshine SAL by Tempting Tangles finished 5 August. It was tarted 5 June 2024. I finished ahead of schedule since this is a lovely, mandala like pattern that is completely symmetrical. The full pattern has another month (two more sections) to be released. I am pretty sure I got it right. If not? Oh well.
The floss is all silks, substituted because that is what I had. The light and dark blues were used in Treasure Island. I pull the two multicolors (turquoise to purple, and orange to brown) simply because I liked them. I haven’t bothered to add up the total stitch count since each section was a separate pattern. It is PK compatible.
#47 – Halloween SAL (4 parts) by Luminous Fiber Arts. Finished 7 Aug 2024. Started 15 July. Stitched on the kit fabric with the called for specialty floss +DMC.
#48 Secret Admirer – Started on the NCL Bliss, Finshed about 23 August (except for a small correction I found later. Stitched on 18 ct something with Sulky..
September 2004
#49 Halloween in the Round from JBW. Stitched on some 18 ct from MyVintageNeedle Arts and with one #12 perle cotton and one floss from Threadworx. Started in August in Miltenberg, finished on ship in Sept.
#50 Detective Nathan Purles – from ForbiddenFiberCo. Started on the Star Pride while circumnavigating Iceland and finished about in Greenland. Stitched with the kit fabric and floss. This particular sucker clocked almost 10k worth of stitches
#51 Coffee – by Alice Allen (purchased off Etsy). Finished 21 Sept 2023 Stitched on 18 ct fabric from ForbiddenFiberCo with various Sulky threads
#52 – Coffee Sampler by Heart Strings Samplery. Finished 23 Sept. Stitched on 18 ct Tomato Cream by Forbidden Fiber Co. with various Sulky threads.
#53 Not thy Circus by UrbanStitches. Stitched on 18 ct Fabric also from Forbidden FiberCo with Sulky. Completed ~ 27 Sept on the Star Pride cruise in/around our Halifax stop.
October 2024
#54 The Bonus Pattern from ModernFolkEmbroidery to go with his 2025 SAL. Finished ~ 3 Oct 2024. Again, 18 ct from Forbidden FiberCo and Sulky (single color of Blendable). I have the larger pattern. I may/maynot ever decide to stitch it.
# 55 – Tea – also by Alice Allen with five colors of sulky (Rather than 10 colors of floss that I didn’t have with me). Started in Boston. Finished 14 Oct in Berkeley. I think this is the last of the ForbiddenFiberCo Fabric I took on the trip.
#56 Field Guide to Dragons – SAL
#57 Deadly Aquarium – SAL
#58 324 Arlene Cohen – Works by ABC. 25 March – 15 Nov. All 324 called for DMC on plain white 16 ct aida
#59 Haunted Clock – a 4 part SAL from Tiny Modernist. 2 July – 22 Nov. One part released each moth. Aida from VintageFiberArts, DMC floss. Looks like I still need to take a picture.
#60 No Time Like the Present
#61 Vampyrum – a 7 part SAL from Noctiflora – April – 24 Nov. Called for fabric and the called for DMC with one substition. Note – this SAL is over 19k worth of stitches. It is not tiny..
#62 Smaug- a 12 Part SAL from Tempting Tangles. 28 July – 28 Nov 2024. stitched on Aida with the Dinky Dyes floss pack.
December 2024
#63 Christmas Flowers – SAL in three parts by Barbara Ana . ~17 Nov ->22 Dec 2024. Most of it was stitched while on the NCL Encore TA from Southampton to Miami. I skipped the leaves and flower stem in favor of a more circular piece easier to frame. DMC & Aida
#64 – Old Stitcher ~8 Dec – 22 Dec 2024. Designed by LongDogSamplers. Floss – #1026 from Threadworx.
fabric I believe was Leaf Pile from ForbiddenFiber Co 16-18 ct Aida. 2 strands.
#65- Jan Mini-Village from Country Cottage Needleworks. 26-28 Dec 2024. This is the first of a series of 12. Stitched with the called for Classic Colorworks on something pretty ordinary (I think it is 18 ct Vintage Country Mocha, but it could be 16ct. Need to look).
