Advent Blog Hop

 Welcome to my stop on Jo's annual Advent blog hop! As usual, I have a few ornaments to show off (I prefer to stitch small projects; I'm more likely to finish them in time 😛).

"Tres" by Monsterbubbles (Just Cross Stitch August 2008):

This has been on my to-do list for a long time, but stitching on metal mesh/screen is a pain; the beaded edge was fun, though.

Here's "Meowy Christmas" by Fern Ridge Collections (Christmas Ornaments 2019):

It's true to life, too! There's a reason why I keep my fragile ornaments on the top of the tree ....

(I also stitched "Mary & Jesus Stained Glass" by Snoflake Stitchery (Christmas Ornaments 2019), but  I forgot to take a picture before I sent it to my mom.)

Jo also asked us to write about our favorite Christmas book. Mine's a new one, that I discovered last year:

I loved it so much I bought my own copy this year. This collection of stories, memories, and recipes is moving and insightful, and I highly recommend it.

I hope you all have a lovely and peaceful Christmas, and a much-improved new year!

Winter Wreath

 

This sweet wreath is Alicia Paulson's latest pattern. It was quick to stitch, and because it's not really Christmasy, I will keep it up all winter.

One Last Fall Craft

 I love the look of flint corn, aka calico corn, aka indian corn (not a great name). I keep a bundle of three cobs up all fall, I nestle mini cobs in a bowl with pine cones, dried oranges and pomegranates, and cinnamon stick. I even tried my hand at beading a tiny one. So of course I inevitably wanted a neckace.

Rather than soaking the kernels until I could pierce them with a needle (something I heard was hard on the fingers), I drilled each one -- tedious but effective.  

The resulting strand (minus some I turned into a stretchy bracelet for my youngest, and the ones that broke) is quite long, long enough to wrap three times around my neck. I'm contemplating interspersing copper charms throughout the strand.

Book Round-Up: Eclectic Fall Edition

 The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: I don't know why I didn't read this when it first came out. It is dreamy and romantic and perfect for cool fall nights. 

Sweet Alaskan Fall by Jennifer Snow: Part of a series of romances set in Alaska, I grabbed it because of the title (I'm a sucker for all things fallish). It's your standard romantic plot line, but I liked that both of the main protagonists were coping with temporary and permanent disabilities.

The Devil's Wedding Ring by Vidar Sundstøl: It's set in midsummer, but has a spooky vibe that makes it a great read now. I loved the Norwegian setting and the introduction to local folklore and customs, and the two protagonists -- a detective returning to his homeland and a nosy young librarian -- were a treat. I half expected them to form their own agency at the end, but alas, this is a stand-alone novel.

 Echoes by Ellen Datlow, ed.: A large collection of ghost stories. An excellent collection, with a number of stand-outs: "A Shade of Dusk" by Indrapramit Das (melancholy and touching), "The Puppet Motel" by Gemma Files (just confirms my desire to never use Air BnB), "A Burning Sword for her Cradle" by Aliette de Bodard (a novel take on assimilation), "The Other Woman" by Alice Hoffman (an impressive amount of story packed into just a few pages), and "Jasper Dodd's Handbook of Spirits and Manifestations" by Nathan Ballingrud (heartbreaking).

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James: these are classics for a reason: short stories that are spooky but not too horrific, with a bookish bent. There is an odd level of distancing to them -- each is told in the first person, but the narrator is relating something he heard happen to other people. 

 Toil and Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft: The first story was so stupid, I almost refused to read the rest. But then I was stuck in a doctor's office for hours, so I did, and some of the stories were genuinely enjoyable. Others were not. I am not a fan of young adult fiction.

More Squash Squad!

 Knuckehead Pumpkin:

Big Moon:

Mellow Yellow and Painted Purple:

Remote schooling sucks. That is all.

Trick or Treat Blog Hop

 It’s Halloween, so once again it’s time for Jo’s blog hop! 

I’ve got a few new finishes this year, including this little freebie design from the Caron Collection that I stitched more than two decades ago (gosh, I'm old) but only finished this year.

This is Miss Witch by Satsuma Street. I can't get enough of her designs, and I have to restrain myself from buying them all.

Persian Pumpkin is from Mill Hill, and will go well with my Crazy Pumpkin wall-hanging, based on Mill Hill's somewhat larger Paisley Pumpkin.

And finally, Downdraft by Turquoise Graphics and Design, from this year's Halloween special issue by Just Cross Stitch.

Now it's time for the letter you are all here for!

 

Head on over to The Alchemyst's Study to get the next letter, and have a happy (and healthy) Halloween!

Squash Squad II

 The next in Sue Spargo’s stitch-along. Blue Hubbard:

Queensland Blue:

Baby Boo:

Four more to go!