💚 fungi + mosses + tree rings 🧡 say hello to 'wildlife,' our cozyblue stitch club pattern for december. we'll be stitching our way to the end of 2024 with this one!

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this afternoon i took about an hour to sit and stitch and listen to my audiobook, and at the end of the hour, i felt SO much better: calmer, more focused and creative, more like myself.

embroidery is such a good way to pause and reconnect, and that's so important, especially during busy seasons.

i started with the light brown, and stitched the tree rings using back stitch [1 strand]. i am stitching right over the green moss lines for now, because i want the moss to sit on top of the tree trunk.

using the dark brown and [2 strands], i stitched the radial lines using back stitch, and the bark section using brick stitch.
(you can see that i stitched the foundation row first, and then i'm working my way out, building up each brick stitched section.)

ok, next: i started stitching these fun little fungi! i am using satin stitch [2 strands] and the red, orange, and yellow floss. this part's going to take a while, but it's going to look so good!

there's something special about stitching by the sparkly lights of the tree, don't you think? it's so cozy and nice.
i've been sitting here, working on my embroidery (wildlife), and listening to my audiobook (intermezzo), and sipping my tea (peppermint), and it's just been such a nice afternoon. 

i just started stitching the moss! i am using 2 strands of the dark green and forming bunches of LOOSE colonial knots. i want them to be loose, floppy, loopy, and imperfect. later i'll add some tighter, more strategically placed knots, but for now, loose and kinda wild.

and here it is, all finished!