Moonset Ornaments 1, 2, 3 and 4 all finished (possibly!)

Good morning one and all!

For Naughty November I started four new projects, all of which were fairly small and all of which I hoped to finish during the month.

Well, I didn't quite manage it, but wasn't far off; just one day off in fact, finishing the final design on 1st December.

As is usual for my WBTW projects, I made a few small changes...

 - the lighter parts of the moon in all four were stitched using a blend of 762 and C415, and the darker parts using 168 and C318.

 - the Gates and Lamppost have had one strand of normal 3799 replaced with C3799.

 - the Cenotaph and Cross were stitched with the brighter 167, 738, 3823 and 3865 instead of the muted 840, 841, 842 and 3866 respectively.

Other than that, they are stitched as charted!

Ornament 1

Hmmm... compared to the cover picture above, the black cats are a bit lost in the shadows. I'm thinking of frogging the shadows and either stitching them in one strand or subbing for a lighter grey than 3799.

Ornament 1 'Gate' from Moonset by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Started - 4th November 2023

Finished - 27th November 2023

Total stitching time - 21 hours

Ornament 2

Even taking into account perspective, this seems a little out of proportion to me... that's one big owl! But at least the Cenotaph doesn't (quite) look like a skyscraper anymore!

Ornament 2 'Cenotaph' from Moonset by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Started - 11th November 2023

Finished - 28th November 2023

Total stitching time - 15 hours 5 minutes

Ornament 3

I really love the detail of the cross on this one but, again, the owl looks a little too big.

Ornament 3 'Cross' from Moonset by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Started - 18th November 2023

Finished - 30th November 2023

Total stitching time - 10 hours 50 minutes

Ornament 4

Although this is as charted, I think the lamppost needs a base. It's artistic, but looks incomplete. I should have enough spare fabric for another 10 or so rows, so maybe this one isn't complete after all! It's nice to have a little bit of colour though.

Ornament 4 'Lamppost' from Moonrise by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Started - 25th November 2023

Finished - 1st December 2023

Total stitching time - 5 hours 55 minutes

So that's all four of my Naughty November starts finished, unless I change the shadows and /or extend the lamppost. It's also another four pieces added to my Box Of Shame; if I don't get FFOing soon, I'll need a bigger box!

Time to focus on Christmas stitching now and, if I'm lucky, another finish.

Take care,

Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #4 - Moonset Ornament 4

Good morning everyone!

We've just had the last weekend of November, and therefore my last new start of this mini new start binge.

This is 'Lamppost', the second from the left and smallest of the four:

And because it's quite small, my start over the weekend looks close to a finish; just the lamplight, the birds and a bit of the moon to stitch. One or two more evenings should do it:

Moonset Ornament 4 'Lamppost' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Stitching time to date - 3 hours 55 minutes

So now the race is on to see if I can finish all four before November ticks over into December. I don't think I'll quite do it but I won't be far off. Keep an eye out for the quadruple Happy Dance post!

Take care,

Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #3 - Moonset Ornament 3

Good morning everyone!

Gosh, week 3 and half way through Naughty November already. Doesn't time fly when you're having fun!!

So this weekend saw the start of the third Moonset ornament, 'Cross', the one on the left:

Not such a good start but that's OK, especially as this ornie's about half the size of the previous two:

Moonset Ornament 3 'Cross' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Stitching time to date - 2 hours 55 minutes

Like last week's ornie, I have added Etoile to the moon and, when I get there, will be subbing the muted colours of the cross for the brighter ones.

Final new start next weekend!

Take care,

Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #2 - Moonset Ornament 2

Hello everyone!

It's week 2 of Naughty November 2023, a very naughty mini new start binge.

Last week I made a good start on 'Gate', and continued with progress during the week. But on Saturday I put that one down in order to start the second ornament - Cenotaph - the ornie on the right. How apt that it should be the Cenotaph for Remembrance Day.

Taking Saturday as a self-care day, here's my really good start over the weekend:

Moonset Ornament 2 'Cenotaph' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Stitching time to date - 6 hours 50 minutes

For this one, I subbed the colours of the cenotaph to match those of the previous WBTW designs I've stitched. Admittedly they are a lot less subtle, which is probably a mistake for that haunting effect, but I prefer these colours (although do admit the Cenotaph looks a bit like a skyscraper at the moment!)

With a fair amount already done, it's quite possible this could be a finish before next weekend... who knows?

Take care,

Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #1 - Moonset Ornament 1

Hello everyone!

Shhh. No, I just couldn't resist the lure of Naughty November, a mini new start binge I have been trying to do for a few years.

The idea of Naughty November is to start a small-ish project during each of the four weekends of the month, with the aim of also finishing them during the month, or soon after - hence the emphasis on 'small-ish'.

I know you'll think I'm mad for starting four new projects when I need to catch up on a lot of things, and you're right! Realistically, me resisting the lure of a new start... or four... was never going to happen.

I couldn't do NN last year, but in 2021 I stitched the four designs from the Moonrise leaflet by Whispered By The Wind. Remember these?

This year I am hoping to complete the four designs from the accompanying Moonset leaflet:

As with my other Whispered By The Wind designs, I am adding Etoile to the moons and gates for a little bit of sparkle. 

I've chosen to work from largest to smallest, naming them Gate, Cenotaph, Cross and Lamppost. Here's my weekend start on Gate, the second from the right:

Moonset Ornament 1 'Gate' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Stitching time to date - 4 hours 30 minutes

Not a bad start. Wonder how far I'll get before starting number two next weekend?

Take care,

Rachel x

Gatekeepers - 20 hours

Hi again!

So Dark October has finished and I think I did quite well! I completed 10 hours on Haunted Library, finished Deathly Hallows In A Bottle, and made lots of progress on Gatekeepers by Whispered By The Wind.

I started Gatekeepers in 2020 and added one bird during April's A-Z Challenge, meaning I picked it up here after 5h 35m of stitching:

It didn't take long to reach the 10 hour mark:

And then I finished the month having reached 20 hours:

The birds are stitched in normal DMC, and the gates are a blend of DMC and Etoile to give them a bit of sparkle. The DMC/Etoile blend is a combination I really enjoy using (especially for Christmas projects) and would highly recommend. I just wish there were more than 35 Etoile colours!

I really don't want to put this WIP down, but am going to because that's the end of Dark October.

Naughty November is now looming, and this year I feel more naughty than ever! But more about that in my first Naughty November post on the 6th.

Take care,

Rachel x

Moonrise Ornaments 1, 2, 3 and 4 all finished!

Good morning one and all!

For Naughty November I started four new projects, all of which were fairly small and all of which I hoped to finish this year.

Well... guess what? I have!!

I actually finished the first two during November, but kept it quiet so that I could post all four finishes together. Here they all are after my first weekend of Naughty November progress and now completed:

Ornament 1

I made a couple of changes to this one. Firstly I ripped out the RIP and replaced the charted 3799 with 310 as I didn't think it stood out enough. And secondly I added Etoile to the moon. The moon was charted for 168 and 762 but for the lighter parts I combined 762 with C415 and for the darker parts 168 with C318. I'm really pleased with the way this all turned out:

Ornament 1 'Gravestone' from Moonrise by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano 2 over 2

Stitch count 47 wide by 56 high

Started - 6th November 2021

Finished - 11th November 2021

Total stitching time - 12 hours 55 minutes

Ornament 2

For this one I stitched the moon as above, and in the fence substituted one strand of 3799 for one strand of Etoile 3799:

Ornament 2 'Fence' from Moonrise by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano 2 over 2

Stitch count 55 wide by 60 high

Started - 13th November 2021

Finished - 19th November 2021

Total stitching time - 13 hours 20 minutes

Ornament 3

For this one Etoile was added to the moon and the roofs of the house but, other than that, it's as charted:

Ornament 3 'Mansion' from Moonrise by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano 2 over 2

Stitch count 49 wide by 55 high

Started - 20th November 2021

Finished - 13th December 2021

Total stitching time - 12 hours 15 minutes

Ornament 4

This took a bit longer than anticipated, but I didn't mind as I absolutely loved stitching the memorial. Once again I added Etoile to the moon and also changed the colours of the memorial from the charted (darkest to lightest) 840, 841, 842 and 3866 to 167, 738, 3823 and 3865 respectively. I still think this would look good in greys so may stitch this again... one day!

Ornament 4 'Memorial' from Moonrise by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano 2 over 2

Stitch count 48 wide by 67 high

Started - 27th November 2021

Finished - 23rd December 2021

Total stitching time - 19 hours 35 minutes

I'm over the moon (no pun intended!) with all four pieces.

Now to work out how to FFO them. I'd like to do something different, and have an idea or two so need to go looking for some inspiration around that. Failing that, you'll see them FFOd as ornies!

Take care,

Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #4 - Moonrise Ornament 4

Hi all!

So this was the final weekend of Naughty November and the four-weekend mini new start binge. Each weekend I have been starting a Whispered By The Wind Halloween ornie...

... and this weekend was the last one:

Moonrise Ornament 4 'Memorial' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano 2 over 2

Stitching time to date - 4 hours

For this one I changed the colours of the memorial from those charted to those I used for In The Gloaming. So, from darkest to lightest, 840, 841, 842 and 3866 became 167, 738, 3823 and 3865 respectively. Maybe they're a bit too bright for a spooky effect, and maybe they would look better in greys? That's a good excuse as any to stitch it again, don't you think? But not yet!

Here's the linky widget thingy if you want to link up for Naughty November week 4:

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Thumb-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.

I have no doubt that Tiff will also be stitching this ornie, but have no idea what Faith has chosen, having so far varied between geometric, Easter and Christmas. Mary also joined in last week with three starts on projects which will be stitched in 2022. I hope there's a fourth this week.

I also hope you've enjoyed our mini new start binge; now all I have to do is finish them before the end of the year.

If you fancy having a small new start binge, Mischievous March will return next year. ;)

[You may think I have a lot of new start binges (and you'd be right!) but, Olympic ones aside, they're a way for me to control the number and size of new starts I have - better to have the satisfaction of four fairly small, and quick-to-finish, new starts together than numerous ad hoc new starts during the year which just remain WIPs, right?]

Take care

Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #3 - Moonrise Ornament 3

Good morning everybody!

Naughty November continues, with weekend number three and new start number three from this lovely Halloween-themed set:

And here's how far I got with my mansion over the weekend:

Moonrise Ornament 3 'Mansion' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano 2 over 2

Stitching time to date - 6 hours 55 minutes

The windows were stitched using one strand of DMC and one of Etoile, as were the roofs, although that was unintentional as I automatically threaded the needle with one strand of each when I saw the colour. They look OK though and, even though the moon's behind them, I'll pretend they're reflecting its light.

Now, here's the linky widget thingy if you also took part in week 3 of Naughty November and want to link up:

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Thumb-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.

Last week Tiff and I started the same Halloween ornie, whereas Faith decided to jump forwards to Easter with a really sweet hippity hoppity chart. I think Tiff will be stitching the same ornie as me this week, but wonder where Faith's needles have taken her??

Back next week for the final start of Naughty November 2021.

Take care

Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #2 - Moonrise Ornament 2

Good morning all!

And welcome to the second week of Naughty November 2021!

This week I am starting the second ornament, which I have called 'Fence', from this Moonrise set. Bet you can't guess from the title which one it is!

Here's my progress over the weekend:

Moonrise Ornament 2 'Fence' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano 2 over 2

Stitching time to date - 3 hours 40 minutes

Not quite as good a start as last week, but that was mainly due to having stitched some of it when I was over-tired and then having to frog it because it was really untidy! Serves me right!

Here's the linky widget thingy if you took part in Naughty November week 2 and want to link up. Hopefully you were more focused than me!

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Thumb-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.

Last week Tiff and I both started the same ornie and Faith started a large geometric design in the most sumptuous browns and golds. Tiff 's now finished her ornie but I have a feeling Faith's may take slightly longer! Wonder what you've started this week... 

Take care,

Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #1 - Moonrise Ornament 1

Morning all!

And welcome to Naughty November!

If you don't know by now, Naughty November is a means of slipping in four cheeky new starts before the end of the year. It really worked for me last year so I am running it again this year, and will likely continue running it in the future, even if it's only me taking part!

My startner-in-crime, Tiff, and I both had lots of new starts back in the summer for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics (and Tiff even more during the year for Maynia) but that hasn't stopped us looking forward to Naughty November!! We do, however, appreciate that these new start binges do not appeal to many, so invite you instead to laugh along at our madness! 

My four new starts are all going to be from a set called Moonrise by Whispered By The Wind, the same company who designed my recently-finished In The Gloaming. You'll easily see the resemblance, especially since I have also used the same fabric.

The four designs don't have names, so this first one (the third from left) I have called Gravestone:

And here's my rather fantastic start over the weekend:

Moonrise Ornament 1 'Gravestone' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Stitching time to date - 6 hours 30 minutes

I've just the moon, the inside of the gravestone and a bit of backstitching left to do, so this shouldn't take too long to finish. In fact, all of them are relatively small so should be finished before the end of the year.

If you are joining in with Naughty November (and I believe there are only two?) and want to link up, here's the linky-widget thingy which will be open for 2 weeks. I look forward to seeing your new starts!

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Thumb-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.

Back next Monday with new start number 2!

Take care,

Rachel x

In The Gloaming - finished!

Afternoon all!

Dark October has ended for another year, and what better way to celebrate than by joining Tiff with her In The Gloaming happy dance?

In The Gloaming was the first (and my favourite) of the 17 pieces I started for the Spring Into Summer New Start Binge 2020 and is now the seventh to be finished... literally scraped in on the final day of Dark October!

Here's a reminder of the 50 hour progress picture:

And now finished!

In The Gloaming by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Grey Murano

Stitch count 112 wide by 121 high

Started - 4th April 2020

Finished - 31st October 2021

Total stitching time - 59 hours

I swapped out the colours of the monument from those charted (which looked nothing like the cover picture) to 167, 738, 3823 and 3865, and include Etoile in the moon and railings for a little bit of bling. The moon looks a little lost against the fabric, but I don't think the design really needs it so am happy with it being subtle. And no, I didn't backstitch the railings - 'twas a silly idea!!!

My only regret is that, despite looking at the cover picture numerous times, I didn't notice how the top of the middle railing is not curved like the others. The straight bit between the two birds looks really weird. It's a bit annoying, but not enough for me to want to frog and restitch that section!!!

So now Dark October's finished it's time to move on to November and that means the Naughty November SAL and four (more!) new starts - one during each weekend of the month. My chosen projects are by the same company as In The Gloaming and I've been looking forward to starting them for ages, so am glad Naughty November's finally arrived!

Each Monday I shall post my progress along with a linky-widget thing, so if you fancy being naughty and joining in please feel free. Note - they don't have to be weekend starts, and you don't have to do all four weekends, just start and join in as and when suits you best. Maybe see you there?

Take care,

Rachel x

In The Gloaming - 50 hours

Hi all!

Well, Dark October has been good, and allowed me to put in another 10 hours on In The Gloaming.

Like I thought, I carried on and finished the monument but was then soooooo desperate to stitch the railings that I had a couple of late night into early morning sessions to do just that; a lovely treat for which I paid the price when the lack of sleep caught up with me!

Here's how it was at 40 hours:

And after the couple of long stitching sessions:

I'm still quite a way off finishing but think another 10 hours should be enough. However, I need to get back to The Loneliness Of Autumn so doubt I will be joining Tiff in her Dark October In The Gloaming Happy Dance.

I'm also cautiously wondering whether or not to backstitch the railings. It would require a lot of work, and would definitely make them 'pop' more, but then would I also have to backstitch the monument?

Another deciding factor is that I'm stitching a similar project, Gatekeeper, and if I backstitched the railings on this one I would have to do the same on that one and, as you can see, that would be a mega undertaking, so maybe not afterall!

Thoughts?

Take care,

Rachel x