November Wrap Up

Well, I didn't get in as many stitches this month as I'd hoped, but I was still fairly productive so I shouldn't complain. November was actually a stressful month for me at work with training people and deadlines; and when I'm really stressed at work, I'm usually too tired to stitch in the evenings, which really stinks. But I've been really conscious lately of how lucky I am to have my stitching in the first place, so I try not to let setbacks get me down. :)

Last week, I pulled out and older kit I started in 2016. Sad to say, I'd only stitched on it for 6 days in 2 years. So that has to change. This is a Riolis kit called French Lavender, stitched with wool on 14ct Aida:

It finally looks like I'm making progress! I've felt stagnant with this piece for a while, and I think it's because the color blocks are smaller and so randomly placed, it's hard to find a "path" for my needle to follow. It's not confetti, really, but a lot of stop and start stitching. Plus, the wool thread has to be used in much shorter lengths than I'm used to, so it's a constant balancing act between picking areas to stitch and not wasting thread. Finally, I decided to work on the basket as a way to ground my approach, and it seems to be working so far. The wool is still great to work with, but it does feel like a totally different type of stitching.

Next up is the Marquise de Caumont La Force. I'd hoped to get the first page completely done, but turns out that would mean completing 5 diagonals. I won't say I didn't try, but 3 diagonals felt like a good stopping point:

Yes, I'm still stitching that dark green/brown background. It looks boring, but it's really easy to stitch, so I'm enjoying it. I think the top of her hair is at the bottom of page 3, but it'll be many years before I get to anything interesting with this one.

But here's something interesting: I've finished a row on Luna! I am so pleased about this. Here's the before:

And since I had to adjust the frame, here's the full picture:

Isn't she just so pretty? :) I love seeing how far she's come along. I've already got her rolled up and started on the next page, so it's back to stitching the darker sky again. Hopefully I can finish a couple more columns this year.

Finally, here are my Temperature SAL updates. Can you believe there's just one month to go?

So, it's definitely cooling down now. It's interesting to see the symmetry of colors play out. It has been a colder year than usual, I think. We've already had some significant snow here, and usually that stuff holds off 'til the end of December. We'll see how the next month looks.

Okay, that's all I've got for now. Back to stitching! :)