Halloween and a pumpkin

 

This is on black paper, with metallic watercolours. 

It has a look of a chalk painting here.

I am having fun with these little pictures with metallic paint.

I'd not thought of adding paintings into the blog before this. 

Possibly as these little paintings are for adding to other things  that I thought of it at this time. The pumpkin went onto note paper for a letter to my pen pal for instance.

Maybe, as I come across them I might share some previous paintings, and perhaps I might get back into doing some on occasion just because? Because I have paint and brushes and well why not.

I don't have a pumpkin song link so the song from Ghost in the shell it is. And because I am drawn to it even when some of the blending sounds are not my usual thing still I delight in them.

If you would rather have cross-stitches on a Halloween theme, you can search using the Halloween label or the search bar. There are some pumpkins!

Halloween link up 2024

 Usually at this time of the year I join in the Trick or Treat Blog hop hosted by Jo over at https://serendipitousstitching.blogspot.com/  but organising the hop is a lot of work for Jo and this year life is busy so instead of the hop it is a link up.

I like to try and do something new for the hop each year and happily had something finished ready so it can be added for the link up.

It is a modification of a design in issue 350 of The World of Cross Stitching. One of four designs by Fiona Baker, intended  to be a coloured cross stitch with a blackwork frame.

For speed I decided to just do an outline of the central image and added a little bit of gold blending filament  I have a little bit of that to use up

after the picture there would normally be the letter for the hop and a link to the next blog. If you did not come here from Jo's blog then use the link at the top and see what other themed stitches are about.

If you are still craving more Halloween themed stuff  you can link to previous years hops click on the Halloween label link at the bottom of the page.

Oh and I have shared this particular Forestella song before but as a ghost story it fits

Halloween Trick or Treat Blog Hop 2023

 Here we are again, time for the Halloween Hop, if you have participated before and came here via the hop then just keep going, if you are new to the hop  Click Here to visit the host blog and find out what it is all about.

Here is my stitch for this year, it has to be the smallest Halloween stitch I have done so far, I had left it late this year so small was required. Although small he has a lot of character with just a few lines and two French knots.

It comes from Better Holmes 2001 Cros stitch Designs 

I am going to use a stitch from a previous hop to share the letter for this one. Here it is.

then for the next letter Click HERE to go to the next blog on the hop to collect your next letter. Oh we are not all blogging from the same times zone so if a post/letter is not up yet please pop back later to collect the full set.

Oh and if you would like to see past hops Click here all links should open in new windows and are to other blogs.

And as a little addition (some posts are getting them as I find a song that feels right) here is a little Korean ghost story of a song.

Halloween Trick or Treat Blog Hopp 2022

Halloween, yes already, that is not a trick time does fly. And the Treat? Seeing lots of spooky stitches as you hop around.

Pop over to serendipitous Stitching (Click Here) for a full explanation and the starting point if you have not come here from there or another hop participant.

This is my themed stitch for this year, completed on material I coloured myself using T Shirt Dye pens.

it did come with red eyed bats on the original pattern, but I was not fond of the bats (don't mistake me I like bats (proof I like bats) just not the ones on this pattern. Oddly at first glance I thought oh lot of black, yet it felt when stitching it there was more grey than black.

They don't have your letter; your letter is here with a former Halloween Hop star Ollie the Owl and his friend Itsy Bitsy.

In this case they are sewn on white, and I just applied a filter to the picture so it co-ordinated with the cats.

And now you have your letter from me follow this link to the next blog and enjoy your hopping. Oh and it would be nice if you left a comment on each hop as you go.. 

Link to marysthread your next blog

Halloween Trick or Treat Blog Hop 2021

Wow it is that time already?  Indeed it is scary how time passes so fast, almost like magic!

If you are a blog hop regular you can skip this paragraph, if this is all new to you then read on. The hop is hosted by Jo over at serendipitousstitching she gives participating bloggers a letter to post alongside their themed stitching and if you hop from blog to blog collecting the letters and hopefully enjoying some spooky or magic stitching and leaving comments (we bloggers like comments) along the way you will discover the phrase for this year.  So if you did not start over with Jo and you want to join in you might like to click on the link above and start at the beginning. That's assuming I am not the beginning as I don't know where my letter comes at time of posting.

This year I had 99% of my stitch for the blog finished nice and early, very early but not as early as my BFF which probably spurred me on.

This is from Cross Stitch Crazy's Fantasy Collection Designer Chart Book. The individual design does not have a title listed but comes under the heading "Cast a Spell" and is by Shannon Wasilieff.

If you have visited with me before you will be aware that on occasion ( OK quite often with smaller designs) I change things a bit from the original. In this instance instead of the 10 different colours charted for the dress, hat and ribbons I used just 2, but variegated thread I had in my oddments box. 

The hair was supposed to be 3 shades, I blended two in the needle (some call that tweeding) instead. 

Left off a potion bottle and wand, added to the purple smoke (originally 1 shade I again used variegated).

And....(I chuckle yes there is an and) on the original in the middle of the purple smoke was  a bit of green...but that space was just too serendipitous not to make better use of and that was the last 1%  of this project that had to wait till Jo sent me my letter.

And here it is conjured up for you by this rather bonny witch.

Letter collected (comment left ?) time for the link to the next blog on your journey to discover just

CLICK HERE to visit needlepensword. and keep on collecting. Don't forget to go back to Jo at the end and comment your answer (you can't check it straight away as she will moderate comments and not reveal it or peoples guesses till the hop is over.  Good hopping...

And in 2025 adding a link to a suitable Forestella# song. 

Trick or Treat ? Halloween blog hop 2020

 here we are in this most strange of years doing familiar things which give us a certain comfort.

In  this instance the Halloween hop as arranged by Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching. Click here for link. Now if you have not arrived here having hopped your way from Jo's blog you might like to go there to get the starting point for the blog and your letter collecting.

This year I completed a small stich from a free pattern which oddly enough was gridded fifteen by fifteen stitches not the normal ten by ten! Which I did not notice till I started, it was quite odd.

I also changed the spiders silk which on the original was in full stitches to the single strand, and a bit of a change to its legs for the same reason.

I stitched it on white, but played around with the filter option on the edit to give it a little bit more spook for the occasion.

Now had I not already sewn it ready I might have tried to complete Durene Jones free Halloween Sal when it came out. You may recall I used one of her designs for last years hop.  Maybe another year I will give that a go. This year it would have been a little too much for me to have felt confident I would get it finished in time unless I worked my fingers..

to the bone, as the saying goes. The above is a little peek at an ongoing project of mine.

Here is my letter and punctuation mark (note that latter is important) punctuation is always important.

 

I hope you can see the letter and punctuation mark this tiny backstitch black cat and its ball of wool represent ...but just in case (as it was quite typically one of the less clear letters in the cat alphabet) here it is again in a more legible if less fun format E,

Now you have your letter head off to the next stop in the hop theflashingscissors to collect further parts of the target word or maybe it is a phrase this year and enter it at Jo's blog.

Good luck....

Blog hop 2019

If you visited this post before 2 November 2019 then you will have had a different experience to those visiting after that date.  Why, well because of a mix up by my internet provider I had no internet access at home in the run up to Halloween.

Whilst I had my stitching all ready, I had no idea what letter I was to share or access to my blog to share it.

A code and password for temporary wifi access was sadly no help until today as the signal did not reach my home. Not sure what made it work today!

So having tried various options and with a promised fix after the blog date it was off to the library, firstly to read my e-mail from Jo and get the letter and then to get into blogger to write a very basic picture less post that would at least ensure the letter would be available on time for those raring to start hopping as soon as 31^st got underway.

So I am updating now to add the picture that should have made its appearance sooner.

This is based on a free patten from Durene Jones she shared on Facebook this year, she has an etsy  page under Durene J Cross Stitch.  I played around with the size, the thread and left some elements off.  The pattern is delightful in the way it allows for that.

The original design is sewn using two strands on 14 count 27 stitches by 106 giving a finished design size of 1.9 by 7.6 inches and using 5 shades of DMC thread.

Mine is sewn using one thread over one on grey linen.  Actually, on some of the off cuts from framing Nantucket Rose. Resulting in a finished size just over 1 inch by just a shade over 3 inches.

I used random threads form my collection of non-branded thread and 6 shades in total plus a little extra something for the details on the face. 

I think she is rather cute…now some of you who have been popping in for a visit for a while will figure out quite easily what the little extra something for the back stitch is, and for any one else here is a little clue  (it was popular with the Victorians.

So the letter is U...I know nothing fancy but at least it is there I will see if I can pretty it up later if I get the chance.

The next page is http://alchymyst.blogspot.com/

and I hope you have fun with the hop

Just in case you want a little Halloween from my blog try these links to previous years.

bat

bear

pumpkin

witch

Oh and if you did not arrive here from the hop home page just head on over to serendipitous stitching (there is a link on the right of this blog) and join in the fun.

Halloween Trick or Treat Blog hopp 2018

Here we are again...spooky how time flies.

And speaking of spooky flying here is my 2018 Halloween stitch.

Now for your letter, wouldn't want you to go batty waiting for it

F

Then on to your next stop

twododo

Have fun and I will see you again next year (if not sooner I hope)

(oh and if you did not start at the beginning pop on over to Serendipitous Stitching , there is a link on the right.

Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop 2017

Fairly sure given the "letter" assigned to me by Jo our hostess for this blog hop  that I am not the beginning of this years journey.

So if you have arrived here direct and not as a redirect from Jo or someone else on the hop may I recommend you click on over to serendipitousstitching.- read the rules and start at the beginning.

Here is my little Halloween contribution this year.   

and of course the letter...well sort of....

Good luck with the blog hop, one and all.

click here for the next page in the hop

Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop 2016

Welcome to my stop in the 2016 Halloween hop courtesy of Joe @ Serendipitous Stitching.

So the first part of the arrangement is to share a piece of work on a spooky theme.

Here is mine.

The original pattern is a free blackwork pattern from kreinik entitled Blackwork pumpkin. My thanks to the Facebook Group Our love for blackwork celtic knots and free patterns  for the original link to this. I have only completed the central design and I have used various threads from my stash not the make, colours or specialty threads as specified in the pattern. 

As I have mentioned before, whilst I am not overly fond of backstitch despite the amazing way it can transform a design , I find blackwork strangely soothing.

On to the next part of the hop, the letter for the competition,

Add this letter to the others you have collected along the way and see if you have the phrase to win the prize back at Jo's via this link if you like serendipitousstitching.

Hold on a moment I'm not the end of the hop so click on this link to the next blog and grab yourself another letter.

Anarizonastitcher

Have fun.

Halloween Trick or Treat blog hop.2015

Welcome to my post for the 2015 blog hop, I do no't at time of posting know the order of the hop. If you arrived here randomly then I recommend a visit to

  serendipitousstitching 

(the link to that wonderful blog is on the right hand side of my page)

to see what the hop is about.

This year I made something just for the hop. Here she is my 2015 witch. Not quite sure what to do with her just yet.  As you can see I did not quite get myself started in the middle, room for some very small letters perhaps?

Moon Witch

The pattern is from this book, I bought it a good few years ago when I succumbed to a glossy flier for a craft book/supplies club.  Those starting offers were always so tempting .  Anyway this book is one of the more used rather than just looked at occasionally purchases. The many little designs in it have come in very useful over the years. They are detailed enough to be special and at the same time easy to modify the colours to make use of little bits of thread or fabric.  I think it is focused more to the American market as it has a whole section on the State Flowers and it patriotic section is also for the USA with the stars and stripes ext, not a Union Jack in sight.

Anyway back to the hop and the letter you came here with a burning desire to find.

Good luck with the hop and your next destination is

Kittenstitching

(and hey I finally learned how to put in a link)

Hallowe'en Trick or Treat blog hop

Welcome to the next letter of the blog hop for Hallowe'en organised by Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching.  At time of posting I don't know what order I am in the hop so if you arrived here at random and want to join in, use the link on the right hand side to Serendipitous Stitching, start at the beginning and I will see you back here in a bit.

Now the rules for the hopping stops are simple, we share a picture for the theme and pop in the letter to be added to the others collected on the hop.

I had to do a bit of thinking on this one, the only thing I had a picture of fully in theme I shared last year (all hallows eve on 31.10.2013) from my try at pumpkin carving.  Then I remembered an item I made for my brother who is a sound and light engineer.  For a little while his business cards (which were orange, a very hallowe'een colour of late) bore the legend "sound wizard".

So I made this for him and I think the wizard (on 18 count and originally intended as a book mark) looks suitably scary in his purple (another hallowe'en colour ) robes.  The musical notes on my version were stars on the original design. I had no picture of the finished item, got in touch with my brother all digital due to distance and asked did he still have and if so could he take a picture.  A happy yes to both (it lives on the wall of his home studio) and here he is, Sound Wizard.

Sound Wizard

I can almost hear you asking where's the letter and the link to the next step.  Well you have kindly hopped into my blog world and here is the reward.

and now you have it added to your word, just hop on this link to keep your journey going. 

    

http://minnie-allxxs.blogspot.co.uk/

All hallowes eve

A Halloween charity day at work included a pumpkin carving competition.  I had never tried carving a pumpkin before, I did not realise how much easier it would be than a turnip, I vaguely remember trying that as a child and barley managing a grimacing Jack-O-Lantern face .  So wanting something a bit more stylish I started my pumpkin too early. Based on a cross stitch design I had see in a Magazine the owl appealed to me. This picture was taken a day after I finished carving and it looks reasonable.  Sadly by the time the competition came around it was starting to shrivel and the lid did not fit so the light spilled out.  No prize winning entry this, it was beaten into submission by a crisply carved witch which deserved to win.   I did not even get a pie out of the endeavour!

Hall-owl-een carved punpkin