Full Circle

Happy New Year!  I'd like to say thank you  once again for all the very kind thoughts and expressions of sympathy from those who commented on my previous post. Losing my dad was the final hardship in the most difficult year I've ever faced.  Here's a heartfelt wish for better times to come in 2013!

Anyway, 2012 dragged its miserable old bones out with the same stitching project it began - Frances Eden.  Even though the year itself was a monster, Frances has been an agreeable companion all along the way.  Who knows, maybe she'll actually see a finish in the new year.  Here's how she's looking.

I've taken a very liberal hand with swapping her original colors for the Sampler Threads palette called for in And They Sinned.  She's been a fun, easy project so far and I'm looking forward to steady progress on her.

And speaking of New Year's transitions, I did get a nice start on Ann Grimshaw first thing  New Year's morning.  I'm working her as my part of Nicola's Scarlet Letter Year Challenge, with hopes of eventually starting Jane Atkinson as well at some point.  Here's how things are looking on her, 6 days into it:

If you take a look at Ann's picture on the Scarlet Letter website, you'll see I started her at the center top of the design.  She's being worked on 36 count flax linen with Silk 'm Colors Finnegan 's Fog, which I'm completely smitten with right now.

It's been fun this past week to read all the "stitching year in review" posts and/or the "stitching goals for the new year" entries.  So even though I'm running a bit behind in doing the same, I've taken stock of what I've accomplished this past year and hope to tackle in the coming one.  Here goes!

• First off, I started this blog!  While the official blogaversary date isn't until sometime in February, it was over the holidays last year that I began looking seriously at what everyone else was up to and began playing with the design for what eventually became the blog you're looking at now. 

• With entry into the blogging world, I've made new friends and been amazed and inspired by all the creativity and skills represented in all your posts.  Thank you so much for sharing that part of yourself !  As for 2013, I'm going to throw a cyber-bash in February as a blogaversary celebration, something we can all have fun with.... 

• Here's another big accomplishment - I actually finished more projects than I started!  That's got to be a first for me.  Major finishes include Frances Burwell....

 

 

• Jean Rattray....

• ...and the framing for And They Sinned.

• And looking ahead, I'd dearly love to see finishes for Frances Eden, Hannah Pepper, Ann Grimshaw and Atoche.  I'd also love to see a winning Powerball ticket, a vacation home in the Keys and a 20 pound weight loss.....we'll see how many of these actually happen! 

• And last off, it's dawned on me that I stitched an entire year using only stuff that was already in my existing stash hoard.  I don't know whether to be proud or horrified by that.  Well, I take that back, I did buy a DMC floss palette for Atoche.

• But who could possibly deny themselves this Caribbean rainbow? 

So I hope this finds everyone proud of the stitching they've accomplished and ready to forge ahead with new projects, ideas and creativity this new year.  Let the fun begin!