Gifted Gorgeousness October 2026

 I had these things back in July and in September but as noted stuff happened.

So firstly retirement gift from my former boss's daughter.

some wool for felting, not feeling the felting at the moment but this might get me back in the grove.

Then  the gift for having a letter make Star Letter in the WOX

A fox kit and a printed  piece of Aida. I have thoughts about that but I need to check the size and the recommended thread count. 

Now regular visitors will know that the 15th of the month GG posts were started by Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching. She has had to pause some of her regular link ups and hops. However, a few are keeping up the traditions as we can. So Click Here to pop to another blog trying, and so far managing better than I, to keep posting GG on 15th.

BFF SAL 26 Shades of grey.

 It was time for the second shade of grey, started with the left ear. 

But it looked wrong to me, too close to the shade already used.

It looked different on the card but not the cat.

So I changed it, to an Anchor thread that was in reach.

Finished the grey and therefore the cat. Started on the next shade.

It was a nice steady normality that was much appreciated today. Small anniversaries of  things, a week, a month are by their nature odd. It will get less so over time I expect, the anniversaries will become counted in larger chunks, years, decades, time moves at a strange pace all of its own.

Anyway my BFF had a somewhat frustrating night however, the rules of the SAL allows for off camera stitching to put a project back into the position it would have been had a mistake not happened.

CLICK HERE to see her update for this evening.

A beginning of a Fundraising event and hopefully

 a continuation of a path to better treatments or a cure.  There are many things in this life that feel unfair, sicknesses and illnesses that are cruel and take people away from us. 

Alzheimer's is one of those terrible, frightening illness.  I had an awareness of it but had been fortunate that it did not impact directly on me. There was in 2007 the deep sorrow that a favourite author had been diagnosed when Terry Pratchett  made public his diagnosis.  Then a friend of my father's who I never met but would hear stories of, Harry, was also diagnosed and when walking his dog could only rely on the dog remembering the way home, it sounds funny but of course it is not.

It came a full step closer when a family friend I had known all of my life that I can recall was also diagnosed and for the first time I was present as his memories slipped away like water through his gripping hands. Pieces of his past and present flowing away. Before he forgot how to speak but a few words he would repeat the things he wanted most to hold onto. " I have a wife, her name is Anne, I have five children and their names over and over. We lost Martin in 2021 and he was a special person who should have had so many more years as a husband, father, and grandfather and friend.

It then moved right by my side when my own father was diagnosed and had his own struggles with its progression and loosing things that had been a part of him. His ability to drive, his bowling, being able to fix everything.  It was not this aliment that eventually took him from us, cancer beat it to that. He went before he forgot who we were, at times there is comfort in that, but it did take much of the quality of the time he had left and I resent that.

So this November I am going to do something I am good at, that my Dad both liked that I could do, when I made things for him or his friends or just that he liked, and was annoyed by when threads got all over the place and pins and needles were lost and invariably found by him! I am going to sew every day in November to try and raise funds for the Alzheimer's Research UK.  If you have visited before with me here you will understand why I am unlikely to  do much with the first two crafting methods shown below. 

Please feel free to verify the fundraising event via an independent search. 

This is the link to the Facebook donation page.Click here for the link I will be posting as I go. Thank you for visiting and taking the time to read this. 

Or there is also a Just Giving  option as well.     

I will be starting on the 1st of November I think I will be doing little kits mostly, but I might add some WIP's and BFF SAL days in there as well. Pop back and see.

BFF SAL 26

 and as the black was all completed last time it was onto the dark grey.  I started at the top, got so far and my stitching was suddenly wearing a balaclava!

Roni agreed and felt I should take a picture before further sewing removed the effect. So here it is.

I did manage to finish all of the  dark grey and it is certainly looking like , well you can see what it is now and the balaclava effect is much diminished.

Pop over to my BFF's blog..CLICK HERE to see her progress.

A little tweak to

a previous finish. Scotty dog key ring . Whilst still looking for my missing thread I cam across some little charms and felt inspired to think again about a dog collar for the Scotty dog.

I had some chain, and jewellery plyers and this is the result.

Doggy has a bone. Still not sure what will happen to him but quite pleased with my modification.

General Conference stitching

 replaces what would have been my Sunday Stitching restart of sorts.

It was slow going, and I was feeling a bit down about it, but plodded away and managed to finally finish  The Earth.

Just that comet to complete and the middle section will be done. Just the vines and lettering in the top and bottom banners and the backstitch to do then. LOL Just! Thats almost funny.

A sudden pause

 to everything normal in my world. A pause to the BFF stitching, the Sunday Stitchings and indeed to stitching at all. A heavy pause to normal time and to normal life.

For some things it will be only a pause.  There will be a return to the stitching themes and days. I expect there will be a return to projects to do, indeed I have made a small step back with framing a previous SAL as I found a recipient with a love of the Highland Cow and who has been very supportive on many levels whilst my life changed in a way that is permanent.

After an extended illness which had gradually reduced his independence and physical strength but not his determination, my father became very unwell very quickly and died at home in mid September.

Knowing such a thing is coming still does not really prepare you. The prognosis had been bad in March after the results from the Vampire Lady  but my Dad had defied the odds for six months, I am grateful for that extra time even as I greedily wish it had been more.  And there is so much to do and sort that the process of grief becomes entangled with that. Time moves differently and oddly.

So this is the small thank you for Heather, who helped in numerous ways and spoke so beautifully at my Dad's funeral, words that brought memories to mind for all in attendance.

And it is the small first step out of the paused time. I know that it is going to take a lot of steps, and some of them may be backward but still will just plod on till we get there. Wherever and whenever there is. 

One think into another

 the simple small project that had an unexpected link to a new album release generated contemplation about making that link a lot closer.

That resulted in the realisation the small size would not allow for the style of the lettering in cross stitch and backstitch.  Did that put an end to matters?

No, of course it did not. I got the album title to a suitable size, transferred it to the Aida using  an iron transfer pencil in a pink shade and then embroidered it on. Mostly stem stitch with a little satin stitch and a few French Knots. Oh I finished off the stamens on the flower first.

I would like to say that I intentionally positioned the album title so it became steam rising from the spout of the tea pot however, any positioning with that result was subconscious.  I only realised when I was half way through stitching it! 

There is a nice space to do so under the cup. His name is Romanised on the other images I have seen, which might make it easier to do as cross stitch perhaps. Then again perhaps not as there are no circles to navigate in his name in Hangul.

I still have a little bit of time to decide before the album is officially released. 

Adding this link as I was listening to it whilst  drafting this blog, and it is of the artist concerned.

I have the album on pre order  via Amazon. Used them this time as  I had  some vouchers for there from signing up to the Bing/ Microsoft reward scheme which generates points as you complete searches and daily tasks like doing a quiz or  a picture search.  How fast the points build up depends on how much you use the search bar. 

You can do a search on it to see if it is OK for you.

I am attaching a link which would refer you to it. I note that if you use the link for joining up I get  one point each time you get three for a search.  That would be nice, if you do thank you.

Oh you are not limited to Amazon, there are lots of different options with lots of different redemption points, or you can donate your points to a charity,

So here is the link.  microsoft, bing rewards link

Here is an update, album arrived, and it was in part paid for  with Amazon vouchers from the reward scheme noted above.

It comes in a blue tin, and the CD is decorated to look like a strawberry cake.

underneath, a poster, photo cards, a photo booklet , a slide style photo and a napkin / bandana. 

BFF SAL 26 seasonal start

 and all the black completed. Let the guessing what it is commence.

My BFF  has a bit if the black to go, so what she is seeing in hers is different to what she sees in mine and different to what I see.  Funny, same but different once more. 

CLICK HERE

The first day of Autumn 2026

 and further progress with the small and a funny (well I think it is funny) coincidence.

Dark pink confirmed I started with the light pink

Then on to the mid pink

Then, that from stash dark pink

Then  green and brown, finishing off with dots of white, cross stitch on the main area of the design was completed.

A beep on my phone,  pre order information for the leader of Forestella's new solo album. And the coincidence amused me, the colours differ but you can see why I laughed. Especially as for me a tea pot is not what you would call a useful item. I don't drink it at all, I find the smell of it awful, my poor grandmother who was quite sure it was a cure all never could persuade me to touch the stuff. Therefore me being in the process of stitching one just as this comes up!

This is the best I could capture the image as a screen shot , this is a link to the official You Tube Chanell for the artist, not sure how long this image will remain there. ChoMinGyu official You Tube

On to the backstitch

There are still stamens to do on the large pink flower, and there should also be a butterfly top left. Of course I am now contemplating if it would be fun to add the album title there instead.( Sweet Escape) Oh and the original has the word tea on the tea pot...might I put something else?  The same word but in Hangul maybe ? 

So a pause on this now for contemplation so I may pick up another small to do (till the thread stops hiding) and hope the next small does not suddenly feel like it needs any contemplation on pattern deviation or playing hunt the thread number.