WIPocalypse the final

I am a few days late, but.... the 28th is my birthday AND I was visiting my in-laws and they have no internet.  I am back home now and will be posting the big final post.

I will start with all my finishes for the year.  I am feeling quite chuffed about them.

1. Adriana

 2. Birds of a Feather

3. Crystal Ball

4. Paradigm Lost

5. Three Things Sampler

6. Catherine Agnes

7. The Great Escape

8. The Mighty Oak

9. Magic in the Air

10. Nantucket Rose

11. Skeleton Crew

12. April Showers

13. Sweet Pea

Not too bad if I do say so myself.  I got a few really big things done, and finished several things that had just been waiting for me to get back to them.

Here are the things I have started since then, and have not finished.  I figured since I was going to be doing the WIPocalypse next year I needed a few things to start out with... right?  snerk

1. Let it Snow

2. Miss Mary Mack

3. Thriller

4. Peacock Pincushion

I very much enjoyed all the stitching I did this past year.  I loved having a monthly review.  It really made me feel like I kept a focus in my stitching.  I have enjoyed viewing all the other blogs.  So many talented stitchers out there!

And... I made every WIPocalypse post.... Whew!  That right there is an accomplishment.

May you all have an amazing 2013.  And be happy stitching!

A short break

Taking a short blogging, and stitching break.  The holidays have me busy.  I will be back before the end of the year though.


Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it.

Happy Stitching

IHSW update

I know I know.  It is Tuesday.  I was going to post yesterday, but my camera had a dead battery.  Rather hard to take photos with that.  So a charging the battery went and I waited.

Anyway.  My weekend was neither as hermit-y nor as stitch-y as I would have liked.  I ended up playing Secret World and wow what a time suck that was.  heh.  A fun time suck, but still.  So, finally after battling evil Lovecraftian horrors I finally did some stitching.

Here is my progress on Thriller.

The top band is finished.  I am enjoying this piece.  Sadly, I am putting it away for now.  I have a SAL to work on today, if I get any time.  Then I think I will see if my wrist is up to more crochet.

Hope every one is happily stitching.

more thriller

I was able to stitch a bit last night.  I have decided to not do the whole border first.  It is a simple repeating border, and I was worried that I would just get too bored with it.  So, I moved onto the first band.

Lighting still is not the best.  I may not have decent lighting for the next few months!  Gotta love the Pacific Northwest.  :)  I am really liking the stitching on this one.  It is calm without being dull.  I guess I need that right now.

Yesterday I also kitted up The Black Gryphon for the Scarlet Letter Year SAL.

I need to pick up a couple more skeins of black, but I have more than enough to get started.  I most likely won't start this until January, but I wanted to be ready.  :)

I also selected all the projects for my Crazy January list.  I have 31 to choose from, so I could do an Ultimate Crazy January, but don't think that would be too great.  One of the things I am hoping for with my Crazy January is to also FINISH those projects I start.  With 15 I can, with 31 it is not as likely, unless they are all I work on, which isn't going to happen, let's add another comma, and keep this horrid run-on-sentence going, what do you think?

Anyway.  There is stitching going on.  There is planning going on.  I am getting super excited about my 2013 stitching.  All is good.

It is also IHSW.  I hope to get some hermiting done this weekend, not to mention stitching.  :)

Happy Stitching!

Exchange

First, I was asked if I had been to so many places through holidays or work.... my answer is, I was able to live in Belgium last year because my husband was transferred there for work.  Since I knew I would only be in Europe for about a year (it was about 15 months) I took the opportunity to travel as much as I could.  I still didn't see nearly all the wonderful things I wanted to. So the answer is both work and holidays!

I didn't get any stitching in on Thriller last night, we got home way way too late.  But, the mailman did have a wonderful package for me.  I was in a stitcher's choice ornament exchange.  This is what my partner sent to me:

Isn't that a great package.  The threads are for the chart she sent.  I love it.

And there is a close up of the ornament. It is sweet.

I mailed out my exchange today.  Sadly, I forgot to take a photo!  Hopefully my exchange partner will do so.

Hopefully I will have some stitching time tonight.

Happy Stitching all.

I little more border

Thanks for the comments on my photo.  Yes, the ones I have at the top almost always my own photos.  The one up now is the Munich Christmas Market last year.  I am glad people seem to enjoy them. :)

I did a little bit more work on Thriller last night.  Not as much as I would have liked as my evening was full of stuff... this evening will be full too.  Silly life getting in the way of stitching!

Not too sure if you can tell that second border is done in a red thread.  The light is not great at this time of year here.  :P

I hope every one is enjoying (or did enjoy) their 12-12-12.

Happy Stitching.

a post with a photo!

Shocking I am sure.  :)

First, I am glad to hear that some others are at least thinking (and some planning) on doing the Crazy January 15 thing.  It is much nicer to be crazy in a group than just crazy all by ones self.  :)  Also glad others are joining in WIPocalypse 2013.  I love the set up for it, so laid back yet still so great to show off what was done each lunar month.

In my previous posts I had mentioned a piece I am working on that I have yet to show here, Thriller.  It looks super exciting right now.

Look.... it's the beginning of a border!  Oooooh!   Ahhhh!

I actually stitched the top border twice.... I used the wrong colour.  There are only two colours in this piece. Kinda really sad that.  Hopefully the rest goes well.

Somehow I am enjoying this border more than Miss Mary's, yet they are both just black borders.  No clue why.  I had originally thought of doing the whole border before moving onto the centre.  Now.... hmmm... Maybe not.  There are such fun bits to stitch and I want to get to them!  Guess we will have to wait and see what I decide on.  Though, I am leaning toward the get to the middle quick.

Happy Stitching all.

Not stitching but Planning instead

As the title says, no stitching.  Just none.  All weekend and not a single stitch.  How pathetic.  So, instead of stitching I decided to finish up my 2013 planning. That is kinda like stitching.  After all I got to play in my stash.  :)

Oh, goals, goals, goals, I got goals.

First:

I will be doing the Crazy January 15 thing.  I don't know of anyone else doing it this year but have loved seeing others do it in previous years.  I will start a new piece each day for the first 15 days of January.  The plan is to get all 15 finished (at least the stitching finished) in 2013 as well.  I won't tell you what is on the list to keep it a surprise for each day in the new year.  (That and it gives me a great chance to change my mind if I want to!)

Second:

As mentioned I have joined the Scarlet Letter Year.  I will start this SAL off with stitching Black Gryphon.  When it is done I will move on to one of my other Scarlet Letter pieces.  I plan on working a bit every month on one of these projects and posting about them as I go or at least posting by the 15th of each month for the SAL check-in.

Third:

I will start one of my big cities.  I think I will start with St. Petersburg as I have had that one the longest.  If I actually finish it  in 2013 (hahahahaha) I will move onto another.

Fourth:

My WIPs.  Thanks to the WIPocalypse this past year this is a much shorter list, even after starting two new projects in the past week.
1. Blackbird Stockings
2. Miss Mary Mack
3. Tiny Months
4. Let is Snow SAL
5. Thriller

No clue when I will work on them but I hope to see progress on each of them.

Any other WIPs I have either need to be restarted (Persian Iris Garden) or are needlepoint (Nova) and I just don't have a good set up for needlepoint now so those are on hold.

Fifth:

There is going to be another WIPocalypse for 2013.  The rules are kinda the same, post on the full moon.  There will be no prize draw at the end. (not that I ever remembered that for this years) And there will be monthly themes you can stitch with, if you so choose. (I most likely won't, but you never know)

There.  That should keep me well in hand in 2013.  I will update the pages at the top by the 1st, I hope.

I hope you all are either stitching lots, or doing some good planning, or just enjoying life.  :)

Stitcher's ADHD

I just can't settle down to work on anything right now.  I have started two things (both small) and just don't want to have anything to do with them.  I don't know if this is because I am getting plans ready for 2013 or if it is the season, or if I am just bored.

I am going to try to begin yet another new thing.... perhaps that will help me settle.  Meh.


That said, I have finished decorating for the holidays.  Also, I am nearly done with all my gift buying.

Now to try to sit and stitch for more than 10 minutes before getting bored and looking at new, different, other stuff.  heh

Busy times

I've been super busy lately.  Almost too busy to even stitch!  Crazyness.

I did get another stocking finished up last night.

Sweet Pea.

Some of these will look so much better once they are turned into stockings.  This, I think, is one of those.

Still making plans for my 2013 stitching.

Almost have all the x-mas decorations up.  Outside is done, still working on inside.

Took The Kid in to the ortho on Monday.  He now has a full set of braces.  He is not loving it.  At least today he says his mouth no longer hurts a ton.
On Saturday I went out to see the musical Scrooge.  It was pretty good.  One of my husbands co-workers is in it, and he plays Scrooge.  It was a good night.  Even The Kid enjoyed it and that says a lot for a 14 year old boy to like a musical.  heh

Hope all of you are enjoying the season.  Be it Christmas or Chanikah or winter, or summer.

Happy Stitching!

indecision

I hope to see lots of others in the Scarlet Letter Year.  So looking forward to this.

I ended up putting Miss Mary Mack away.  Something about the dark thread, and the dull border was just getting to me.  I have the pre-holiday blahs so I need colour, I guess.  So, I picked up the blackbird stockings again.  I started April.  Here is the first one.

April Showers.  I am pulling my own colours for these and went with a super bright blue.  I like it, but perhaps I should have upped the brightness on the flowers too.  Ah well, it's pretty.  I'll hope to finish the other two April stockings this weekend.  There is lots to do this weekend though.  Today The Kid has to take a big test.  This weekend we are hoping to get all the christmas decorations up.  We also have a musical to go to.  Hopefully on Monday I will have a few more stockings to show.  Then when they are all stitched up... all of them... I will have a very long finishing day.  ha!

Such a joiner

I've been trying to keep myself from it but I can't do it anymore.  I am a joiner.  :)  I've gone back and looked so many times and today... I fell.  All the pretties, all the lovely things.  I couldn't just sit by the wayside and be a spectator I wanted to join in all the fun!

What am I talking about you wonder?  Just this, Nicola's Scarlet Letter Year.  You might have seen it around on other blogs.  After watching her lovely stitching on Ann Medd this year I can see why should would have a scarlet letter year.  :)  I have no clue, yet, what I will be stitching.  I do have lots of options though....

A Parrot, A Leopard, A Lion


And All Was for an Appil


Black Gryphon


Coraggio


Ann Grimshaw


Jane Rees


Sarah Tatum


Which one shall I pick.... or which one will I pick first!

I am so bad.  What will this do to my original 2013 stitching plan!  Oh, who cares as long as I am enjoying my stitching.  :)

WIPocalypse November

I can't believe that another WIPocalypse is here.  This year is just flying by!  Only one more after this one.  Wow.

So, how have I done on my stitching since last month?  hmmmm

Let's start with Skeleton Crew.

Where I was last at last months post.

And here is the finish.  The sails are done with glow in the dark thread.  Makes it look pretty nifty with the lights out.

Here is where I was on Catherine Agnes last month when I pulled her back out to stitch on.  She had been in US storage.

And now.... yes, another finish.  :)  I loved this piece.  There was so much to learn.

I also had a few new starts.

One was a SAL for the Sticklounge group.

Let it Snow (only two parts so far)  Poor picture is only showing part 2.

And my newest start.
Miss Mary Mack.

I also spent  a few days working on crocheting a blanket.  It's back on hold as I can't do such work for very long before I start hurting.

I hope all of you have had a great month of stitching.

wimp

First, thanks for the hints about photos.  As it is working again I don't need to mess with it, but I will keep the suggestions in mind.

Second, I had to put the granny stripe blanket away.  I can only work on it for so long before my wrist goes all ouch and wonky.  So, away it goes, again.  I really would have liked to finish it up, but I also like having a working wrist.

Third, I moved onto a new piece.

Super exciting ain't it.  :P  Can you guess the chart?  snerk.  Maybe tomorrow when I have a bit more stitched.

Also, I went to the doc today.  I am such a wimp.  I had to have two shots and one of them really hurts!  whine, whimper.

I hope you all are enjoying your stitching.  :)

SALs and hooking

First thank you for saying I wasn't a bad hermiter.  I will be posting photos of the exchange after it is sent and received.

For now I have finished part 2 on Let it Snow.  I am really liking this colour and think I will need to do a red sampler in it.  hmmmm.  ponder.

Then I pulled out an old WIP.  Here is a hint.

Yes, the granny stripe blanket is back to being worked on.  I wanted something lazy to work on, and didn't really feel like starting a new cross stitch project.  I am still trying to rid of those WIPs.  :)  We will see if this gets finished, or put away again.  Right now, I am loving it.

Stupid blogger was saying I was out of space for photos.  Since that just cannot happen I had to DO SOMETHING to fix it.  Since there are now photos in this post the SOMETHING worked.  I mean, how could I have a cross stitch blog with no photos, impossible I say.

To the Americans... I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!  I am going to take it easy and enjoy family and friends.  Most likely I won't be back until Monday.

Take Care and Happy Stitching All!

bad hermiter

First, thank you for all the lovely comments on my finish.

Second, this will be a very short post.  I was a terrible hermiter, and the only thing I finished was for an exchange so I can't show you it!  Hopefully I'll get some time to do something this week, but those holidays can keep a person busy!

Happy Stitching!

TaDa!!!!

And a finish!

Please, don't look too closely.  There are more mistakes in this thing than in any piece I have ever done!  That said, I am still really proud to have finished it.  I have not done all that many fancy stitches, nor cut work of any kind.  So, in that way this piece really is amazing.  Next time though.... when I have tons of fancy stitches I have never done..... I won't be doing it on black no matter how great it looks.  whew.  I don't mind just cross stitching on black, but some of those stitches were really hard on the dark fabric.

Next up, an exchange piece, so that won't be getting show til it is received.  Also, more Let it Snow.  Part 2 came out a bit ago.  After that.... who knows!  I have been getting things ready for my 2013 stitching.  Oh my, the plans and such I have.... I even worry myself with them!

one more side

and the corners to do.  So close to a finish!

You all are correct about how the colours pop on the black... that is what drew me to this piece on black.  I just loved how vibrant it looks.

I'm going to be out of the house most of today, so don't know if I will get any stitching in or not.  Really itching to get this one done though.  :)

ABC

Thanks for all the great comments on the last post.  :)  I do enjoy them.

I finished up the ABCs on this piece.  Now I just have the corners and a touch over the letters to do.  Then this one will be finished.  I have hopes of finishing this during the week.  But with at least two doctors appts. I am not sure that will happen.  :P

This weekend is IHSW.  If I am done with this piece I don't even know what I will work on!

Well...

That week went by fast!  I swear it is only Tuesday!  Friday sure snuck up on me.

I haven't even done all that much stitching.

Here is Catherine Agnes now.

 I have finished up all the spots and have moved onto the borders.  There are so many mistakes in this piece. Oh my.  heh.  Still it has been a great learning piece for me.

Details and Things

First the details.   Catherine Agnes is a chart by Indigo Rose.  I picked it up several years ago on-line.  It cost something like $15 which is great for the book you get.  It takes you step by step through the entire thing, with diagrams for all the special stitches.  So far it is really great.  It uses Caron Waterlillies for the threads.  I "think" it used to be a teaching piece, but might have that mistaken.  It is charted to be done on a sand coloured linen.  It never grabbed me that one, but I saw it done on black and fell in love.

Now the things.  I spent my weekend playing Minecraft, dancing, drinking beer, and going to a rock band party.  Way too many things that left no time for stitching.  The only thing I have done on Catherine is to cut the threads for the corner spot.  I hope to make a bit more progress today, but this day is already sliding quickly by me.

Hope a good weekend was had by all and that much stitching was going on.

Spots and more spots

Slowly moving my through more spots on Catherine Agnes.  This is a learning piece for me so I am sorta OK with leaving the mistakes in, as long as they are small-ish.

Here is where CA is right now.  I have gotten a bit farther.  I stopped late last night before cutting more threads.... no way I am going to do cutting while tired.  NOPE.

Here is a close up of the spiderweb spot.I had never done this stitch before.  It took me a bit to get it, but then... wow, I kinda like it.

Not sure how much stitching time I will have this weekend as I have lots and lots to do, but I hope to at least finish the spot I have started.  That means more cutting.  Eek!

Finish, new starts, and old ones too

Thanks for all the great comments on my WIPocalypse post.  I do so love reading them.  Makes it seem as if I am not just talking to an empty room.  :P

First thing up.  I have finished Skeleton Crew.  Oh yes!  And I did it before Halloween, even better.

It was a fun pretty easy stitch.  The glow in the dark thread wasn't all that hard to work with and I think makes for a neat look.  I tried to get a photo of the piece in the dark, but my night photo skills are really terrible.  It doesn't help that I have no tripod or a place to set the camera.  I had to hold it during a long exposure.... which leads to lots and lots of blur!

Still I think this terrible photo does give you an idea of how the threads look in the dark.  They are really quite bright!  I would use these threads again if I wanted things to glow.  :)

Once I finished that up I decided it was about time to start a new Sticklounge piece.  So, I did!  I even finished up the first part they sent out for this chart.  I haven't yet put the beads on.  I will do that when I am all finished with the piece.  I don't think I picked a piece of fabric big enough for the entire thing, so will play with how to make it smaller as I get the pieces of chart sent to me.

Since I finished that up as well I figured I needed something else to work on.  Since I am back in the states I have all the in storage stash I left here.  I pulled out a piece I started awhile ago.  Catherine Agnes.  So full of specialty stitches... so pretty.... so hard.  This is where it was when I packed it away.

I don't know if I will work on this until it is finished or just work on it until I want to pull my hair out.

Sigh, I really need to get my camera taken in for some work.  It just won't focus well most of the time anymore.

Happy Halloween!