WIPocalypse August (and July...)

 Ah it has been a while, I was in absolutely no mood to blog in July, so this is my update for July and August and I am even late for August. I am still buried in work, but I decided to get my butt up and write a bit here. Despite all my work I got a lot of stitching done. A good deal has been done in the second half of July, where I had two weeks off from work (and I really needed them). Since the beginning of July I am using Pattern keeper and I am really happy with it. I tried a different PDF reader some years ago and was very unhappy, so I continued to use paper charts. But int he beginning of July I finally decided to dig out my extra-old tablet and give Pattern Keeper a try. After I reset my tablet (it kept crushing when I tried to access my dropbox where I stash my digital patterns), things went rather well and in August I did not only purchase the full version of Pattern Keeper, but also a new tablet (one that has a battery that lasts longer then 3 hours and doesn't take 6 to reload...) and now I am only using the app. So far I imported patterns from Haed, Tilton and Goldenkite and it seems to work well. Unfortunately my Gecko Rouge patterns are all printed charts, so I need to look into that and see if I can get digital copies (at least for the charts that are still available) - especially since Gecko Rouge doesn't have overlapping pages and it's quite annoying to switch between pages.... Anyway, enough rambling, prepare for pictures!

The first thing I want to show is my now framed Cliffside Beacon from the Dimensions Gold petites collection. I am really not that good at framing, but it could be worse:

In July I did another one-per-day challenge, I did not manage to work on my Sloth (Gecko Rouge) every day, but I still got a lot done. I went from here:

To here

And I am at 7 743 out of 23 986 stitches now, so nearly 1/3 done now and added 4 350 stitches!

In early July I picked up Garden Gate by Dona Gelsinger (I had my nails done in lavender [dmc 26 to be precise] then and the color just reminded me of the hydrangeas in this piece...) and I stitched two columns on it. I went from here:

To here:

The second project I worked on Das Rheingold by Kinuko Craft - a project that I started some ages ago and did not work on for ages. But I love the design and hope it won't take another 3 years for me to pick it up again. I went form here:

To here:

I got 4 842 stitches done in July and I am more then happy with that =) I hope to get the first row done soon and that my mojo to work in this is back for good =)

Next I did some work on my Wolf Variant by Bente Schlick. I didn't work on it for a long while, I don't know why because it stitches up in no time and I love the purple colors. I went from here:

To here:

As you can see, a lot has changed. When I started this, I didn't zig-zag my edges (to avoid gridlines) and it has bothered me for a while now with this project. In the beginning I wanted to stitch 100 stitches across and then down (jut for a little change) and then I didn't want to start zig-zaging in the middle of the column, because I am weird. But not I just decided to add another column and now I have a proper zig-zag edge there. On top of that, I also filled in the gap and now I have a nice 110x250  stitches block done. That's quite a bit, but the design is huge and so there is still no sign of the wolf. The whole design has 409 500 stitches, so the 5 800 (!!) stitches didn't really move the percentage on Pattern Keeper ;-) but I thing the progress is more then visible.

After that I decided to work on Kriemhild again, I went from here:

To here:

I am now a bit more then halfway through page 42 and I plan to finish that page in September (and make a start on page 43). I did less then 10 000 stitches on her this year and want to focus on her a bit more. By the way, I did not only encounter the first flowers (very pretty), but I also found her helmet. I have been stitching on it for a while, but it was only in the full shot that I could recognize it (the typical haed-effect). 

Now this brings me to my current WIP, Supersized Ride of the Yokai by Ruth Thompson. Once again I must say how much I love Pattern Keeper, it just makes my stitching more organized and there are less ninja stitches now. Since I am working on 32ct here, organized stitching and starting/ending threads is important to me here. I went from here:

To here:

Since I no longer need to stick to my pages, I decided to stitch 50 stitches high and the current block is 333, so exactly 1/3, across. I already did a good deal on the next row and plan to finish this block before I switch to something else.

This brings me to future plans! I have 5 more Haeds on which I last worked in 2019, so I am on a good way there. Among those are Yule Angel and Noble Spirit, which are typical winter motifs for me, so I guess I will work on them in November/ December. QS Trapped and Whispers are a bit gloomy, so they really fit in autumn and then there is Starlight, which also fits the gloomy time of the year. Then I have 6 more other projects, which did not get any love this year (one is my Christmas Eve, she will come out for Christmas as usual and one was only used to show a friend how to stitch, so it's not really started). After all, I am very confident that I can get some love into all my projects this year. In September I definitely plan to pick up QS Trapped, I might  do some sort of one-per-day challenge on it (maybe not for a whole month, but 2 or 3 weeks also add up). I plan to do a bit of work on Kriemhild and then I will see what I pick up next.

I also have a new start coming! I decided to join the Pandemic by Longdog samplers stitchers! You maybe know that the pattern was available for free at the end of June, I then ordered some fabric (40ct Newcastle Linen by Zweigart in creme) and a couple of threads for teststitching. I decided to try the threads from a German company called Vaupel&Heilenbeck, they have hand dyed cotton and silk. Since the thread is expensive, I wanted to be sure with my choice.

The colors are really hard to catch, in real live they are really vivid. The smaller skeins are silk and the two bigger skeins are cotton.

In the first row you can see the two cotton colors, the others are silk. I am stitching over 2, so it is like 20ct. The cotton thread is a bit thicker and has a slightly better coverage. I was really torn between the red cotton (no 1, row 1) and the re silk (no 2, row 2). The cotton was a bit fresher, the colors reminded me of berries and it has a bit more variation, so in the end I went for that (I did a bit more test stitching with smaller designs from the pattern, but I did not take a picture of that). Testing the threads already was a lot of fun, so I guess this won't be my last time working with these threads. The silk was a bit easier to work with , it's very smooth and shiny. But the red silk varies a bit into brown (very good for autumn) and I decided that a pandemic a tragic enough, so I wanted to stitch the design with happier colors =) The whole process of ordering the threads took ages, but today I got an email that the rest of my threads finally shipped and they will arrive soon =)

Last but not least, if you want to see more updated for August, just take a look at this months (ah well last months) link-up page, where you can find all other entries and information regarding the SAL.

Happy stitching =)

WIPocalypse May and a bit of stash

Welcome to June and the WIPocalypse update that should have happened two days ago :D But this means that you are going to see two more projects here ;-)
10 people already signed up for last months update, you can find all the links here .

June is already the start of another of the monthly challenges for WIPocalypse. I had a lot of fun and got a lot done during the last challenges, so I am joining in again. For this month I want to work on QS Paddys Luck by Joanna Bromley this month, it's such a lovely and colorful project! Unfortunately I completely forgot that this challenge was scheduled for this month, so I am currently one day behind, but I will just make that up today. I am doing my usual thing, one square per day. Here is my starting point:

I am starting a new row of pages here, so my daily stitch count is 77 or 100 and I hope to get 4 columns done (meaning that I have to do 2 extra squares during the month).

As for this months question, we are to talk about a project on which me love to stitch. This is a hard question for me, because there are so many projects on which I love to stitch. I really enjoy working on the Mill Hill Buttons and Beads kits (reminds me that I should start another one soon... I think I have a companion piece to the Hydrangeas design I did a few years ago).

This reminds me that I should really get this framed, I actually found like 5 frames with a matching size (I think) when I tidied up the living room :D
I am currently working on The Potting Shed by Aimee Stewart and it's one of those projects where I can't stop working on. I love gardening, so I really love the design and working with all those colors is a pure joy. I especially love the designs by Aimee Stewart, they are so full of small details, I can't wait to get to all those lovely flowers on the potting shed:

So far I am in the middle of page 3, so I still have a way to go. This month I went from here:

To here:

The yellow thing seems to be a lamp and I found the first window, I am so much looking forward to stitching the ornaments there. I did 3 and a partial column so far (2640 stitches) and I already made a start on the next column. Since I can't put this down, I am staying with this project until the third page is done =)

Apart from this, I worked on two more projects this month.

First up is another column on Kriemhild, I wanted to return to her by the end of last month, but I was unable to put the potting shed down. So I only did one column, which is still better then none. But I hope to have a page finish by the end of this month. I went from here:

To here:

The red thing there is a flower by the way! And there are more to come =)

The third project I worked on is Cliffside Beacon from the Dimensions Gold Petites collection, I went from here:

To here!

I am done! Yay me! I am really no good at french knots, but some of them don't look so bad. The backstitching on the fence also took ages, but it adds so much to the design and I am happy with my result. I already ironed this and I ordered a frame for it, so I will hopefully have this framed for the next update.

While I was looking for a frame for Cliffside Beacon, I found a frame for another project! Some years ago I finished Gwen by Nora Corbett and since then she lay in my cupboard. So I took the chance to iron her, to frame her and to put her on my wall:

So I am very happy with my progress for May and hope to have another ffo the next WIPocalypse =) 

I wanted to do a stash update earlier in May, but as usual I just forgot about it, so I am going to show my new charts now =) I think it has been a while since I did an update on my new purchases, so this might be a lot now.

First up are a few charts I bought from Tilton Crafts. Shelly does a lot of limited editions, where she only gets a licencing for a small amount of charts (I think around 35). So I got

Hedwig (I love Harry Potter!)

One of the Mandalorian designs, because I love baby Yoda:

And I bought four of the Lord of the Rings charts:

And last but not least, I bought two WonderWoman designs (by Daniel Kordek)

Then I won a giveaway in Nene Thomas crossstitch group on Facebook (some of you know that after she left Haed, she did her own crosstitch charts). I think she still does the giveaways every few weeks (and one right now, until the 12th) and you can pick any chart from her site, so maybe some of you are interested in that. The group is called "Nene Thomas Art in Crossstitch" (you can also see a few of the stitched designs there, they look quite good). Anyway, I took the chance to pick one of her epic designs (the big ones, what else?). I chose Sekkerostoya:

I think it's amazing, but it's also huge (550x895), so I need to plan this before starting it :D 

And yes, I also got a few new Haed charts during their last sale =)

Here is QS Patchwork Quilt Room by Ciro Marchetti, I love the flowers, the color and that tea set!

 Gardeners Paradise by Dona Gelsinger (max color). I guess I don't need to explain this...

 And Ladybird in the Meadow by Lucy Pittaway, it's so cute!

So I think these are my new charts for now, I love them all! I don't even know which one to start next. I am drawn to the Patchwork Quilt, but I also love the second Wonderwoman or the Arwen&Aragorn  chart... Gardeners Paradise is great, but I am already stitching the companion piece (Garden Gate)...  Ah, we will see! I am trying not to start them all at once ;-)

I think this is all I have to show for now =)

Happy Stitching =)

WIPocalypse - June

Ah I have been sort of surprised by this WIPocalypse, in my head there were 31 days in June and I thought it the WIPocalypse posting would be due for the upcoming Sunday. Well, here we go.... As always, I am including this months link-up here and since I am late, a few people have already liked up there =)

This months question is about our ideal stitching retreat. I must confess, that I didn't think about the issue to much since I am currently not feeling like going on a retreat - I'm sure they are fun, but right now my weeks are really packed with things and during the weekend I am just glad to be home and without other people, lol. During the week there are so many people around, everything is hectic and during the weekend I enjoy the silence :D But going on a retreat, I would love a nice location, maybe a chance to sit outside as well, some nice people, good food and in the evening, a glass of wine ;-)

The topic for next month is a half year recap, so far I am not doing that well for my goals, so I hope to get some more done for next month. I will have a few weeks off during in July, so there is still hope. There is not too much hope, since I am still glued to my books and not getting any stitching done... So this months progress is not to impressive... But here we go:

First up is my last Maynia start - I did my fourth start on 31st May and it my first Maia/Anchor kit called "Geishas" and this is where I got:

And here is the design:

You can see, I started with the sitting Geishas face and I absolutely love it so far =) 

I also have a small finish to show. On 1st May I started one of the two designs from Liebevolle Kreuzstichentwürfe, here is where I left off last month:

And here is the finished piece:

The backstitching really adds a lot to it, the duck and the seagull are so cute! But the grass was horrible to stitch, it took ages to do all those longstitches... But I really love the result =) And I am definitely going to stitch the second design this year =)

Next I decided to pick up my Gecko Rouge design called "Sloth". I don't know what it is with this one, but it just takes ages to stitch- my usual progress on this one is about 200 stitches per night... Maybe it's because I am doing 2 over 1 and using my laying tool.... Well, I only got one column done, so 890 stitches on top... I went from here:

To here:

Since I really want to stitch the first quarter of this in 2018, I plan on stitching another column in July =)

Another project that didn't get to much love (but is currently on my frame and getting more love) is my Kreimhilds Revenge. I added one column since you last saw her and went from here:

To here:

Stitching all that black is a bit dull, but you can now see the tip of her spear =) It's just 770 stitches so far, but I was planning on doing my post next Sunday and thought I would have more time to work on her :D She will definitely get more love this month, I plan on working on her at least until the end of June and will do my best to get a page finish =)

Last but not least, since finishing my Hadrangeas in April, I was looking for another smaller project I could focus on. First I wanted to finish the lighthouse from my Maynia start, which I did, and now I have chose "Cliffside Beacon" by Dimensions Gold. I am already more than halfway done and it's a beautiful summer design. I am adding a few stitches then and again (getting along nicely while stitching all the black on Kreimhild). Here is where you last saw it:

And here is where I am now, just a hand full of stitches added, but every stitch counts, right?

Well, this is truly all I have for this month... And I am off to bed now, along with a nice book and one or two hours of reading ;D

Happy stitching =)

WIPocalypse April - including some finishes ;-)

Yes, the title is correct, this post actually features some finishes and those who know me also know, that this a very rare! But don't worry, I didn't finish any BAPs ;-)

This wonderful SAL is hosted by Measi and as every month, there is a link-up for this month, you can find it here. Also, as every month, there is a question:

"Tell us about your longest running WIP or UFO"

This actually brings two projects to my mind, one is featured in this post anyway and I would consider it a WIP, the other is tending to be an UFO because I constantly forget to work on it.

Well, fist my UFO, which is also my oldest project. It's a Dimensions Gold kit called "Paris Market" and I think it's a pretty design.

I am not completely sure about when I started this, I think it was in 2010? This would make sense because in early 2011 I found Haed and my progress on this one was slowed down :D I honestly don't know why I don't work on this more often, it is pretty and colorful. Usually, working on the tree puts me a bit down because nothing seems to happen, but last year I stitched my way down to the flowers which a a lot more fun to stitch.

You know, my very fist stitching project was a little duck, a kit I found in one of my parents cupboard. It was one of the kits you give to children to teach them to stitch, so it was really basic. But this caught my interested and after looking at a lot of designs, I decided that a Dimensions Gold would be a good start (go big or go home). I originally wanted to go for Aurora Cabin, but I remember that it was summer and very hot, so I wanted to start with a summer design instead of a winter design, so I got Paris Market. I did get Aurora Cabin a few months later and started working in that one and in February 2011 I got my first Haed pattern and worked and I went down the serial starter lane ;-)
I also had a lot of drama with this one. I was a newbie when I started this, I made a lot of mistakes and that put me off working on it for a while. But I finally sat down and froged all the wrong stitches and started working on this one for the YOTA SAL (back in the days). Since Yota is no more, I am in need of a big kick to pick this up more often.
I just noticed that there was only one update on Paris Market in 2017 (it was in May), I always forget that this one exists. It is somewhere between a UFO and a WIP, but I definitely want to finish is. Therefore I am going to pick this up for a few days and try to get a few stitches in!

The second project that comes to my mind is my oldest Haed Kreimhilds Revenge, the one that took my attention away from Paris Market. I got the pattern in February 2011 and ordered the materials around that time, but I think it was already late March or April when I started her, My first update on her was on 8th April and at that time I was about 75% done with page 1.
I would consider her my oldest WIP because it is my oldest project on which I am updating on a regular basis. So I am doing a better job on her than on my Paris Market ;-) Those who follow my blog know, that I am working on her every month and so there is also a new update on her, I went from here:

To here:

A row finish, yay! Now I also crossed the halfway point pagewise ;-) Picking her up every month and stitching about half a page definitely adds up over time :) I think the next row will feature her shield and her spear and - the best part - not so much sky!
The sky on this was really putting me off for some time, especially since I am stitching on ivory colored Lugana, so the bright colors are hard to see.
She surely has a lot of mistakes, misplaced stitches, some knots, grid lines, page lines... everything that could possibly go wrong, went wrong, but I sort of taught myself about stitching while I worked on her, there were times when I thought about restarting her due to all those mistakes, but I decided to keep and love her as she is ;-)
And one glorious day, she will look like this:

I don't know why I picked her, I just fell in love with her the instant I saw her ;-) I am know at 139.950 stitches and my next goal is to hit the 150.000 stitches mark (which I will surely achieve this year), I super motivated to work on her again =)

This also brings us to my progress for this month. Apart from Kreimhild, I have three more projects to show, including 2 finishes.

But first up is my work on my Golden Kite project "Crossing the Stream". It's one of my largest projects, so I try to get some work into it. Luckily the Golden Kite pages are smaller than the Haed pages, so it's easy to stitch a whole page and that's what I did. I went from here:

To here - page 3 is done:

I have now 10.117 stitches done, so it's still a (very) long way to go. But stitching Haeds for so many years taught me one thing: Just focus on the current progress and don't calculate how much there is still to go ;-)  As long as it is fun to stitch, everything is fine and I am definitely enjoying this one =) Though I would love to stitch something else than trees, maybe I will start working down ;-)

Now for my finishes. The first one is a small design I started around Easter - one of the Mill Hill Easter eggs that are entirely done in beads. This is Daffodil Egg:

I screwed up the colors in the top part of the egg and it took me aged to notice it. But I liked it, so it stays like this... Who cares about the stripes, as long as the flower is not pink instead of yellow, I don't care :D

The second finish I have is another Mill Hill -my Buttons and Beads kit called "Hydrangeas". I got a rush and finished all the remaining cross stitching and then started beading and is all went quite fast after all. I could have done this months ago, but well... better late then never.
Last time:

And now - done and dusted:

It's super pretty in real life, but you know, beads are always hard to catch on camera. Since I really love Hydrangeas, I want to frame this. I also have a companion piece called Geranium (I got it for my birthday) and I want to stitch and frame that one, too. I don't think I own a matching frame, so I will need to look for one. You can see that the design is not centered, but I plan to hide that when I frame it ;-)

I guess this is all I have for this month. My plans for next month are to start on the fifth row of pages on Kreimhild, get some stitches into Paris Market and choose a new small project that I want to try and finish next (maybe Cliffside Beacon or that DMC bird I found when I tidied up my cupboard).

Happy stitching =)