Enjoy the Ride

I’ll start this post with a bit of honesty: cross stitch isn’t my favourite craft. That’s probably pretty obvious by the insane amount of knitting-related posts, but I had to put it out there before continuing. Even though it isn’t my favourite craft, I absolutely love the finished product. Embroidery hoops are beautiful, but there’s nothing like the crisp precision of a framed cross stitch. This particular project is made extra cute by the fun fair-themed pattern. While I’m on the honesty train, I’ll also state that I didn’t complete this pattern in the way it was intended to be finished. More on that in a bit.

I started the Funfair cross stitch pattern by Caterpillar cross stitch on March 24 of this year. I was really determined to finish the whole thing – bought all the supplies, planned my aida cloth, you name it. I won’t make excuses as to why I didn’t finish it, because I certainly finished enough projects in the meantime, but 2023 was a pretty challenging year for my family. I think I needed to lean into the comfort of knitting, and cross stitch felt like more work than I was ready for. Having said that, I put a lot of work into it before changing directions.

After months of letting this project languish in a pile of unfinished WIPs, I decided to wrap it up. I removed the border that I had already half-completed (*tear*) and planned additional items I could add within the size limits. I framed it in a 14×17 frame with an 8×10 opening, so I was able to add an extra balloon, ice cream cone, flag and stars.

Even though this project didn’t go to plan, I’m not going to beat myself up about it. I’m still super pleased with the finished piece. It looks adorable in my three-year-old daughter’s room and she absolutely loves it. I really have no right to plan any more cross stitch projects, but has that stopped me? Stay tuned for more adventures in 2024. 

Happy making, 

Jackie

A little disclaimer: This blog is very small, so it almost goes without saying, but I am not affiliated with any brands mentioned in this post.