WIPocalypse February Update

I haven't done much stitching due to having a new person in the house. My eldest niece has moved in, so I've been spending time with her. I have started to teach her to stitch as well and she seems to like it. Hopefully I can get some pics of her piece soon.

For the WIPocalypse here is my update on the Anniversary Sampler. I wanted to make sure I had enough fabric so I went ahead and started the outermost border, as usual I worried for nothing as there is plenty of fabric LOL

Here are the pics:

This is a closer pic of the stitches I added. The light green/blue (502 I believe it is..too lazy to go get pattern to check LOL) is the outermost border. There will be another line of the darker green/blue but it is only 3 more stitches wide, so I am sure I have plenty of room.

I did do a bit more of the blackwork middle border, not a whole lot but some. There will be larger blackwork bits in the empty space as well as specialty stitches in the center of the blackwork flower shape.

Measi of Measi's Musings is running the WIPocalypse. You can see the list of other participants and check out their progress HERE. Thanks Measi!

The CSC stitchathon challenge results!

Back in Jan of 2008 I entered a challenge on Cross Stitch Crazy. I predicted that I would do between 12,000 to 14,000 minutes stitching. I based that on my total of 6,773 minutes from the 2 (or 3?) stitchathons I had participated in towards the end of 2007 when I joined the board. I am curious to see if I even come close, so I'm going to post my totals here so I can keep track for myself. I am hoping I can do at least 12,000 minutes.

I met that goal! 3. Ravenhead goal: 12,000 minutes actual 15,974 (133%)

I stopped recording my time in the stitchathons back in October I believe it was so not all my time is accounted for, but that's okay. I still met my goal and since I forgot this one in the other day's post I figured I should pop it up here. LOL

Update on Winter Blackwork, final finish of 2008 and goal review 2008, new goals 2009!

I managed to finish Exciting doilyby Mary Werst and I gave it to my mother-in-law while I was in Indiana over the holidays visiting her. She was really excited to get it! Here it is:





Here is a closeup:




In my last post I promised a picture of my progress on Tam's Creations Winter Blackwork. So here it is as of December 2008.




Since it is now 2009 I figure I should go over the goals I made for 2008 and see if I met them at all. The original post is here and my goals were:

1. Have at least 10 finishes. I seem to have confused my goals. Here I wrote I want 10, but on webshots I wrote that I wanted more than 2007. I did not meet my blog goal but I did meet my webshots goal. I have 5 finishes in cross stitch for 2008.
   
2. complete stitched ornaments into completed ready to hang up ornaments I got a couple done, but not all of them.
   
3. Finish either Stroke of Midnight or Woodland Fairy by TW (preferably finish both) nope
   
4. Participate in at least 2 swaps/exchanges (I was so happy to get my 2008 re-approval from CSC!) DONE
   
5. Continue to encourage Curtis and now Stephanie (My sister-in-law who has moved into the house) to stitch as well. DONE
   
6. complete at least one (preferably more) of the harder thread crochet doilies that are at the half way point (I am afraid I'll mess them up even though I have done them well so far LOL) DONE both of them!
   
7. Organize my stash and threads better DONE
   
8. Continue to make thread crochet items as practice and maybe try to do an afghan or something larger than a 16 inch doily DONE by working on doilies but no afghan yet.
   
9. complete at least 2 more charity squares DONE, did 3!

Not as good as I wanted, but not bad considering I didn't stitch at all in 2007! Now goals for 2009, lets see:

1. Finish at least 10 pieces
2. Finish one of the 2 TW's I have as WIPS
3. Do at least 2 charity squares
4. Participate in at least 2 exchanges
5. Complete my excel sheet of magazines
6. Create excel sheet of freebies
7. Get Bridgette's birth sampler done
8. Get parent's 50th anniversary sampler done
9. Get Tinkerbell done for father in law
10. continue thread crochet

That seems like a good list of goals. Hopefully I can do a good job with it through out 2009! So what are your goals for the New Year?

When Pink Matters

I have joined a blog called "When Pink Matters". It is a blog dedicated to a woman who lost her battle with breast cancer over the summer. It challenges anyone to stitch something pink in remembrance of anyone they know who has been touched by breast cancer in any way. You have until October 2009 to stitch something.

I plan on stitching something in remembrance of my biological mother Aurie. She died of breast cancer at the age of 43. I only knew her for a little over a year before she died. She was a wonderful, strong, intelligent, funny, loving, wise, helpful, (and every other wonderful trait) woman. I am glad that I was able to give her the wish that mattered most to her before she died; having all her living children in the same room with her at the same time. I am honored to be her daughter and extremely grateful for the time I did have with her.

So far so good on rotation, stitching and yanking out of depression!

Well October is the month long stitchathon on Cross Stitch Crazy, so I am thinking the rotation schedule I posted yesterday should help me stitch a bit every day and thus participate in the stitchathon more than I did in September.

My September stitchathon total was 500 minutes so here are my totals so far:

• January: 1,531
• February: 1,941
• March: 3,580
• April: 1,640
• May: 0 (depression sucks)
  
• June: 0 (I mean it really really sucks!!)
  
• July: 1,590
• August: 0 (*sigh* Stupid depression)
  
• September: 500 (YAY! started pulling myself out of it, good thing I am stubborn huh?)
  

• total: 10,782 minutes

I think I will hit the goal I set for the stitchathon challenge of 12,000 to 14,000 minutes. Hell I might hit it before the end of October! WOOT! I'm well on my way and since this is a month long stitchathon so I should be able to rack up some time, specially since I have integrated rotation and so far I have stuck to it. (Though I did not stitch last night, was too damn tired) I am really excited and so very very pleased with myself for actually sticking to my plan and stitching for 3 hours today!! I will probably get more done tonight but I wanted to be sure to blog. I don't want to have so much time go by between posts and would like to start being more regular with my entries (yeah right, I am so lazy and tend to forget things so easily..so don't hold me to this!).

Today I stitched for 240 minutes (so far)! I made a little bit of progress on "Stroke of Midnight" from Teresa Wentzler. Due to a high level of pain, I couldn't concentrate very well so I only worked a little bit on it. I got a bit more of the rails behind the girl, and a bit more of the over 1 on the girl (the hair around her face). Then I switched to " Blackwork Winter Sampler" by Tam's Creations as it doesn't require as much thinking or concentration as a TW over 1. But I did find an error in the chart. In the second "round" there are mittens, hats and snowballs. On the right hand side (chart for upper right corner) the snowballs between the mittens share their top stitch with the outline for the "round". They are supposed to be one row below the outline stitching. Luckily I caught this as soon as I put the first snowball in, so I only had to frog a few stitches instead of a whole bunch.

Edited to add: I am an idiot! There is no error. I saw the line that marks the 10 squares of the chart as a backstitch line. My printer printed it dark so I confused the two. I am sorry Tam that I posted this so late last night before I realized my error! (Yes I am an idiot! LOL)

I am really liking the way both "Winter Blackwork" and "Stroke Of Midnight" are shaping up! I have found that I enjoy (and need) more than one project going at the same time. This allows me to switch between them based on how well I can concentrate at the time I stitch, how much time I have to stitch, and whatever mood I might be in. My rotation is a nice guideline for getting stuff done, but I consider it very flexible. If something comes up that is not in my rotation, I will simply add it somewhere and go from there. LOL

I am really pleased with my progress and I hope to keep it up. I really like the way it is turning out with 2 strands over 2 threads. Changing the colors, as I mentioned in an earlier post, did not work very well so I frogged it and decided to do it all in the dark purple the chart calls for. I am really liking it that way too! I will be taking this piece to the doctor's office with me tomorrow as it is easy to carry (just 1 color LOL) and I am sure to have at least 1 to 2 hours waiting to actually the see the doctor so I can stitch during that time. I think I am off to a great start on this month long stitchathon!

It is so nice to have that depressed "I don't want to do anything" mood replaced with being excited about stitching and NEEDING to stitch! Gosh it feels sooo good!

I have taken pics (before I stitched today, and after I finished stitching) but it is late and I am really hurting so I will post them tomorrow.

I borrowed my DH's glasses, they are bifocal and I have found that the bifocal part makes it so much easier for me to see the over 1 stitching. So I am going to find me a good pair of reading glasses to help me with the higher count fabrics since I can't use a stand so a lighted magnifying glass won't work for me.

Well that is pretty much it for me today! I hope everyone has a wonderful night filled with joyful stitching!

Raven

Stitchathons, SBQ, WIP update

April's stitchathon on Cross Stitch Crazy was from 4/14 through 4/20. My total was 1,640 minutes. So far I am doing very well and I think I will probably go over my goal!



January: 1,531
February: 1,941
March: 3,580
April: 1,640
Total: 8,692 minutes

Here is an updated picture of Tam's Creations Winter Blackwork. I am enjoying stitching this, though my stitching has slowed down recently. I love the look of blackwork. This will be the largest blackwork peice I have ever done and I am hoping it turns out really good.

I fell behind on SBQ so here are the ones I have missed:

March 26, 2008

When you stitch a pattern that you have downloaded do you print out the pattern or do you stitch directly from your computer screen?
I print the pattern and stitch off the printed paper. My eyes would go nuts trying to read a pattern off the computer screen. lol

April 3, 2008

What items do you consider essential to your needlework that you keep in your stitching bag?

I keep my pattern, fabric, floss, thread heaven and scissors in my project bag.

April 10, 2008

What is the most complicated piece you've ever completed?

This would be a toss up between two Teresa Wentzler designs. She uses many blended colors in her designs, as well as speciality stitches, over one sections (for extra detail) and lots of backstitch. So far I have stitched two of her designs and have 2 that are WIPS.

The Castle: Teresa Wentzler

















The Guardian: Teresa Wentzler (I could not stitch the border as the fabric was damaged)









April 23, 2008

How do you handle blended threads? Do you kit the blends up before you start a piece, or do you grab what colors you need and blend when the need arises? If you kit up the blends beforehand, how do you store them? Do you have another option for blends to share?


I usually grab the colors and blend them when I need them. I have never thought of pre-blending them when I kit the project. I may try this on a smaller project but I don't think I'll like it for a larger one that uses some colors in many different blends.


Well that catches me up LOL

Blackwork, Stitchathons, and Life

Well I have not been stitching much lately as the radio frequency procedure on my back has worn off, so my pain is back to the levels it was before the procedure was done back in Aug. 2007. Add to that having a sick 7 month old in the house, and well not a whole lot of anything got done.



Last night I did start a new project though. Tam's Creations Blackwork Winter. I got the snowman in the center done and started on the border which surrounds him. I just love blackwork and I love this design. It is being stitched on 25ct, 2 strands over 2 of DMC 550.



I have to take DD to the surgeon today to see about doing the lower lumbar fusion she needs done. I am hoping the surgeon is willing to do it as the poor kid has been in so much pain. The surgery will have a long recovery with it, but if it works it should make it possible for her to work again and have a more normal life. I just want her to be pain free!

The month long stitchathon for March 2008 is over and the weeklong for April started on Monday the 14th. I predicted that I would do between 12,000 to 14,000 minutes stitching time total in this year's stitchalongs. In keeping with the challenge I joined here are my totals (in minutes):

January: 1,531
February: 1,941
March: 3,580

Total so far: 7,052

SBQ and Feb Stitchathon

This week was the February stitchathon for Cross Stitch Crazy. With the challenge I joined in, I am keeping track of my time:

• January 2008: 1,531 minutes
• February 2008: 1941 minutes

I might just make it to my prediction which should be interesting LOL

SBQ for February 13th is:

This week's SBQ was suggested by Loretta and is:
Do you have any projects that you have scrapped and started over? What
made you start over from scratch?


Yes. I have one. I did this teddy bear on a china cabinet design for my biological mother. It was my first ever counted cross stitch and I kept messing up. A couple of times I just frogged and restitched but after I got halfway through and found yet another mistake in the teddy bear's belly I decided to scrap it and start over, this time starting with the teddy bear. Basically repeated errors in counting for the teddy bear (that could not be fudged as it set entire design off) made me scrap it and start over. The picture isn't that great as it was taken with an instant camera and then scanned into the computer and as the peice is buried with my biological mother I can't get a better picture of it.

I finished the seasonal exchange peice and forgot to take a picture of it. I feel real dumb! Sonictomb (Sonya) who is my partner said she would take a picture of it when she gets it. I really appreciate that too!

I got approved to do a square for Love Quilts. They do quilts out of cross stitch squares for ill children. Each quilt is tailored to the child's interests so that it is more meaningful for them. I applied to do a square for a little girl named Cecilia who loves Precious Moments and angels. So I chose a Precious Moments design that is a girl angel holding up a little boy. I have most of the little boy's head and shirt done and am really enjoying stitching this.

Left picture shows with top on right

spot. The picture on the right is a bit of a closeup to show detail and that it is a face, shirt and hair (almost). I really hope Cecilia likes it when it is done. Stitching for charity is a lot different than stitching for someone else, at least it feels different to me. The entire time I'm stitching on this I think of Cecilia and hope that she is doing well. I guess this goes with how the history books say that when women did cross stitch they said a small prayer as they formed each cross. I know when I stitch for a friend or relative I think of them while I stitch, but this feels a bit different, maybe its because it is for a child who is ill and it is for someone I do not know. I just know that I am enjoying stitching this peice a great deal and I hope to do more squares for other children as well.

Stitchathon Challenge

The Cross Stitch Crazy posting board came up with a stitchathon challenge, which I joined. To help me keep track I figured I'd post it here and edit this post for each month's stitchathon. For those who do not know, a stitchathon is when a group of stitchers keeps track of their time spent stitching or the number of stitches they did, or both. It is meant to encourage people to stitch and have a bit of fun doing it. Jacque came up with the challenge for the year and it has three points, which are:

1. I want to challenge you to predict how many stitches and/or minutes you will stitch during the SATs. Next December (after the last SAT) I will award a stash prize to the person who is closest to their final total at the end of the year in each category. (post your predictions under this thread so I can pull them all together easily, please)
   
2. I'd like to challenge you to stitch as many stitches as I'm challenging myself to stitch. So, to anyone who stitches more than 50,000 stitches or 10,800 minutes during the SATs, I will award a prize. (tbd if it is stitched or stash)
   
3. I'll award a stitched prize for the top person in each category for the year (time and stitches)

I predicted that I would do between 12,000 to 14,000 minutes stitching. I based that on my total of 6,773 minutes from the 2 (or 3?) stitchathons I had participated in towards the end of 2007 when I joined the board. I am curious to see if I even come close, so I'm going to post my totals here so I can keep track for myself. I am hoping I can do at least 12,000 minutes. Since I just started stitching again after not stitching for almost a year, I thought this challenge would help motivate me to continue stitching and increase my stitching time back to the amount I used to do (which was at least a couple hours a day).

January 2008: 1,531 minutes (I think that is a good start!)