Category: Crossed & Found

This year, we’ve officially left the cats behind. Well, the cross stitched ones, anyway. Muffin still insists on being involved, or at the very least adjacent to, all of my projects. She may not be the focus of this one, but she is absolutely part of the process.

For 2026, I’m stitching a cozy garden — complete with a charming cottage and a few adorable critters — with tiny patches of flowers and plants that change with the months. Each day adds to the landscape. Each temperature shifts the colors. By December, the whole little world should feel alive.

And honestly? It almost didn’t happen.

The Struggle to Start

I knew this project was ambitious. It’s large. It’s detailed. It’s whimsical. It’s exactly what I wanted for the year. Never mind that I bought two other patterns before finally landing on this one. Indecision is apparently also the theme of 2026.

What I didn’t fully account for, though, was how much front-end work this would require.

The pattern itself is lovely. Truly. But for my brain? It wasn’t quite detailed enough in the places where I needed clarity. Which plant goes with which day? What do you mean I can just decide whether the squares marked 1 or 2 represent the high or the low temperature? I need more structure than that. Instead of diving in, I stalled.

Eventually, I did what I always do when a pattern doesn’t work exactly the way I want it to: I rebuilt it. I recreated the entire thing in MacStitch so I could see it the way my brain needed to see it. I mapped out each plant. I clarified the layout. And because I clearly enjoy making things harder for myself, I also created cheat sheet PDFs for every single month so I know exactly which flower or plant gets stitched each day.

And then, because apparently we were committing fully to the bit, I built a Google Sheet. Now I enter the daily high and low temperatures, and it tells me exactly which DMC thread colors to use. No second-guessing. No flipping back and forth between charts. Just tidy, color-coded certainty.

Last year’s temperature project was fully analog. Paper charts. Manual tracking. Vibes. This year? I have spreadsheets.

Was all of this necessary? Debatable. Did it give me peace? Absolutely.

There’s something about a temperature project that feels deceptively simple. “Just stitch the daily color.” Except this one isn’t just color blocks. It’s landscaping. It’s garden planning. It’s high and low temperatures layered into petals and plants. It’s an entire ecosystem supported, apparently, by a small but mighty data management system.

I may have slightly bitten off more than I could chew at the start. Once the foundation was set, I was excited to stitch. Then I spent half of January racing to catch up, which almost undid all that excitement.

January Update

January’s temperatures in Burke ranged from 7.3º to 64.6º. Quite the range, right? The biggest single-day swing happened on January 21, when we jumped from 13.3º to 45.7º.

That made for a surprisingly dynamic color spread right out of the gate. Most of the palette stayed in cool purples and blues, but those warmer days added little pops of yellow that brighten the garden in unexpected ways.

Because I’m tracking both highs and lows this year, each day brings double the data and double the stitching. Most days leaned icy and muted. Others surprised me with small hints of warmth that feel like early whispers of spring.

Sticking With It

I know this project is going to be beautiful when it’s finished. I adore the palette. I love the cozy, whimsical vibe. I can already picture it framed and hanging somewhere it can catch the light.

But this year is teaching me something different than the cat project did. This one isn’t just about showing up daily. It’s about building structure first. It’s about problem-solving. It’s about giving myself permission to adjust the pattern so it works for me.

And maybe that’s the real January lesson.

I have a feeling there will be other lessons along the way, too. This project is big enough and detailed enough that I’m sure it will challenge me again. When it does, I’ll share that part, too.

We’re caught up. The cheat sheets are printed. The MacStitch file is organized. The Google Sheet is doing the heavy lifting. The garden has officially begun.

Now we just have to keep it growing. 🌿

And just like that, my 2025 temperature cross stitch project is complete. What started as a “sure, why not?” idea at the very beginning of my cross stitch journey turned into one of my favorite creative projects of the year. Over the course of 365 days, 2,250 stitches, 30 colors, and 12 little cats, I stitched the average daily temperature in Burke, VA for all of 2025. Seeing the entire year come together at the end feels incredibly satisfying. Just look at these colorful little cats!

Looking back, there are a few big lessons I’m taking with me from this project.

First, fabric really matters. I chose a Fiddler’s Cloth from Michael’s because I wanted to avoid white fabric, knowing this piece would be handled daily for an entire year. Unfortunately, that choice did not age well. The Loops & Threads brand was rough, inconsistent, and honestly kind of trash. Do not recommend.

Second, my stitching improved so much over the course of the year. When I started this project, I had been cross stitching for less than a month. Watching my tension improve, my stitches get cleaner, and my confidence grow as I learned better ways to start and finish threads was one of the most rewarding parts of the process. You can literally see that progress stitched into the piece, especially when you look at the first cat next to the last.

Another big takeaway is how important it is to keep up with a project like this regularly. When life got chaotic toward the end of the year, this project slipped to the back burner, and I ended up stitching almost all of December at the same time. It turns out this is far more fun when you’re doing a little bit each day, or at least every couple of days. The daily rhythm is part of what makes a temperature project special, and I definitely felt the difference when that routine disappeared.

I’m so glad I decided to use a Q-Snap frame for this project. Being able to mix and match pieces to fit the slightly odd fabric size meant I could see almost the entire piece at once, which made a huge difference over the course of the year. Pairing it with a grime guard also helped keep the fabric clean through months of regular handling.

I also loved how simple and analog this year’s pattern was. Tracking temperatures with pen and paper felt refreshing in a world where everything is digital. There was something deeply satisfying about writing down the daily average temperature and physically marking my progress as I went.

That said, I’m already switching things up for next year. The 2026 pattern is more complicated, and I’ll be tracking everything digitally this time. It feels like the right evolution after finishing a project of this scale. More on that very soon.

This temperature cross stitch will always be special to me. It represents an entire year of learning, patience, and showing up creatively, one tiny stitch at a time. Now I need to decide how I want to frame or mount it and give it a spot on my wall.

I fully intended to get this posted weeks ago, but December was one of those months where everything piled up at once. Instead of stressing about being behind, I’m just going to celebrate the fact that this sweet little kitty is finally getting its moment.

In Burke, the average high temperature in November was 58.7ºF and the average low was 34.6ºF. The cooler weather meant a return to the most beautiful palette. These colors are officially my favorites of the entire year of cats. Purples, teals, and even some light blues appeared this month, and the whole combination made November such a joy to stitch.

Eleven cats finished now, and I cannot believe there is only one left to add. December, you are up next.

I know, I know… this update is well overdue. Life has been a little crazy lately, but better late than never, right? And honestly, I couldn’t skip posting about October since it’s my favorite month of the year! Between the cooler weather, cozy vibes, and changing colors, it’s always such a reset moment, and that definitely came through in this month’s stitching.

October brought a definite change in my temperature cross stitch palette. After several warm, orange and yellow months, it felt refreshing to return to cooler tones. Most of this month’s stitches were soft greens and teals, reflecting temperatures that were significantly cooler than I expected for this time of year. That’s on tracking average temps instead of high temps.

In Burke, the average daily temperatures ranged from 47.8ºF to 72.1ºF. The milder days and crisp evenings made for a calm and cozy month of stitching, and I love how those cooler shades stand out beside the warmer summer colors.

Ten cats down and only two left for the year! I can hardly believe how close this project is to being complete. Here’s hoping November brings even more of those pretty teal tones before winter really sets in.

If you caught my August update, you probably remember getting a little sneak peek of September’s cat. Now here’s the full reveal—and it was worth the wait! This month’s kitty brought a more subtle shift in color as we eased out of the peak summer heat.

The average daily temperatures in Burke ranged from 62.4ºF to 76.6ºF, so we had limited oranges and no blazing reds this time. It felt like a calm, steady transition into early fall, and I really love how that shows in the stitches.

Nine cats stitched and only three left to go for the year! It’s amazing to see how much of the piece is filled in now, and I can’t wait to watch the final months come together.

Okay, yes… this post is very late. Please do your best to ignore the little sneak peek of September’s cat in the photo and pretend to be surprised next month. Deal? 😄

August brought a little bit of everything to my temperature cross stitch project. The month started off cooler than normal, heated up with a solid hot streak in the middle, and then eased back into cooler-than-usual temperatures by the end. The shifting weather definitely showed up in my stitches, with a mix of warmer shades surrounded by slightly softer tones.

In Burke, the average daily temperatures ranged from 64.4ºF to 83.2ºF. It was still plenty warm, but nowhere near the steady, relentless heat of July, and the color variation this month really reflected that change.

It’s wild how quickly this project is coming together, and even wilder that there are only a few cats left to go for the year.

I’ve been waiting for the oranges to take over my temperature cross stitch, and wow, July delivered. The month was full of heat, and my stitching reflects that. Every day fell into the orange range, and by the end of the month, the entire section was glowing in warm tones.

Surprisingly, we never quite hit red, which in my chart represents an average daily temperature of 87ºF or higher. But that’s only because I’m tracking the average temperature, not the daily high. If I were going by highs, we would have been deep into the darkest reds for a good chunk of the month. If I do this project again next year, I might adjust the color ranges a bit on the upper side to better illustrate the hottest days.

In Burke, the average daily temperatures in July ranged from 77.2ºF to 85.9ºF. So yes, very warm and very orange.

I can’t believe how fast this project is flying by. Seven months down, five to go, and I’m already curious to see what kind of shift August brings.

I’m a bit late to my June update because, well, life. But better late than never, no?

June really turned up the heat on my temperature cross stitch project. After a cool start, the month warmed up significantly, and my palette definitely reflects it. This month featured mostly oranges, with a few yellows and greens thrown in for balance.

In Burke, the average daily temperatures ranged from 58.9ºF to 89.1ºF, which meant I finally got to break into those warmer shades I’d been anticipating (even if I’m not a huge fan of the heat).

Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of the finished month because I forgot to take one, so you’ll have to settle for this late June progress shot. But it does include a special guest appearance from my own little kitty stitching buddy, Muffin, so I think that makes up for it.

I can’t wait to see how July shapes up—something tells me there will be even more oranges (and maybe a few reds) ahead!

My cross stitch temperature kitties are coming along swimmingly. I was expecting a lot more yellows, oranges, and maybe even a red or two in May, but the weather had other plans. The month ended up cooler than average, which kept the warmer shades mostly at bay.

In Burke, the average daily temperatures ranged from 56.8ºF to 75.5ºF. So while we’re still seeing some greens and yellows, the full-on heat hasn’t shown up in my palette just yet.

I really don’t mind though—this project continues to be such a joy to work on. It’s fun to watch the colors shift slowly and to see each little cat reflect the season in its own way. I’m looking forward to June and finally breaking into those brighter, hotter hues, even if I don’t actually love the heat myself.