The drive home to and from Halifax last month provided plenty of opportunity to discuss projects and plans and thoughts and the state of A&S in big terms and little terms, and generally illustrated that stuck in a vehicle for 2 days solid, Emelote and I can talk for 2 days solid. Those who know either of us in person are nodding in a complete lack of surprise at the moment.

No handy wifi here.

On the way home, I was explaining all about the East Kingdom embroidery guild, Keepers of Athena’s Thimble. If you are ever at an East Kingdom event where they are having a panel and you are in any way interested in embroidery, you should go. It’s such a good time, spent with amazing needleworkers and even if you’ve nothing to panel (aka show and tell with some expert critique on offer), it’s worth gawking at the awesome and meeting great resources in embroidery. The guild has divved up embroidery into 12 broad categories, and they have rankings for skill level in each. In a car, going 120 kph down the highway with spotty cell service, I struggled to remember all twelve, but we got there in the end (or perhaps with the assistance of convenient rest stop wifi, I don’t recall). Ultimately, we commented that twelve categories fit really very nicely into twelve months of the year, and gosh wouldn’t examples of all these different ones be nice.

And so the year of embroidery was begun. Small projects, pincushion sized, one a month for all twelve categories. I did mention I’ve rather missed embroidering, right? Just wait, I am going to get plenty this year. For lack of any reason why not, I’m approaching them alphabetically, which places January as appliqué. I have long wanted to play with intarsia appliqué (inlay, mosaic, patchwork.. all the same thing), so I’m delighted. More on that project next week.

It all starts with a dyepot

That’s the first year long project, and honestly was aimed to be the only year long project, such that I had time for everything else I do. (Looking at you peacock, and the dressed looms, and and and.. oh dear.) Then I was surfing around the internet, as one does, and stumbled upon a year long blackwork stitch along from Peppermint Purple.

Stitch alongs, for those unfamiliar with the concept, are basically a mystery project where the designer doles out the pattern in small chunks, and you only know the bare bones to start, so it’s a surprise every week (or however often they release clues). I’ve done more than my share of knitting ones, but I haven’t done an embroidery one in forever, and I rather adore blackwork. It’s wholly modern, each week is a little fill in a wee box, and I failed my will save to resist. This is clue one, sorry for the spoilers. (22 count hardanger fabric, random unlabelled cotton floss)

Tiny! Barely a project!

So now I’ve got an embroidery project every week, and one every month. I am not going to lack for embroidery in 2020, that’s for certain! The stupid knitting continues apace with a doily that’s been haunting me for 20 years, but that’s a story for another time. I dare say I won’t lack for things to keep me busy this year.