Not June WIPocalypse ;)

I was going to update with a WIPocalypse for June, only to discover that I have not made any progress on my WIPocalypse pieces like I thought I did (oops!)   Which, of course means that time must be flying if I made that progress a couple of months ago and didn't even notice!  haha.

However, I did end up sewing a bunch (I didn't mean to, I swear!), so I do have some progress to report beyond Zenia.

The first is the Diamond Tile block that Bonnie Hunter designed and can be found in the May/June ’18 issue of Quiltmaker.

I have a small mandala like piece that I would like to finish for a dear family member, but I didn't want to frame it.   I saw that block and thought it would make an excellent finish for the piece!   Unfortunately (?)   The center block is only 3" square (the whole thing is 7" square), and my piece is just under 6" so I had to spend some time mathing.

And then I decided to use some fat quarters I had originally bought for my quilted sewing books.   I think I have more than enough of those, though, and don't mind using it up.   So I did the mock up, discovered that I suck at mathing triangles (I misapplied the math of the short legs of my isosceles triangles to the hypotenuse)... I also figured out that even though I was trying to keep the proportions the same, I preferred the strips along the border of the center square to be a bit skinnier.  But I finished it, huzzah!  (and now I have my math right... but I only wasted one fat quarter).   Most of the fabrics are Tula Pink, so they're a bit busy, but I kind of love it...

My goal is to get the cross stitch piece fully finished this weekend (since my dining table is already trashed out with my sewing stuff).    I'll show it off when it's done because I know the fam doesn't read (if they even know about!) my blog :)

I'm tempted to make a few more of these and use them for a mat on my wine-bar/rack.... 

One of the things I bought in Phoenix at Mulqueen's was a pre-cut kit.   Cutting is my very least favorite part of quilting (heck, I think it's the only thing I don't like), so while I said "hey, let's just sew one step,"  I ended up doing half the the blocks!  They're log-cabins, so they're super easy and fun to assembly line sew.

I really like the colors for a summer table runner.  It's designed to be a tiny quilt or a foot of the bed thing, but I'll just play with the blocks to get them in the right configuration for my table.   The extras (if there are any) can just become other mats.

So that's it for my non-WIPocalypse, but hey, crafting!   I'm super happy to get back to my machine.   My only regret was that I didn't listen to an audiobook while I did it (I kept telling myself, "just one more thing and then I'll take care of [whatever] chores" haha).

March 2018 WIPocalypse

Not a whole lotta WIPocalypse progress to report.    I was busy either not crafting, or just working on my two Brooke's Books Ornaments.

I did decide to pick up my Mill Hill Sugar Skull.  I've decided to do it a little different than the instructions strictly call for (other than stitching it on evenweave instead of the perforated paper).  I like the support that beads get when they're part of the stitching (vs being added later), so I'm finishing up the stitching with the final two floss colors that are not used for beads (light red and dark magenta) and I will start beading/stitching at the same time.

I'm just going to go down the list of colors and get it over with.   I am in both the "not wanting to wor on this piece" and in the "I want this piece over, so I want to work on it" mode, haha.

Here's where it was:

And here's where it is now:

I anticipate having it done by the next WIPocalypse (*yay*)

January (2.0) WIPocalypse check-in

I have a bit of WIPocalypse progress for this month, and one finish (yippee)

First is the finish:  Desert Sunrise!  I didn't take pictures of it before I handed it off to Annette to get it framed (my main goal for that piece), so I have a picture of it in framing progress instead.

This is where I started

And this is where it is!  All done! (top most piece, obviously)

The other is that I made progress on my state hearts.  I'm not done with it, so I still consider it "in progress," but here it is, too:

Question of the Month – What SAL’s are you participating in this year? and If you are participating in the Olympic Stitching Challenge, what challenge are you accepting? What are your goals?

If you click on the title of the SAL it will take you to any relevant blog/link

WIPocalypse (of course!) - This is my 5th year.
I keep a tab updated with my progress through the year, as well as what happened the previous years I've taken part.

Year of WIPS - hosted by the Soulful Stitching FB group, which coincides nicely with my desire to get some of these old WIPs cleared out.  The goal is to complete at least half of your WIPs, but since I didn't have 15, I started a bunch right before the deadline.   It's a facebook group, and the event runs from 1/18-12/18 (so not quite a year).
Also has a tab associated with it so I can keep it updated (unlike WIPocalypse, this one has pictures)

IHSW (International Hermit and Stitch Weekend):  another SAL I've joined in with in the past, but I've always been pretty spotty;  it's hosted by Joysze at Random Ramblings.  Essentially: stitchers spend the third weekend of the month "hermitting" and stitching.   I'm hoping the addition of a Facebook Group will help out with the reminders on this one.  I think it's a great idea to take a weekend a month to one's self.

TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitch A Long) - which, if I'm being completely honest with myself is probably my favorite SAL.   Basically, orts are saved up and we show them off through the year.  I take my orts at the end of the year and use them to stuff a commemorative biscornu, though I'm thinking of making something this year to use with the leftover orts I couldn't fit into the other things.  It also has a Facebook group.

January WIPocalypse Intro

Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year!

Hi, I'm Suz, I'm a lab animal science professional (that's right - my circus, my monkeys - all of it/them, though I prefer rats) located on the Mid-Atlantic Seaboard, but I'm originally from CA or TX (depending on how you look at it).  I've been stitching for more than 25 years, and took a multi year break when I moved here.  Now I just never have any time to do all the things I'd like to do.

Right now I'm mostly stitching/quilting, but I also have a house I work on quite a bit, a dog I adore, a pretty awesome partner, and a lot of political activism stuff going on.   My other big hobby (non-crafting) is board gaming, so you'll see a few board gaming review posts after I go to big conventions (Jan/Sept).  I haven't been gaming as much as I used to, because I moved to a new area with a lot less gamers (boohoo).  I also read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy.   I'm a pretty rounded geek ;)   I'm on Facebook rarely now, but I like to Instagram a fair amount (@suzemo)

My WIPocalypse line up and posts only take actual current (as of Jan 1) WIPs into consideration.  Nothing started during 2018 will count.   I'm going to mix things up this year by adding in some non-stitching works, and adding in some projects that involve already-completed works that I'd like to finish all together.

I'm actually proud that I didn't end 2017 with any new WIPs, though I did add some to the list that are projects/sewing.

As always, progress can generally be seen on the WIPs/UFOs tab.

Here they are, cross stitch listed from oldest to youngest with a bit of info about relevant (ie: I hope/want/plan to stitch on them) pieces with bold = high priority, italics = extremely low priority:

1. Fantasy Sampler - this is my oldest WIP, and I'd like to finish this off, actually.  I made a fair amount of progress in 2016, but when I got to the bottom I realize I hadn't finished off the border, so I switched to something more fun.  It should be fairly easy to finish off (as far as TW can be considered "easy").   I wanted to work on it in 2017, but Freshwater Pearls started screaming - and I do use the screaming rotation.
2. Enchanter - I have no plans to work on this one, honestly.  It's pretty much last on my "TW WIP" list.
3. Freshwater Pearls - this puppy got a whole lotta love in 2017, and I don't see why 2018 can't see her off.
4. Celestial Dragon - I've been feeling the itch to get back to this one, we'll see how it goes.  I doubt it will go at all, though.
5. Fortunate Traveler - again, not high on the list; but higher than poor Enchanter.
6. Chinese Dragon - we'll see how I feel about this one, it's on aida (eek)
7. BoInk - I'd really like to make progress on this, but again, we'll see.   I've not made a whole lot of progress in a while, and honestly, these blocks seem really slow for  me.
8. Deco Spirits - ? maybe?  I love this piece, and working on it is easy, but I have "slots" for my WIPs and as soon as I finish this one, a new Mira will take its spot.  Since I'm more (currently) driven to reduce WIPS, that kind of takes the allure away.
9. Epic RR - I think I've finally figured out what I would like to do for my band, I could conceivably knock this one out in a couple of weeks.
   This RR went completely sideways for me, and I had to change plans, which slowed me down so this is high on the list.
10. Desert Sunsets - this will be finished in January, come hell or high water;  I'll be seeing a friend I want to give the patterns to, and I'm seeing her in Mid-Jan.
    
11. Hearts Across America - this is an addition I made even though there's nothing truly WIP-py about it.   I have three hearts finished (California, Arizona, Texas) for three of the four states I've lived in.  I need to do North Carolina, and then I plan on finishing them into mini-wall hangings that hang off of each other.  If I move again, I can always add on another heart - I have all of the patterns to make them.  Anyway, I'd like to get this out of the mental "to do" list at the very minimum.
12. Blooming 9patch Quilt - this is a higher priority than Allietare; I want my Miller bag back.
13. Allietere Mystery Quilt (Bonnie Hunter from 2015) - only a priority in that I'd like to try another Quilt mystery and I'm not allowing myself to do that until this is done, BUT I did pick up a couple of quilt kits and I'd like to move them out of the way, too.

As always, the goal is to get down to less than 6 WIPs (cross stitching). I don't do as much sewing, so I'd like to keep it to one sewing project at a time, but we'll see how that works out (all contingent on me finishing up the active quilt-WIPs I've got)

I have a few non-WIPocalypse things planned for this year, but not many.  I still need to make a 2016 biscornu (have pattern!) for my 2016 orts, and of course now I need a 2017 one as well.   I should just get these knocked out and out of my way.

I have numerous other things already kitted, and I have a number of adopted projects if I manage to actually get down to my personally allotted 6 WIP slot plan.  I can always dream.   I've even updated my rotation plan in the sidebar, so it looks like I'm ready to go!  Of course, I need to reconcile my desire to get something done in a couple of weeks with the Darkening of Tristram event going on this month with Diablo3, my lack of self control can be amazing for that ;)

2017 WIPocalypse wrap up

So here's the yearly wrap up for the WIPocalypse, which isn't as much as I expected originally, but a new job, move, house projects, etc. will do that to you.  Which is to say, yes, it's less than I expected, but I'm certainly not upset about it.

I always use WIPocalypse for existing WIPS (as of  Jan 1) only, so that left this original list:

1. Epic RR
2. Fantasy Sampler
3. Deco Spirits  - TINY bit of progress!
4. Desert Sunsets - PROGRESS!
5. BoInk
6. Freshwater Pearls - PROGRESS!
7. Celestial Dragon
8. Stained Glass Zelda  - Progress.... of a sort?
9. Fortunate Traveler 
10. Enchanter 
11. Chinese Dragon 

My goal was to finish at least three of these, I was looking at Desert Sunsets, Freshwater Pearls, and Fantasy Sampler as my big three finishes, but I finished none ;) 

That's not to say I didn't get anything done, I did get a few things finished/done/framed, and they're in the "Finishes" tab, I just don't consider them part of my WIPocalypse SAL.

So here at least is the progress:

Deco Spirits - I started on the Air block.  that's it!  But it's something ;)

Desert Sunsets:

I started approximately here with one:

I finished it!

And I started and got a good bit done on the second (excuse the fuzzy photo, I'm too lazy to take another).

I'm absolutely confident that I will finish this one this year, mostly because I want to pass on the patterns to a friend.

Freshwater Pearls saw the most amount of progress this year, from this:

To this:

I might get this one out of the way this year, we'll see.   

And I decided to not continue with Stained Glass Zelda.  I did not get very far on the piece, and I'd like to keep the fabric for future use (hey, I use good fabric, no reason to waste it, and there's not enough done on the piece to bother adopting it out, imo).

So until next time, which should be in about a week! :)

November WIPocalypse

So here we are with the November WIPocalypse report  -  I've managed two months in a row, crazy!

This was where Freshwater Pearls was last month:

And this is where it is this month:

There's actually a little bit more than that done, but I didn't take an updated picture.   I just got one thread done in that blank spot towards the middle.  I'm trying to finish out that bit of beige so I can get to the crab and move on down to the final third of the piece.   I still have fantasies of getting it done this year, but we'll see how that goes.

And then this weekend, I started working on the last of the Desert Sunrises/Sunsets.   I count all three of my pieces as one big WIP, and I have this fantasy idea that I'll get this done quickly and sweet talk Annette into taking them with her on her final sojourn to Nick's

Most of the floss used in this piece is blended.  This is one of the two? three? symbols/colors that's not.  It's just plain ol' 352, but it actually spans the whole width of the piece, so hopefully I got that counted alright and I can use that as the base.   To the left of the center of the piece, it looks like it has little "knots" along the line.   When stitching it, I counted by fives and would do a full cross after 5 stitches.  I learned to do that with Teresa Wentzler pieces - counting out and doing a full cross each 10th when going across a border or long stretch like that.  Fives worked better for me in this piece, the way I was highlighting (it's an older hand drawn chart without the thicker 10 grid lines).  This piece does not have as much coverage, so I'm hoping to get it done in a quicker fashion than my last desert panorama.

Question of the month:

What finishing style have you never tried but would love to do?

And this is where I give a big ol' shrug.   I'm not sure, by in large because I just finish things if I like the way I've seen them finished or if I think of something interesting.   I have fairly decent sewing skills, so I don't mind finishing into stockings or bell pulls.   I enjoy 3D finishes such as biscornus or Just Nan's little mice.   I've done some of my own framing, though I would rather pay someone else because I'm not quite as skilled.   I'm thinking of doing some flatfolds in the future, though?

October 2017 WIPocalypse

I skipped last month's, oh wow, two months'! WIPocalypse because I felt like I didn't have much to report, but I do now!

I've pretty much cleared out my planned rotation except for my 2016 biscornu (which I'll get to, eventually) and Fantasy Sampler.   My current idea is to get one TW done/year, but Freshwater Pearls started screaming at me, so I went ahead and packed it up to take to my conference in mid-October.   I did a bit of stitching on the plane to Austin, and have been working on it in the evenings while Netflixing, so progress!  I also did finish one of the Desert Sunsets by Fireside Originals.  The one I have left is probably half the stitching of the one I just finished (it uses a lot of the exposed fabric for the sky, yay!). 

So here's where Freshwater Pearls was (literally untouched re: stitching since June 2007!)

And here's where it is

That beige/sand is KILLING ME.  So boring.  And annoying with the confetti of other beige in there.

And here's where Desert Sunset II was

And here it is completed!  (Link to the post with the finished photo, and a few extra)

August Question of the Month – How do you get yourself out of a stitching drought?

99% of the time, I'm not so much in a stitching drought as 'busy doing other things,' for example: gaming, gaming inserts, video gaming, working on the house, painting, quilting, doing anything else :)  So basically, I get myself out by getting bored or done with whatever I'm into at that given time.   I was playing a crap ton of Diablo III instead of stitching because of the new season, then I had had enough and went back to stitching :)

Now, if I'm feeling like trying to make myself stitch again, I look at pictures; or rather, when I'm reading through other blogs or FB groups and I see something I'm working on or want to work on, it might get me back in the mood, more than the other thing I'm doing :)

September Question of the Month – Which floss (or color of floss) do you absolutely adore and want to stash constantly?

Wine/Burgundy reds are my favorite.  I might have an overflowing drawer of 498, 816, and 817.  I didn't even have to think twice, I knew those colors.  I have a lot of silks I don't need in that color schema as well ;)

Fun fact:  the last four digits of my pager at work are 3042, which is, of course, a standard TW color.  I said something to the department admin about DMC floss color codes, turns out she's a stitcher and we had a good laugh about remembering extensions by DMC color in our head (/digression)

October Question of the Month – How did you begin stitching?

I've told this story in a prior post, but I'll share again!   I was spending Spring Break my sophomore year of high school with my aunt and uncle in a nearby town.  My family is fairly craft with a lot of crocheting, sewing, plastic canvas work, etc.    I needed a thick gold cord for the project I was working on and they were kind enough to take me to a (now out of business) cross stitch shop in the town next door.   When I walked in the door, I saw Teresa Wentzler's Castle Sampler on the table.  I literally bought everything I need right there and then.   Turns out, that was a hell of a first bite into cross-stitching, and I bought another kit (which had blended threads and quarter stitches, too! though not quite as much of it) and started my foray into stitching.  25+ years ago.  Wow.

I still have scraps of the original lugana I bought that I've been using over the years, and that was the one and only time I bobbined my floss, so if I run across a bobbin, I know it's from that project.  So much fun.

July WIPocalypse

My first WIPocalypse check in in months!  So long.

My last check in was in January and not a whole lot had happened at that point.
Since then life has been something like this:
January-February - three serious interviews
February - Job offers, one accepted ;)
March - started new job
April/May/June - new job, new place, new everything!   I didn't actually have access to most of my stitching stuff until the end of June.

As far as ACTUAL WIP progress, I did finish Bram Stoker's Dracula (more pictures and info can be found at the blog post)

My WIPocalypse count is down an additional one, because I've decided to give up on the Zelda stained glass over-one I was working on.  I was so excited to start it, but ultimately, it's not something that I think I'll get around to finishing.  Great idea, but really not me, so I ultimately chose to let it go.  It's on some nice 25 ct lugana, so I'll salvage it for another project.

RIP

I also finished Not Today, which won't count towards my "total" right now - I started it in 2017, and my WIPocalypse is only for previous languishing pieces for me.

 My goal is to finish a couple of small things -  my 2016 Biscornu, since my orts are just hanging out in a ziplock baggie, the last of the Victoria Sampler states (NC) so I can finish them into a wall hanging, and then get back to Fantasy Sampler (I think?  maybe?)  or at least something WIPocalypse-y and I'll reward myself with something else fun.

There's still so much going on with the new job and Winston and I have also been playing Diablo 3.   Since they brought Seasons to the console version, I've been having way too much fun with that.   Fall/Winter should be interesting.   Since I don't know so many people in the area (I still hang with friends in the Triangle), I have less social obligations, and I look forward to getting anti-socialed out by next Spring ;)   If I stay antisocial it'll help my stitching productivity :)

Questions I missed:

February 26 – What is your favorite stitch other than the standard cross stitch? 

Honestly?   French knots.  They're my super, super favorite and when I was a wee kiddo, my mom would let me do the french knots on her Charles Wysocki needlepoint canvases.  I've always loved them, so I'm fascinated by the fact that they cause so much consternation with so many stitchers!   They're literally the very first stitch I ever tried (before even a tent stitch).

March 26 – What stitchy blogs, groups, or flosstubes do you follow and why?

Well, this blog, I don't belong to any others, but I read them.
On Facebook, I belong to Stitch Maynia, Snarky Cross Stitching with Subversion, and various designer specific groups (Just Nan, Ink Circles, Teresa Wentzler, CloudsFactory, Chatelaine, Glendon Place), and of course, the WIPocalypse group.
I do not flosstube, nor do I watch flosstubers (I'm not "into" video).

April 30 – What projects are in your UFO pile?

None.   I consider all of my pieces very slow WIPs if anything. :D
If something is really never going to get done, I either toss it out, give it away, or salvage the fabric (like I will be with the Zelda piece).

May 28 – Which designer’s projects do you absolutely love, but are too intimidated to try?

To be honest, my first Cross Stitch was Teresa Wentzler and I've been pretty fearless since then.  I'll try anything interesting.

June 25 – Show us your stitching space! Where do you sit, and what is going on around you while you stitch (TV, audiobooks, etc)?

I usually hang out on the corner of the couch - we have a sectional - but no pictures because I'm still working on that space :)  I usually watch my partner play videogames, watch Netflix or listen to an audiobook.  I sometimes stitch in hotel rooms, too (but if I have my laptop I play older games like StarCraft more likely than not), and I'll stitch at friends' places when I am visiting if we're watching TV or otherwise mindlessly occupied.

July 30 – What are your oldest and your newest WIPs?

Oldest would be Fantasy Sampler, I started it in November of 1999.  It's almost old enough to vote.  I'm hoping to finish before it can legally buy alcohol in the entire US.
Newest would be the MillHill Sugar Skull kit that I started about a month ago :)

January WIPocalypse (a bit late)

I am getting to this a bit late for reasons.
I'm also backdating it (I'm actually writing it on Feb 14th), because I can (muaahaha).

January was an incredibly busy month.  Not to get overly political, but the US political game became an utter (bigger?) shit show and I've gotten far more involved than I have been in the past (apparently this is how the GOP is going to go about making radicals - good on you, GOP!).   

I live in NC, which is one of those states where things are at an interesting (if that's even a good word for it) tipping point, and I feel it is my duty as a citizen to do what I can.   

That said, there's been a lot of activism and a lot of craftivism that's cut into my stitching time.

ALSO, I swear to the sweet baby octopus that I took pictures of my WIPocalypse progress, but guess what!  I can't find them anywhere on my device.  I'm simultaneously bent out of shape about it and too lazy to actually do anything about it, so I'll just have to use my words!

Let's roll:

---

I went on a trip to Vegas over MLK weekend to visit and stitch with friends.  What's really cool is that I stitched on three other people's pieces!<3 div="">

I worked a little on Dracula, and I swear the fabric is more blue, less tomato

I worked on Deco Spirits for a bit - I started the water block, but I can't find a picture :(

And I started on a Glendon Place Dessert - Fruit Cocktail, that I purchased at Stitcher's Paradise.  My first 2017 start!

At Stitcher's Paradise, I also purchased a Victoria's Sampler State kit - California and a couple of other things I cannot remember off of the top of my head (dangit).   I also got the threads and beads for Letters for Nora - A (plans!).  I didn't really purchase much.

At the quilt store we visit every year (Quiltique), I got a pattern for a friend (she had posted it on FB and others had also posted it on her wall - haha), and I got a few fat quarters.  I got three to make another needleminder book (with Tula Pink fabric), and I purchased three fat quarters that I will use to make the wall hanging with the VS states that I want to get finished.

And after that there was the Women's March in Washington (yes, I went, it was awesome).   I got in on the PussyHat making and made around 30 hats (so many hats!).   Between the long flight to and from Vegas and a huge delay that had me at the airport for nearly 8 hours, I knocked tons out!

Seriously, here's my "Carry-on":

This was one of the boxes I mailed off to the PussyHatProject (I also gave out hats locally and I think we must have given away another 20 hats at the march itself, because I kept finding them everywhere, like I couldn't even keep track of what I had made, and my friend Michelle also made a stack of polar fleece kitty hats):

My one march shot I want to share, because it was so awesome!   A quilted! sign:

I didn't get much other stitching done, now I'm working on rainbow and brain hats (wheeeeeee).  I have slacked off a bit, but I should pick them back up.  I think my first WIPocalypse finish will be Dracula (I forgot to list it on my WIPocalypse, but it definitely qualified).

And in the middle of all of that I've been job hunting, so I've been out with that quite a bit.  Yay me.

Question of the Month – What Stitch-a-Longs (SALs) are you participating in this year?

I have been horribly remiss about reading my stitching blogs, so I'm not sure what I'm missing out on, to be honest.   I know I'll be taking part in WIPocalypse, TUSAL, and TW October for sure.   When i get back to reading regularly, if I see any that look good, I'll join in (I'm also hoping for another SoloSeptember).

I haven't made my new ort jar for this year, but I am keeping them in a glass separate from my 2016 orts.  I need to make a 3D thing for my 2016 orts and I'm thinking of the Hands On Design Block Party Vino (I hope I got that right).

January WIPocalypse - 2017 version!

Welcome to the first WIPocalypse post of 2017!
WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi, at her blog, and is really quite fun.

The first prompt is, of course:

Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year!
Me?
I'm a 40 year old woman living in North Carolina (for the moment, I've been interviewing all over the country, but: I will not move to the Gulf Coast, to the deeper South, or too far North where it's too cold).  I am a laboratory animal professional and I love what I do.   I currently live with my partner and my poochel in a wonderful community that I am super sad to have to leave (but you know, ambition).   I love stitching, table-top board gaming, video gaming, and other fun little hobbies that get in the way of my cross stitching ;) ).

Here are my current WIPocalypse projects, with their start years:

1. Epic RR - 2014
2. Deco Spirits - 2014
3. Desert Sunsets - 2015 
4. Stained Glass Zelda - 2015
5. BoInk - 2008
6. Fantasy Sampler - 1999 
7. Freshwater Pearls - 2002
8. Fortunate Traveler - 2005
9. Celestial Dragon - 2002
10. Enchanter - 2002
11. Chinese Dragon - 2008

As you can see, some of these projects are getting, what we might call long in the tooth.   Part of that was that I was very active on the TWBB for a while and the TW projects were all ambitiously started at that time, and the rest of it was because I went through a stitching slump from 2008 through 2014 or so.    In theory, my goals are to bring down the average age of my WIPS as much as possible by stitching on the oldest stuff first, but in practice, my WIPocalypse goals are to get as many WIPs done as possible, I'd like to get a rotation down to 6 pieces (I have a spreadsheet that I've assigned future works to their slots, even!).

Pictures of my WIPs are here at my WIP page, I keep it updated (more or less), particularly when doing any SAL posts.   I plan on taking part in other bloggers' SALs as they hold them, and #TWOctober.  Fantasy Sampler has got to be done this year, and hopefully some good progress on Celestial Dragon.

Only WIPS as of January 1, 2017 will count for WIPocalypse, anything else is just extra.  Wonderful, yes, but WIPocalypse, no.  So you won't see any projects listed on those check in posts, though I think I've been pretty good about keeping my blog updated (even if I have a little lapse now and again, life gets busy y'all).

I will have a duplicate post for WIPocalypse that I'll use to keep progress updated.   It gets cross posted to the WIPocalypse tab.

December WIPocalypse

Time for the December (and a bit of November) WIPocalypse!

Huh.  Wow.  It's been a while!

I haven't really stitched much (at all?) for the past couple of months, so it's not like anyone has missed anything.

I went to my professional National Meeting at the end of October/beginning of November and it's been a crazy ride since then.

November also had a weeklong trip to Puerto Rico (San Juan and Culebra with a side trip to Culebrita), and then an interview with a fantastic institution more than a thousand miles away.  Then a lot of weekends and craziness at work.   I have a new trainee, so I'm trying to get her up and running because I've had even more interviews (here in NC, and other states).  It's been nuts.

Here, have a picture of one of the favorite beaches in Culebrita

And then just so busy with the holidays and everything else.

I took my stitching with me to the National Meeting, fully intending to finish Fantasy Sampler this year, and kind of dropped that, so I'll just push it to finish next year.  I think one big TW was enough this year anyway.    I have a bunch of other stitching I had put on the list, intending to stitch and never got around to those either, and I'm OK with that.  It's supposed to be fun, right?

I've started working on a pink pussy hat project for the women's march on Washington (or whatever they're calling it now).

And in the meantime, Mona had a birthday! (this past weekend, actually) :)

I almost picked up some stitching the other day, and then I threaten to quilt and then I just end up buried under the covers playing a video game.  Rough life :)

So I'll start off by answering the November question

What pattern (or designer) is on your must-try-to-stitch bucket list?

Coincidentally, I set up a "Bucket List" page on my blog a couple of months ago, so there's plenty there.

My biggest lemming was the Joan Thomasson Russian Fairy Tales needlework piece, so if I have to pick one, that's it.   So beautiful!

The real fun is this month's question, which is the recap.   I love recaps!  Also, I had a pretty damned good year, if I do say so, myself.

Recap your accomplishments for the year! (Your finishes, your final before/after photos, etc).

I started with 18 WIPs and I'm down to 11.
I was hoping to get down to 9 by the end of the year (or at least the final WIPocalypse for this year) and I'm sure I only missed it because I stopped stitching for a bit.   That's cool, because I still feel super accomplished!

First I finished Thanksgiving Fairy

Started here!

Finished Feb 14

Then I finished Celtic Knotwork Ferret

Started here!  Kinda... All of the black outlining had been complted.

Finished February 17

Next came WWCKD?

Started here (where I left it in late December)

Finished March 25!

And then it was Cloudsfactory's 2015 Mystery, the Through the Stars Zodiac Sampler

I had stalled out after March here...

But then I knocked it out of the park! I intended to pick up the one/month pace but rushed it :)

Triforce of Badassery, a gift I intended to give in 2014 (oops!) was next :)

Started here! There's a miscount in there that drove me nuts!

Finished August 27 In time for the birthday!

And the last of my WIPocalypse finishes was Egyptian Sampler, a TW!

Started here after a UFORR...

Finished October 7!

I also decided to "let go" of Phoenix by DracoLair.   I had bad feelings associated with it, and to be honest, just went ahead and gave up.  Very little had been done on it (one weekend's worth), so I just picked out the stitches and figured I can use the fabric for something else.
My Epic RR is almost done!  I've finished all of the bands/work for everyone else's RR and now I just need to finish my band and it will be complete (this will be a high priority for 2017)

Desert Sunsets has seen some progress (not as much as I'd like, but hey!)

Started here... I think I started it because I was sick and wanted something easy and it was within reach

I actually have more finished than this, but I knew that if I waited until I remembered to update the photo....

and Fantasy Sampler made some good progress.

Started here

I feel like there was more than that! haha.

I have everything else I finished in 2016 listed as well, my personal rules for the WIPocalypse dictate that only pieces that were already in progress at the end of the prior year "qualify" for my WIPocalypse.  That means awesome stuff like Tapestry that I managed to pull off in a year (whut!) don't really count in my mind.

I fully intend to participate in next year's WIPocalypse as well and I've joined the FB group :)

So that's all for now, hopefully I'll have something new and interesting soon or an update or something.  I'll be going to the not-inlaws for Christmas, so I might be hiding in the corner working on something if I'm lucky.    There's usually a lot of hockey watching at the mom's house and movie watching at the dad's, so hopefully I can keep myself out of the way and entertained.

October WIPocalypse!

The focus of WIPocalypse remains whittling down my WIPs (down to 6, eventually), and I've made some good progress!

I started with Egyptian Sampler here:

And finished it!  (lots more pictures in this blog post)

I moved onto Fantasy Sampler after that.... and it started here:

And here's what I got done:

Got this done on the Sunday we had no power thanks to Matthew -
at least it was sunny, plenty of light!

All of the vining and long stitching on the right side was done on Saturday!

I finished the vining and long stitching on the left side on Sunday!

And here's where I've moved the Qs... I somehow thought I'd finished all sides of the border, but I guess I was wrong.

I originally intended to go to SOCS in Richmond, but I hurt my shoulder at work and was feeling generally grumpy, so I enjoyed a quiet weekend stitching my little heart out.  I only regret not going a little bit, and I'm happy that I had 5 hours (it would have taken me 2.5h to drive each way) more to stitch.
I notice that it was the third weekend of October, which means I had an accidental IHSW!  woot woot!

I'm hoping to have this one done by the next WIPocalypse, and then I think I'm just going to free-for-all stitch for the rest of the year.   There are a few new pieces that I'd like to stitch up, and I think that getting two TWs out of the WIP pile is quite an accomplishment.

The question/topic for this month's WIPocalypse is:

What online stitching communities do you enjoy?

I joined the TWBB back in '96 or '97 and made it through several iterations.  I used to love the bulletin boards when they were active, but it seems that other social networking (Facebook in particular) might have contributed to the demise.  I like how easy it was to follow different threads and keep things organized.

Currently:  I love my blog roll, and while I'm behind in reading/commenting, I sometimes wish people posted more, or that people I used to follow would pick it up again.

I am a member of several design-specific groups on Facebook and a couple of general stitching groups (Stitch Maynia is my favorite).

I have Instagram and post things there, but I don't use it for following stitching stuff, just friends.  To be honest, after they went to their metric, I just use it to post and don't really look at it much any more.

And I see the current trendy thing to do is FlossTube (Youtube videos/vlogging about stitching), but I don't do videos, so I won't be watching or making.  Just boring ol' blogging and Facebooking for me :)