What kinds of things did I work on in September?
Despite the fact October has been in full swing for over a week now (*hides* 🙈) I am finally able to get around to doing a wrap-up post for September!
I planned on getting this completed much sooner, however; I had to have a 2nd, reconstructive surgery on my foot after I had complications whilst healing from the first one. So things have been a little hectic lately..! I'm sure you can imagine!
Works in Progress
There weren't a whole lot of different things that I worked on during September; just a lot of work done on a select few. Which is not a bad thing!
The biggest thing I've been working on is -of course- the Haunted Library SAL by Lola Crow, which I've been doing my very best to stay up on track with. It's been an awesome companion during all my post-op surgery appointments in which I have to sit around with a machine on my foot for 25 minutes at a time.
I've done a little bit of design work on upcoming patterns (one of which I'm releasing next week!) which I am [likely] to get one of my test stitchers to whip up for me 😍.
I also finished a stitch people portrait that you saw in my previous monthly post and I am SO pleased with how it came out!
![My end-of-month progress shot of the stitch-along, "The Haunted Library"](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-wip_sal.jpg?v=1715805282)
Let's have a look!
Maginnises Portrait
![A close shot of the bride's dress](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-wip_maginnises01.jpg?v=1715805369)
![A sketch on the work-in-progress' florals](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-wip_maginnises02.jpg?v=1715805394)
![Close-up picture of the first blue flower](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-wip_maginnises03.jpg?v=1715805423)
![The finished stitch all hooped up and looking lovely](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-finish_maginnises.jpg?v=1715805565)
Pattern WIPs
![A digital representation of cross-stitch of a Minecraft work-in-progress](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-wip_minecraft.jpg?v=1715805645)
![A digital representation of cross-stitch of a quote from the TV show, "The Office"](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-wip_old-days.jpg?v=1715805678)
New & Upcoming Products
I released two new patterns this month - on the same day!
Rookie mistake by me; it took me all day to get them both sorted. Part way through I recalled that I had vowed to myself never to release more than one thing per day and I was living the reason why. It's so stressful!
Anyway; check out my newest patterns (in the same style as before): 'Minecraft Buddies' and 'Minecraft Friends'!
Upcoming Pattern
I had a spur of inspiration one day during September to finally design a pattern for an idea I've had for… a few years now! The best thing is; the design I made was super quick and easy to stitch up, so I had it done -from the design phase to the completed stitch- within 3 days. Perfect weekend project, I reckon!
You will be able to grab this pattern in the next few days, so stay tuned!
Haul
Over the course of September, I couldn't help myself but do some small business shopping. This time around, it was mostly focused on needleminders!
I bought a few things from two different shops: Bek's Stitches and Crafternoon Stitches. In total, I got 2 new needleminders and 2 adorable stickers!
If you know me, you know I have a big collection of needleminders so whenever I see one I really like (or an enamel pin I like that I could convert to a needleminder) I… can't help myself 😵
![The little collection of things from Bek including a needleminder and two stickers](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-haul_beksstitches.jpg?v=1715806111)
![A sweet note from Kristy (the seller) saying "Kate, Thank you so much for your support! xoxo Kristy".](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-haul_crafternoonstitches.jpg?v=1715806135)
Notable IRL Things
So as you may have suspected (if you follow my Instagram, especially), a lot of things have been going on for me outside of stitchy-stuff. What a doozy of a month it was!
Foot Surgery
The biggest thing that happened was I had surgery on my left foot - specifically, my big toe and the ball of my foot.
It's been a wild, extremely painful ride and I'm hoping that (despite the fact that at the very end of September I found out I would require reconstructive surgery) I'm now truly on the mend after shattering the bone in my toe almost one year ago. For those curious: I broke it on Halloween 2021. It's a long story but needless to say; I didn't get to go trick-or-treating that evening..!
On the plus side; being couch-bound and having multiple, weekly appointments where I am expected to just sit on my butt for 25 minutes has given me a lot of time to keep up with my stitch-along!
![Kate, looking groggy, wearing a face mask and giving the camera a thumbs up](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-surgery_thumbs-up_d5a0d34c-461e-47f5-9792-e3f303034a3a.jpg?v=1715806177)
![A weird angled photo of Kate's legs elevated with a bone stimulation device on her left foot.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-surgery_bone-stim.jpg?v=1715806228)
New Belt in Martial Arts
The Friday before I was to undergo surgery, I managed to squeezein my second-ever martial arts belt test. The place I attend was due to do regular testing on the Monday I actually had surgery and were kind enough to test me early. So I managed to earn my yellow-stripe belt and not miss out.
I'm missing martial arts so much (which I'm taking as a good sign that I will go back!) as it was a great physical outlet and an excellent way to make some friends in person.
Too bad my kids are going to jump ahead of me in belt levels while I heal up!
![A photo of Kate in a white Gi wearing a yellow belt with a black stripe. She's standing in a fighting stance](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-martial-arts.jpg?v=1715806441)
Desk Update
I have been absolutely sick of my work desk for a long time. It's big and black and sucks light away from what I'm working on.
I've been looking into re-painting it and trying to justify the time and cost of doing the DIY, but it just seemed too daunting of a job. So I ignored it and just "sucked it up".
Then one day I had a revelation - there is such a thing as contact paper! I could wrap the top of my desk in a white or light-coloured faux-wood and it would be
- Easier, and
- Much, much cheaper
So I did it! I even recorded myself doing it from start to finish. Is it perfect? Hell no. Does it make me happier? Abso-fucking-lutely.
![The way my 'new' desk looks now!](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-desk-change.jpg?v=1715806510)
Social Media
As promised in the last wrap-up post, I'm sharing my profile stats for the very beginning of October. Yep - that's a total growth of "only" 13 new accounts. But, that's growth! And I'm doing my best to be OK with that.
I also wanted to share a reel I posted early in the month that blew up unexpectedly. The screenshot is 10 days after posting and I guess it resonated with a lot of people..!
As of writing, it's sitting at about 16k views. I'm going to attribute its success to the fact Milo is just chill'n with me.
![Screenshot of Two Little Kits Instagram account on October 1st](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-social_ig.jpg?v=1715806616)
![A screenshot of the statistics for one of my Instagram reels showing lots of high numbers](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-ig_reel-stats.jpg?v=1715806655)
And that's it!
At the end of the month, it was 'stitch people day' and I actually remembered *gasp* so I took a few snaps of the self-portrait I made to share again.
I am hoping to continue my trend of posting a new pattern on the Monday (or Tuesday after) that I don't post a FlossTube video, going forward. It's hard to keep myself accountable when my first duty is being a stay-at-home-mum, but now we're in full swing back into the school schedule again, I'm wanting to set the routine for myself. Just like I have with my FlossTubes - and that's been going on now for well over a year successfully!
I'd love to know what you might like to see more of me when it comes to patterns. I will always be happy to just make stuff that will tickle my fancy, give me a laugh or remind me of something. But this isn't just inflation of my ego: I would really like to make things that you -the person reading this- and others like you, will enjoy.
So please drop a comment, send me a DM or get in touch via my contact form. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
👋 Kate
![A square stitched self portrait that says "I AM STITCH PEOPLE"](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0732/3733/2277/files/221008-stitch_people_day.jpg?v=1715806752)