Spooky stitching

I've been trying to get into the spooky season, so I've mostly been working on my Haunted Tower.

I don't think I'll get it done before October ends, but I'm really close to having the background finished. I kind of like it with the tower as a silhouette.

But I have taken time to work on my Jacobean Deep Dive. Which started with acquiring hoop, and then wrapping said hoop.

 I don't know if it's common practice to do tacking stitches the whole way around, but I did. Mostly, I'm hoping this stays in good condition for years and multiple projects, so I never have to re-wrap it.

Once the hoop was done, I got to move on to the fabric! I have printed, I have traced, I have pricked, I have lined up, and I have faked pouncing because that stuff is a mess and I know I'm not to be trusted with it. And finally, I can actually start stitching! This is lesson one completed, and lesson 5 is this week, so I still have plenty of catching up to do. Fortunately the first few stitches are familiar and easy, so I'm hoping to knock out a few more past lessons this weekend, and get caught back up.

Post-Trip catch-up

 The trip was fantastic, but I did come back with a head cold. So a week later, I feel human again and have finally finished unpacking. And that also means unpacking my trip projects! I actually had a lot of time to park myself on a lounge and stitch or knit.

I had a several conversations with people interested in my cross stitch. Also had one "Oh I tried that once, but it was boring. Do you enjoy it?" No, I come on vacation specifically to do the things I hate. God love the awkward, but well-intentioned nerds. 

My housemate is pleased I made some progress on her scarf too:

Almost done with the 2nd repeat! Out of 15! I am pleased with how it's coming out, especially now there's enough to start seeing the color change in the contrast yarn.

Now that I'm back, I definitely want to keep working on these. It'd be nice to have the Haunted Tower done before Halloween. But I also have to get started on my Deep Dive class and the needlebook project my EGA chapter is working on.