WIPOcalypse 2020 Check-In - September 27, 2020

The topic for this month is:

"Are you a seasonal stitcher, or can you stitch on any holiday/seasonal stitch at any time of year?"​

​I don't consider myself a "seasonal stitcher" in that I stitch whatever appeals to me at the time. However, there are seasonal items which get started (and sometimes finished) ahead of the season when the magazines and charts start appearing on the market for Halloween and Christmas. Both seem to start in September of each year although there are some hints earlier in the summer (the dreaded Christmas in July issues of British stitchery magazines and Just Cross Stitch's "Christmas Ornament Sneak Peaks around the same time), most of which do not get me started!

Lately, when decorating for the holidays, I have determined the i have MORE than enough stitched ornaments for both Halloween and Christmas and so now the only seasonal attractions for me are the occasional larger piece. Not sure why --- no place to hang them and they take up so much room if framed so they tend to languish in a "finished stitching/finish it off" bag in my craft room once the stitching is completed.

~~~~~WIPS~~~~~

While "stay at home" orders here in Ohio are slowly lifting (we're still on a "mandatory mask" order right now and cautioned to "go out" only if necessary), I have had the time to do quite a bit of stitching.

 "Love Is..." was actually tackled this month! It's not done yet but a long shot, but I'm past all those nasty French knots!

 
I still have not re-started "Save the Stitches".
~~~~~Travelling Needlepoint~~~~~

No progress to report on "Butterfly on Scroll".
​
~~~~~Completions~~~~~
I have a completion! "Historic Biltmore" by The Posy Collection, PC-776. Started July 2014, finished September 12, 2020. Finished size 15" x 10" on 14ct Charles Craft Aida, using DMC threads.

~~~~~SALs~~~~~
I have stitched on three 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 36 through Week 39, plus some additional border. Week 40 comes into my mailbox on September 30.   

I'm thinking of signing and dating this along the both border so once I turn the corners on both sides, I will have to plan out the pacing for this before completing the border.

​2. Linen & Threads 2020 SAL "Friends and Family", stitched on 28ct "Lavender Sunset" (not very lavender) Jobelin using Threadworx "Rocky Mountain (1070). September installment completed on September 4, 2020. The October installment is due online on October 1.

3. Stitchonomy 2020 SAL, "Halloween 2020", was started in late September, with subscribers getting some advance information early in the month. The fabric and floss kit doesn't arrived two days after the first pattern piece (the frame) was issued (the postal service is definitely slow these days) so I started using the recommended DMC colors on a lavender 14ct linen. I made some substitutions in pattern (several cats instead of the icons provided, using an alternative set and a previous SAL pattern to create my cats) and used DMC4245 variegated thread for the letters and date in the frame... I plan on using beads for scattered "sparkles" in future. ​

The fourth SAL is "Christmas Shadowbox Sampler" SAL by Faithwurks Designs & Just CrossStitch. Installment 4 was finished August 11 (not counting beads and other embellishments) on 28ct slubby white linen, using DMC, Weeks, Kreinik and Rainbow Gallery threads. Installment 5 is not due until the next issue of Just CrossStitch magazine, so I didn't stitch on this at all this month.

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

Nothing new at the moment, although fabric and floss (two sets - what I get for double ordering!) for "Pandemic" by Long Dog Samplers have long been in my possession. Still made no choices as to which sets of thread/fabric to use. I have ordered some new cones and skeins of thread in hopes that they will make the selection easier... This is a HUGE project and I may chicken out long before I get started.

~~~~~Goals for October ~~~~~

I still am not at all inclined to get out there and play, travel or otherwise risk my health. So I will continue to "stay home" a except when "necessary" (haircuts, doctor's appointments, financial consultant, and the like)...

• I am still watching online chats, tutorials and the like for paper crafting which can take up as much as 8 hours a week that otherwise could be devoted to stitchery. 
• In the year-long art community, where members engage in facilitated learning through monthly mixed media art projects and challenges, I have competed the third challenge and project. The fourth challenge and project is scheduled for October.
• I am stagnating at 11% remaining of my storage space on my DVR.  I have four recorded television series to catch up, all 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 (crime fiction and science fiction) and for enlightenment (I love histories and biographies). A recent favorite is The Girl on the Wall, One LIfe's Rich Tapestry by Jean Baggott, 2009, Icon Books, LTD. London. An expert needleworker, she illustrated her life in a large tapestry/tablecloth and was encouraged by her history tutor at university (she was an adult student, getting her degree in history in her 60s!) to use it to illustrate her life growing up in England from the 1940s on. I read it on my iPad and really wish I could justify the huge price to purchase the book in hardcover because there is supposed to be a foldout print of the tapestry in color in the back of the book. The online version only shows small bits in each chapter, all in black-and-white. 

I have been rationing my stitching time to two or three hours a day, for about five days a week. 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 October 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. I just need to motivate on the border stitching...
• b) keep up with the daily installments on Stitchonomy "Halloween 2020) SAL
• c) continue to stitch on "Love Is..." . There is a chance that I can finish this!
• d) complete the October installment of "Friends & Family" by Linen & Threads

I will start work on "Christmas Shadowbox" SAL installment 5 if it comes out digitally in October.

​"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!

WIPocalypse 2020 Check-In: August 30, 2020

August's topic for discussion is:

"Have you participated in any of the mystery SALs on Facebook (or other social media)? What do you think makes a successful mystery SAL?"

​I am participating in four mystery SALs at present, all of which are supported by facebook groups:

• "52 weeks of Blackwork" by Peppermint Purple, which has weekly installments throughout the year
• "A Year of SALs" by Stitchonomy. There are five separate SALs (three now complete), with installments released at 2 day intervals
• "Christmas Shadowbox SAL" by Nancy Wahler (and featured in Just CrossStitch Magazine") with a new installment in each of five issues (digital as well as magazine versions)
• "Friends & Family" by Linen & Threads, with installments released each month on their web site

All four SALs are free, although there are fees for advance notifications in the Stitchonomy SALs.

​What makes them successful? Well, that depends on the participant, I suppose. Of course, the style and subject matter of the project is paramount (if you don't like samplers, for example, you probably wouldn't want to try a mystery sampler), and successful completion of an SAL may hinge on how complex, how difficult, how complex it is.  If the subject matter doesn't appeal; if it the chart is so complex that it is difficult to keep up (and if there is pressure to keep up); if the project turns out to be to long and the stitcher tires of it half-way though...then it won't be a success, in my opinion. I see a lot of them started and then abandoned midway in these groups, usually because the participant is new to SALs (sometimes even to stitchery!) and takes on a really really BIG and complex one as their first. It doesn't take too many visits by the frog before one is strongly motivated to give up and try something else.

I really like the ones where the designer appreciates alterations to his/her pattern. Some don't mind color alterations but would like to keep the pattern intact and actually forbid posting on their group(s) if such alterations occur.  Others don't mind stitchers fiddling with the pattern, and some even encourage personalization. So long as the minimal rules are followed and the group remains supportive (and not argumentative), the latter kind of SALs are usually a success, largely because they allow the participant to "put their own stamp" on the piece,  thereby keeping up interest for the SAL duration..

~~~~~WIPS~~~~~

While "stay at home" orders here in Ohio are slowly lifting (we're still on a "mandatory mask" order right now and cautioned to "go out" only if necessary), I have had the time to do quite a bit of stitching.

I have put in no time in on "Love Is..." but quite a lot on "Biltmore".  I have nearly completed the backstitching (which was a bear: the partial stitches on AIDA were horrid), and there is still a "title" to stitch below the image:

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

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

No progress to report on "Butterfly on Scroll".

~~~~~Completions~~~~~

None to report, unless you count finishing the monthly stages of three SALs and completion of one SAL 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 31 through Week 35, plus some additional borders. Week 36 comes into my mailbox on September 2

2. Linen & Threads 2020 SAL "Friends and Family", stitched on 28ct "Lavender Sunset" (not very lavender) Jobelin using Threadworx "Rocky Mountain (1070). August installment completed on August 3rd. The September installment is due online on  September 1.

3. "Christmas Shadowbox Sampler" by  Faithwurks Designs & Just CrossStitch. Installment 4 (on the left) was finished August 11 (not counting beads and other embellishments) on 28ct slubby white linen Using DMC, Weeks, Kreinik and Rainbow Gallery threads, as called for in the pattern. I have changed out the colors in the bedroom, however.  Installment 5 is due in the next issue of Just CrossStitch.

4. Stitchonomy 2020 SAL, part 3 "Fantastic Fungi", officially started mid July. A pattern was released every other day. The SAL was complete (!) on August 12. 

The fabric is Jade lugano, 28 ct, and the floss is DMC as called for in the charts (except for the border where I used DMC 310). Other changes include backstitching to sharpen my images and beads for the small background motifs.

I think the next SAL, "Halloween 2020", is due sometime in late September, with subscribers getting some advance information early in the month. The floss requirements have been released and I have ordered the floss kit; but have kitted up a substitute set of fabric and floss in the event the kit doesn't arrive in time (the postal service is definitely slow these days).

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

Nothing new at the moment, although fabric and floss (two sets - what I get for double ordering!) for "Pandemic" by Long Dog Samplers have finally arrived. Now to make choices as to which colors of threads to go with which color of fabric. This is a HUGE project and I may chicken out long before I get started.

And  Halloween chart in four parts "Spook Town Square" by Glendon Place) has arrived but hasn't been kitted up yet.

~~~~~Goals for September~~~~~

I still 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 online chats, tutorials and the like for paper crafting which can take up as much as 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. I competed the second challenge and project and a short class in Art Journaling. The third challenge and project is scheduled for September.
• I managed to get back up to 14% of my storage space on my DVR, and then backslid to 11% again.   I have several recorded television programs to catch up, all 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 September 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. I just need to motivate on the border stitching...
• b) try to stitch on "Love Is..." 
• c) Finish "Biltmore".

I may start work on "Christmas Shadowbox" SAL installment 5 if it comes out digitally in Septmeber. Similarly, I may start the Stitchonomy "Halloween Sampler 2020" if it comes out at the end of September. "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!

WIPocalypse 2020 Check-In: July 26, 2020

July's topic for discussion is:

"What new charts or designers are catching your eye this year?"

Given that is my first year back stitching after a long hiatus, a LOT of new (to me) designers have popped up on my radar.

Just scrolling through the downloads on my iPad, I find:

Online downloads from designers new to me, including:

• Frau Rosa Stikt!! where I have purchased two patterns: "Strandhauser" and "Durch Das Jahr Mit Frau Rosa" (in German)*
• Long Dog Samplers were I copped a freebie of "Pandemic"
• Sassi Stitch Boutique where I have purchased "Say Their Names" in both a long and a square format
• Seba Designs where I have  obtained "Sandy's Seasons",  "Chakra Master", and "It's Snowing"
• Owl Forest were I obtained "Emerald City" (in Russian)*

Online downloads which predate 2020:

• House of White Birches "Celtic Crosses" by Mike Vickery
• Jardin Prive SAL de Noël 2019 (in French)*
• ​X Squared "Green Butterfly Heart"
• a blackwork by Banu Demirel

Patterns in my recent downloads from designers I have stitched before, including:

• Glendon Place's "Hope and Strength"
• Napa Needlepoint's "Five Bargello Mini Socks"
• Dureen Jones' "Garden SAL"

Older downloads not kitted up include:

• Ajisai's "Fuchsias in Bloom"
• InkCircles - several of the "Knot My 2017" charts

And of course, I'm always in the market for a new Michael Powell!

Clearly WAY more than I'll ever stitch! Heck, "Pandemic" alone (20 pages, over 300 m of floss and a yard of fabric...) will likely occupy a whole year at least, assuming the fabric and floss I ordered ever arrive!

*Isn't it wonderful that one can stitch a chart even if one cannot read the language of the originator! And I now have saved a translator on my browser for any missives from designers!

~~~~~WIPS~~~~~

While "stay at home" orders here in Ohio are slowly lifting (we're on a "mandatory mask" order right now but cautioned to "go out" only if necessary), I have had the time to do quite a bit of stitching.

I have put in no time in on "Love Is..." but quite a lot on "Biltmore". I am moving into the third color now: 

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

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

No progress to report on "Butterfly on Scroll".

~~~~~Completions~~~~~

None to report, unless you count finishing the monthly stages of two 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 27 through Week 30, plus some additional borders. Week 31 comes into my mailbox on July 29.

2. Linen & Threads 2020 SAL "Friends and Family", stitched on 28ct "Lavender Sunset" (not very lavender) Jobelin using Threadworx "Rocky Mountain (1070).  July installment completed on July 6, 2020. August installment due online on August 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.  Installment 4 due in the next issue of Just CrossStitch.

4. Stitchonomy 2020 SAL, part 3 "Fantastic Fungi", officially started mid July. A pattern is released every other day. There have been twelve patterns so far in the Pattern (a border and eleven fungi), only eight of which have been made public on Facebook: I will post the public eight below:

The fabric is Jade lugano, 28 ct, and the floss DMC as called for in the charts (except for the border where I used DMC 310). I have added backstitching to sharpen my images

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

Nothing new at the moment, although fabric and floss for "Pandemic" are on order and stalled somewhere in a majorly malfunctioning postal system.

~~~~~Goals for August~~~~~

I still 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 as much as 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 second challenge and project is scheduled for August.
• I managed to get back up to 14% of my storage space on my DVR, and then backslid to 11% again.   I have several recorded television programs to catch up, all 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 August 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) complete "Fantastic Fungi" SAL  (I believe there are four more patterns to go...) 
• c) try to stitch on "Love Is..." 
• d) continue with "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 (other than the elusive "Pandemic"). "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!

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!

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!

WIPocalypse 2020 Check-In - April 26, 2020

The topic of the month is: "Talk to us about your longest-running WIP or UFO."

​Well, it all depends on what you want --- WIP? UFO?  The project I will talk about has aspects of both.

My longest running WIP (I still consider it that since it resides in my work bag in my stitching area and not in the cabinet of long-unfinished pieces) is Elisabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches" blackwork sampler; I started it February 24, 2014:

and last worked on it April 9,  2015:

It is stitched in DMC 310 with touches of three or four different DMC blue and green threads in select areas, on 28ct white evenweave. Peacock blue-green beads will go in some of the more open blocks as centers of motifs. It has all the outlines done and a little more than half the filling stitches (13 blocks) done (except for beads — that was to be last). 

I truly can't remember why I stopped working on it ... perhaps it was working on the "Roll Your Own" SAL project from InkCircles (which took nearly a year and which I completed in August 2016, too late to enter in the fair that year, which had been my goal), compounded by the broken left wrist in October 2016 (which meant surgery followed by two or three months of therapy). After I got the use of my left hand back, I found I would get finger/hand cramps after using that hand for any prolonged period of time. While working on hand strength exercises, I lost my mojo for stitching of any kind. While I attempted to get back to stitching in February/March of 2019, I still suffered periodic episodes of finger and hand cramping which made holding frames, hoops AND needles difficult at best. Then I reinjured that same wrist (ruptured tendon) in July 0f 2019 which meant more surgery and therapy. It wasn't until this year that I really have gotten back into stitching on a regular basis , and by that time...

This piece is a really BAP which means a large hand-held Q-Snap frame is necessary. I wasn't at all sure, when I started stitching again post-therapy, if my left hand would hold up to dealing with Q-Snap frames. So I put off working on it again, resorting to small hand-held needlepoint canvases and smaller Q-Snap frames or round hoops on medium-sized cross-stitch projects. I also wasn't sure if I could handle blackwork, so...

At the beginning of 2020, I decided to try a SAL to encourage me to keep at a larger project - and went overboard, signing for four (yes, counted  FOUR) SALs, one of which is blackwork. As it is, now four months into my stitching, I find that I can handle blackwork (with magnification) and hand-held frames (although not for as long a period as I used to) without finger cramping, so I'm hoping to get "Save the Stitches" back into a rotation again...

Now, for what I have been doing this month. 

~~~~~WIPs~~~~~

We are still "stay at home" orders here in Ohio, at least through May 1, so I have had the time to do quite a bit of stitching.

​Since WIPocalypse is dedicated to finishing all those outstanding WIPs, I did stitch on "Love Is...". Not much, But some.

I actually hate stitching all this back-stitching and French knots, especially on this loose linen weave. I started this back in 2016 (!) to be a first anniversary gift for my niece. Clearly, that isn't going to happen! And I'm not sure what else to do with it - I don't really like this that much and I have no-one that I know who would like it so it may be finished eventually and end up in a finish-finish pile...

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

​Not likely to be travelling anytime soon (I strongly expect the National Daylily Convention in Savannah to be cancelled) so not likely to be stitching on "Butterfly on Scroll". No progress to report.

~~~~~Completions~~~~~
​
I do have one "completion" of sorts... Given that my husband is the "designated" shopper in the family now (he may not be aware of this, but he is! I have asthma and diabetes 2, and am NOT averse to total social isolation if it keeps me healthy!), and the new guidelines call for wearing masks where you might encounter other people, I made two masks for him to wear on his trips to town (to wear and a spare!):

A week later, my husband gave one of his masks to his brother so I made two more. After one broken sewing machine needle, three reloading of a bobbin and at least seven rethreading of the needles (AAACK, I HATE HATE HATE that sewing machine), I cobbled together two more masks and told my husband that 1) he owed me and 2) no more masks from me!

​Not skillful (I have a love-hate relationship with my sewing machine) or pretty, but functional!

If I decide to "open up" soon, I will sew some for myself. After all, I don't think this virus is going away any time soon.​  Of course, in anther week, I may have changed my mind...

​~~~~~SALs~~~~~
​And I have stitched --- on 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 14 through Week 17,plus some additional borders. Week 18 comes into my mailbox on April 29.

2. Linen & Threads 2020 SAL "Friends and Family", stitched on 28ct "Lavender Sunset" (not very lavender) Jobelin using Threadworx "Rocky Mountain (1070).  April installment completed on April 12, 2020. May installment due out May 1.

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

If you are familiar with this pattern, it was meant to be stitched in pieces that fit into a divided "tray". I don't have the tray (they come in sets of six and I really don't need six...), so I decided to see if it could be stitched on one piece as a sampler. I have started marking off the installments and it looks like it might well work...

4. Stitchonomy 2020 SAL, part 2 "Colorful Critters", officially started April 16, although I had joined her pattern and received four pattens in the eight days before official opening. Sadly, I stalled out and am behind even the unofficial opening! Below, from right to left, are critters 1 (Arctia caja, the garden tiger moth), 2 (Campsosternus auratus,  the jeweled click beetle) and 3 (Trithemis aurora, the crimson marsh glider), using the "general" color scheme, DMC floss on 14 count white Aida, but I have added blending filament to each critter so far, in areas where, in nature, they might have shown some iridescence of sparkle.

There are mistakes in all three bugs but I discovered them well after getting most of the beastie(s) stitched, but since my stash of floss is limited (who would have guessed that a pandemic would lead to DMC floss being in sold-out status on many online stores?), I decided to fudge and live with them.

~~~~~ 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 may or may not get to them in future, but, because I seem to be in a SAL-state-of-mind, I can't help seeing things that really appeal to me!!!

~~~~~Goals for May~~~~~

My gosh, do I ever have goals for May. Not being certain whether Ohio will "open up" in May or not, I am not at all sure if my daily life will change. Meanwhile:

• I am watching many more online chats, tutorials and the like for paper crafting which can take up at least 8 hours a week which otherwise could be devoted to stitchery. 
• I am  enrolled in a "Spring Card Camp" which is a daily "lesson" in card making. Each class takes up an hour of listening/wathing followed by two hours of actual card-making. I am behind in this as well! 
• There is only 14% 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.

So, 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 iffy, at best.

What I HOPE to do is complete installment 2 of "Christmas Shadowbox Sampler" (without beads, ribbons and buttons), doable in roughly two more nights of stitching. Since installment three is roughly a month way, that gives me some wiggle room to...

• ​a) keep up with "52 Weeks of Blackwork": the installments, weekly on Wednesdays, are small, and, along with some additional border stitching, is doable in one night of stitching per installment
• ​b) catch up with "Colorful Critters": currently have 5 installments in hand with a new one coming out every two days, so that will be hard to accomplish
• ​c) start and complete the May installment of "Friends and Family" which is due out on May 1.
• d) try to stitch a word or two on "Love Is..." in any open days

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