A New Stitching Year Is About To Begin

The old year will soon make way for the new. Not quite sure where the last year has gone as it hardly seems like 5 minutes since last New Year's Eve!

Anyway I have achieved lots of finishes this last year ( I don't expect to have as many in 2013), had a few abandoned pieces and renewed my love for HAEDs. I've stitched at least 12 Christmas ornaments thanks to Lainey's Christmas All Year Round SAL which I think I'm going to take part in again in 2013. It has been great fun and really makes you want to get on and stitch. I have also made new stitchy friends through blogging and Facebook, made a firm friend through craft club and we intend to get together regularly outside of the club for stitchy afternoons in 2013. 

I'm not going to make any particular plans for stitching in 2013 other than ornaments, the new Little House Needleworks Little Sheep Virtues and hopefully make plenty of progress on my HAEDs. I intend to stitch from my stash as much as possible but obviously I will be buying the sheep :) I'm going to go on auto for them probably with Patchwork Rabbit as Karla is brilliant to deal with. I am hoping just to buy fabric and threads through the year if I need them. I did get fabric for Christmas so have plenty to keep me going on my HAEDs and other things. At the rate I'm going with new HAED starts I probably won't have much time to stitch on much else! I also got one of the Lizzie*Kate Inspiration Boxers. I really want to collect these as they are just lovely. I was surprised to see that they are presented in a CD case. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was quiet but enjoyable. We played games on the Wii, watched DVDs, ate too much, drank a bit and just generally chilled. We had a trip to the sales in Hull on Friday. I don't believe in the sales starting on Boxing Day so won't venture out then. I wish they'd go back to New Year sales like years ago. I'm afraid all this is killing family times and family values but that's just my opinion. At the sales I picked up a half price Charles Dickens book which has his Christmas stories in including A Christmas Carol. Jess set me off my buying me two Dickens books for Christmas then she said she should have got me a special version of A Christmas Carol so when I saw the book at half price I had to buy it!

My dear stitching friends were very kind to me at Christmas and I received some gifts. I feel so bad as I didn't send to anyone other than Lisa and Michelle ( I let Michelle open hers early) but I just can't do it. Anyway I feel very blessed and will let the pictures do the talking. Thank you so much my dear friends xx

 From Michelle

From Lisa

From Christine

From Karan

From Mouse

From Elaine

I pondered over what I could do for Lisa and finally decided on this ornament which she loves.

Shepherd's Bush Do You Hear

Unknown fabric

DMC

Started 20th November 2012

Finished 3rd December 2012

Christmas Gift for Lisa

I finally got my last three ornaments made up to hang. I need to be a bit more creative in 2013 with my finishes I think!

And my last ornament of the year was finished yesterday but not made up yet!

Amy Brueken Designs I Believe

28 count Natural Pearl Linen

DMC

Started 23rd December 2012

Finished 30th December 2012

I had a new start on Boxing Day. This is HAED Mini The Forgotten. Not a lot done but loving it so far.

I also made progress on HAED Guardian and HAED QS Holly Fairy. I finished page 10 on Guardian and managed 560 stitches on page 11.

Finally my progress on Country Cottage Needleworks Gingerbread Cottage. Photo is awful I'm afraid. Chris  has finished hers and is wondering how to finish it.

So that's my final stitchy update for 2012. No more finishes in the pipeline now until 2013. I have been stitching away on a gift but I don't think that will be finished until next year now unless I get lots of stitching in today!

Thank you to you all for your friendship in 2012 and long may it continue. I love seeing what you are all doing even though I may not always keep up with commenting especially at this time of year. 

So that is it from me for 2012! Wishing you all good health, happiness and lots of stitchy goodness in 2013. 

With much love

Sally

xxxx