Smalls SAL - December 2023

Hello all!

It's the last Friday of the month, and of the year, so here's my final Smalls SAL post of 2023. Thank you once again, Mary, for hosting.

Each month I stitch a small project (or more) specifically for this SAL which doesn't appear elsewhere on my blog.

For December, I went totally overboard!

I started off with something Small and Christmassy; a QR code similar to the one I stitched a couple of years ago. I won't include what it says just yet, instead hope you have an app that can read it!

QR Code by NorthEastStitching (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Holly with sparkles over-dyed aida using ThreadworX 1085 Christmas Time

Started - 2nd December 2023

Finished - 2nd December 2023

Total Stitching time - 2 hours 30 minutes

And then, prepare yourself for more... lots more!

You see, I sort of went shopping on etsy during the Black Friday sales. There is one particular store I have had as a favourite for a long time but never bought anything from, and that is LaSelvaDesign. The store's contents are mostly small cute animal charts and during the sales I gave in and purchased two sets (although I am eyeing up a few lots more!)

Anyway I fancied a quick stitch so out came this little chap...

Front-Facing Dolphin (right) by LaSelvaDesigns (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Lagoon over-dyed aida

Started - 3rd December 2023

Finished - 4th December 2023

Total stitching time - 2 hours 45 minutes

...followed by this one...

Swimming Dolphin (right) by LaSelvaDesigns (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Lagoon over-dyed aida

Started - 11th December 2023

Finished - 11th December 2023

Total stitching time - 2 hours 55 minutes

...and then the third one to complete the set!

Jumping Dolphin (left) by LaSelvaDesigns (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Lagoon over-dyed aida

Started - 16th December 2023

Finished - 16th December 2023

Total stitching time - 2 hours 50 minutes

Bearing in mind the mirror-image charts are also provided with the purchased charts (hence the 'left' or 'right' added to the titles) this isn't strictly the complete set, but one of each pose will suffice for now!

And then, if that wasn't enough, out came the second set!

First up was this one...

Side-Facing Scarlet Macaw (left) by LaSelvaDesigns (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Icy Topaz over-dyed aida

Started - 20th December 2023

Finished - 20th December 2023

Total stitching time - 4 hours 35 minutes

...followed by this one...

Front-Facing Scarlet Macaw (right) by LaSelvaDesigns (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Icy Topaz over-dyed aida

Started - 21st December 2023

Finished - 21st December 2023

Total stitching time - 4 hours 5 minutes

...and finally this one!

Flying Scarlet Macaw (left) by LaSelvaDesigns (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Icy Topaz over-dyed aida

Started - 22nd December 2023

Finished - 23rd December 2023

Total stitching time - 3 hours 55 minutes

It was a bit exceptionally naughty of me to start more projects when I should have been concentrating on other things, but I think you can see why I couldn't resist them! Anyway, it was the build-up to Christmas and for once I was free enough to be able to stitch during the day. Sometimes school holidays are great!!

So that's all the Smalls from me for this year then. Next year I have the first 12 of yet another set of Advent ornies planned, so let's see what happens.

In more news...

You should have read by now that Mary is handing over the reigns of the Small SAL, and it is me who will be taking them on!

The format will be exactly the same... link up on the last Friday of the month with anything Small you have cross stitched during the month, be it an individual piece, part of a set, or a portion of a big design. What constitutes Small is very much up to you... for me it is a design of about 45x45 stitches, or one that would take under 10 hours to stitch, but if you think 100x100 is Small, then it's Small! I look forward to seeing your cross stitched submissions in 2024.

Finally, all that remains to be said is thank you, Mary, for taking over the Smalls SAL from Heather and hosting for the last five years. Hopefully you'll still drop in, but with the pressure off to stitch a Small each month we all know it will be at your own pace.

See you in the Smalls SAL next year then!

Take care,
Rachel x

Smalls SAL - August 2022

Hello all!

It's the last Friday of the month so time for the Smalls SAL. Thank you, Mary, for continuing to host this fun little SAL. Pop over to Mary's Blog to see what other participants have been stitching in the way of Smalls this month.

Each month I stitch a small project specifically for this SAL which doesn't appear elsewhere on my blog.

I said this month would be another Snuffles, but was unsure which colour. Jo suggested bronze shades but I'd sort of already got my heart set on orange/yellow shades so will keep bronze in mind for the future. So here's my new Snuffles. I think he's perfect for the summer heatwave we've just had:

Snuffles In Yellow by FuzzyFoxDesigns (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sundrop over-dyed aida

Started - 1st August 2022

Finished - 6th August 2022

Total stitching time - 4 hours 15 minutes

I have three other Smalls this month too.

Merry Christmas QR Code was stitched at the end of Christmas In July:

And the letters R and T were stitched for Clare's Alphabet Christmas Tree. Clare has received and FFOd them, but I haven't shown these before, so here they are with their details:

Letter R from Lizzie Kate's A-B-Crazy Alphabet

Stitched on 16ct Cloud Lilac over-dyed aida using ThreadworX 10592 Wildflowers

Started - 21st January 2022

Finished - 31st July 2022

Total stitching time - 3 hours 20 minutes

Letter T from Lizzie Kate's A-B-Crazy Alphabet

Stitched on 16ct Cloud Lilac over-dyed aida

Started - 22nd January 2022

Finished - 1st August 2022

Total stitching time - 2 hours 55 minutes

Next month I think will be another cute little bird; my flock's getting bigger!

Take care,
Rachel x

Christmas In July - round-up (plus one new start and three finishes)

Hi all,

So I've reached the end of Christmas In July. If you've been stitching for Christmas In July I hope you enjoyed it!

For the majority of the month I focused on two Lizzie Kate charts, although did have time for a couple of small finishes and a surprise new start and finish.

The big focus was Merry Christmas By The Letter which started like this...

... and ended like this, with 17 hours and 20 minutes of stitching resulting in the addition of four more panels. That brings the total time spent on this so far to 51 hours and 40 minutes. I really hope this will be a finish when I return to it in December.

The other Lizzie Kate Christmas piece was a Tiny Tidings I stitched for the Smalls SAL:

As for the other stitching...

I decided to take some time out on Sunday and stitch a very small Christmas design. I won't tell you what it says - you'll have to find out for yourself (I have tested it and it does work):

QR Code

Stitched on 16ct Holly over-dyed aida with sparkles using DMC 321 and 987

Stitch count 21 wide by 21 high

Started - 31st July 2022

Finished - 31st July 2022

Total stitching time - 1 hour 35 minutes

And finally I finished another two letters (which I've been slowly adding to for the last few months) for Clare's Alphabet Christmas Tree. I won't share pictures of them as Clare won't have received them yet. They'll appear in my August Smalls SAL though.

So quite a successful Christmas month.

The next month with a specific focus is Dark October, meaning that I now have August and September to maybe try to catch up on the Monarchs and The Loneliness Of Autumn.

Or... if I still can't focus on those, perhaps I'll slip in a new start (or three). I've been wanting to try a biscornu for a while and now have some suitable geometric-type charts along with a few Jodyri variegated threads I treated myself to. Sounds like the perfect combination, don't you think?!

Take care,

Rachel x