Forgotten Projects

I've been so busy stitching "work" projects, I haven't had the time or energy to work on other "fun" projects lately.   But this past weekend, after finishing yet another holiday design that I'll be revealing very soon (hopefully next week), I decided to take a trip to The Island of Forgotten Projects. 

Yeah, you know that place -- the one where all your started and half-done projects are languishing until you remember them and decide to pick them up again and get back to work.... (Let's not reveal how many of those you have, okay? And I won't bore you with mine, either...)

Anyway, because it's a dreary rainy Novembery time of year, I pulled out my beloved Village of Hawk Run Hollow by Carriage House Samplings that I started, lo, these many years past.  I had forgotten how much fun it was to work with its autumnal colors, with all the itty bitty details of this piece.  And every night this week I've been working on it, as I sit in front of the fireplace and stitch.

So I'm pleased to report I've finished the second row of vignettes.  Which means, officially, I'm HALF-WAY DONE!!  (drum roll, please.....)  Here's how it looks now:

I slightly altered the block on the left side, where the orange arrow is pointing, so the dogs look more like dogs (previously they looked like goats, and that didn't make sense to me).

And over on the right side, in the blacksmith shop, I made the foreground horse into an Appaloosa (which tickles my fancy no end, since I love those particular critters!) and omitted the shopowner's name by substituting more horseshoes, where the pink arrow is pointing below.

I'm dee-lighted to get that row finished.  Isn't it funny how you sometimes hit an invisible wall on projects, for no discernable reason, except you Just Don't Want To Stitch It.  I felt that way about all the riders in the blacksmith block; all those fiddly little riders, with their different colored shirts and hats stopped me cold and made me put this project away. For over a year, as it happens.

But now, after breezing past those silly little bits without batting an eye, I can proudly turn the scroll bars and move along to the next row.  Which has Three New Blocks!  It's like starting three new projects.  Woo Hoo!  I'm on a roll here, so I hope I can keep the evening stitching momentum going .... But with any stitching project (as you well know) it's hard to predict what's up ahead, what parts might bore you or frustrate you, or what might trip you up again down that long, long stitching road. 

In any event, it's nice to know there's always the Island of Forgotten Projects to go back to.... to retrieve and re-discover yet another favorite old project, or maybe even to put one back for an un-disclosed amount of time until you're ready to work on it again....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, ONE AND ALL!  May your long weekend be filled with good friends & family, good food, and  let's not forget -- our very good projects!