December WIPocalypse and YOTA - 2014 Recap

Before I get started on my recap, Happy Birthday to DSister! I was digging through pictures but couldn't find any of the two of us when she was a baby.  The closest I got was this one:

It was taken Easter 19-something-something when she was 2 and I was 4 or 5 depending on when Easter was that year.  That foliage behind us?  I think it's honeysuckle that got a bit out of control.  The year after this picture was taken, a chicken took up roost in it.  No we didn't live in the country, we were only a few miles from the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman - we figured she was someone's Easter chick that got away (or was allowed to get away as it wasn't cute any longer). We fed her graham crackers and named her Chicken Licken.  Unfortunately, chickens are not good house pets so when we moved to Michigan, we couldn't take her with us.  So one weekend, we caught her, and found a nice farm that took her in.  I am sure she spent many long, happy years wandering around the farm yard doing whatever chickens do and died peacefully in her sleep of extreme old age.

So besides my sister's and DBIL's birthdays and their anniversary and Christmas, December means - recaps!!  As it's the first Saturday of the month and a full moon, there are two recaps, WIPocalypse and YOTA.  Fortunately they are both WIP focused SALs so it is great that the final post for 2014 for both of them falls on the same day.

I had five pieces on my WIPocalypse/YOTA list this year.  I am really pleased with the progress that I made on all of them.

Santa's Magic by Mirabilia went from here:

To here:

Enchanted Swans by Just Nan started here:

And was finished on January 3rd:

Elegant Doily by Kayann's Kreations went from this:

To this:

The section shown in the before photo is on the left in this photo

I had a bit of a switch up with my Chatelaine piece.  I started with Serengeti and went from here:

To here:

Before it was put away in favor of Secret Victorian Garden.  SVG went from this:

To this:

The lower right section in the before photo is the upper left in this one.

And finally, Three Tulips by With Thy Needle and Thread went from here:

To a finish on April 10th:

So two finishes from my list and good progress on the other three. I don't know if either of these SALs will continue into 2015, but I will continue with my WIP reduction plan. 

Speaking of 2015 SALs, Gifted Gorgeousness, DESIGN and A New Stitchy Start 2015 are still taking sign-ups.  Heather at Stitching Lotus has announced that she will continue with the Smalls SAL for 2015 and is taking sign-ups and Mel at Epic Stitch has a page up, although sign-ups are not open yet, for Stitch from Stash 2015A. Clicking on the SAL's name should take you to the sign up/information pages for each one.

Secret Victorian Garden went on the frame today and I may take a break from the rotation, honestly I have been rubbish at doing any stitching the last couple of weeks so I don't think it will make too much difference, and just leave it on the frame for the rest of the year. I am also gridding fabric for three, yes three, HAED starts (two fairly smalls ones for HAEDs and Shakespearean Fantasy) and am finding it rather relaxing so will throw that in every so often also.  I do hope to have one more small finish this year, but am not really pushing too hard as I have a ton of holiday crafting and baking to finish up over the next couple of weeks.

Stitch from Stash Update

 Is just the SAL for me!  I have been stitching for close to 30 years and for a few of those years I was a OAAT (one at a time) stitcher.  Buy materials for a project at local craft store, stitch said project, then buy materials for next project, repeat...  THEN I discovered cross stitch stores!!  Whole stores full of patterns and material and fibers, so many fibers and beads and charms and oh my!  I only got to a LNS about once a year so I would buy two or three or four patterns and kit them right away.  That worked fine until I went back to work full time.  My stitching time went down but my stashing habit had been established but was still under control due to distance. Then, oh my, then, businesses started seeing the advantage of having an on-line presence and I could shop anytime, at any store in the world and as they say, "that's all she wrote" although I am not really sure why "they" say that.  Which leads me to today.  I have been SABLE (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy) for years but those designers keep coming up with more and more beautiful patterns or I discover a designer through a blog or a new designer hits the scene. Fortunately, or not depending on which side of the wallet you are on, the budget doesn't allow for extras so I have been stitching from stash for the better part of three years now, but when Stitch from Stash was announced, I decided to make it formal and joined right up.  Sign-ups are closed but you can join in for the fun and challenge.  Hopefully clicking the button on this post or the one in the sidebar will take you to the page to see the rules but basically, the idea is to either stitch your WIPs or stitch from stash.  You do get a monthly budget of $25 (I'm using USD but you can convert to your local currency if it makes more sense) and your monthly balance rolls over.  Mel did provide some exceptions and you do get one grace month, so actually a fairly generous budget.

Not that Mel mentioned anything about tips, but one thing I have found that helps tremendously is a wish list.  I post photos of patterns that I must have to my wish list and let them stew a bit.  I go back every so often and look at them to see if I still must have the pattern.  It is amazing how many I have added to the list only to remove a month or two or six later. 

So without further discussion, here is my January report:

  January Budget:  $25
                  Spent:  $ 0
Balance Forward:  $25

Starts from Stash:  Little House Needleworks' Peppermint Twist and Just Nan's Tall Flowers:

WIP stitching: I almost made one round in my rotation, so I have stitched on:

Enchanted Swans by Just Nan

Elegant Doily  by Kayann's Creations

Serengeti by Chatelaine

Santa's Magic by Mirabilia

There was some stash acquired also, but it was gifted.  Remember that wish list I mentioned?  Well The Hubs was looking for an anniversary gift and took a look at my list and gave me:

It's all three patterns plus the thread for Lizzie*Kate's Holly and Hearts Mystery Sampler Club.  He even managed to find it on sale!  Thank you ABC Stitch Therapy and your clearance page (yes he was so proud of himself, he told me all this!) This will be going in the rotation as soon as I finish Three Tulips.  I am sure I can find a piece of fabric in my stash somewhere...

YOTA!!

It's YOTA Saturday!!  YOTA is a SAL that focuses on finishing up those WIPs you have hanging around.  You can find out all about it at Pull The Other Thread.

I have two WIPs that I worked on this round.  First was Santa's Magic by Mirabilia.

Here is where I was on the first Saturday of December:

And here is where I am today:

He's stitched on 32-count opalescent Ametrine from Silkweaver Fabrics with DMC, Kreinik, Wisper and Delica beads.  I haven't done any beading yet but have converted the called for Mill Hill beads to Delica as I prefer Delicas and on a 32-count hand-dyed fabric, I think the Mill Hills would be too tight.  There are no exact matches but I got close besides, nobody will know they aren't "right" unless they put one done with Mill Hill next to mine to compare and that doesn't seem very likely. 

Second was Enchanted Swans by Just Nan:

I started this project in 1999 as an on-line class with Tapestry of Dreams.  When I picked this back up the beginning of 2013, only the top left motif was stitched.  Here's where I left off in May or June of this year:

And here it is finished!!

This was stitched on 28-count Smokey Pearl Cashel with Au Ver a Soie, Rainbow Gallery and unknown beads and pearls and charm.   

Next up in the rotation is Elegant Doily.