Friday, March 1, 2024

February WIPocalypse

 Question of the Month:  What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year?

This year I am participating in: 

Magazine Monthly Acrostics

Cloudsfactory HC Anderson Fairy Tales SAL - first time stitching a Cloudsfactory design.  Trying to keep up with the monthly releases. 

Full Coverage Fanatics Epic Journey Challenge

WIPocalypse

Here is what I worked on in February:

Gathering Pinecones by Hillside Sampling.  This was my oldest WIP.  I finished the alphabet and added 2 more pinecones doing specialty stitches I could do.  Not the called for stitches.  Left off my initials and date.  Added a pinecone button and it is finally finished.  Stitched with called for floss and fabric.  Glad this one is done and in the under the bed box.

Sari Doll worked on this one twice in February.  Small but alot of stitches


 

Butterfly Fairy Night worked more on filling in the moon.

Unplug and Go Outside by Emma Congdon.  Finished the top word.

What a Hoot Owl Teapot from Cross Country Stitching October 2012 is finished.  There is several more in this series and I will stitch them as I find my magazines with the charts.  Second finish for 2024.

HC Anderson Fairy Tales SAL by Clouds Factory.  February Installment is done.

Homestead Harvest.  Worked on the fall tree.

Give Thanks to God Sampler.  Added more leaves (and still more need added) and started working some bushes.

Jolly Snowman worked on his blue scarf.

Autumn Sampler still working on filling in the diamond.

Joy Seasonal Heart added the second owl.

Hedge Hog still plugging away on this one.  It moves slowly as the kit flosses came on floss cards.  I am a bobbin stitcher and having to un-tie and re-tie the floss to the floss cards takes up alot of time.


 Princess & the Dragon.   Working on the area under the castle.  I have been looking thru my Teresa Wentzler patterns to pick out my next one when this one is done.

 

I have also been working on my 2 full coverage projects.  I started QS Magic Island in January as one of my new starts.  When I kit up a new project of any size I keep the floss for that project with it either in the project bag on in a floss box.  Here is the floss box for QS Magic Island.  I love the colors and how full each bobbin is.  Staring at this box makes me happy.

And my progress on QS Magic Island 1,656 stitches this month.  Still on page one which does have large areas of solid stitching.  I stitch some solid area then add some of the confetti area.  14ct 2 strands full cross.  I like that this one is starting with the design right away and not a page of just background. 

Dandelion Fairy Kingdom.  I am past the halfway point of page 21.  Hope to finish this page in March to keep on track to finish 5 pages in 2024.


 


I fully finished one of my previous finished from 2023 Possum Song by Mama Witch Cross Stitch.  I finished this in a 12 inch hoop.  I did have to add some extra black Aida to make it fit.  The 10 inch hoop was too small and cut off part of the design.  It did not seem this big when I was stitching on it.















 

Thursday, February 1, 2024

WIPocalypse January


 This month's question is what is your oldest WIP.  My  oldest WIP is Gathering Pine Cones which I started in September 2001.  I saw this completed at a friend's house and fell in love with it.  I immediately went to my LNS bought the pattern and kitted it up.  The specialty stitches were more than I could handle.  I pushed on with it but hate the way it looks.  I did stitch on it this month and put in another 115 stitches.  I want to get it finished this year and will change out the rest of the specialty stitches.  Here is where I am at now

I participated in Brringo with the Magazine Monthly Challenge group.  I stitched on all of my WIPs but one and had 6 new starts.  Here are the projects I worked on:

Autumn Sampler.  This one got 336 more stitches

Crane Paradise was on my board 3 times for a total of 447 stitches.  Hard to see the progress as I worked on white and grey.  I want this one finished this year.

Dandelion Fairy Kingdom.  I almost finished page 20 which is a partial page.  I usually stitch on this one in the afternoons.  Hope to finish up this page this week so I can move to the next row.


Folk Reindeer was a new start.  This is from Cross Stitch Country Crafts May/June 1988.  290 stitches.  I already finished the Folk Santa that goes with this one.


Funky Cats was also a new start from Cross Stitch & Needlework Nov 2014.  I have wanted to start this one for a long time. 325 stitches put in

I also made a little more progress on my Hedge Hog Kit

Worked on Hello Autumn twice.  This is on 18ct Country Mocha.  I am stitching it with 2 strands and wish I would have used 1 strand.

Homestead Harvest was on my Brringo Board  143 stitches

What a Hoot Owl Teapot I finished the cross stitching and have started the backstitching.  This one will be finished this year.




For Brringo one of the prompts was to stitch on a monochromatic piece.  I did not have any WIPs that fit that so I started Joy Seasonal Heart from Cross Country Stitching June 2011.  Being stitched on 18ct white with 1 strand of DMC 4050 full cross.  


Another prompt for Brringo was stitch on something that would not be a framed finish.  New start Moonlit Owl by Mill Hill.


 

Butterfly Fairy Night I worked up in the moon.  I also want to finish this one this year.

Princess & the Dragon I worked on twice for Brringo.


QS Magic Island by HAED was a new start from Brringo.  I also worked on it several more times and got 1,055 stitches.  Full Coverages are a long term committment so I do not like having 2 on the go at the same time.  This one is 25 pages.  I decided to start it now since I have about a year left on Dandelion Fairy Kingdom.  I hope to get at least one page finished on this one this year.  Stitched on 14ct white aida.  2 strands full cross.  It will be big once done.

Sari Doll got 330 more stitches.  This is a small one and should be done this year.

Jolly Snowman by Joan Elliott was worked on twice for Brringo

Give Thanks to God Sampler was worked on 3 times for Brringo.  I think this one could be finished this year also.


Unplug and Go Outside by Emma Congdon was my last new start for Brringo.

Then I had signed up in December to do the HC Anderson Fairy Tales SAL by Cloudsfactory.  I finished part one and hope to keep up with the other parts as they are released the first of each month.  This is 1,011 stitches.


January was a good stitching month.  Between the cold weather and staying inside and being retired I got a total of 12,202 stitches.

In February I will be doing the February Acrostic with the Magazine Monthly Challenge Group.
















Sunday, January 7, 2024

WIPocalypse January Intro

 I have been participating in WIPocalypse since 2012.  I am married, retired and have 2 cats.  I am starting 2024 with 14 WIPs.  Pictures on my WIPocalypse 2024 page.  Here are my goals/plans for 2024:

I would like to finish the following projects:

What a Hoot Owl Teapot. This one is close to a finish.


 

Sari Doll - another small project that should be finished in 2024

Gathering Pine Cones - this one has been hanging around since 2001.  It is on R&R Linen and has lots of specialty stitches.  I have decided not to do the remaining specialty stitches.  I will use the specialty stitches that I can do or just do regular cross stitch.

Butterfly Fairy Night.  This one is on evenweave and I was struggling to stitch on it.  I made alot of errors in the beginning and I am now trying to get it to all line up.  I am not struggling to stitch on the evenweave now just trying to make it all work.  Time to get this one done and off my list as it has been a WIP since 2014.

Dandelion Fairy Kingdom by HAED.  I try to work on this one daily.  I need to finish up page 19.  Then I will have 4 full pages and 6 partial pages left.  If I can stay on track this one should be done in 2025.

I am participating in BRRINGO with the Magazine Monthly Challenge Facebook Group.  As part of the prompts I will be starting 6 new projects in January.  This will bring my total WIPs to 20.

Then after I had all my new starts for January/2024 planned I joined 2024 Fairy Tales SAL by Cloudsfactory.  This one will also be started in January.  I had a gift card that had to be used up by the end of 2023 so this was my purchase. This will bring my total WIPs to 21.

I am on a stash diet.  I will not be buying any new patterns (except for the 2024 Fairy Tales SAL).  I have 3 large tubs of patterns/magazines and I will be stitching from them.  I will just buy fabric and floss.  Of course I might have to cheat on my diet if a pattern really calls to me.









Monday, January 1, 2024

December WIPocalypse

 Here are the projects I worked on in December:

Butterfly Fairy Night.  I am working from the bottom up to the wings that I had stitched with many mistakes.  Sometimes I was over 3 or over 1 and struggled to do it correctly over 2.  I have now gotten it under control and the bottom portion is correct.  I am hoping I can get it to meet up and that it will not look out of alignment when it is done. 1,988 stitches this year.

What a Hoot Owl Teapot is getting closer to a finish.  There are several more in this series I would like to do. 2,109 stitches this year

Jolly Snowman by Joan Elliott.  Made good progress on this one this year.  Will continue on with this one next year.  1,264 total stitches this year.

Autumn Sampler 2,494 stitches done this year.  

Gnomes.  Doing the back stitching on the first Gnome.  1,228 stitches this year.

Crane Paradise working on the last crane on this page.  Then the bottom pages which have alot of flowers. 3,033 stitches this year

Hedge Hog kit by Riolos.  739 stitches this year

Princess & the Dragon.  Still one of my favorite wips.  2,643 stitches this year.

Dandelion Fairy Kingdom.  Started page 19 December 1st and I almost finished the page in December.  I was thrown off my schedule of 4 full pages and a partial page in a year due to my broken wrist earlier in the year.  But retirement has helped me to almost get caught up. 26,741 stitches this year.

Now we are to recap our stitching year.  Even though I had a slow start with a broken wrist I did manage 8 finishes:








I did stitch on all of my WIPs this year and final progress photos are on my WIPocalyse 2023page.

I had 5 new starts and I am ending the year with 14 WIPs.

I stitched 271 days and a total of 63,212 stitches

Here are my Orts from 2023



I am looking forward to 2024.