I’ve cracked on with my phenology wheel, rather than waiting for the appropriate month, partly because I’ve just bought a BIG cross-stitch kit but I need to clear the decks a bit before I even contemplate starting it!

Three weeks ago I had just finished stitching some purple echinacea for September…

For October I decide to go for autumn colour rather than a flower. I have two euonymous alata in my garden, otherwise known as a spindle bush. I’ve just learned from google that another name is burning bush, which is rather apt as it leaves turn quite a striking red during autumn. They are beautiful at the moment. I used a variegated DMC thread for the leaves and fishbone stitch.

November has proved tricky, initially because I couldn’t think what to stitch, I then decided on cyclamen, I’ve a very pretty little clump under one of my camellia bushes. Cyclamen flowers are pretty distinctive, so they shouldn’t be that difficult to stitch! I found a simple outline drawing and used it as a basis for drawing the outline of my design with a frixion pen. I used satin stitch. After one flower I decided it was too big and heavy. Next I tried lazy daisy stitch but I still wasn’t happy. I decided to stitch December and think about my cyclamen!

My original plan was to stitch holly for December but when I thought about it, it could be quite tricky to stitch neatly. I decided instead to stitch sarcococca, otherwise known as sweet box, I have one in the back garden near the path. It looks like an insignificant evergreen, but come winter it has these tiny creamy white flowers and it fills the garden with scent. I used fishbone stitch and a variegated DMC thread again for the leaves and a mixture of pistil stitch (French knots on stalks!) and straight stitch for the flowers.

As you can see I am now on attempt three for the cyclamen flowers. I’ve resorted to fishbone stitch for the petals. I might put a little chain stitch at the base but I think the angle of the stem will be what turns it into a cyclamen as they are a bit like a shepherds crook. I’ll stitch a base of leaves and keep my fingers crossed!

Here’s the whole wheel so far, as you may notice I’ve also added another primrose to March as the segment just needed filling a bit more.

Hopefully in three weeks time it will be complete and I will have started one of my other kits.

This SAL is organised by Avis, we post our progress every three weeks, just enough to keep us motivated!. This week we are delighted to welcome Sharon back to the fold. Please follow the links and see what everyone else has been stitching.

Avis, Claire, Kathy, Margaret,

Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Daisy, Cathie,

Linda, MaryMargaret, Cindy, Helen, Sharon