November WIPocalypse

 This Month's WIPocalypse question:  When do you begin planning your stitching goals for the next year?

I think I start thinking about it in December - late December.  After hearing other stitchers plans it gets me motivated to make my plans.

November was a good stitching month  I have 2 finishes and I am close to finishing a 3rd project.

Hodge Podge Soup from Cross Country Stitching October 2013.  Started 9/18/21 and finished on 11/5/22.  I enjoyed stitching on this one with all of the bright colors.

Owl #5 from Cross Stitch & Needlework Sept 2014.  Started 7/16/22 Finished 11/6/22. I just need to make Owl #4 and #5 into banners.  So far no new great niece or nephews are on the way so I am caught up for now.

Freedom by Joan Elliott.  I have finished all of the cross stitching and started on the backstitching.  The F is backstitched and I have started on the R.  I will continue working on this one for the rest of November.

Abominable Bundle got some work.  It is hard to tell but the fabric is a lavender color.

Bee Gnome a Mill Hill kit.  I made good progress on  this one and hope to finish it in December.

Bigfoot Bunch.  This one is also being stitched on a lavender fabric.  It is 14ct.

Dandelion Fairy Kingdom.  Finished page 14 and have a good start on page 15.  Having large blocks of color helps to move it along.  The bottom of page 15 will be more confetti.  Hope to have page 15 finished in December.

Gnomes.  More progress.  There will be 3 Gnomes on this piece taken from a Gloria and Pat leaflet.

Possum Song.  I finished the border and have started on the Possum in the middle.  I looks like I have a skull.

Princess and the Dragon by Teresa Wentzler a pull out chart from Cross Stitch Collection.  I worked some more on the border.  I hope to work on this one some more in December as I really enjoy stitching on this one.

 

 

October WIPocalypse

 Question of the Month: Do you prefer Halloween or Christmas stitching?

I guess I prefer Christmas stitching.  I have one Christmas project in my rotation.  I just pick projects that catch my eye.  I would stitch Halloween if I saw a project that caught my eye. 

Here is what I have been stitching on in October:

Crane Paradise 506 stitches

Dandelion Fairy Kingdom 4,394 stitches. I had large sections of one color so made some good progress.  Hit the halfway for this page.

Freedom.  Almost done with the cross stitching.  Then lots of backstitching.  Possible finish for 2022?

Butterfly Fairy Night 162 stitches.  I struggle on.

To Everything There is a Season 322 stitches

Jolly Snowman 160 stitches

Hodge Podge Soup all of the cross stitching is done and I have begun the backstitching.  I will continue working on this one until it is done.

Give Thanks to God Sampler.  I have started on the bottom half.

Owl #5 336 stitches.  I have one more flower and a little branch to go.  I need to get this one fully finished before the holidays.  Usually during the Holidays there are baby announcements.

In October I stitched for 30 days.

For November I plan to finish Hodge Podge Soup, Owl #5.  Continue stitching on Dandelion Fairy Kingdom and a few other projects as they catch my eye.  No more new starts for 2022.

I need to start working on kitting up my new starts for 2023.

September WIPocalypse

 This month I  participated in the Magazine Monthly Challenge Group ABCINGO. So I touched alot of different projects.

New start was Abominable Bundle by Plum Street.  Stitching this on 14ct lavender aida.  The color is not showing up in this picture.  203 stitches

Bee Gnome by Mill Hill was another new start.  201 stitches

Bigfoot Bunch by  Street.  Another new start 160 stitches.  Again on 14ct lavender aida.

Hello Autumn by Sue Hillis.  Another new start 159 stitches 18ct Vintage Country Mocha aida

Crane Paradise by Pinn 180 stitches

Dandelion Fairy Kingdom.  Finished page 13.  1,308 stitches.  Only a page and a half to go to finish this row before the end of the year.

Freedom by Joan Elliott 237 stitches

Gnomes by Gloria and Pat.  Stitched on 14ct aida that I coffee/tea dyed.  130 stitches

Hedge Hog Kit.  Stitched on the kit provided 14ct white aida 241 stitches.  The threads provided are more yarn like than DMC.  I am hoping there is enough in the kit to finish.

Homestead Harvest by Linda Myers 192 stitches  The tip top of the house is starting to appear.

Butterfly Fairy Night - on 28ct even weave stitched over 2.  Some are 2 threads and some are one thread over 2.  I continue to struggle on with this one 106 stitches

Owl #5 for great niece #5.  109 stitches

Possum Song 332 stitches

Princess & the Dragon by Teresa Wentzler 334 stitches.  I really enjoy stitching on this one.

To Every There is a Season.  299 stitches

Jolly Snowman by Joan Elliott 302 stitches

Hodge Podge Soup 128 stitches

Give Thanks to God Sampler 253 stitches

And this month's question is:

Question of the Month: Are you a seasonal stitcher? If so, which seasons do you find yourself more productive or less productive?

I am not a seasonal stitcher.  I just plug away on my projects.  I do winter projects and fall projects all year long.  Whenever they pop up.  I am more productive in the Winter - January is my best stitching month.  Too cold to go out no yard work just sit and stitch.

While I was digging in my craft room I found my oldest WIP that has been on my list since 2001.  Gathering Pinecones by Hillside Samplings.  I was at a stitchy friend's house and she had this one framed on her wall.  I fell in love with it and went to my LNS and bought the pattern, called for fabric - R&R Linen and the needed specialty thread along with the DMC.  I had never stitched on linen before.  And there are alot of specialty stitches.  I practiced my stitched on a doodle cloth but they still did not come out right.  So it got put away.  I am not sure when I last stiched on it but I am moving it to my active WIP pile.

And here is where it is at.  All of the pine cones in the border should look the same.  Not mine.  I will give it a try again and see how I do.  There are a few more pinecones on the branch and then an alphabet.

I have a new rotation to try in October.  Hoping for lots of progress.

August WIPocalypse

 Question of the Month: Have you been participating in gatherings via online chats (Zoom, Google Meet, etc) during the COVID pandemic? If so, what have been the best formats in your opinion?

I have not participated in any online stitching related gatherings.  But I have been using WebEx for work and have trained 4 new employees remotely.  Starting on my 5th employee.

Here are the projects I stitched on this month:

Owl #5 from Cross Stitch & Needlework Sept 2014.  Great Niece is due anytime now.  I need to finish this one so I can then fully finish Owl #4 and Owl #5

Dandelion Fairy Kingdom.  Getting ready to move the scroll rods tonight to finish up the bottom of page 13.  I have completed 22,500 stitches in 2022.  

Butterfly Fairy Night - I put in 144 stitches.  Again I am off somewhere and have to compensate which is another reason I am not enjoying this project.

Princess & the Dragon.  I really enjoy stitching on this one.  Even the blends do not bother me.

Crane Paradise. 312 stitches put in.

Hodge Podge Soup.  Took this one with me for a week of camping.  I only stitched on it 2 days.  I was sick most of the time with a bad cold.  Took a COVID test when I got home and it came up positive.  But the symptoms are the ones I usually get with a cold.  So staying in and away from people for a few more days.  If I have COVID then I have infected the whole campground.

Next month I am participating in Magazine Monthly Magazine ABCingo challenge.  I will have 5 new starts and 13 wips.

I am in countdown mode for retirement.  10 months to go.