Unfortunately I managed to miss out on the last WIPocalypse and IHSW of 2013 - I was too busy getting sorted for Christmas, but I did take photos of my WIPs even if I didn't manage to blog them at the time.
So I'll start by going through the goals that I set myself this time last year.
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose - page 3 was finished on 17 April and page 4 on 29 September 2013. This piece has since been on hold whilst I worked on other things, but I plan to get back to it in 2014.
Turkish Challenge - we were given an extension on this piece, so it was finished on 11 April 2013.
5th birthday present - this was "Enchanted Garden", finished and framed by 8 June 2013, a week ahead of schedule.
Guardian Angels - this is still work in progress, with one angel complete bar beading and the second started - again to be worked on in 2014.
Bouquet pieces - this series of 6 smalls was completed on 11 October 2013 and made up into cards to sell for Marie Curie.
Train of Dreams - this is still work in progress - again to be worked on in 2014.
That's the update on 2013 goals. I will set my 2014 goals in my next post.
Next comes WIP updates etc.
First, a couple of finish finishes - my niece's Christmas ornaments finished on Christmas Day itself. Unfortunately for some reason I can't get them to fit side by side, which is most annoying.
This is the before Christmas shot of April.
Followed by the post Christmas shot of April. This piece is coming on nicely with only a small amount left to do on this bottom section before I can finish the back stitching, do the French knots for the birds' eyes and move on to the first angel.
Finally the before Christmas shot of Train of Dreams - one more block completed in this session.
Followed by the post Christmas shot in which there are a further two blocks completed.
On the health front, I weighed in before Christmas at 11 stone 8.5lb, a total loss of 1 stone exactly. There has been no weigh-in this week because it was Boxing Day, so I have a little extra time to try and get straight after Christmas.
Back to work tomorrow and the New Year will begin in a couple of days. So here's hoping that you all had a lovely Christmas, and wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year in 2014.
This is becoming a bit of a habit, combining my WIPocalypse and IHSW reports - obviously the full moon likes to hermit and stitch too. However I wouldn't say that it has been a particularly productive weekend. I do have some stitching to show you, but not a lot.
This is my new start - "Mouse & Robin" by Margaret Sherry - a cover kit from World of Cross Stitching. I realised that I needed something small to take to Patchwork Group this week. I couldn't take April as that is for one of the other members, and everything else is either too big or takes up too much space. I'm not enjoying this - I have remembered why I don't like cover kits - the fabric is too small and the threads are poor quality. However I'm sure that I will be able to find a home for it once it is finished.
Speaking of April, it is coming on quite nicely. The only problem is that the linen is dragging down to the right hand side. I have tried taking it off the frame and putting it back on, but it hasn't made any difference. I am hoping that this is an issue which will be rectified once the piece is finished, washed and pressed.
Finally, Train of Dreams. Not a lot of progress this week - one block and three rows of the next block - but that is better than nothing.
It's been one of those blurgh weeks where getting out of bed and dragging myself to work has been an achievement. Actually doing anything non-essential has more or less gone by the wayside - which is why no progress on the Angels.
On the weight front, I put on another 1lb this last week. People keep leaving munchies on the desk behind me - if they were at the other end of the room, they would be so much easier to resist!
The weather man is now proffering sub-zero temperatures and possible snow in the near future, so I may have to succumb and put my central heating on soon.
I'm sorry that this has been a bit of a whinge this week. What can I write that is positive - I made a casserole in my slow cooker this week and I unexpectedly had tea at my sister's tonight with hugs and kisses from my nieces.
Right, time to put the kettle on for my hot water bottle. All the best to you and yours, and may the frog steer well clear of your stitching.
Once again the WIPocalypse and IHSW fall at the same time. This is good because it saves me from having to think up an enticing title for this post.
I'm really pleased with myself over this piece. This will be a Christmas ornament for my eldest niece and is actually a start and a finish! I started it on 14 October and finished it on 19 October, which is really good going for me. He comes from Issue 130 of Cross Stitch Crazy. Eldest niece actually learns recorder and keyboards, but the closest I could get was a flute playing snowman, who actually looked like he was chewing a stick, so I went for cheerful, happy cymbal snowman. Littlest niece would like to sing in the school choir so my next piece will be snowman with song book.
Train of Dreams is coming along nicely. The green book is very nearly finished - just a few stitches remaining in the next block or two. I'm looking forward to seeing the moon ornament develop as I move down the page.
Nothing to show on Serena this week because on Saturday Mum and I went to a local patchwork exhibition. The patchwork group holding the exhibition includes some of the members of the group that I belong to, so several of the pieces on show were old friends. There were some stunning quilts, including a fabulous Chinese dragon, and as usual other pieces that just didn't inspire at all, but everyone has different tastes. We had a very nice time, meeting several people we knew, but Mum was feeling a bit under the weather so went for a nap when we got home.
However I did promise you stash pictures. I tried to get it all into one photo, but failed miserably. Anyway this is the insanity part of my stash purchase - two Teresa Wentzler charts. I took everything to Patchwork Group the other week and as soon as I showed Peacock Tapestry, one of the other members said that she knew someone who had done it! I would dearly love to have a look at their finished piece for guidance, but unfortunately they are not very well at the moment.
Next comes the cute part of my stash bonanza. Two charts by Valerie Pfeiffer of Heritage Crafts. I do think that the Christmas Chick is by far the nicest of her Chickadee series - there is something about the way the eyes are done on the others that doesn't appeal. And the Chorus Line is just so sweet - I don't normally do cute, but I just couldn't resist.
Last but not least a Joan Elliott Design Works kit and a Just Nan chart with charm. These come in the more challenging but not insane category, between Peacock Tapestry and Christmas Chick. Speaking of Just Nan, I sent her a query about beading Mum's angels, and she replied that she normally beads as she goes along, but that she stitches her angels singly rather than in a row.
So that's stitching and stash - what else can I tell you? Well I lost another 1lb last week so I'm down to 11 stone 11.5lb, so another 3lb to go before I've lost a stone. I know that it's slow but I also know that it works and I will get there eventually, so I'm not too worried. It's school half-term here so work is quite quiet - I'll have two days on my own this week so will hopefully get some backlog cleared.
Now I really must go and put my tea on, so all the best to you and yours and may the frog steer well clear of your stitching.
I know, I'm late again, but I do have a good excuse. I meant to post last night, but I had to go and help my Mum take down her patchwork exhibition and when I got home, the lock on my front door had jammed! By the time that I had fought with it, gone and got my Dad, he'd successfully fought with it, and then I'd taken Dad home again, I was completely stressed out and too knackered to post. So here we are tonight.
I have a finish to show. Bouquet 5 is done and dusted. As always, the backstitch makes it shine. I must admit that the tulip type things make me think a bit of Martians. Just one more of these pieces to go before I can make them up into cards for Marie Curie.
I also have two more blocks of progress to show on Train of Dreams. Another three and a bit blocks to the bottom of the piece. As always, seeing a photograph of the piece gives you a better impression of the actual picture.
And I'm steaming ahead with Carnation. I managed another four full and one partial blocks this week so row 9 is finished and I'm into row 10. If I can just get some consolidated time into this, I might have a page finish for my next post.
At that point, Carnation is coming off the stand and the Guardian Angels are going on for a long stint. I happened to mention to Mum yesterday that I was working on Train of Dreams and there was just something in her voice when she replied which made me feel really guilty about not working on her Angels.
In other news, I lost 1.5lb last week which brings me down to 11 stone 12lb - another 1.5lb off will mean 1 stone in total. We had a few more computer problems at work last week, which was very annoying. And I even did some cooking - I made a sweet potato curry with chickpeas and spinach, which was nice if a bit bland. If I make it again, it will be with pre-peeled and chopped sweet potato (you need 2lb for the recipe) and I will spice it up a bit.
Right, time to go and put my tea on, so big Zen hugs to you and yours and may the frog steer well clear of your stitching!
Better late than never! I meant to post last night but as you all know, sometimes things don't go according to plan. However I have used the extra time wisely and have a mini happy dance to show off.
First of all, I have a new start to show you. This is Bouquet 5. When finished, it will be three pots of tulip-like flowers in a basket. What you see here is two of the pots and the rim of the basket.
Now for my mini happy dance - this is Train of Dreams and on the left you can see the complete depth of this piece. Courtesy of a little extra input this morning, column 1 is finished. Using the parking method has made a big difference with this piece. At the end of a session I feel that I have actually made some progress, which I didn't before when I was just dotting around.
Carnation is coming along at its usual pace. I'm looking forward to getting page 4 finished and then scrolling up to start the next row of pages.
No progress on the Angels this week. Part of the problem is having to take Carnation off the stand (which involves fiddling with the adapter) and putting Angels on. If I had more space in my lounge and more money, then I'd buy a second stand and adapter to put Angels on. When I win the Lottery :-)
On another happy note, I lost another 1lb this week which brings me down to 12 stone exactly. This is my first interim target and I intended to treat myself to a new chart from Scarlet Quince (where I got Carnation). Then I thought about it - I'm only just over a quarter of the way through Carnation so I really don't need another big and complex piece to be sitting there saying "Stitch me, stitch me". So instead I treated myself to a new pair of dancing shoes - 5 inch black stilettos, although to be sure the soles are about an inch deep, so let's say 4 inch black stilettos!
What else? Well, being on leave this week, I took my nieces out for the day on Thursday. We went to a local country park where they played on the big play park and we went for a walk in the woods. Then we went for lunch at their favourite garden centre, where there is a fish tank in the cafe. After lunch we came home, but a sudden downpour stopped us from going to the park by the library. So we had stories and they played monsters in my bed.
Back to work tomorrow and I need to collect in the rest of my Race for Life money. However I do feel much better for having had a week off doing nothing. So may the sun shine on you, your families and your stitching, and may the frog steer well clear.
And it's too damn hot! The temperature gauge in my toolbar says 30 degrees at gone 7.30pm, so I won't be getting much sleep tonight! I can only hope that the air conditioning is working properly for Kate - not the best of days to be having a baby!
I think that this is the second time this year that WIPocalypse and IHSW have come together, so here goes with the update.
Starting with a finish, here is Bouquet 3, which as with the previous two, looks so much better with the backstitch done.
Having finished the third piece, I moved onto No. 4 in the Bouquet series. This will be a blue teapot with flowers coming out of the top when it is done.
Next up is Serena, my first Guardian Angel. Her skirt is now finished apart from the central panel, which is backstitch and beading, and will have to wait til last. The next section will be her collar and her head, with the wings coming in after that. I am enjoying this, but it certainly requires more concentration than some of the other pieces.
And finally Carnation - I am now onto row 4 and enjoying every minute of it. I'm thinking that if I really put some effort into this, I could get page 4 finished for my birthday at the end of September. What do you reckon?
In other news, I lost another lb this week, bringing me down to 12 stone 5lb, so a total weight loss of 3.5 lb. The hot weather doesn't really help because I don't really feel like eating, let alone cooking.
Mum has been back to her consultant about her heart. He is not very concerned, but she is having a couple of tests done to check things out before they discuss whether or not she is going to have a procedure done. She is very much "I told you so" about it, so I'm keeping schtum about it.
Other than that, things seem to be fairly positive (if you like sport - I'm not that keen) and fingers crossed for a happy healthy royal baby and a happy healthy Kate. And for the rest of you, may your needles stay sharp and your thread never tangle, and your stitching keep you smiling!
Well, there was obviously some confusion last week over IHSW, but never mind - it just gave me two opportunities to sit and stitch. There was also a full moon again this week and therefore it is WIPocalypse time.
Progress on Bouquet 3 has been slow and steady. I'm at that stage again where I'm really not taken with the colours, but I know that when it is finished and the back stitch done, it will be much improved.
This week I managed to do three blocks on Carnation with some good overlap into the blocks below. I have one full block and one partial block left to finish row 1, which should be possible this week as I am only out one night. I haven't set myself any deadlines for finishing this page - it is just so nice to be able to work on it again.
Finally I promised you some stash. Courtesy of Ebay, I am delighted to present Heritage Crafts' "Topiary Rose" by Valerie Pfeiffer (thankfully on evenweave) and Lavender & Lace's "Celtic Christmas". Both are beautiful pieces and I look forward to finding the time to stitch them.
In other news, I lost 0.5lb last week, which means that I have now lost 1lb since I started. I've also spent a couple of days out and about in the country doing genealogy research, so I feel that I can report progress on all fronts.
The weather seems to be a complete toss-up between gorgeous and diabolical, so I'll wish you sunshine for stitching and a gentle rain for your gardens.
I'll start where I finished last time - I went to the opticians on Monday afternoon to have my eyes checked as I had been experiencing some worrying phenomena. However things had improved by that point in that I wasn't seeing flashes anymore. Anyway the optician did a thorough check and I am very relieved! There are no holes or tears in either retina and my general vision is the same as it was last July when I had new glasses. I do however have a lot of floaters in both eyes, and at the moment the ones in my right eye are making themselves known. The optician said that either I will get used to them or they will settle down. In the meantime, if I experience flashes again, I need to go straight back. So all's well that ends well.
On the stitching front, there has been some progress on Enchanted Garden, but not a finish because I was out every night Monday to Thursday this week with one event or another.
However the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight. All that remains is to finish stitching Fairy 4 (wings already started), the leaf she is kneeling on, some more ground surface and then the last of the back stitching. It is half-term this week so I will be home every night except perhaps Thursday. The plan is to have this piece finished and at the framers on Saturday.
The weather has improved - it was so sunny and warm today that I went out without a coat and ended up carrying my cardigan. Here's hoping that you are getting some sunshine too.
Just a few days late, but I have a good excuse for not posting on the night - I was out with my team from work enjoying our Christmas do. I know that sounds daft, but trying to find a date which suits the majority of 21 people split between two different cities took the organiser several months. Anyway we went out for a very nice curry at a very good price, and a good time was finally had by all.
Well, I don't have a lot of stitching to show you, because as you know, I am concentrating on getting Enchanted Garden done.
Blogger appears to be having problems uploading photos, so I'll just do the writing now and add the pictures later, hopefully tomorrow.
Enchanted Garden - well, Fairy 3 has wings and arms and is properly dressed. She still needs legs, but there are only so many hours in a day. I have now stitched from one side of the piece to the other. Once I've done Fairy 3's legs and the toadstool that she is sitting on, I shall scroll up and finish off all the clover leaves and flowers at the top of the piece, and back stitch my way down as far as I can. I shall then scroll down and do all the stitching at the bottom (including Fairy 4) before back stitching my way back up to the middle. I have about 5 weeks left for this, leaving me a couple of weeks to get it framed. Fingers crossed, folks!
Turkish Challenge - the stitching on this was finished earlier in the month, but on Wednesday this week I went round to Mum's to start putting together the final piece. It is not wonderful but we were limited as to what we could do to combine the stitching and the fabrics. What we ended up with was using two of the fabrics in a sort of braid effect to frame the stitching with a diamond and using the third fabric on the back. Mum did the braid effect on her machine and then I have slip stitched (sort of) the two braids to the linen with the stitching on. It will then need some wadding before being backed and bound. I'm quite pleased with the stitching (first time on linen) but the overall piece - does nothing for me!
On a brighter note, Mum and I went to the fabric place today. Mum was helping someone choose fabric for a baby quilt that Mum is to make for her. I didn't come away with much - a bit of aida, some needles, a couple of threads and a 4 1/2 inch square quilting ruler which will do the same job as the Blue Ribbon Designs Stitch Starter that I was thinking of buying - so that saves me ordering from the US.
Right, time is getting on and I'm yawning like mad, so photos tomorrow if all goes well and so good night!
Edited to add: Blogger is now finally letting me add pictures!
Evening all - I'm slightly behind the fair with this post because the full moon was only two days after my last post. Where to start?
I've carried on timing my stitching and this week's total comes in at 13 hours, 25 minutes, 53 seconds and 60 hundredths of a second, so more than last week but still less than the previous week. And the reason for this - Good Friday was spent having my haircut, doing some shopping, going for lunch with my Mum and reading the three new books that I had bought. Got to have some down time sometimes.
I've been wearing my wrist support and having a short break every half hour or so during long stitching stints, and trying to remember to take regular doses of anti-inflammatories, so things are OK at the moment.
Some good progress to show on Turkish Challenge, despite it getting the least amount of attention - 3 hours, 30 minutes plus over three sessions. I had almost hoped to get this piece finished for this post, but it wasn't to happen. It won't get finished this next week either because I am going to be somewhat busy - various things have decided to happen all over a few days.
Next up is Enchanted Garden - having received slightly more attention - 3 hours, 40 minutes plus over four sessions and a quick five minute tidy-up. That is the wings of Fairy 2 that you can see partially completed there.
Carnation hit the jackpot this week with 6 hours, 15 minutes plus over five sessions. Lots of confetti to deal with this week. There are now only four blocks to go on page 3, but as this next week is going to be busy, I am only planning on stitching two of them. However the finish line and a happy dance are in sight.
This afternoon my family had an Easter egg hunt at my parents' house followed by high tea. High tea was followed by a "performance" by my nieces (roping in my unfortunate Mum) of a piece entitled "The Pet Pandemonium" - which was about a pet shop - and involving a lot of puppets. We even had individual named tickets with a stub section, so their trips to the small theatre on the University campus are obviously paying off.
Anyway the night is drawing in and I have a list of jobs to do tomorrow, so please keep warm and keep stitching.
Another full moon, another WIPocalypse report. Where do the days go?
The weather here is still cold and miserable. At the weekend I only had to put my foot out of the door for a snow flurry to commence. Hibernating until the sun comes back still feels like a very good idea. However, miserable weather or not, the stitching must go on!
The deadline for Turkish Challenge has now moved back a month because our Turkish lady will be in Istanbul on the day of the meeting that we were supposed to submit these. However, I am going to stick to the original date because otherwise all of my other deadlines will get messed up. This is coming on reasonably well, although I do need good light and a functioning brain in order to work on it.
Moving on to Enchanted Garden, Joan Elliott is such a fantastic designer. Even without the backstitch, when I say that this is a rabbit, you can see that it is. I am enjoying this piece, even though it is going to take an awful lot of concentrated stitching to get it done in time.
The usual three blocks on Carnation - progressing steadily towards its deadline. The news on this piece is that I am investing in an Extra Long Frame Adaptor for my work stand. The frame that I am working on is a 27" x 12" frame, so by the time that I get on to page 4, I am going to be right out on a limb, so to speak. The adaptor will enable me to move the frame along so that I can work on the far side of this piece at a point which is both comfortable and stable. So buying stash, but useful stash that will be used immediately, and can be used with all my current and future BAPs.
Right, I'm starting to feel a bit chilled so I'm going to love you and leave you. Keep warm and keep stitching.
I find it hard to believe that it is WIPocalypse time already - where has January gone to? However, life has just about returned to normal and I'm starting to get back to a normal level of stitching. The only WIP that I have not made progress on this week is "Serena", one of Just Nan's Angels, which is part of a project that I am stitching for my Mum. I am not too fussed about this because the deadline is mid November.
First up, progress on Bouquet part 2. Although the wheelbarrow is not yet finished, I have stitched the first pot and there are some leaves coming in. The combination of colours on these pieces is very strange, but the back stitching does seem to make a big difference.
Next up is my Turkish Challenge piece. I'm still working on the leaves, but where that stalky bit is, there will be eventually be a flower.
According to my WIP photos, it has been three weeks since I worked on my HAED piece, Train of Dreams. We had a lovely sunny morning today and I got in a couple of hours on this between loads of laundry. I am pleased to report another finished block (top right) and progress in a couple more.
Finally, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. I am delighted to report that row 6 of page 3 is now complete. Most of this row was confetti heaven, but the first few blocks of row 7 look to be fairly straightforward, thank goodness.
I would have like to have got more done this weekend, although I spent Friday (my day off) working solely on Carnation. However, I was in desperate need of a haircut, then I had to reschedule my shopping session to accommodate Dad, and then today I took my nieces to the theatre. We saw "Why the Lion Danced?", a children's play for the Chinese New Year. All three of us enjoyed it very much, but it has meant less stitching time.
The challenge for the week ahead - finish the wheelbarrow, continue working on the leaves of Turkish Challenge, complete at least one block on Train, stitch my usual three blocks on Carnation, make some progress (no matter how small) on Serena, and sort out the fabric for Enchanted Garden. I have called it a challenge rather than a plan, because I may well end up with littlest niece for a sleepover on Friday night, so no guarantees.
May the Full Moon shine her blessings down on you and yours.
I'll begin by hoping that you all had a wonderful Christmas and that Santa brought you all that your heart desired. He kindly brought me a new printer as my old one had become defunct, a book that I really wanted and lots of pairs of cosy socks for my perennially cold feet.
This being the last WIPocalypse report for 2012, I have just updated my finishes page for the year - link here. They were fairly few in number and on the whole not for me, but the recipients liked them very much, so I will count 2012 as a success.
Stitching this week has been more or less completely overtaken by the festivities. I was away for two nights staying at my parents and I have also spent a fair amount of time looking after my nieces. I do have a couple of update photos to show however, so here goes.
As this has been my travelling piece, the watering can bouquet is now finished, apart from the backstitch - it does not look too bad now that the flowers are done, and will hopefully look better when the backstitch is complete. The next one is flowers in a wheelbarrow.
Carnation has suffered due to my visit to my parents. I have only managed to complete two blocks this week, but am not too worried as I am still on target having done an extra block back in mid November.
I have already signed up for the 2013 WIPocalypse, and currently my plans are as follows:
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose - finish page 3 on or by 25 May 2013 (second anniversary)
Turkish Challenge - start and finish by Easter - 31 March 2013
5th birthday present - start, finish and have framed by 17 June 2013
Guardian Angels - finish by 18 November 2013
Bouquet pieces - work on throughout year
Train of Dreams - work on throughout year
I also intend to continue participating in the International Hermit and Stitching Weekends.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year and may 2013 bring you more joy than 2012.
First, a couple of finish finishes - my niece's Christmas ornaments finished on Christmas Day itself. Unfortunately for some reason I can't get them to fit side by side, which is most annoying.
