Mandala Fox is finished!

 

Well, that was fun! Mandala Fox (available in this Etsy shop, along with lots of other mandala critters) is stitched with DMC on a pale, rosy pink mystery linen. I highly recommend choosing your favorite critter friend and stitching one of these, if you need something a little different. Just a really fun stitch. 

Hope to get Spring is Coming Mini Quaker started tomorrow. And I've actually been able to think a little bit about what I'd like to work on this summer. Last summer I had a Summer of Halloween and thoroughly enjoyed stitching Halloween all summer (check out the Halloween label to see last summer's finishes). I usually have projects planned a couple seasons in advance, but this year has been... not the year that was going to happen. Y'all know what I mean. Things went sideways in early March and they're still a bit wonky. So I didn't have a summer project list. 

Last night I was perusing the little notebook I keep all my stitchy lists and thoughts in, and was looking at my WIPs list, and thought, "Hm. I should knock out some of these WIPs." Early in my stitching life, I was a very staunch one-project-at-a-time stitcher. Over the years, I've loosened up on that--and I still don't have nearly as many WIPs as a lot of other stitchers I observe--but it's more than I'd like and I've started feeling a bit guilty about starting a new project without finishing a WIP first. Easy fix: Summer of the WIP! As soon as I thought of it, I was excited... a sure sign I'd hit upon just the right thing. 

So as soon as I finish Spring Quaker, I plan to pick up a long-neglected WIP and finish it. I've chosen three projects; we'll see how far I get. 

Hope your Memorial Day weekend is quiet and safe and full of relaxing stitching.

Fox Update and Next Project

Almost done! Scroll down to my previous post for info on this gorgeous design (and others!) if you missed it.

Guess what! Third in the series, Spring is Coming Mini Quaker is here! I've already stitched  Autumn is Coming and Winter is Coming Mini Quakers and have been not-that-patiently waiting for Spring. It just came out and I'm ready to get to work on it as soon as I finish Mandala Fox.

These are the threads for it. I'm stitching all of my mini quakers on 32 ct. Flax linen using (mostly) the recommended colors. I like these. They're subtle and earthy. Quite a change from my current project!

The seasonal mini quakers are available in this shop.

You May Need to Stitch One of These

 

Although I enjoy everything I stitch, sometimes a project just hits me differently and beyond the enjoyment of stitching it, it becomes a joy in and of itself. That probably only makes sense to me, but that's okay. What we get out of stitching is as unique to each of us as what we put into it. And sometimes, what starts out as just another project transforms into something different. Perhaps more meaningful. Perhaps more helpful. Perhaps something else.

I started this gorgeous fox during the winter, but didn't get very far before laying it aside for other things. My well-planned project to-do list went sideways in March with the strain of my dad's health situation. I fell way behind on everything stitching-related. As I was slowly getting back to my stitching, I thought about picking up on my list of projects, but for whatever reason, I decided instead to work on some WIPs and this was the first I picked up. And I'm so glad I did.

This beautiful design is Mandala Fox from this Etsy shop and it is literally a day brightener for me every day that I work on it. I mean, just look at these eye-popping colors! Bright, cheerful, unexpected... it's hard to be gloomy when you're stitching with colors like this. And it's an easy stitch, as well. The regular patterns and blocks of color make counting and stitching a breeze. This fox is just the right project at just the right time, and it is a joy.

If you're in need of a "pick-me-up project" and are open to something a little different, have a look at the shop I linked. They have just about every critter you can imagine, some more elaborate than others, some striking and some whimsical (mandala hedgehog, anyone?), but all colorful and fun. And if you'd like to explore this "mandala" style a bit more, just type something like "cross stitch mandala animals" in Etsy's search box and you'll see a wide array of interpretations. I happen to think this shop does it best, but you may prefer someone else's work.  You may even surprise yourself (Me: "Why do I want to stitch that turkey? I don't even like turkeys." Also Me: "You need that turkey.") By the way, this is DMC on a soft, rosy pink 28 ct. linen. 

So... that second vaccine shot... woah. This picture of Tiger Lily is pretty much how I spent the last couple of days (lol!). But I'm so thankful for these vaccines and I'd do it again tomorrow if I had to. Okay, maybe not tomorrow. Maybe like next week. 

Big Day #2!

 

Fully vaxxed! 

Tea & Coffee Series: May

 

This series is available in this Etsy shop. To see my other finishes so far, click on the "tea" label at the end of this post.

Rabbits in the Round: Ombre Bunnies Color Conversion

 

I've had this color conversion in my head since I first saw Rabbits in the Round last spring and I finally got it done! I stitched my version on 28 ct. green linen (I think it's called Rosemary, but I don't think it's available anymore), which made it quite a bit larger than the petite, over-one model. Here are my other changes:

Bunnies (light to dark): Cosmo 713, 714 715, 716; vines: CC Weeping Willow; flowers: GAST Buttercrunch; berries: CC Smoke

If you like color conversions, click on the tab at the top of the page (or on the label below this post) to see all of mine. They're one of my favorite things about stitching.

I am behind on projects I wanted to stitch, behind on blog reading, behind on finishing... just generally behind on anything stitching-related. But I'm trying not to put pressure on myself about any of that, because stitching and all its associated pursuits should be a respite and not a source of worry. Right? Right.

So I'm off to prep a couple of new projects. Hope you're all well and contentedly stitching away. Thanks for the well-wishes for my first shot. I'm happy to report no side effects. Second shot is in two weeks.

Happy Stitching, y'all.