Friday Finds is my weekly round-up of needlework, art, and book news from around the web.

This is the last week of classes at the university where I am a librarian. Next week is finals week. Due to a combination of work stress and being over-committed in my personal life, I am feeling very rundown and burnt out. As a result, I have gone into hermit mode online — not posting here or Instagram or anywhere else. I need some time to rest and regroup. I will post some stuff here, but I am taking it easy right now and hitting the pause button. I would like to return full-strength after the holidays.

But, for now, here are this week’s links:

• Sew Mama Sew has a gift guide for sewists of all kinds. There are some great tools on this list.
• Brown Paper Bag features the colorful embroidery of Vesha Parker.
• I love full-cast audiobooks, so I enjoyed this list of “10 best full-cast audiobooks” from Book Riot. I added a couple to my Audible wishlist, but one of my favorites, which is not on their list is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The audiobook is so, so good.
• Craftsy has a quick tutorial on “How to Choose the Right Thread for Any Hand-Sewing Task.”
• This gift guide is filled with amazing gadgets and educational toys for kids of all ages.
• When digital doesn’t make everything better — an argument for balance and a return to analog tools. Yes to this. I love my technology, but I also love my paper planner, print books, and attending live music concerts, among other things.

Video of the Week

I love Christmas music, and I am very attached to certain songs. Actually, it’s not just the song — it’s the specific singer, too. “Christmas in Killarney” is one of those songs. It HAS to be Dennis Day, or I don’t want to hear it. :D Enjoy!