WIPocalypse - 3rd Full Moon Report

Well, stitching friends, we're into March of 2012, and we're all still here stitching! It's wonderful to know that the end of the world prediction is at least not here yet, and our moon is full, LOL!

Since I've had to add more WIPs to my WIPocalyse list, I need to share all that I've stitched this last month, which is nothing to write home about, but keep in mind that I'm a slow stitcher and have worked in several new projects this new year. I knew it would be difficult to stick to my original list, which allowed for no new stitching, for heaven's sake. And as things become available to start, I'm sure I will be sorely tempted yet even more, but that is part of the life of people in an Internet stitching community.

This is a few minute's start on a freebie Quaker heart I found on Gazette94 blog. I'm working with one thread of WDW Union Blue over two on 40ct Lambswool Linen. This is my first time stitching on 40ct and was difficult at first judging the small size of the stitches, but I did get used to it after a bit.

This is my third Halloween stocking in the Blackbird Designs book, 'Tis Hallowe'en. I had stitched two last year and will sew them all into stockings by this Halloween, hopefully.

This is my Year of Hearts SAL I'm doing with a Yahoo group, and I have done the March heart and started April's.

This is a year-long project I'm doing with the German Sticklounge Yahoo group called A Tribute To Ackworth. I've received part 3, so this is through part 2. It's on 28ct Lugana, I believe in the color lambswool, and I'm using Carrie's silks. The variegated silk is Autumn Leaves and the coordinating solid is Raspberry. It's a delightful stitch, and the silks glide through the fabric like butta.

WIPocalypse - 2nd Full Moon Report

I knew I wouldn't be able to just stick with the WIPocalypse projects I originally noted, as there are others sneaking into the act as well. I'm not disciplined at all. I started the new year by joining a German Yahoo group, Sticklounge. They have 50 German members and 50 English speaking members, and when that limit is met, they close memberships, which, as far as I know, has been accomplished at this time. English speaking ladies must have a Godmother to help them with the language barrier, in some cases, but mostly to help with the rules of the group. I committed to stitching an exclusive design that will stretch out for a year (till January 2013), and it's huge! I just received my Carrie's silks and bought the fabric and will begin stitching that ASAP.

Till then, I still have my Year of Hearts SAL to continue, and the designer of that one is going to be offering one of her designs to Sticklounge that she guarantees I'll also want to stitch, which starts next month, I think.

I do have one little accomplishment for WIPocalyspe from my list, and it's also my 2nd finish for the year, though it wasn't started this year. It's SanMan Originals Autumn Circle, which I plan to make into my first biscornu, and I purchased large autumn pins from Just Another Button Company to put into it.

My Year of Hearts can be seen in the post below this one, and I have the next two hearts to add for March and April.

But to end this post, I want to share with you my most human of all my four cats, and I have featured her before, but it's Amber, who is unbelievably loyal to me and humanly jealous of my affections towards the others. Here you can see where she is in the evenings when I am downstairs in my little sewing room off this great room where she's lying. She doesn't go downstairs to the finished basement unless I'm down here, and she comes down and tries to get me to go back upstairs with her while I'm stitching. When I refuse, she goes into this room and awaits my return upstairs by lying in front of the fireplace in the winter and patiently waits till I call her to go upstairs with me. I keep the downstairs lights low (hence the darkness), but my sewing room is bright with light.

And to all, stitch by the light of the moon tomorrow, and may we all be stitching by March's full moon on March 8.

I've been stitching, but ....

but haven't posted it here and have yet stitched a bit more than these pix, but for what it's worth, here is my 2012 Year of Hearts SAL to date and have received the next two months for stitching. For those of you who love hearts, this design originates in a closed Yahoo group, but the designer is going to release her Year of Hearts for sale this summer.

Though I have more stitched since this pic, here is my progress of my 2nd WIPocalypse project, which I hope to have finished before the next full moon, February 7th.

My wonderful Daddy died Jan. 5th, and I have been finding solace in my stitching and reading, but DH has been scanning pix of old photos of him so I can do a tribute to him here. We have been surrounded by friends and family since his death, but the dust has settled, and I miss his beautiful smile and his loving concern for his kids, namely me. In the last few years, I have been going out to lunch with my parents 3 times a week. I treasure those hours spent with them because at my age, I was so terribly lucky to still have my parents. They would drop me off at my house, and because I am alone 3 days a week, Daddy would always say to me, "We'll see you tomorrow, but if you need us before then, give us a call." Thank you, Daddy, for always loving me and being concerned.

First Finish of 2012!

It's old Jolly Jack that I finished a couple of days ago.

Next on my WIPocalypse list is Autumn Circle by SanMan Originals, a design from last year's Merry Members of the SanMan board. I don't know if this is suitable for a biscornu, but I'm thinking if it is, this will be my first.

WIPocalypse - First Full Moon Report

I'm so close to being finished with this that it hurt to put it down, but I have to get up early tomorrow. I need to get my beauty rest you know. I'll be so glad to get my fall stitching out of the way. It seems a bit funny to be looking at Halloween stuff this time of year, but here it is. Oh! And we're all still stitching away at the first full moon of 2012, prophesied to be the last year of the earth. I don't know about you, but I'm glad that so far, I'm still stitching!

My progress on Jolly Jack before WIPocalypse stitching began:

And just some berries on the around the leaves with the color in the needle on the Halloween needle minder, my signature, and the table scallops filled in with a light color, then onto another of my WIPs to finish.

Sooo... if I don't see you sooner, the next full moon of 2012 will be February 7 when I report again. Happy stitching by the light of the moon!

A New Year, A New Blog Post!

I lost my connection with my photos because of one of my guilty kitties knocking off my external hard drive onto the floor and up under my desk lower shelf, and it's a long story, but I was unaware it was even missing for some time but couldn't figure out why I had lost all my pix. I had forgotten I had my own external hard drive and thought my pix were on my husband's HD because we're networked. I told you it was a long story, so I'll stop right here. I hope your holidays were happy, but there were many whose holidays were sad. It's a tough part of the year for many, and I feel for them.

Since October, a lot has gone on, and because I thought I had also lost the software to my camera (another long story), I didn't get progress pix and stash pix taken, so I'll have to start from here, though not a lot of stitching was done because of my Dad's stroke. He's been in and out of the hospital, in and out of the nursing home, and it has been a nightmare.

I was on several exchanges this holiday seasons, and one in town with my stitch group. Although I didn't get a photo of the ornament I stitched, I have taken a pic of the one I received in the ornament exchange:

In The Stitch Specialists Yahoo group, I sent to a girl from France, and in return Niina from Finland sent to me some delicious chocolates (gone), a beautiful set of Fiskars scissors, two pieces of hand-dyed fabric, a hand-dyed skein of floss dyed locally, a Lizzie Kate chart, and best of all, a hand knitted ball ornament! Thank you, Niina, for a lovely Christmas exchange!

I had one exchange on a Yahoo group who didn't follow through with her end of the exchange and was banned from the group and reported to Tricky Traders 2, and it turns out she already had two reports against her, BUT! The Christmas spirit was alive this season, as 3 members of the same group sent me things to make up for the bad deed of the banned member. One member, Faith, sent me a gift certificate to 123 Stitch (unredeemed as yet), Lisa sent me a primitive snowman ornament snowman decals, and snowman socks - cutest I've ever seen:

Another member, Pam, sent me a ton of DMC, a musical Charlie Brown Christmas card, snowmen findings, a nice, thick huck towel for cross stitching, and a full-sized snowman stocking. Thank you, Pam. With friends like the 3 of you, who needs deadbeats?

Then, the mods of The Stitching Specialists Yahoo group exchanged gifts with one another, and these great gifts were the result:

This I bought with a gift certificate from Abi, group owner/designer in England. I'm in love with Autumn Splendor by Kustom Krafts!

Goodies from Kay in England. Good English recipes, tea towels, napkins, and a long necklace of stones.

Goodies from Marguerite, a British transplant now in Arkansas. Waterlilies silk, Bohin needles, fabric, RPTB, and Kelmscott needle minder - wonderful!

Then, from a new friend in Australia, Mel, came this wonderfully delightful full 1/2 yard of very wide Weeks Dye Works 30ct hand-dyed linen in the color Parchment, which was on my wish list. Thank you, Mel, for your friendship and for your totally unexpected generous gift out of nowhere!

But in the stitching department, this project will be my first one worked on for Measi's WIPocalypse, which can be read about in my blog's page (above tab), 2012 WIPocalypse. My list, with links for information can be found on that page.

I actually did work on some fall things which never got finished, therefore the WIPocalypse, and I will be posting more later. For now, I've had a hard day and am very tired and ready for bed.

I'm very glad to be able to blog again and share what I'm doing. Hope to see what you are all up to this new year!