Flosstube 50 - Celebrating a milestone (Aug. 18, 2026)

In this video I celebrate what I consider to be a significant milestone in the flosstube/youtube community. ❤️ I also share current works in progress, a fully finished object and a few new starts. (Even though I said I wouldn't start anything for a while. 😂) Thank you so much for spending time with me! 

Current Works in Progress

* USA 250 by Wrought Iron Stitching

Project name: USA 250

Started: April 12, 2026

Finished:

Designer: Wrought Iron Stitching

Chart purchased: Etsy, 2026

Fabric: 14 count Aida, brown hand-dyed by me

Floss used: 832, 824, 3866, 3777, 898

* Farmyard Friends by Lori Holt

Project Name: Farmyard Friends

Started: April 1, 2026

Complete: 

Designer: Lori Holt

Fabric: 14 count aida, dyed by me, green.

DMC: 347, 893, 151, 976, 3820, 3052, 3848, 3813, 926, 3768, 930, 3799, 535, 3866

Stitch-along with Alison, @Mrs.AZfamilyzooStitchesAlison. Chart was won in a giveaway hosted by Becca, of Sambrie Stitches, on her Instagram. 

* George's Frog by Mudpuppy Stitchery

Project name: George's Green Frog

Started: May 1, 2026

Finished: 

Designer: Mudpuppy Stitchery

Chart Purchased: Mudpuppy Stitchery patreon freebie

Fabric: 14 count Aida, "toast" fabric purchased at Hobby Lobby

Floss Used: B5200, 09, 11, 223, 304, 610, 644, 906, 907

Started this during #MudpuppyMay

Fully Finished Object

* Cherry by LumiStitch

Project name: Cherry

Started: June 26, 2026

Finished: July 1, 2026

Designer: Lumi Stitch

Fabric: Aida 

Fabric Color: White opalesence

Fabric Count: 14 count

Floss Used: DMC 321, 777, 816, 987, 3347

Link to pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4530794096/picking-strawberries-cross-stitch-pdf?ref=shop_home_feat_4&sr_prefetch=1&pf_from=shop_home&pro=1&sts=1&dd=1&logging_key=81a2c6491a8c1bd6bda49b2ab28efde1ab68f922%3A4530794096

Birthday SAL chart.

Finished Project

* Secret Stitch is done! Will share it when I can. 

Started: June 23, 2026

Finished: July 26, 2026

Stitch Count: 3,540

New Starts

* Love is Patient by Artful Offerings

Project Name: Love is Patient, Love is Kind

Started: Aug. 5, 2026

Finished: 

Designer: Artful offerings

Chart Purchased: Gift from Denise of Black Ribbon Studio

Fabric: Aida

Fabric Color: Ivory

Fabric Count: 16 count

Floss Used: DMC 349, 606, 310, 646, B5200.

SAL with Denise at Black Ribbon Stitch Studio.

* Picking Strawberries by LumiStitch

Project Name: Picking Strawberries

Started: Aug. 8, 2026

Finished: 

Designer: LumiStitch

Chart Purchased: Gift from Jessica, the designer

Fabric: Aida

Fabric Color: Spa (kind of a green)

Fabric Count: 14 count

Floss Used: DMC 169, 310, 743, 815, 816, 869, 987, 3031, 3078, 3347, 3865

I forgot to take a progress photo of this project before working on it again. This photo shows more progress than in the video. This is the birthday stitch-along chart my friend Mair chose for her birthday stitch. 

Knitting

* Vanilla sock. The low-priced PDF is by The Crazy Sock Lady

Project name: Santorini blue socks

Started: July 11, 2026

Finished:

Designer: Vanilla sock pattern by Kayla, Crazy Sock Lady

Yarn: Knit Picks Felici Yarn

Color: blues

Needle size: U.S. 1.5 / 2.5 mm

* Porcupine Island Shawl by Denise Bartels

Project Name: Porcupine Island Shawl

Started: June 16, 2026

Finished:

Designer: Denise E.M. Bartels

Where I got the pattern: Ravelry link - https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/porcupine-island-shawl

Needle Size: U.S. 2 / 2.75 mm

Yarn: Deep stash Forbidden Fiber Co

Yarn Color: Wisp - Blue

Guage: We don't need no gauge. 

Crochet

* Premie Octopus and blanket

Project Name: Gift for Nephew and wife's first baby

Started: Aug. 1, 2026

Finished: Aug. 2, 2026

Link to pattern here: https://web.archive.org/web/20251006161815/http://mynomadhome.com/octopus-for-a-preemie-osmiorniczka-dla-wczesniaka/

https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://mynomadhome.com/*

Premie Octopus crochet pattern.

Pattern originally found on www.mynomadlife.com. Pattern by Gosia of My Nomad Home.

Try and I might, I can't get the link to the wayback machine to work properly. I already had a few people reach out and ask about the pattern. So here we go!  Disclaimer: This is not my original pattern. All credit goes back to Gosia of mynomadlife. Her website is no longer up and the wayback machine links don't appear to work. At least not for me. This is as original as I can make it.  I was also able to grab a PDF of the blog post.  If you'd rather work with the blog post PDF, that is here. 

ch – chain

sc – single crochet

2 sc tog – 2 stitches together

sl st – slip stitch

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring – here’s a tutorial

R2: 2 sc in all st (12)

R3: 2 sc in every 2nd st (18)

R4: 2 sc in every 3rd st (24)

R5: 2 sc in every 4th st (30)

R6: 2 sc in every 5th st (36)

R7-14: 1 sc in all st (36)

R15: *4 sc, 2 sc tog* – repeat *-* 6 times (30)

R16-17: 1 sc in all st (30)

R18: *3 sc, 2 sc tog* 6 times (24)

R19-20: 1 sc in all st (24)

R21: *2 sc, 2 sc tog* 6 times (18)

R22: 1 sc in all st (18)

R23: *7 sc, 2 sc tog* 2 times (16)

R24: 1 sc in all st (16)

R25: Here you start the arms: * 1 sc, 50 ch, turn and make 2 sc in each ch, finish with 1 sc*. Repeat 7 times so you get 8 arms. End with 1 sl st and pull the yarn through. If your arm doesn’t want to twist try making 3 or 4 sc in each ch. And here is a nice photo tutorial on the arms.

If the outstretched arms are longer that 22 cm, make fewer chains.

The bottom of the octopus:

R1: 5 sc in a magic ring

R2: 2 sc in all st (10)

R3: 2 sc in every 2nd st (15). Finish with a sl st and pull the thread through. Weave in the ends.

Fill the octopus with the fiber and sew the bottom to it.

As for the decorations such as eyes, hats etc. let your imagination run wild. For example, I made the octopuses’ eyes with 6 sc in a magic ring and then 2 sc in all st (12). Then I weaved in the dark yarn and that’s it:) You can find many nice tutorials on the Internet on how to make amigurumi hats, bows and eyes, e.g. this one here. Here is a very useful tutorial on how to embroider the details to the body.

*Battenberg squares

I started this project at the beginning of the year, with my friend Leann, as a crochet-along. As of Aug. 18, I have 120 squares. I think I need 800 total.

*Maeve Squares

This is a blanket crochet-along I started with my friend Cat. We are doing 20 squares total to make a blanket. I'll be mattress stitching my squares together. 

Link to pattern here: https://www.madamestitch.com/maeve-granny-square-crochet-pattern/

Spinning

* Shared about the wrap up of Tour de Fleece

Started strong, finished tired. 

In the Mail

Shared some goodies I received in the mail from a fellow flosstuber for a share.

Group 2

Group 1

Items I made:

Project bag, with matching thread bed.

I dyed some 14 count opalescent Aida fabric, using some rit dye. 

Life update

* Life stuff

* Garden stuff

* Family project

* Future family stuff

* Celebrating 50 episodes

Other channels mentioned

Alison ‪@Mrs.AZfamilyzooStitchesAlison‬ 

Jodi ‪@Stitchyplum‬ 

Jessica ‪@LumiStitch‬ 

Denise ‪@BlackRibbonStitchStudio‬ 

Mair ‪@sincity_crossstitcher‬ 

Leann ‪@leann.stitches‬ 

Cat ‪@StitchinWiththeGriffin‬ 

Patty ‪@StitchingWithMyKitties-xe8qz‬ 

Kayla ‪@CrazySockLady‬

Kenzie @MudpuppyStitchery

Almost time to break out the hazelnut creamer

There is a slight change in the air. Last week I had been waking up to cooler mornings. It was nice to sleep with the windows open. And the leaves are starting to change from green to red and orange. We haven't had any decent rain in weeks so I'm sure this is what is causing the color shift. 

Time to break out the hazelnut coffee creamer. 

Well, I might be a bit early because the last two days we've had enough heat that I've had the air conditioning on. 

Once again it's been a moment since I last put virtual pen to digital paper.  I've been busy-ish. 

Busy-ish and a bit in my own little world lately. My mind has been tangled up with all sorts of things. Thinking about the garden, hunting, canning, the animals, recording videos (☺️) and my projects.  Oh, and reading. 

Hunting season starts in about a month. We've been checking the game cams about once a week. 

Here's a couple fun photos. 

Turkey babies! 

The tomatoes are starting to ripen.  I harvested my first tomato. Yum! 

I pulled the first cabbage from the garden ... 

And made my first batch of sauerkraut from the garden cabbage. 

Then I sliced a whole mess of cucumbers up ... 

And made my first batch of dill cucumbers in what feels like forever. 

I am very sad to say that they did not turn out. 😢 I checked on the internet to verify this type of cucumber was good for pickles.  The internet swore up and down it was a good pickle cucumber on various sites. Alas. ... my hubby said they would make good relish ... I suppose. ... 

I've been doing some gift crafting, so I don't dare share anything on the blog, just yet, in case the recipients read my blog. 

The biggest thing that's been going on is the makeover we are giving the garage. 

My hubby will be retiring in a few years and he's very deserving of having a good work space. 

The last few weekends have been spent at various big box stores, looking at tool chests and other manly things that go in workshops. 

This was when we were wandering around a Fleet Farm trying to find where they kept all their tool chests.  Apparently tool chests that hold tools for working on cars is over by wood working stuff. (Yeah, we thought that was odd, too)

Checking out the weight on a tool box. 

Debating on which line of tool chests to go with. 

It was finally decided what to get and we put orders in for everything. 

One thing was in stock, and we brought it home. 

But first, painting. 

We cleared out the area of the garage we wanted to start the makeover with, and started painting. 

The painting went better than expected.  It also took longer than expected because we had to put several coats on.

White paint was chosen, to help make it brighter.  Then we decided to do something fun with the door that leads in to the house, and to match the color of tools chests. 

Fun, right? 

My hubby spent a LOT of time on the door, making it look as good as it does, and keeping those lines sharp. 

The garage is going to be a work-in-progress for a bit. 

In between the crafting I decided that I must have a notions tin that covers both cross stitch and knitting. I've had this container for ages. I started filling it up with this and that. 

Am I missing anything? 

Today I took the day off work. I had an appointment.  Afterwards, I swung by the library.  I haven't done that in *ages.* 

Yes, I was looking at knitting books. 

Since the C0v*d, I have barely gone to the main library. Usually I put requests in and have the books come out to the branch in my area. 

Almost all the people are new.  Well, new to me. It's a whole different vibe.  Especially since they remodeled the library a few years back. 

So now I have a stack of cozy mysteries to read, or reread, a few knitting magazines, and at least one knitting book. 

I chose cozy mysteries because ... well, because they are cozy. A few weeks ago I put a request in for a book that I saw that was causing a big discussion in a book group I'm a member of.  I didn't really know what the book was about but knew it was an important book in American literature.  

Before I got the book, however, I decided to read more about the book, besides what it was about.  Is anyone familiar with "Beloved"? Well, I can do tough topics.  

However, it was classified as horror and that's when I decided "nope." I haven't read a horror novel in years and I'm not about to start now.  

So I guess that's it, for the most part.  I'm working on my next flosstube.  The big 5-0.  I'm not sure when I'll release it, as I'm working on it in bits and pieces.  I'm hoping it will be a fun one for people to see. I keep watching how-to videos, here and there, on making and editing videos. It feels like the production of my videos are getting better. But, really, how much can you improve on flosstube videos? 🤷‍♀️😃 I'm always open to suggestions and tips. 

The rest of the week is going to be a quiet one. Of this I am fairly certain. 

Okay, that's my check in for now.  

As my friend Becky would say, "Laters!"

Garden Journal #8 Abundance in the garden (Aug. 3, 2026)

 

Produce is being harvested. I also have a few visitors to the garden, and around the garden. Thank you for watching my video. I am so glad you stopped by! If you like what you see, please subscribe and click the notification bell to be notified of when I load new videos. 

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