A Stitchy Invitation & Catching Up

This week completely got away from me, but I still wanted to check in with all of you before the new week begins. This weekend was perfectly autumnal – the leaves are falling, there’s a lovely mix of sun and clouds, and we can smell the fires from our neighbors’ chimneys puffing away. I am so happy that fall has arrived!

An invitation:

Mary and I are planning to stitch Christmas on Shelves together and would love it if you joined us! We have decided to start around Thanksgiving, which gives us some time to gather supplies and get started. I’m planning to start on Thanksgiving (which falls on 11/25 in the US this year). With a sink full of dirty dishes, I plan to put in the first few stitches and focus on the gratitude I feel for my blogging friends who have helped keep my head above water and my feet planted on my slightly grimy floor.

So please – won’t you join us? There is no timetable, no pressure, no deadlines. The project is relatively small and the intention isn’t to overwhelm anyone, but to have a single project to unite us through this holiday season. We’d love it if you would consider stitching along.

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Thank you all for the kind words about my fridge last week. Our new refrigerator arrived last Sunday and we were so excited! It’s much smaller than our old one, but I think it fits in our kitchen better and it will help me with my efforts to minimize. Bigger isn’t always better, right?

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My knitting has stalled out, but I have continued to work on my cross-stitch projects! A Plump Wife is really moving along. In the last week, I finished the top border along with the farmer’s wife’s top and apron. I’m working on her face now and hope she’ll be completely finished by the time I check in again at the end of the week. And my Flower a Day project continues to grow, despite being riddled with mistakes. I’ve also been practicing my free motion quilting on my Patchwork Swoon quilt. I’m almost halfway finished with the quilting and can’t wait to see how it turns out.

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This was quite a week for me, so I was happy to have these projects to help me get each day started and to curl up with in the evening. It’s also cozy movie season, so I’ve been watching Legends of the Fall (those Ludlows. And the music. And the horses! It’s my favorite movie of all time.), Dances with Wolves, Scream (I have no idea why this one is cozy for me, but it is), The Great Pumpkin, and lots of stitchy YouTubers while cross stitching. And of course, the baking show has started again, which brings me so much joy.

I’ve been reading blogs but haven’t been able to comment — so I know that many of us are feeling the autumn vibe right now! I hope you’re all able to suck the marrow out of fall and enjoy the season as best as you possibly can. We’ll have to wait a whole year for another chance!