WIPocalypse 2024 Check-In - October 27, 2024

 

Today's discussion topic is:  "How do you organize your WIPs and stash?" Please excuse the sounds of hysterical laughter (bordering on sobbing, to be honest)  as I answer this question because organization is my curse and my failure.  My WIPs are piled on top of a bag in my bedroom, by my bed (I stitch in bed...), each in its own ziplock or project bag along with the required floss, fabric, and (occasionally) pattern (More often than not, I use my iPad's "Books" app to store patterns and I stitch from those stored pdfs.). Also in this pile is a large tote bag filled with fabric, another with patterns that I've saved but haven't kitted up yet, yet another filled with cones and spools of floss, and still another with spare q-snap and frame pieces. And pile on top it my navy blue Yazzi raveling kit...As chaotic as this looks, I can find what I need when I need it so while it's not organized in a classic sense, it works for me. My stash occupies two large cabinets (for fabrics, patterns, kits and tools), six baskets (for floss in floss bags) and a large "pile" in a corner (not shown here) for things like pillow forms, batting etc.  This storage is in my basement craft space, is only vaguely organized, and is only accessed when a new project is started.  The pictures below are from 2023 and things are a LOT messier now than in these photos.  I have gone through at least two major reorganizations in this space since we lived here and it is due for another but I'm old and tired and probably will never get around to it.  And from there... ~~~~~WIPS~~~~~ 1. Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014, on white lugana in mostly DMC 310 (with some scattering of two blues and two greens where metallic threads had been called for.). Didn't touch it this month... so no progress. 2. "Royal Gardens", a mystery SAL by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023. On a pale green/sapphire 32ct Lugana  and Threadworx variegated thread (1048 "Woodland Green"). I stitched on installment 10 and almost completed it: Only a few more stitches in the base of the bouquet snd a small circular motif to the upper right to go and then it's on to the elves, butterfly and alphabet of installment 11 (which, for some reason, I dread)! 3.  "Faith, Hope, Love", a mystery SAL for 2024 by Fox & Rabbit. On antique white 28 ct Lugana using a Threadworx variegated (Autumn Leaves 1039) and three DMC colors (436, 975, and 310) that closely match some colors on that Threadworx floss... I'm on schedule here - the next installment is due out November 1, 2024. 4. Stitchonomy "Halloween 2024" SAL. Stitched on Chocolate Raspberry AIDA using the provided kit DMC threads. Fabric color is off in this (and all subsequent photos): it is really more pinkish-brown and not at all "orange"!  I am a member of the pattern club so have already received all the installments, but only 28 out of 31 plus finishing instructions have been released to the stitching public. So... here is my progress through part 28: ~~~~~Completions~~~~~ Sadly, no competitions this month... ~~~~~ On the non-SAL (and inactive SAL) front: The Glendon Place "Hope & Strength" piece still requires extensive beading. The Lakeside SAL "Kogin" still languishes untouched. Traveling needlepoint is awaiting a road trip to justify taking it out again. ~~~~~ and that is my October report! Happy stitching, everyone!

WIPocalypse 2024 Check-In - September 29, 2024

 

Today's discussion topic is: "How did you learn to stitch?" To be honest, I don't really remember! I know I watched PBS to learn crewel and took up needlepoint soon after, sometime around the late 1960's. I think my first cross-stitch piece was completing an eyeglass case kit for a friend's wife in grad school (late 1960s - 1971). She was trying to make it as a gift for her Mother and give up and asked me to finish the stitching. I guess I just applied my understanding of stitchery from the crewel and needlepoint to that little kit. ​And from there... ​ ~~~~~WIPS~~~~~ 1. Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014, on white lugana in mostly DMC 310 (with some scattering of two blues and two greens where metallic threads had been called for - I flat out REFUSE to do metallic in blackwork!). I worked on block 109 through 111: and finally finished it.  On to block 112 out of 131! 2. "Royal Gardens", a mystery SAL by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023. On a pale green/saphire 32ct Lugana  and Threadworx variegated thread (1048 "Woodland Green"). I began to work on the right border in August...  ​ and found where it was the ONE stitch off that made the left border not meet up properly! Made a fudge-correction on the right side and have now located another error (also one-stitch) in the center of the bottom border which also affects the left-border meet-up... So I had to do some fudging at the left corner, resulting in a pair of "leaves" being trimmed to fit: Here is the full border; The fudging is obvious in close-up but here's hoping it's not too obvious/drastic when looking at the full pattern... On to stitching the last two installments! ​ 3.  "Faith, Hope, Love", a mystery SAL for 2024 by Fox & Rabbit. On antique white 28 ct Lugana using a Threadworx variegated (Autumn Leaves 1039) and three DMC colors (436, 975, and 310) that closely match some colors on that Threadworx floss... I'm on schedule here - the next installment is due out October 1. 4. Stitchonomy "Halloween 2024" SAL. Stitched on Chocolate Raspberry AIDA using the provided kit DMC threads. Fabric color is off in this (and all subsequent photos): it is really more pinkish-brown and not at all "orangey"!  I am a member of the pattern club so have already received six installments but only the frame has been released to the stitching public. Here is my frame, with one massive error that I have since "frogged" (the middle column in the bottom half would not have three horizontal rows! I zoned out while stitching and forgot to consult the pattern. I have since frogged the erroneous row but forgot to take  picture! ~~~~~Completion~~~~~ Here is the photo of the completed Stitchonomy "Fall Banner 2024 SAL" that I couldn't show last month: As I wrote last month, I skipped using the charms and, because of spacing issues, did not stitch the "sparkles" between the rows. ~~~~~ On the non-SAL (and inactive SAL) front: The Glendon Place "Hope & Strength" piece still requires extensive beading. The Lakeside SAL "Kogin" still languishes untouched. Traveling needlepoint is awaiting a road trip to justify taking it out again... ~~~~~ and that is my September  report! Happy stitching, every one!

WIPocalypse 2024 Check-In - August 25, 2024

 

Today's discussion topic is: " "Do you belong to any stitching groups or guilds (either in person or virtual)? If so, tell us about them." Easy answer - no. I do some SALs that are sponsored on Facebook by some designers and I do post my progress on their SAL facebook pages but this doesn't strike me as being the same as belonging to a group.  As for guilds, I belonged to a quilt guild for several years and was their unpaid website manager for many of those years (even though quilting is totally NOT my thing - I joined hoping to learn but it wasn't that kind of group). I left the guild (stopped paying dues) in January of this year and they found a new webmaster (a paid professional) in April. I'm still a member of their facebook group but I don't participate. ~~~~~WIPS~~~~~ 1. Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014, on white lugana in mostly DMC 310 (with some scattering of two blues and two greens where metallic threads had been called for - I flat out REFUSE to do metallic in blackwork!). I worked on block 108 and finally finished it. Don't know why this one was so difficult but I simply couldn't see a logical way to stitch it!  And it looks messy to me, probably because I could find the right way to stitch it. Relieved that at last this one is finished, even though it took two months. Only 23 "blocks" to go! On to block 109! 2. "Royal Gardens", a mystery SAL by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023. On a pale green 32ct Lugana (it said "sapphire" but it doesn't look blue to me - note to self, check to see if there is such a thing as a green sapphire!) and Threadworx variegated thread (1048 "Woodland Green"). I began to work on the right border last month and found where it was the ONE stitch off that made the left border not meet up properly! Made a fudge-correction on the right side and have now located another error (also one-stitch) in the center of the bottom border which also affects the left-border meet-up. Accommodating this two stitch error will be a real fudging challenge!  3.  "Faith, Hope, Love", a mystery SAL for 2024 by Fox & Rabbit. On antique white 28 ct Lugana using a Threadworx variegated (Autumn Leaves 1039) and three DMC colors (436, 975, and 310) that closely match some colors on that Threadworx floss... I'm on schedule here - September's installment is due out September 1. ~~~~~ A FINISH!~~~~~ Stitchonomy's "Fall Banner 2024 SAL", on dark blue AIDA using the kit that accompanies the pattern. I finished it on August 13, with a few personalizations: I skipped the "sparkles" random single stitches in the background and left off the kit's charms I changed the spacing between bands because the fabric felt a little smaller than I needed. There are at least three counting errors (one per each of three bands: 1) moon phases, 7) Wellies) and 13) squirrels)) that had to be adjusted... I can't show the finished piece here because it is a mystery SAL and there are still two bands and the sparkle pattern to be released for non-pattern club members. Below is what the piece looked like at the latest release: ​ ~~~~~ On the non-SAL (and inactive SAL) front: The Glendon Place "Hope & Strength" piece still requires extensive beading. The Lakeside SAL "Kogin" still languishes untouched. Traveling needlepoint is awaiting a road trip to justify taking it out again... ~~~~~ and that is my August report! Happy stitching, every one!

WIPocalypse 2024 Check-In - July 28, 2024

 

Today's discussion topic is: "Which of your current WIPs do you consider your most difficult piece to stitch?" It all depends on what "difficult" means. Several of my long-term WIPs have difficulty associated with them. Three examples from my current stitching rotation: "Royal Gardens" by Fox & Rabbit, their 2023 SAL: the border. I always find borders difficult and usually pray that they actually meet up. This one didn't! And while I have (just this month) found where I went wrong, it would mean having to come up with a fudge because NO WAY am I going to frog all that I have done so far! "Save the Stitches" by Elizabeth Almond: this one is HUGE, and the stitching is very detailed in very small places. I find my eyes going wonky trying to put the tiny stitches in the right place... "Fall Banner" 2024 SAL by Stitchonomy: the blue AIDA fabric is SO dark that I can barely see the holes, even with my iPad on flashlight behind the fabric.  ~~~~~WIPS~~~~~ 1. Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014. I worked on block 108 but didn't manage to finish it.  2. "Royal Gardens", a mystery SAL by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023. On a pale green 32ct Lugana (it said "sapphire" but it doesn't look blue to me) and Threadworx variegated thread (1048 "Woodland Green"). I began to work on the left border this month and found where it was the ONE stitch off that made the left border not meet up properly! Made a fudge-correction on the right side but now have to work out how to fudge the nearly complete left side.  AARGH! 3. ​"Faith, Hope, Love", a mystery SAL for 2024 by Fox & Rabbit. On antique white 28 ct Lugana using a Threadworx variegated (Autumn Leaves 1039) and three DMC colors (436, 975, and 310) that closely match some colors on that Threadworx floss... I'm on schedule here - August's installment is due out August 1. ~~~~~ A FINISH!~~~~~  "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 to make my biology major mind happy with how the individual organisms look in real life.  ~~~~~ 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. We had a July road trip planned so I finally sat down with the chart and sorted and label large hanks of numbered threads by color so I can actually stitch!  I haven't gotten around to it yet... AAARGH!. On the left - how one bundle of  threads were before sorting; on the right, all neatly on numbered floss drops. Sadly, because we had a missing pet (who was eventually found), I had to cancel out of a planned road trip and stay home, looking for him. No idea when the next road trip will be... ~~~~~ And that is my July report...

WIPocalypse 2024 Check-In - June 30, 2024

 Today's discussion topic is:

"Half-year recap:  How are you doing with your goals so far this year?"

Here are my 2024 goals, as stated in January 2024:

Goals for 2024 (in addition to finishing two Fox & Rabbit SALs):

• 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

1. Fox & Rabbit SAL 2023 - making progress despite finding a potential nasty error in the bottom left corner of the border.

2. Fox & Rabbit SAL 2024 - Up to date through installment 6.

3. Beaded the 2023 "Christmas Banner"

4. Haven't touched the beading on "Hope & Strength"

5. Have stitched blocks 78 - 107 of Elizabeth Almond (24 blocks to go to have a finish!)

6. Finished "Protista, Archaea and Fungi wedges and am approximately 50% finished on Animalia wedge for "Kingdoms of Life" SAL.

7. No progress on my traveling needlepoint... I need to sort threads before our July road trip...

So, over all, I'd say I'm on scheduled to have a near-zero WIP stash by the end of 2024. 

~~~~~WIPS~~~~~

1. Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014. I worked on blocks 101-107 (out of 131) 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 to make my biology major mind happy with how the individual organisms look in real life. I made progress on the animal kingdom this month...

3. "Royal Gardens", a mystery SAL by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023. On a pale green 32ct Lugana (it said "sapphire" but it doesn't look blue to me) and Threadworx variegated thread (1048 "Woodland Green"). I continued to work on the left border this month. (It as ONE stitch off so I need to figure out how to fudge the design between the borders at the bottom left to meet up properly. AARGH!).

4. "Faith, Hope, Love", a mystery SAL for 2024 by Fox & Rabbit. On antique white 28 ct Lugana using a Threadworx variegated (Autumn Leaves 1039) and three DMC colors (436, 975, and 310) that closely match some colors on that Threadworx floss... I'm on schedule here - July's installment is due out on momentarily...

~~~~~ A FINISH!~~~~~

Stitchoomy Summer Banner 2024 SAL. This SAL began for club subscribers on May 14... I am stitching on the Midas Gold AIDA and the DMC threads in the kit. I have stitched all bands called for, with the exception of two, where I chose the alternate provided. I purposely omitted the 16th "installment" of "white sparklers" so that this version of the banner would not be an exact copy of the 2022 version (210920746822434353.weebly.com/my-stitchery-journal/archives/07-2022).

~~~~~

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 still need to sit down with the chart and sort and label large hanks of numbered threads by color so I can actually stitch!  I haven't gotten around to it yet... AAARGH!.

~~~~~

And that is my June report...