FFOs and Other Finishes
I technically finished and FFOd the November calendar magnet at the end of 2023, but I didn't post it in last year's round-up, so here it is, along with the December one (which WAS finished in 2024). I also did the June one in 2024, but I'll wait and just add that to the final photo when all 12 months are done - hopefully by the end of 2025!
And as I was recovering from the all the work leading up to the solar eclipse (and then the event itself - which ended up just being one thing of the most exhausting work week I have had in quite a while), I started this quick stitch. I made a slight alteration in the text from the original and there is a goof in one of the greens, but I was too lazy/tired to unpick it, so I just left it as-is. I painted a hoop to fully finish it. This one definitely went to work!
And towards the end of the year, I FINALLY finished the Mill Hill "Moonlit Kitties" kit that I started about 12 years ago. It was one of several projects that languished when my eyes started going downhill, and then I was having trouble holding it while stitching even once I got the eyeball situation sorted. The last key to me finally getting this project done was seeing on Flosstube - and then buying - these wonderful wooden magnetic frames that seem to have originated with crafters in Ukraine (see below). I've started to see more people making them, but I made a point to get mine from Ukrainian sellers to support them. (It's ironic that I had problems with all three of them arriving safely at my house - not because they were coming from a literal war zone... all of the issues were with the US postal service!) I think I'm just missing one size now, so I'll probably go ahead and order it just to complete the set. :) There was one panic moment at the finish of Moonlit Kitties because I wasn't sure where the pumpkin button was since I had started the project so long ago, but thankfully I found it on a project bag with some other Mill Hill kits.
One final finish, which I put the last stitch in on December 31, is this cute pattern I got from Happy Sloth Patterns on Etsy. Needless to say, once this one is FFOd, it's going to work. I finally pulled out one of the DMC variations threads to use for the rug on this one. I like the effect!
Starts and WIPs (that I actually worked on)
I started The Cricket Collection's "Winter" and worked some more on "Spring" in 2024 ("Autumn" was completed a couple of years ago, but isn't framed yet, and "Summer" is eventually going to happen). You can't really see it in the photo, but the snowman is sparkly! I used whatever blending filament was called for, so I got a reminder in how annoying they can be to stitch with... but in person the effect is really nice.
And for my other big start of the year, I finally decided to start a Hawk Run Hollow design! I started "A Year at Hawk Run Hollow" with the May block, and this was how far I got in the month of May (which was when I took a bit of time off work in a vain attempt to use up vacation hours so I don't lose them).
Other Crafts
I'll hold off on posting a picture of the miniature kit until it's complete, but here's a photo of my first Book Nook. I saw this while browsing and had to buy it since I've become quite the Van Gogh fan in recent years and "Cafe Terrace at Night" and "Starry Night" are my favorites of his paintings.
I'm not going to detail all of the stash aquisition for the year since I'm not even sure I can, other than going through my purchases at 123Stitch and Etsy - suffice to say, there were quite a few of them! But I did want to mention that I joined a fabric of the month club, this time through Be Stitch Me, even though I really don't need a bunch more fabric - I can't help myself! I recently changed the fabric choice from the mix of colors and neutrals to opalescent colors to build up my sparkle collection. I think I'll end the subscription at the end of 2025 though since I have quite the fabric stash now and I'm still not stitching enough to really work my way through it.
Goals for 2025!
I'm going to try to get the remaining five calendar magnets done in the first part of the year - if nothing else, I'll do them in the month they reprensent (January-May). Now that I have the brilliant Ukrainian magnet frames, I think they will go much faster. (Although it's not like they take all that long anywyay... at least they shouldn't!)
One other thing that I'm really going to try to do this year is to fully finish more of my projects, especially framing some of the larger ones. I even already have four of them pinned on boards - I just need to get off my butt and order some frames! There are one or two pieces that I might take the plunge and have professionally framed, assuming I can find a person in town who has good experience with framing needlework pieces. (This is a big town, so I'm sure such a person exists, it's just a matter of actually locating them.)
I haven't really decided what else to single out for my 2025 goals stitching-wise, so like in 2024, I'll probably just go where my interests take me!