Is it really Wipocalypse time again? - post #5 - a month later I manage to finish this post

Is it really that time again? It seems I have posted my progress only yesterday.

Oh well the blogging feed says what it says so be it. [please note I wrote this bit a long while ago, its seems it along with photos has been in drafts forever]

Let start with a biggie ... I have a finish wooohooo (I was going to share it in a separate post in advance, but the time has run out it seems).


I recently had this finishing mode. Where I had one finish after another. This, the Snowflower Diaries' one, I also completed my input on the latest doll in progress. Hair sewn, and body stuffed. She is looking gorgeous. Then I picked up my knitting (a project being stored for a year or two). It is a jumper that I almost finished and only had half the sleeves to go. It has a mildly complicated pattern so once you put it down picking up and figuring out what line of pattern you are on amidst what to increase what to decrease. Anyhow it isn't done yet, but getting close. I am now beginning slowly to decrease the sleeves, just above the armpits essentially. The confusing part is that I think the pattern is telling me to decrease too slowly, and judging by my tension I will have a rather long shoulder. I need to find my original tension sample. I have decreased the amount of stitches according to this, but as most of pattern tells you how much to knit in length rather than rows I don't remember paying too much attention to that.

Christmas Candle

you saw this progress a few days ago in the Tuesday post:

April 2014

May 2014

But I am actively stitching on this project at the moment. Getting through all that confetti hair. It isn't too bad to be honest I imagine the golden leaves to the right will be a lot harder if the first leaf that I had on page #1 is anything to judge by. Threading just for one stitch! common this is just plain cruel. I think I'll leave for last that way I can start gridding next page and move on the threads to next page.

Ember II

After a large input in April, May saw little stitching:

April 2014

May 2014

I have finished the first flower and started working on the next one.

QS Poisonous Beauties

April 2014

May 2014

Since the photo has been taken back in May, there is actually a little bit more stitched on this one.

And for the big finale ...

Lean on Me:

April 2014

May 2014

It is finished!!! Mind this was meant to be mentioned in the promised 'finishing mode' post, but that was back when I was ahead. And now I am a little more that behind.

Anyhow till soon. There is still TUSAL update from last month to go ... and almost time to begin afresh with this month's updates.

P.S. The questions of the month were: what designs or themes do you really wish you could find? What do you think is missing among stitching designs?

Well to answer I'd have to say I wish I could find Judy Rossouw work easier. They either cost a fortune and then a fortune in postage, or just nowhere. 

I wish I could buy kits for cards. The sort with pre-printed card blank. I am including 2 examples. One was a free kit with World of Cross Stitching. And the other I have created myself around the design. There is only a few I came across in this style.

TUSAL #4 & Wipocalypse #4 ... some progress and new starts

Hello all,

and here is finally me with a stitchy update. I finished work early this afternoon and came home with a full intention if sitting down and posting. Instead as it was nice weather I have repotted three orchids. I have separated mum and baby (one of my orchids had a baby, or keiki), last time I potted them together, but I thought maybe they want their own pots. I could have left them for longer before repotting but the mum had two new roots one of which was growing straight into the cable tie support. I also finally braved cutting off flowers from the third and repotting it (it got left out last time). Since one of my others is in bloom (3 huge purple flowers) I am not as upset with the repotted one. I recently bought a sixth orchid to my collection cheaply thinking I could save it. But I do not know. It is very different to my others and I found 4 spiders on it so far. So at the moment it is in quarantine in the bathtub. I will try repotting it the next time.

orchid that lost its flowers and a biscornu (I might have forgot to share this finish with you)

But I promised cross stitch, so ...

Tusal:

2014 and 4th lot

2014 so far

I definitely need a bigger jar. Though I must admit some of the threads were not from stitching but the sort of my thread shopping from a charity shop (I mentioned it a while back) ... so finally got to it. But more on it in the next Stitch from Stash update.

Wipocalypse:

Christmas Candle:

March 2014

April 2014

Alright this actually looks like no progress whatsoever hmmm. I promise you I did do a few night of stitching on it.

QS Literate Dragon:

March 2014

April 2014

Slightly more progress than on the previous piece. Need to get this one out again soon. I have missed it.

Lean on Me:

March 2014

April 2014

A bit more backstitching done.

Okay now onto real progress. I have started two new projects. The kit was from stash, and the HAED was started using stashed threads and chart, fabric bought last month, and the frame my mum got me for Christmas.

So the new starts are:

QS Poisonous Beauties by Jasmine Becket-Griffith (9 pages)

April 2014

and

Ember II by Maia

April 2014

One flower is almost fully stitched.

closeup

That's all for now. I need a small finish for next week's update ... and I am at a loss. I have completed the kit my sister gifted to me on Christmas ... but as I stitched the grass in columns of 6 crosses using hand dyed floss ... it looks slightly wrong. So I do not know whether I should unpick and start that area again.

Till soon,

P.S. Almost forgot to answer ... how do I keep my stash organised? [edited to include photos]

in the cupboard on the right ...

1 shelf full of progress in individual folders/pockets (and a box of winded thread)

1 shelf full of stashed kits, free kits from magazine in the purple box, and bits and bobs including needles in the yellow one

In the centre set of drawers:

1 drawer of fabric and hand dyed floss

a bit ruffled

Then ...

1 drawer (this one in my desk) of current haeds as in box of winded threads and printed charts

the bottom box with umbrellas has buttons, needles, etc, transparent box on top has all my finishes, and behind the picture ...

2 boxes with a total of 4 drawers full of dmc threads

1 cardboard box of anchor threads under bed (top one)

2 frames next to drawers with stitching

and under drawers 5 bags of threads and some fabric ... you can see one of the bags here

and 3 boxes of cross stitch magazines:

the one in the centre ... the rest is some of the knitting ones ... I have more of those

half the box on the bottom

Mind, there is also a binder with magazines, which I forgot to photograph.

TUSAL #3 and Wipocalypse #3 ...

Just sat down to do a belated (yet again) post and realised how long it has been. I am sorry for the lack of posting, but I am back now. Just had a few crazy weeks, so did not get much time to update anything (not just my blog). Sadly, I also have been stitching less and less. I blame the doll making personally.

Dolls you ask, it is a small project mum and I have been working on. She is in charge of the cutting and sewing them up, I am in charge of needle sculpting, face drawing, and hair at the moment. I am currently sewing hair on strand by strand, which I am estimating is taking me 15-30 hours per doll. I am almost finished the second. I will definitely time when I begin on the third to get a better number. Hopefully, I will feel confident to share some photos in my next post.

Anyhow, onto the updates, TUSAL:

last month

last month next to year so far 

2014 including last month

And Wipocalypse update seen me stitching:

Christmas Candle:

January 2014

March 2014

Oh dear, I felt I was doing great progress until I put these two pictures next to each other. Quite a few nights went into this one!

Lean on Me

February 2014

March 2014

It is not very noticeable but I have completed all the backstitching in light grey. Onto dark grey next.

QS Literate Dragon

February 2014

March 2014

March 2014

The project that has seen the most of the stitchy hours input. 

I am participating in a 2014 HAED goal challenge over at their official forum board. The goals I set myself for the year are:

• Complete page 4 on Christmas Candle
• Stitch approximately a page on QS Literate Dragon
• Start and stitch 1 page on QS Poisonous Beauties

QS Poisonous Beauties will hopefully be my next start. I had the needed threads back since I purchased DMC for the dragon, but I decided to try some pregridded fabric for the project, which has recently arrived. More on that in the Stash update later in the month. 

Speaking of the delivery ... I have also bought the needed threads for some other projects, including the Margaret Sherry SAL I am participating in this year. The bigger question is: why do I sign up to so many things?

Also I solemnly swear that I will limit my spending on cross stitch and other craft supplies even further, as I am beginning to save up for a new printer. I know, there is nothing technically wrong with my current one. But once you spend about £160 in ink cartridges (and that is just the last 2 months or so and I do search for online bargains and rarely buy them full price) you realise that an inkjet printer is only suited for those that print less than I do. Laserjet is the way forward and although costs 5 times more to get, and ink cartridges same, it prints about 10 times more according to google. So not only I think this will be a great investment ... it will also be good to the environment (less cartridges and packaging material wasted). The problem is I need somewhere between £100 - £300 to get one, and then I'd guess about £200 for ink. The total comes higher than my standard monthly salary, most of which goes to pay bills, food, student loan ... So onto saving, and I do hope it will take less than a year to come up with this money. 

Anyhow till soon,

P.S. Thank you for all your lovely comments, sorry if I did not get around to personally responding to all of them.
P.P.S. To be updated with the photos of where I like to stitch.