Carol Stitches: March 2020

Monday, March 30, 2020

WIPocalypse 2020 Check-In - March 30, 2020

This month's WIPocalypse question is:

Have you ever adopted a piece from someone else or gave up a piece to someone else? Which piece and why?

And the answer is yes, sort of...

My husband's former secretary handed me a large carrier bag with a printed needlepoint canvas of a cheetah (and DMC needlepoint yarn) which she had started but decided, for one reason or another, that she couldn't/wouldn't finish. She knew that I did needlework and thought I might like it. She said she really didn't want me to make it for her, but t keep it. She died from a brain tumor a little while after that.

Sad to say, I haven't done a thing with it and it sits in its bag.

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Now, for what I have been doing this month.

We have been on "stay at home" orders here in Ohio since March 17 so I have had the time to do quite a bit of stitching. On the other hand, I came back from Indianapolis (husband's regional daylily meeting, where he was elected regional president!) with a nasty cold (we returned three days before Indiana announced its first COVID patient - theoretically all I had was a cold) so that put me off doing much of anything for the two weeks between Indianapolis and March 17! So I did not do the one stitch a day challenge this month.

But, like I said, I have stitched --- on SALs...

1. "52 Weeks of Blackwork" by Purple Peppermint; various randomly selected shades of DMC on 28ct tea-colored evenweave. Completed weekly installments Week 10 through Week 13. Week 14 comes into my mailbox April 1.

2. Linen & Threads 2020 SAL "Friends and Family", stitched on 28ct "Lavender Sunset" (not very lavender) Jobelin using Threadworx "Rocky Mountain (1070). February and March installments completed. April installment due out on April1.

3. "Christmas Shadowbox Sampler" by Faithwurks Designs & Just CrossStitch. Installment 1 completed (except for beads and other embellishments) on 28ct white linen (also slubby!). Installment 2 due in the next issue of Just CrossStitch.

4. Stitchonomy 2020 SAL, part 2 "Colorful Critters" starts April 15. I have the material kit in hand and need to match floss with the key.

I may work on the "Love Is..." piece tonight and tomorrow, but that is after our report in date so there wot be anything to see here until next month...

Stay home and be well!

Monday, March 2, 2020

WIPocalypse 2020 Check-In - February 29, 2020 - 2 days late

The WIPocalypse question of the month is:

"In honor of “Leap Year,” tell the story of a time you had to make some sort of a “leap” in stitching – taking the chance on a new style of stitching, attending a meetup or class, etc."

I have taken several "leaps" in my stitching...

To begin:

A room-mate taught me to knit while I was senior in college (56 years ago! AAACK!!). I evolved into booties and then two disastrous sweaters. Although I loved cables, I learned my lesson from sweaters and now I do afghans and scarves! Tried crochet but failed miserably (my grandmother was a star crocheter and tried to teach me when I was a child but it just didn't take) ...
there was the Erica Wilson public television crewel course sometime in the early 70s where I signed up for the manual (still have it somewhere) and taught myself crewel embroidery. I still have a UFO of crewel work pillows to work on.
about the same time as the crewel leap, there was the jump to needlepoint when a friend had an eyeglass holder kit she wanted to make for a gift for her mother but was scared off for some reason and asked me to tackle it. I taught myself. And then took a weekend class while at University! I still needlepoint although I now do more than continental stitch (using more complex stitches on needlepoint canvas is now how I roll!)!
there was when when I was working on a project that required a lot of air travel and needlepoint was too unwieldy to tag on board (I stitched on a frame then), I found this little cross-stitch kit of a cable car in a corner card shop... and I still cross-stitch!
and blackwork --- how could I forget blackwork, which I discovered mid-cross-stitch! It was all started with a round robin which I still have to complete!
there was the bead journal project (2010 - 2013), participation in which evolved from struggling to add embellishment seed beads to cross-stitch ... I have to finish the sampler book form bead journals.
there was TAST (2013 - 2014) where a different "free-embroidery" stitch was offered each week, for two years! I have to finish making that sampler book too...
there was the crazy quilt journal project (2012 - 2015) which evolved from beading and TAST. Several UFO quilt tops in my stash... All of this resulted in me joining a quilt guild and becoming the guild's webmaster!

But my biggest leap was entering the county fair for several years running! And I won ribbons for my cross stitch, beading and ornaments! I even won an honorable mention for a quilt block!

Yes, there have been classes along the way... LOTS of online classes! And I have attended two quilting retreats and several quit work-days but I have to admit I get very little finished in such meet-ups.

Why so many leaps? Not that I'm adventurous or anything, but I guess I do get bored! So I try something new: something that I saw online or something I saw someone else doing.

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WIPs worked on this month: "Love Is..." on 32 ct white (very loose and slubby) linen (no WONDER I hate this) using DMC variegated threads. On the left is where I left off last month; on the right is where I am right now... It's a struggle!

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SALs... were I'm pretty sure I bit off more than I should have if I want to finish any UFS or WIPs.

1. "52 Weeks of Blackwork" by Purple Peppermint; various randomly selected shades of DMC on 28ct tea-colored evenweave. Completed week 9. Week 10 come into my mailbox March 4...

2. Linen & Threads 2020 SAL "Friends and Family", stitched on 28ct "Lavender Sunset" (not very lavender) Jobelin using Threadworx "Rocky Mountain (1070). January installment completed, February and March installments in hand.

3. "Christmas Shadowbox Sampler" by Faithwurks Designs & Just CrossStitch. Installment 1 in hand and just made a start on 28ct white linen (also slubby!):

4. Stitchonomy 2020 SAL, part 1: "Homely Houseplants" on 28 ct even weave. On the left is where I was last month; on the right is the completed piece. Well, almost, I need to sign and date it, press it, and get it framed but...

Part 2 of the SAL has been announced but not yet released.

~~~~~
New starts: travelling stitchery: "Butterfly and Scroll" by Dimensions

While on a visit with a friend in Nevada, I sorted threads in the kit and started stitching on the counted stitch chart.