Construction Grinds to a Halt

I put aside the Haunted House last night as Phases 2 and 3 slowly ground to a halt. I confess that I had my doubts as to whether I would finish this project when I picked it back up at the beginning of August. But, here we are at the end of August, and I am pleasantly surprised with the progress I made during the month. There is still a lot of work to be done but I can now see this as a finished project towards the end of this year or the beginning of next year. I have put the House aside in preparation for the arrival of Dr. Acula in September and W. Herr Wolff in October. Work on the Haunted House will begin again in November.

I rooted around in the stash last night in search of something small and fun to stitch while I wait for Dr. Acula. This is what I found.

This is the XOXO canvas (or Hugs & Kisses) from & more (& more is the name of the design company).  The stitch guide is by Julia Key H. Snyder.  I bought the canvas, threads, and stitch guide from Amy's back in January not realizing that Halloween was about to completely take over my stitching time. You can see a finished example of this on Amy's website. This pillow was beautifully stitched by Jill.  There are two red panels that are worked in trame stitches and two white panels that are worked in a darning pattern and a blackwork pattern. The XOXO in the middle is worked with gold beads.

Last night I laid the horizontal and vertical stitches on the left red panel and today I began adding the Walnettos over the intersections.  Do you know what a Walnetto is? Me either, but I added some to the canvas.

This will be a fun distraction for the next couple of days. It seems my stitching has a holiday theme this year. In January, I finished another canvas by & more. I loved working the Merry Christmas canvas.

Take a minute and look at the two finished examples of this canvas on Amy's website. I think my Needlepoint Study Hall friend, Peggy, stitched one of those Merry Christmas canvases. If you follow the link, you will also see the Boo canvas. I foresee stitching that one, too. Although, it will have to wait until the Halloweenies are over and done with.

Mystery vine update: The mystery vine growing behind my stitching chair is alive and well. I forgot to take a picture for you, but if it's still around by the weekend, I'll post a picture. It's looking healthy and has grown some.

Enjoy the upcoming weekend everyone. I'll see you soon -