Welcome to 2016 ...

Hello all and welcome to 2016 ...

... I can't believe I haven't posted since October. I do need to be better this year (blogging is one of my 10 New Year resolutions), so here we go off to a flying start with a sum up of a year and setting up goals for the year ahead.

I have only completed 3 of my goals in 2015 ... so hopefully 2016 will be better.

1) Christmas Candle - HAED

Before:

December 2014

After:

December 2015

The goal was to complete the last two pages of the top row, which as you can see I have not managed.

The plan for 2016 is therefore the same goal as last time ... complete the two top pages. 

2) Ember II by Maia. Complete this project ... COMPLETE!!!

Before:

May 2014

After:

April 2015

3) Yiota's Xstitch: Fields of Poppies. Complete one page ... COMPLETE!!!

Before:

January 2014

After:

April 2015

Seven more pages to go ... so I think I will set myself a target to stitch another one.

4) Literate Dragon HAED. Complete the bottom left page... COMPLETE!!!

Before:

April 2014

After:

December 2015

Guess what I think I will go for the top right this year ... that way we might finish this by 2017!

5) QS Poisonous Beauties (complete page 1) - not stitched. Ditto for 2016.

6) Harmony by Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe (goal complete) ... some progress made here, but not quite enough.

Before:

November 2014

After:

December 2015

Lets get this one complete in 2016!!!

7) Venice by Michael Powell (goal: complete the first triptych) ... again progress was made

Before:

December 2014

After:

December 2015

Ditto for 2016.

8) Spring bouquet by Margaret Sherry (goal: complete). Very small progress:

Before:

After:

Ditto for 2016.

9) I feel a bit light headed by Judy Rossouw (goal complete)... no stitching

10) unassigned as Xmas chums was scrapped.

11)  'Tending the Flock' (goal: complete 2 colours) ... no joy ...

12) Making Lickle Wishes (goal: 1 colour) ... ditto ...

13) Cabin Fever by Dimensions (goal complete the cabin) ... I think I stitched about 2 crosses before giving up.

14) John Clayton - Venice (goal complete) ... this is becoming slightly monotonous.

15) 'Picture of elegance' (goal complete) ... ditto

16) Good Heavens by Margaret Sherry (goal complete) ... finally I have some progress to share (and see how good my new camera is ... the fabric actually appears blue):

Before:

December 2013

After:

December 2015

I then scheduled some starts ... but what I started and what were schedule are slightly different.

Starts:

17) Iris by John Clayton (Connections)

December 2015

18) Autumn Glory by Snowflower Diaries

December 2015

19) Twilight & Magic by Suzanne Gyseman HAED 

December 2015

20) Sheep SAL (LHN designs) So far in this SAL I should have had 6 sheep ... instead I am slightly shy of 6 ...

But I have Gratitude complete!!!

December 2015

I will try to get Faith done shortly so that I am officially caught up...

December 2015

Now I feel fully ready for 2016! With 10 New Year resolutions set and stitching plans made I just now need extra hours in a day. (To see my 2016 stitchy goals check out the wipocalypse tab)

Till soon,

Wipocalypse and TUSAL update - July 2014 (two months worth)

Hello all,

I have internet again! Feels very strange to be able to access emails and other necessities of life in a few moments. I am going to move South in September, so desperately trying to find a place to live. It is harder than I originally thought. Oh well, persevere, persevere, persevere.

This is belated (nothing new). So hopefully I can get all the late July posts out of the way and move on to the promised giveaway. But before I can do that I do need to look at my stash again, just to see what I no longer need.

First up is TUSAL ... with the baby orchid. Remember I have mentioned that one of my orchids had a baby (or keiki as they are known), well this young plant that has been potted on its own for only 5 months has now flowered!

Wipocalypse:

Christmas Candle (HAED)

May 2014

July 2014

Almost there. A bit more on the hair and leaves and a page finish is slowly coming along.

QS Poisonous Beauties:

May 2014

July 2014

Cabin Fever

September 2012

July 2014

There is not much progress on this one, but some progress is better than none, and after almost two years of no stitching this is now hopefully turning into a wip.

I have a few starts as well:

MSherry SAL update:

'Spring bouquet' by Margaret Sherry from CrossStitch Crazy issue 174 (March 2013):

July 2014

I feel a bit light headed by Judy Rossouw (Anchor kit)

July 2014

A close up if you can't see what I have stitched

Brollies (Heritage Crafts):

July 2014

Venice Palazzo by Michael Powell:

July 2014

and thats how huge the entire design is!

I know my starts are a little pathetic, but hey ho maybe they will grow by the next update.

Till soon,

P.S. in view of Wipocalypse question (always forget them). I haven't started any Christmas stitching. Not sure when (or even if) I will get around to that.

Reports, reports, reports ... Wipocalypse #2 and Stitch from Stash #2

Dear all,

I am as always being busy, busy, busy ... apologies for a belated (as per usual) update on Wipocalypse, but for one I really wanted to have some progress to show ... and not just a fabric with two extra crosses.

First up is QS 'Literate Dragon':

December 2013

February 2014

page done!!!

Well it doesn't look like much, but this progress took me about 4 nights. I have finally finished off the bottom right page properly (so many colours for so little! Each colour seemed to only have one cross or so). Yuppy! And started on the bottom left next.

My other progress is on the 'Lean on Me' that I started as part of Stitch from Stash last month:

January 2014

February 2014

I wanted to have this one done, but didn't quite make it before posting. Just the backstitching left. I was also going to start another piece from stash, but didn't get around. I have started the prep and all:

all colours for QS Literate Dragon and Christmas Candle

with those additional skeins and kreinik

I know this is for my current major projects, but now I do not have to be frustrated when I go search for some colour. Hence I was able to finish that page on the 'QS Literate Dragon'. I also now started to gather the threads for the next few projects I am going to start. I already bought threads awhile back for 'QS Poisonous Beauties', then I am starting a Margaret Sherry Sal as mentioned previously so I got the list of threads, put it together with that of 'Alice Enchanted' (gifted to me last year), and the list of LHN small projects. Then I got together all of the skeins I already had into a bag (well actually two, as half of them stink of cigarettes from when I bought them so continuing to get rid of smell through putting cloths for tumble drier in there). And ordered the rest ... so naturally time for my buying report:

Margaret Sherry had half price on her website (click here). The kits are no longer on sale, but the hen one is ridiculously cheap now ... as in 75% off! Wish I waited.

£9.47

£11.97

So that is a total of £21.44 spent.

Full report:

£/$21.50 was brought forward, then this moth's allowance is £/$25. This lets me carry forward £/$25.06! Go me.

But wait you'd say that I mentioned that I bought some threads too.

Well yes, I have. I bought 99 skeins of dmc, large bobbin storage box, 2 metal craft rings, 18 count aida (magic guide) for 'QS Poisonous Beauties', all for a total of £48.96. This was all bought from Cross Stitch Heaven. I was putting this massive order off for the next month, but that exemption/splurge weekend came in handy. Especially since I am planning a trip to a charity shop (I hear they have cheap floss at the moment).

And just before I go I will answer Measi's Wipocalypse question:

Topic: How many projects do you generally feel comfortable having in progress at a time?  Tell us about your one-at-a-time or rotation habits!

A very hard question indeed. I have as you know 11 official wips and increasing, but then there are the smalls I no longer count towards wipocalypse too. I get a little panicky when I think about 'the number', but they are better being stitched on than waiting in the stash pile ... right? I do not do rotations per se, but I choose whatever I feel like stitching (sometimes I ask mum if I can't decide) and stitch till I get bored with it and then move on. Having said that if I have some SAL/exchange etc commitments, that would take priority over my random picks. I have also started making jewellery and art dolls, so that takes some time away from cross stitching too. 

Wipocalypse - post #12 or the final report, including some previously unseen finishes & made up biscornus ...

Dear all,

This post is going to make me cry. Since I haven't done a starting point post this year... this is what I will do this year sort of thing ... I now will need to try to remember all my wips. And also since I was doing so poorly on my goals I changed half way to a broad goal of 25 finishes (regardless of size). So this included a lot of smaller projects... but the goal was met.

Progress:

Christmas Candle (HAED):

December 2012

December 2013

Good Heavens (Anchor kit by Margaret Sherry):

October/November 2011

December 2013

Picture of Elegance:

Sometime in 2011

December 2013

QS Literate Dragon (HAED):

Started in 2013

Field of Poppies (Yiota's XStitch):

Started in 2013

Untouched: 

Xmas Chums

Tending the Flock

Fizzy Moon card kit

Cabin Fever by Dimensions (Gold Collection)

Making Lickle Wishes

Venice by John Clayton

Finishes:

For detailed info check out the "Pre-2014 Finishes" tab. There are some finishes here that I haven't blogged about before (the finishes tab will be updated to have them in the next few days), including the finishing off of the biscornus:

December 2013

December 2013

November 2013 - makeup bag finish

November 2013 - makeup bag finish

November 2013 - closeup

November 2013 - makeup bag finish

October 2013

October 2013

September 2013

August 2013

August 2013 - front

August 2013 - back

Biscornu finish

Biscornu finish

Biscornu finish

August 2013

August 2013

July 2013

Makeup bag finish

July 2013

Biscornu finish

Biscornu finish

July 2013

Biscornu finish

Biscornu finish

Biscornu finish

July 2013 - Front

July 2013 - Back

Biscornu finish

Biscornu finish

Biscornu finish

Biscornu finish

June 2013

July 2013

June 2013

June 2013

June 2013

March 2013

March 2013

February 2013

February 2013

January 2013

January 2013

A few giveaways to browse and enter ...

• Two by Nancy:

The Twelve Days of Christmas $50 gift certificate giveaway

Click on Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe to enter by the 24th December 2013

Fourth Day of Christmas Give-away:

Click on Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe to enter by the 25th December 2013

• And one giveaway by Gaynor aka StitcherAnon

Click on Stitchers Anon to enter by the 26th December 2013

Speaking of Stitcher Anon do check out her charts tab ... pdfs are currently on sale. I couldn't resist and bought one (which has been tempting me for some time now)...

my purchase

I will now need to say my goodbyes. This post has taken me quite number of days, of uploading and editing. One thing I have learnt from this ... I am going to have a clear starting point for next year's Wipocalypse. So expect that sometime soon, and the update of the tab. You can see a few new SAL ones have sprung up already. I am starting them in 2014, as well as getting a new finishes tab then too (the other one is getting rather long). 

Till soon, when I might update you on craft fairs and such like (something I have been promising for some time now),