Floss Friday #115

October is over! So hard to believe that 2024 is coming to an end. It’s been a good year for me. Hope it has been good for you too. I have a few ideas of things I will be working on in 2025 but haven’t really nailed it down. Check the end for my thoughts on 2025. Let’s take a look at this past week.

October WIPGO Results

This has been an exciting month since I finished both WIPGO Projects. Let’s take a look. First up:

Project 8: Fall is in the Air by Fat Quarter Shop (A Stitch Quarterly Project)

I started this one in September as one of my Fall starts. Originally this project on my WIPGO list was Sail Away but I finished that one up in August. I toyed with subbing in House on Pumpkin Hill (which was a free pattern to me) but opted for this project. I really felt I could finish it with the five dedicated nights I had planned. I was super excited when I finished it in 4 instead. I just love this fox! I can’t wait to do a final finish with this one.

Next up:

Project 17: October Snapshot by Pine Mountain Designs

It was very cool to start and finish this project in the same month. It took me forever to finish up December Snapshot in September. While I have loved the series, I have hated working on 10 ct vintage cloth. I just have one left in the series. My favorite part was stitching the cat on the jack o’lantern.

This was stitched on 10 ct oatmeal vintage cloth by Lori Holt with the colors that Fat Quarter Shop picked. It was a monthly club that I signed up for early on in my renewal of interest in cross stitch.

Starts & Finishes

I had three finishes this week and no new starts:

WIPGO Project: October Snapshot by Pine Mountain Designs

One of my first finishes was October Snapshot (above) this week. I don’t think I need to rehash that project.

September Monthly Markings by Heart in Hand

As always, this is just too cute for words. If I have time in November, I might stitch both Oct & Nov monthly markings because December will be a lot of stitching to complete the border. Look how it has grown over the year!

October Year of Celebration Season 2 by Hands on Design

A lot of detail which made it hard to stitch but sure do make it an adorable little piece. Those Jack O’Lantern faces across the white pumpkin still my favorite part.

WIP Updates

I hit all of my October goals this month with one day to spare. So on the 31st of October I went back to my next fall (hopefully) finish to get an extra day in:

Fall Harvest by Fat Quarter Shop (Stitch Quarterly)

I exceed my goal this month when I got to spend two nights working on Fall Harvest this week. It feels really good to have finished all the fruits, veggies, and basket. The tablecloth will be a lot to do, but I am feeling pretty confident that I have a good shot of finishing this one in November.

The yellow squash on the left was my favorite one to stitch. I don’t know why. Maybe because yellow is my favorite color and squash is a favorite veggie?

2024 SJ Temperature Library by Kristi’s Corner

How cute is the skull knick knack? Totally adorable right? Just have the last seven books to stitch and October will be done! I would totally do this one again. It has been so fun!

August Stackables by It’s Sew Emma (FQS)

Stackable projects are not hard but they can take some time when you only work on them one time each month. I love how the honey jar finished up and the honey “spoon” is shaping up. It is a real honey of a project!

House on Pumpkin Hill by Hello Liz Matthews

I am a Pateron member with Hello Liz Matthews. The 15th of each month she post a free pattern and this was September’s pattern. She posted 2 in October. I saved them to do at a later date. The night I was working on this one. I forgot that I had done the later half of the house from page 2 and so I ended up have to frog everything when I remembered this two hours in. I also spaced my windows evenly and they are not suppose to be. What an easy fix though. So I am moving on. I decided to work this on a linen I had in my stash.

February Month 2 Month Barn by Stitching with the Housewives

Got my one night in on this project. I finished half the word “February” and decided to add the leaf of the flower so I didn’t accidentally stitch something I wasn’t suppose to. Still working on the “Y” before moving on.

Mr. September, A Calendar Gnome by Charlie’s Needle

So excited to have finished up his beard this week and beginning to fill in the patches on his clothing. When I had a color on the needle, if I could, I filled in some other stuff. That allowed me to get started ont he stack of books and the owl. Totally stoked that this will be my November WIPGO project.

Upcoming Plans & Thoughts

2025

I have been thinking about what projects I want to do in 2025. I have finished up a number of series that I had started a couple of years ago in 2024 which is starting to free up my time to work on things more than once like I did in the beginning before I went crazy with projects. For instance, I have one more month of the Snapshot Series – November which I will be starting … in November. I am going to really push finishing it by Dec 31st. We already know that I can do it in one month if I want to.

I have picked one new monthly mini series for sure ~ Square Dance by Month by Heart in Hand. I saw a new one my Primrose Cottage Stitches that I am thinking on. But I want to check my stash to see if I already have another small series. The last couple of years, I have finished most of the ones on hand. I really have enjoyed doing two mini series in the year.

My temperature stitch this year will be Moon Phases 2025 by Climbing Goat Designs on Etsy. I showed you my daughter’s galaxy last time which was by Climbing Goat. Caitlin really wanted to do Moon Phases for 2025. Since the lady really does some serious research to make it accurate by year (the phases of the moon), I decided I would do this one as well. It will be nice to have a cross stitch project that I am doing with my daughter.

Speaking of which, she really wants to do a full coverage cross stitch of a book and we ended up picking Crescent City Trio bundle by Woven Wild Crafts on Etsy. This is some major stitching so I offered to do one of the charts and to help plan out the projects. We are collaborating on this one and I told her if she finishes the other two before I finish the one, I would send her everything I have. That new app I have been used is a must for a full coverage chart like this. Some people use Pattern Keeper but I found Markup RXP more versatile. I have really learned how to bring things in. My game has definitely stepped up.

November Plans

For November, it is crazy. I will only have 10 active WIPs one of which is a WIPGO project (Mr September). Currently I am planning on starting 6 new projects including WIPGO project Winter Baskets. I am hoping to have 4 finishes including Fall Harvest and Mr. September. With finishing more series than I have started, my active WIPs are slowly decreasing allowing me more freedom during the month.

I am starting November with 16 total WIPs of which 6 of them are Christmas or Winter Themed and thus are on hold until December. Realistically, I only have three fall stitches in my current lineup, two of those will go on hold at the end of November unless I finish them.

This Week’s Current Plans

I hadn’t really given November a lot of planning time until last night at midnight when I realized I needed to post this blog today. 🤪 So I hastily put together a basic plan and this is what I am currently thinking I will work on this week:

• Starting WIPGO project Winter Baskets
• Working on WIPGO Project Mr. September
• Finishing October book shelf
• Starting October Monthly Markings (and hopefully finishing)
• Working on Fall Harvest
• Working on Snowman Collector: The Shepherd
• Working on Seaside Tiny Town

I realized there are five Fridays and five Saturdays this month so those are my WIPGO days since I don’t have any plans to travel (yet). I currently have six unplanned days. That is the most I have had in forever. Sure does make me feel awesome! Now I need to run to the sewing studio and get a block done before dinner and an eveninig of stitching.

Ya’ll have a great weekend.

Peggy Stockwell in San Jose, California