The Loneliness Of Autumn - 290 hours

Hello everyone!

It seems as if, for the time being at least, The Loneliness Of Autumn has become a bit of a focus piece and I'm stitching more than 10 hours per month. Each additional hour is one off the 210 hour gap between where I am and where I should be. Tiny steps...

So this 10 hour session consisted of:

 - 8h 35m to finish off colour number 14, 820 very dark royal blue.

 - 1h 25m of colour number 15, 154 very dark grape

Here are the 280 and 290 hour comparisons. The blue is fairly visible as a difference in the darker denser areas, especially in the top right quadrant, the grape not so much as it's mainly confetti on page 1/16 only:

Unless I get distracted, hopefully there will be another update soon.

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 280 hours

Hello everyone!

The Loneliness Of Autumn is back... again!!

I don't know how Leonore puts up with me being so remiss at keeping up with this 'SAL', and I hate that I am 21 months behind, but... fingers crossed this time I will be back for good.

So this 10 hour stint consisted of:

 - 7h 40m to finish off colour number 13, 838 very dark coffee brown, which can best be seen in the reflections of the bench and the tree on the right.

 - 2h 20m of colour number 14, 820 very dark royal blue, which has only been stitched in the top quarter but some small differences can be seen.

Here are the 270 and 280 hour comparisons:

Let's hope I can keep this momentum going, and perhaps even post more than once per month. With Leonore tentatively aiming to finish her version this year, I've added incentive to work much harder!

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 270 hours

Hello everyone!

THE LONELINESS OF AUTUMN IS BACK!!

My last post on this was 28th February 2022, when Leonore said she was going to take a small break from this SAL; who would have known then that it was me who was going to be absent for a whole year!

But things are looking up in 2023 and I feel ready to cope with this one again.

The first thing I did during this 10 hours was finish off 919, red copper, on pages 14-16 (bottom right). That took me up to the following statistics at the end of colour 12 - 50.08% complete after 264 hours 30 minutes and 33,621 stitches. Here are the end-of 11th and 12 colour comparison pictures at what is now officially just over the half way mark... woo-hoo!!!

The remaining 5 hours and 30 minutes were then used to make a good start on colour number 13, 898 very dark coffee brown. This is sparsely distributed in the top half, and slightly denser in the bottom half, so given that I only completed the top half, you probably won't notice a lot of difference but, trust me, it's there!

Now that I'm officially over half way through I'm no longer going to show the comparisons at the end of each colour, mainly because each colour should take between 8-12 hours so those photos will be similar to the ten hour progress ones. However, they will still appear on the dedicated page tab at the top if you're interested.

Now that I'm back with this, let's hope I can keep it up!

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 260 hours

Hello everyone!

The first thing I did during this 10 hours was finish off the last few stitches of 606 and tie off the tails. Here are the comparison after the 10th and 11th colours. This is now 48.21% complete after 250 hours 50 minutes and 32,110 stitches

I then used the remaining 9 hours and 10 minutes to make a good start on colour number 12, 919 red-copper, finishing pages 1-13/16:

To be fair, you can't see a lot of difference in the top half as the stitches are not in dense blocks. In the the bottom half the most noticeable difference at the moment is behind the bench.

During the next ten hours I will finish 919 and move onto the next colour, 898, very dark coffee-brown.

Leonore is taking a small break from her version which I totally understand, especially as she hasn't missed a month so far. Sometimes all these monthly goals can be a bit overwhelming. Enjoy the break Leonore!

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 250 hours

Hello everyone!

Would you believe it's two years since Leonore and I both started working on The Loneliness of Autumn by Leonid Afremov? What started out as a tongue-in-cheek suggestion of a SAL, following Serendipitous Jo's Autumn-themed People's Choice SAL, is now almost half complete. Doesn't time fly when you're having fun!!

Here are the side-by-side comparison of my and Leonore's progress after two years. My chart is by Artecy, Leonore's by Love Thy Thread. Even though we are have completed roughly the same percentage wise, the difference between the two designs is quite noticeable. I've been very fortunate to have had lots of bright colours in comparison to Leonore, but I'm sure hers will start to brighten up soon:

Back to this year, and the first month brought me very close to the end of the current colour, but not quite. All that I have left are a few scattered stitches under the bench, but 10 hours is 10 hours so there I stopped!

Here are the 240 and 250 hour comparisons. The 606 just stitched was added in quite chunky blocks, and mostly around the red already there, so the difference is visible, especially on the middle right:

I reckon I've got about 15 minutes of 606 left (plus threading off some tails as I don't always do them as I go) before moving on to colour number 12, 919 red-copper, another lovely autumnal colour to add to the design.

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 240 hours

Hello everyone!

This is my final update on Leonid Afremov's The Loneliness Of Autumn this year, and as I've reached the 240 hour mark it mean's I've also managed to catch up! Yay!!!

I started this 10 hour stint by finishing 743, medium yellow, on the final 6 pages, meaning that 10 out of 83 colours have been stitched. Here are the comparison pictures between the end of the ninth and tenth colours where you can see the addition of a lot more yellow, especially around the lights. This is at 45.53% complete after 236 hours and 30,323 stitches:

With four of the ten hours left I was able to start on the next colour, 606, bright orange-red. I started back at the top, completing pages 1 and 2 and the top halves of 3 and 4 (out of 16 pages). The new colour is similar to, and mostly in the same areas as, the red already stitched. You can see a bit of difference in the branches on the right:

My calculations tell me that the remainder of 606 should just about carry me through the next 10 hours.

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 230 hours

Hello everyone!

Here's another update on Leonid Afremov's The Loneliness Of Autumn, which I am SALing with Leonore. I'm now at the 230 hour mark and now shouldn't have a problem catching up by the end of the year. Yippee!!

This time I started a new colour, 743 medium yellow, and finished pages 1-10 out of 16. To point out where the colour is, as it's not all that obvious, there's some between the branches in the top right and top left, a little bit above and behind the bench, but mostly it's around the lights, making the white glows look more rounded.

Here are comparison 220 and 230 hour photos:

Next time I should finish 743 on pages 11-16 and start on a new colour. I won't tell you which one it is, but will just say it's a perfect colour for the time of year!

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 220 hours

Hello everyone!

My intention for November was to stitch two months' worth on The Loneliness Of Autumn, but Naughty November sort of got in the way so I haven't quite caught up yet. But I'm only one month behind, so that's still achievable in December.

This ten hours saw me finish 740, tangerine at exactly the 220 hour mark.

So, first up, the comparison between the 210 and 220 hour marks where I added the 740 tangerine to the bottom half. The reflections of the lights are certainly much more defined:

And then the comparison photos after the end of the 8th and 9th colours. This is now 42.81% complete after 28,512 stitches:

Next up, a new colour! It's 743, medium yellow of which there are 1,811 stitches. These are mostly in the gaps between the white lights and their yellow glows, although there are some scattered among the branches too.

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 210 hours

Hello everyone!

I am so happy to be catching up with this project and am now where I should have been at the end of September - so only one month behind.

This is, of course, The Loneliness of Autumn by Leonid Afremov which I am SALing with Leonore extreme cross country one colour at a time.

During this ten hours I started a new colour, 741 tangerine. It's fairly evenly divided between the top half and bottom half of the chart, and in relatively chunky blocks around the yellow already stitched. As luck would have it, it took me exactly ten hours to complete the top half! Hopefully you can see the difference, especially in the branches of the left tree and around the streetlight on the right:

If my timings are correct, the end of this colour should just about coincide with the end of the next ten hours of stitching. Wouldn't that be great!

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 200 hours

Hello everyone!

This is The Loneliness Of Autumn by Leonid Afremov which I am SALing with Leonore one colour at a time extreme cross country.

I'm still playing catch up but am now at the 200 hour mark - where I should have been at the end of August.

As predicted, I finished the current colour at roughly the same time I hit the 200 hour mark. I've got a few loose tails to finish off, but since they won't take more than a few minutes, I'll call it quits.

First up are the 190 and 200 hour comparison photos. I think it's quite obvious where the current colour, 741, colour was added in the bottom half as the yellow areas are much denser:

Then these are the comparison photos after finishing the 7th and 8th colours. Again, the change in the density of the yellow areas is quite obvious. This is now 39% complete after 26,169 stitches:

So moving on... the next colour is tangerine 740, requiring 2,343 stitches (only 30 less than the previous colour). This is mostly around the streetlights again so should give this piece even more of an autumnal glow.

This may not be a Halloween project, but at least tangerine is a great colour for stitching during Dark October.

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 190 hours

Hello everyone!

I managed to fit in another 10 hours on this SAL this month, meaning I am now up to where I should have been at the end of July.

I started a new colour, 741 medium tangerine, at the beginning of the ten hours and have more or less finished 9/16 pages. I think you can see the progress when comparing the 180 and 190 hour photos. It's mainly around the yellow already stitched, and quite sparse in the top quarter, but there are big chunks of it from there down, and especially to come in the bottom half:

If my estimates are accurate, the end of the next ten hours should just about coincide with finishing 741.

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 180 hours

Hello everyone!

Here's another 10 hours on The Loneliness of Autumn, a design by Leonid Afremov which I am SALing with Leonore, and trying to catch up on. This is where I should have been at the end of June.

I thought during this ten hours I would move on to the next colour, but it just so happened that the colour and the ten hours finished at the same time.

So here are two sets of pictures. They look very similar, the only really noticeable differences being in the density of the tree trunks and some of the branches and shadows.

Here are the 170 and 180 comparisons photos showing where I worked on the bottom quarter:

And here are the comparisons between the end of the sixth and seventh colours. This is now 35.73% complete after (give or take a few I might have missed) 23,796 stitches:

So it's definitely onto colour number eight now, medium tangerine 741.

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 170 hours

Hello everyone!

First on my list of 'catching up with stitching missed in the last few months' is The Loneliness of Autumn, a design by Leonid Afremov which I am SALing with Leonore.

Leonore has been continuing as planned, but my last update for this was at the end of April. I should be able to catch up by the end of the year, and got off to a good start this week by reaching the 170 end-of-May mark.

The ten hours consisted wholly of 3371, dark brown. There weren't any decent blocks of this colour but it did help fill in gaps on the tree trunks and lampposts. I'm about 3/4 of the way down and, although the difference isn't strikingly obvious, you can just about make out some denser tree trunks and branches:

The next ten hours, which I'm hoping to also complete this month, will involve finishing 3371 and starting the next colour, the lovely medium tangerine 741. I'm certainly looking forward to adding another proper autumnal colour!

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 160 hours

Hello everyone!

Time again to show another month's progress on The Loneliness Of Autumn by Leonid Afremov, which I am SALing with Leonore one colour at a time extreme cross country.

This month's stitching consisted of just under nine hours to finish off the yellow 742 in the bottom half, and just over one hour to start the seventh colour, 3371 dark brown, in the top right. It's going to be quite difficult to see the 3371 being added as it's mostly random stitches around the black and dark blue to help fill in the gaps.

And since I finished off the sixth colour this month, here are the photos showing the comparison between the end of the fifth and sixth colours. This is now 32% complete after 21,390 stitches in 158 hours 45 minutes. Thankfully it's very obvious where the sixth colour was added!

The next ten hours will consist of just 3371.

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 150 hours

Hi all!

Here is March's progress on The Loneliness Of Autumn by Leonid Afremov as charted by Artecy on crosstitch.com which I am SALing with Leonore extreme cross country one colour at a time.

This month it was all 742 for lots of glow around the lights:

At least it's easy to see the difference this month!

In April I will finish 742 and move on to the next colour, 3371 dark brown, a rude interruption to a series of lovely bright orangey-yellows!

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 140 hours

Hi all!

Here is February's progress on The Loneliness Of Autumn by Leonid Afremov as charted by Artecy on crosstitch.com which I am SALing with Leonore extreme cross country one colour at a time.

This month I finished colour number 5, 814. Here are the comparison pictures after the completion of the fourth and fifth colours. This is 28% complete after 18,795 stitches and 136 hours 55 minutes. You can just about make out the increase in the density of the red, especially on the middle right and bottom left:

So then it was back to the top and onto colour number six, 742, for the remainder of the ten hours. I didn't quite make it across the top row but you can definitely see the new colour emerge between the 130 and 140 hour comparison pictures:

March will be all 742, which is fantastic as not only is it such a beautiful colour to stitch but it will start to define the glow of the lights.

Take care,

Rachel x