BOOKS and SAMPLERS: A little year end accounting

Yesterday, I took photos off my cell phone and put all the stitching ones from 2016 into a separate folder. This year we were busy with some major changes in our life, and I didn't always have the time or desire to stitch. But while sorting these photos, I was surprised at how much I actually did this year. Not many finishes, but some nice projects done. The Sudoku and Tour de France Poster are still works in progress. (It has been so long since I posted anything here, I forgot to look for all the designers of these pieces. I'll add them later.) As you can see, there is a variety of technique - sashiko, needlepoint, cross stitch, beading, and even sewing!

I didn't post any photos of these, but I'm also working on a sampler in the TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday) Challenge from Pintangle, and I'm learning about painting on fabric. So, although it didn't feel like a productive year, it has been a year of learning

For a while this year, I also thought that I was losing my taste for reading. There were a few books started but not finished, and I started to wonder if I'd ever get my enjoyment of books back. But around October, an article on facebook about the Dutch painter Carel Fabritius led me to The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Finally, a novel I couldn't put down! It's a coming of age story, but also a thriller, with stolen artwork, forged antiques, a New York setting, and a cute little dog named Popchick. Not to mention all the echoes of novels by Dickens - David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, Great Expectations, and A Christmas Carol. One of the characters even mentions Jack Wild's performance as the Artful Dodger in "Oliver!". Definitely a book I can recommend.

Now that DH and I are settled in a new home, I'm hoping that I'll have more time to devote to this blog. Next year is only a few hours away and I'm thinking ahead to what I hope to accomplish.

Happy New Year!