Plans for 2015

We are nearly through the first week of November and the end of the year is creeping closer. We still need to make it through Christmas and all that surrounds it (and my American friends still have Thanksgiving to survive too), but there is no denying that 2015 will be here before you know it. And, as we all know, I love to plan. Which means it is now time to discuss our 2015 SAL.

I ran a poll throughout the month of October asking what you all were interested in stitching for next year’s SAL. Here is how the votes broke down:

So, by a small margin, Smalls win for next year. That is good news for the ornaments voters too, since ornaments absolutely count as smalls! As for those of you interested in a finishing SAL, I propose posting a finishing tutorial every other month (hey, I know my limitations), and possibly doing some sort of round-up or check-in post on the alternate months for finished pieces. What do you all think? I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments below or to email me.

So, what will the rules be for the 2015 Smalls SAL? Super simple: stitch a small in a month (approx. 50 x 50 stitches, but you decide what is small to you), post a picture on your blog, and then come here and post your link on my check-in post. Just like this year, there will be a draw at the end of the year, and every check-in gets you one entry. I’ll also be sticking to the final Wednesday of the month as the check-in day.

I will be posting the official rules, sign-up form, email reminder form, sidebar graphic, and all that other fun stuff in about two weeks. By then I hope to be able to share what I plan to stitch next year. You may remember that 2012 was dedicated to one ornament from each of the then published Just Cross Stitch ornament issues, 2013 was the year of Dragon Dream ornaments, and 2014 has been the year of Teresa Wentzler smalls. I won’t deviate too far from my past themes for next year, and maybe I’ll offer a couple of bonus points to anyone who can guess what I plan to stitch. 😉

Anyway, I’d love to hear from all of you about how you feel about the plans for 2015. I hope you all join in, for all 12 months, or for just one or two. All of us stitching together is lots of fun, and sharing our smalls provides encouragement and motivation. And, goodness knows, I can use all the encouragement and motivation I can get!