WIPocalypse 2020 Check-Ink May 31, 2020

This month's topic for discussion was:

"Tell us about a piece that you absolutely loved stitching."

Well, I have to confess that am am not the kind of stitcher that finds the process relaxing, refreshing, empowering or enjoyable! I stitch to occupy my hands, and easily substitute reading or paper crafting for stitchery.

I find that stitching can be frustrating - frogging, tangled and/or frayed floss, needing magnification to see where stitches need to be placed - all lead to a lot of swearing on my part. And while I do tend to stitch only for myself, and only designs that appeal to me, and I do often like the end result, the process between buying the chart and framing the completed piece is not fraught with enjoyment.

I searched my blog archives for pieces that still appeal to me, long after the stitching is completed. I found eight that caught my eye (more details can be found in the "My xxxx Stitchery" galleries for the appropriate year in this blog) and these are pieces that I do think I would still find joy in stitching years after their completion:

• ​​Shades of Aubergine - design by Mary Hickmott in "New Stitches" magazine Issue 131, completed 2005
• ​Autumn Leaves - design by Mary Hickmott in "New Stitches" (issue 164), completed 2009
• A Quaker Christmas -  designby G. R. Reinhardt for ByGone Stitches, completed 2010
• ​Fountain Mandala - design by  Elizabeth Almond, in "The Gift of Stitching" issues 53 and 54; completed 2011
• ​Garden Stars - design by Ink Circles, completed 2011
• ​Kimono Revisited - design by John Waddell for Shining Needle Society on-line class, completed 2012
• Ladybug & Daisy - design by Valentina Sardu for Ajisai Designs, completed 2014
• ​Roll Your Own - design by Ink Circles, completed 2016

As you can probably tell from the gallery below, blackwork places high in my preferred designs but I also gravitate toward samplers and sampler-like compilations of patterns. All but one of the eight is large (some might even say LARGE) and there are no real "cute" critters or snarky sayings or scenery in my final eight - although I have done at least one of just about every kind of needlework (crewel, needlepoint, bead-encrusted, quilt, ad knitting) ... 

It should be noted that a lack of favorites for years since 2016 are not the result of stitching pieces I do not/did not like but the result of my stitching hiatus due to a broken wrist followed therapy and then, two years later,  by a torn tendon same hand followed by more therapy. In the time period between 2016 and present, stitching ranged from impossible (no way I could stitch one-handed) to difficult( hand strength issues) to having lost my stitching mojo.

~~~~~WIPs~~~~~

While "stay at home" orders here in Ohio are slowly lifting, I still have had the time to do quite a bit of stitching.

​Since WIPocalypse is dedicated to finishing all those outstanding WIPs, I have tried to put in a (very) little time on "Love Is..."

and quite a bit more on Biltmore:

Bitmore's pattern is on four pages and I am now 2/3 of the way through page three with this, the first color of thread, and am already out of the thread provided in the kit! Luckily, DMC codes were provided and I do have a skein of that color (whew!), because there is still quite a lot of building facade to stitch! Sure hope that this was the only shortage in the kit because DMC floss is becoming VERY scarce due to the quarantines and lockdowns...

I have not dared to try re-starting "Save the Stitches" until I have cleared the decks of these other two WIPs.

~~~~~Travelling Needlepoint~~~~~

​The Summer Meeting of Region 2 of the National Daylily Society in Easter Ohio and the National Daylily Convention in Savannah, Georgia, have been cancelled so there is not likely to be stitching on "Butterfly on Scroll".

​No progress to report.

~~~~~Completions~~~~~

None to report, unless you count finishing the monthly stages of three of the four SALs described below.

~~~~~SALs~~~~~
I have stitched on all four SALs...

1. "52 Weeks of Blackwork" by Purple Peppermint; various randomly selected shades of pink, purple and blue DMC on 28ct tea-colored evenweave. Completed weekly installments Week 18 through Week 22, plus some additional borders. Week 23 comes into my mailbox on May 3.

2. Linen & Threads 2020 SAL "Friends and Family", stitched on 28ct "Lavender Sunset" (not very lavender) Jobelin using Threadworx "Rocky Mountain (1070).  May installment completed on May 9, 2020. June installment was online today (May 31).

3. "Christmas Shadowbox Sampler" by  Faithwurks Designs & Just CrossStitch. Installment 2 is in the "box" to the left, finished April 27 (not counting beads and other embellishments) on 28ct slubby white linen. ​Installment 3 due in the next issue (digitally on June 2, 2020, hard copy some time later) of Just CrossStitch.

4. Stitchonomy 2020 SAL, part 2 "Colorful Critters", officially started April 16, finished May 19, using the "general" color scheme, DMC floss on 14 count white Aida, modified by blending filament to each critter in areas where, in nature, they might have shown some iridescence, shine or sparkle. The key to the critters is in the backstitched lettering at the bottom of the piece...

~~~~~ In the Pipeline~~~~~

It is embarrassing to admit that I have actually downloaded (or am downloading) at least three other pattern sets for other SALs. I have also purchased at least one kit, and purchased lots of overdyed silks and some fabric cuts that might work for future projects. I still can't help seeing things that really appeal to me!!!

~~~~~Goals for June~~~~~

My gosh, do I ever have goals for June. Whether or not Ohio has totally "opened up" by the end of May or not, I am not at all inclined to get out there and play, travel or otherwise risk my health. Meanwhile:

• I am still watching many more online chats, tutorials and the like for paper crafting which can take up at least 8 hours a week that otherwise could be devoted to stitchery. 
• I  enrolled in a second "Spring Card Camp" which is a daily "lesson" in card making. Each class took up an hour of listening/watching followed by at least two hours of actual card-making. I have finally completed this course, but have signed up for a year-long art community where members engage in facilitated learning through monthly mixed media art projects and challenges. I expect this to be somewhat time-consuming.
• There is now only 8% of my storage space left on my DVR so I have several recorded television programs to catch up on, some of which do not lend themselves well to stitching at the same time.
• I am sticking to my goal of at least 30 minutes a day of reading, both for pleasure and for enlightenment (I love histories and biographies).

I have been rationing my stitching time to two or three hours a day, for about five days a week. And the release of SAL installments varies from project to project so planning a rotation is still iffy, at best.

What I HOPE to do in June is: 

• ​a) keep up with "52 Weeks of Blackwork": the installments, weekly on Wednesdays, are small and, along with some additional border stitching, are doable in one night of stitching per installment
• ​b) start and complete (sans beads, buttons and other embellishments) part three of "Christmas Shadowbox Sampler". 
• ​c) start and complete the June installment of "Friends and Family" which is out today (May 31).
• d) try to stitch on "Love Is..." and "Biltmore" in any open day​. "Save the Stitches" may or may not enter into my stitching rotation.

​I don't think I'm going to start a new project, but I fear that won't stop me from buying more charts, fabric and floss for my stash! And who knows, one of these new charts might just tempt me!

​Meanwhile, I'm saying home, keeping healthy and hoping the same for all of you!