WIPocalypse 2024 Check-In: March 31, 2024

 

WIPocalypse 2024 Check-In: March 31, 2024 3/30/2024 0 Comments   Today's discussion topic is: "What colors – and brands – of floss do you love using?  Do you have a particular color that you absolutely love?" I don't think I have a particular color or color set that I prefer over any other. I usually go with called-for colors except for more geometric blackwork pieces and the occasional large sampler, where I may improvise. Then, I may substitute a color that goes nicely with my fabric background, often a variegated if I have it,  for all-black patterns. As for preferred brands --- I use DMC a lot but, lately, I've been using Threadworx variegated for larger pieces.  ~~~~~Completions~~~~~ "Winter SAL 2024" by Stitchonomy, using the kit (a dark aqua Aida and a selection of DMC colors) and charms provided: There are a couple of counting errors but I left them since I discovered them each after two sessions of stitching. I don't think they hurt the pattern at all... ~~~~~WIPS~~~~~ 1. Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014. I worked on blocks 87 - 90 (out of 131 total) this month: 2. "Kingdoms of Life" by Stitchonomy, begun in 2023. Using the kit provided (an oatmeal Aida and DMC colors, plus a select few skeins of grey and greens for the changes. I worked on the fungi this month, where I made a few color modifications: 3. "Royal Gardens", a mystery SAL by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023. On a pale green even weave (it said "sapphire" but it doesn't look blue to me!) and Threadworx variegated thread. I worked on ensuring that the left-side border would meet up with the bottom border. Almost there... 4. "Faith, Hope, Love", a mystery SAL for 2024 by Fox & Rabbit. On antique white even weave using a Threadworx variegated (Autumn Leaves) and three DMC colors that match parts of the Threadworx floss... I'm on schedule here - April's installment is due out on April 1... ~~~~~ On the non-SAL (and inactive SAL) front: The Glendon Place "Hope & Strength" piece still requires extensive beading. The Lakeside SAL "Login"  still languishes untouched. My traveling needlepoint was taken out in March and put right back in the project bag. I need to sit down with the chart and sort and label large hanks of numbered threads by color so I can actually stitch! I will set a weekend aside in April to do this. AAARGH!. And that is my March report... On to April!

WIPocalypse 2024 Check-In -February 25th, 2024

 

Today's discussion topic is: "What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year? SALs form the majority of my stitchery plans this year. Some are long-term WIPs while others began just this year: Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014 "Christmas SAL 2022" by Stitchonomy, begun in 2022 "Kingdoms of Life" by Stitchonomy, begun in 2023 "Temperature 2023" by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023 "Royal Gardens" by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023 "Faith, Hope, Love" by Fox & Rabbit, gun in 2024 "Winter SAL 2024" by Stitchonomy, begun in 2024 And since we are talking SALs, let's look into their progress... 1. "Save the Stitches" - stitched blocks 80-86 of 155. On the left is the full sampler today. On the right ar try six blocks worked on this month. 2. "Christmas SAL 2022". I finally added the charm and seed beads (eyes of the reindeer). Ready for final finishing. 3. "Kingdoms of Life". I completed the Protista and Archea wedges. I did some color adjustment to reflect true appearances under the microscope. ​ ​Only Fungi and Animalia wedges left... and I don't have a lot of color adjustment there so it should move along nicely. On left is progress as of January 29, 2024.  On the right is progress as of February 19, 2024. Color on the right is more accurate... 4. "Temperature 2023" - my plan is to create a temperature key. No progress since last post. 5. "Royal Gardens" - On the left is progress as of January 27, 2024. On the right is progress as of February 23, 2024. I'm working on setting borders to ensure that last two sets of motifs are properly placed. 6. "Faith, Hope, Love" - Installment 1 on the left. Installment 2 on the right. On schedule! Next band due out March 1. 7. "Winter SAL 2024" - Band #1 is shown below. Band 2 is also stitched and band 3 is underway but, because I am a pattern club member with a two week advance on patterns, I can only show bands that are now out in the general public... ~~~~~ On the non-SAL (and inactive SAL) front: The Glendon Place "Hope & Strength" piece still requires extensive beading. The Lakeside SAL "Login" still languishes untouched. ​My traveling needlepoint will likely be taken out in March. ​Now that taxes are in with the accountant, the pressure of sort receipts and forms and add up expenses is over for the tax yer so I can no concentrate on my stitchery, reading and perhaps even my papercrafting!

WIPocalypse 2024 Check-IN _ January 28, 2024

 

Today's discussion topic is: "Tell us about the oldest WIP you have in your stash." ​ OK, this one is a toughie because how do I distinguish between WIPs and UFOs? I have a stack of unfinished pieces, mainly needlepoint but also at least one crewel piece and several crazy quilts yet to be quilted. But... On my laptop desktop, I have a file folder labeled "Long-term WIPs" in which I have stored the info for five different pieces. Listed in order from most oldest to most recent starts, they are: "Save the Stitches" by Elizabeth Almond, started February 2014, went into hiatus November 2021,   and picked up again in May of 2022 and dropped into hiatus again until January 15, 2024 "Butterfly on Scroll" by Dimensions, started February 2020 and last worked on February 2023. This is my :traveling project and we rally have done little traveling in this time period (COVID, don't ya know?) "Hope & Strength" from Glendon Place, started March 2021 and last worked on November 2022. Needs beading, LOTS of beading. "Kogin" from Lakeside Needlecraft, started January 2022 and not touched since (counting issues and lots of frog visits) "Christmas SAL 2022" by Stitchonomy, started January 2022 and last worked on in January 2023. Needs beading --- only a few but I dread getting out the beading gear. So, as you can see, The one I started earliest was "Save the Stitches" and it has had an on-again, off-again life. Mainly because it is so darned BIG! There are 79 "patterned blocks" currently stitched and roughly 55 remain! The fabric is a full yard and is awkward to stitch on since I don't use a stand. My q-Snap set-up was originally an 11 by 11 square with a grime cover but even that didn't handle all the excess fabric so I have switched to my more manageable 8 x 11 q-Snap and do my best to wrangle the excess fabric. This limits what parts of the piece I can work at any one time however, and while the paper pattern is divided into 4 - 5 blocks per page, I still have issues with finding where I am in the pattern! Thank GOD I stitched the frame first! The chart calls for black-thread for the blackwork patterns, with five different colors of metallic threads for accents. There-in lies my first reason for having issues with this piece: I HATE metallic thread! SO... I decided to change the metallic threads to colored threads - and I chose the range of blues and greens I had acquired for an earlier Ink Circles BAP. Obstacle overcome.  As you can see from the photo below: I still have a long way to go. But it is on my rotation again and I hope to make a little progress this year. ​As for the other four long-term WIPS... ​For "Hope and Strength" and "Christmas 2023 SAL", I just need to overcome the panic that results when I think of all those beads with a thread-loving rambunctious kitten/cat named Li'l Sis who spends most of her time in my stitching area! For "Kogin", I need to step back, frog what little I have stitched and start over (or decide to not stitch it, which ever seems more logical at the time), Might be easier now that I have the entire pattern in hand (it was a SAL) For "Butterfly on a Scroll", I now have a decent portable light set-up to accommodate lousy hotel lighting and there are two long-weekend travel trips (husband's horticultural conventions) set up for this year so I may actually get some stitching in! And I have (in my head, not on paper) put in a plan on weekends for each WIP (long-term and current) in my stash this year in order to make some progress. This might be derailed by temptation for more new starts but I am trying to scale back there... ~~~~~SALs~~~~~ ​1. A NEW START: "Hope Faith Love" by Fox & Rabbit, a monthly SAL and probably the last free one they issue. Using 28 ct "Antique White" Lugana, Threadworx "Autumn Leaves" (1039) and DMC 436, 975 and 310, 2 over two: I am actually on schedule! Here is the January installment:  2. WIP - "Royal Gardens" by Fox & Rabbit (their 2023 SAL). I have completed five of the internal motif installments and the top border. There is a miscount in installment 1 (in the vase of flowers) so I have been placing motifs by how they relate to the border and each other, not the vase. For the most part, this is working out but, this past month, I discovered that the large circular motif to the right of the elves, while it is perfectly in line with the elves and the crown, it is off by one-half stitch and somehow ended up positioned too close that the little candelabra-like motif to its right. And I CAN"T FIND THE ERROR. This concerns me because I haven't completed the border and am not sure now of the placement of the last three internal installments of motifs. So I bit the bullet and started the right-hand border so I could set up a baseline for those last three installments and ensure plenty of room without the threat of MASSIVE frogging... This border is a bear: what you see on the right is two weeks (1.5 to 2.5 hours of stitching per day) of stitching! This sampler is stitch-dense! Here is my progress so far --- where I left off in the last post is in the left,  and the status as of last night at 10:30 PM is on the right:  3. A FINISH!  "Temperature 2023" by Fox & Rabbit, a patreon pattern. The actual piece is done. I need to finish off those last hanging threads and chart and stitch a temperature key that I think will fit to the right of the pattern...  4. Long Term WIP: Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", Blocks 78 and 79 are now complete: ~~~~~UPCOMING~~~~~ ​I find is interesting that I seem to be doing all SALs at present. And there is one more in the pipeline. The Stitchonomy "Winter 2024" has been ordered and the kit is supposedly in the email. This will be a weekly pattern scheduled to start February 9. I still don't have my kit and I'm not sure how the two-week advance for patreon members fits in with this date but I suspect there will be a start in the coming month, sometime.

WIPocalypse 2024 Kick-Off - January 7, 2024

Today's discussion topic is:

"Recap your accomplishments for the year! (Your finishes, your final before/after photos, etc)." 

I really have little new to post here since I completed my December check-in so I will summarize briefly:


1. My 2023 finishes were "Happiness is Handmade", a Lakeside Needleecraft SAL designed by Durene Jones; the "Halloween Sampler 2023" by Stitchonomy; and the "Charity 2023" SAL by The Steady Thread


2. Since the last post, I have made progress on two SALs:

• "Royal Gardens", the 2023 Mystery SAL by Fox & Garden (before on top, current on bottom). I have completed the "part 8" motifs and begun on the "part 9" motifs (there are 12 installments in this SAL). The border still languishes although I made a little progress on the left-hand side this past week. 

 

• The "Temperature 2023", also by Fox & Rabbit (before on top, current on bottom). All dates are stitched. Ideally, I shouldn't count this as a finish as I hope to stitch a color key for the temperatures... 

 


3. I have one January start - the Fox & Rabbit 2024 Mystery SAL "Faith Hope Love", using Threadworx "Autumn Leaves" on 28-ct white Lugana

 

4. Goals for 2024 (in addition to finishing the above two Fox & Rabbit SALs) include:

• beading the "Christmas Banner 2023" by Stitchonomy and "Hope & Strength" by Glendale Place
• putting at least a few stitches in Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches"
• finishing "Kingdoms of Life" by Stitchonomy

I have no travel plans for 2024 so I can't say for certain that I will do any stitching on my travel needlepoint piece.

We all know how fragile New Year's Resoluions are so I'm setting no other stitching goals for 2024. Are we taking bets on how long I hold out?