WIPocalypse 2020 Check-In - June 28, 2020

This month's topic for discussion is a half-year recap:  "How are you doing with your goals so far this year?"

Well, according to my January 1 check-in, my one goal for this year was " ...to start stitching again this year."! And I did just that!

But that wasn't all there was to my goals for the year. I had the following WIPs in my stash:

• Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches" blackwork sampler, started in late February of 2014 and put away in April of 2015​
• "Biltmore", a kit I purchased at the Biltmore Estate in July of 2014 and stitched on briefly in the coffee shop at that estate. I have stitched on it once or twice since then but made little progress from my sole published photo - in fact it has regressed a little since much of the work I did in that coffee shop had to be frogged. This piece also lives in my travel bag
• "Love Is.., an intended first anniversary gift for a niece which has missed that deadline and may not make the second as well at there ate I am going. Started in September 0f 2016 and was put away when I broke my wrist, brought out briefly in February of 2017 as a test run of my wrists ability to hold the frame, and put back after an hour and less than four backstitched letters - no shown here (and/or frogged letters!)
• the key fob for Michael Powell's "Beach Huts Scissor Keep Kit"

I have been stitching on the "Biltmore" kit and report on that below. I have stitched on the "Love is..." kit, also reported on below. I finished the Michael Powell scissor keep. So that's one out of four finished and two in progress!

In addition to all the above WIPs, I also started a new travel needlepoint and four SALs. All reported on below!

June was also a “one stitch per day” month but I didn't stitch every day so this was a non-starter.

~~~~~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.

I have tried to put in no time on "Love Is..." but quite a lot of time on "Biltmore". I am now almost through page three (of four) in the first color, having used the skein of this color form my stash to do the majority of this new stitching:

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 23 through Week 26, plus some additional borders. Week 27 comes into my mailbox on July 1.

2. Linen & Threads 2020 SAL "Friends and Family", stitched on 28ct "Lavender Sunset" (not very lavender) Jobelin using Threadworx "Rocky Mountain (1070).  June installment completed on June 15, 2020. July installment due online on July 1.

3. "Christmas Shadowbox Sampler" by  Faithwurks Designs & Just CrossStitch. Installment 3 was finished June 18 (not counting beads and other embellishments) on 28ct slubby white linen. The three completed installments completed so far can be seen in the photo on the right, below. ​Installment 4 due in the next issue of Just CrossStitch.

4. Stitchonomy 2020 SAL, part 3 "Fantastic Fungi", officially starts mid July. I have selected fabric and found the floss and await the first chart. 
​

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

Nothing new at the moment.

~~~~~Goals for July~~~~~

I am not at all inclined to get out there and play, travel or otherwise risk my health. So I will continue to "stay home" as follows

• 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  have signed up for a year-long art community where members engage in facilitated learning through monthly mixed media art projects and challenges. The first official project/challenge will occur in July..
• I managed to get back up to 14% % of my storage space on my DVR but 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 July 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) begin "Fantastic Fungi" SAL as soon as the first pattern is released. 
• ​c) start and complete the July installment of "Friends and Family" which is due out July 1, 2020.
• d) try to stitch on "Love Is..." and "Biltmore" in any open day​. 

​The "Christmas Shadowbox" SAL installment 4 isn't due out for another month and there are no new projects on the horizon. "Save the Stitches" may or may not enter into my stitching rotation.​

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