Assessing 2013 Goals

These were my goals for this past year:

• 01. My Own Crazy Challenge: work on unfinished class pieces from 2005-date.  Well, I did work on the Mystic Pocket from Thea Dueck.
• 02. Complete two BAPs: TW's Woodland Angel Stocking for Liam and The Woodland Maiden Stocking for Piper.  Finished Liam's stocking and kitted up Piper's.
• 03. Limit new starts to one for every two UFO/WIPs completed.   I made ten new starts, eight of which were ornaments, because the strain of working on just "old" projects got to me.  Otherwise I worked on Class projects and UFOs almost exclusively.  But since those were mostly BAPs, I didn't exactly rack up the numbers.
• 04. Stitch a few more Heart ornaments for the Anniversary-Valentine's Day tree.  I never did get to this.
• 05. Stitch one ornament a month from the 2006 Indy Town Square SAL.  I didn't manage twelve but I did stitch five: a paltry number, I know, but still better than none.
• 06. Limit stash purchases to fabric, fiber and tools needed to complete charts on hand.  Okay, sue me.  I bought two needlepoint charts and four cross stitch chart.    My husband also bought three more charts as a gift.  So, I guess I blew that goal out of the water this year.
• 07. Continue to blog regularly, aiming for every other day.  There was a huge gap in May and June when I did next to no stitching or blogging.  Even so, the number of posts is actually only ten posts shy of  half of 365.
• 08. Make an effort to catch up on sewing and framing finishes.  Twenty three sewing finishes but I have yet to find a framer to replace my go-to guy who retired after his wife and business partner died.
• 09. Inventory and declutter existing stash.  I have been working on this, a little at a time.  I have weeded out all the charts I have already stitched and will never stitch again.  I have given them away.  I have also severely reduced my binder of printed out freebies to those few I really will stitch or, having already stitched, am likely to stitch again as gifts or exchanges.
• 10. Change EGA membership to cyber-stitcher.  I'll do this when my membership comes up for renewal.

      Not exactly a stellar year for goals achievement, but I do tend to over reach.  Only five of the ten goals accomplished.  But there was some slow but steady progress on a number of projects.  So, when all is said and done, I am pleased with this year's stitching.

2013 Stash Accounting

Every year since 2010, I have done an accounting of the money I have spent on stitching.  This year will be no different.

2013 Expenditures:

On Charts:    $  95.43 

On Fibers:    $ 174.44

On Fabrics:   $ 0.00

On Embellishments [Beads, buttons]:  $ 14.83

On Tools and Accessories:  $ 25.75

On Framing: $0.00

On Books, Magazines and Subscriptions:  $ 40.00

On Classes and Retreats:  $ 495  [Stitcher's Hideaway Mystic I]

Shipping/Handling/Insurance  $ 14.34

Memberships in stitching organizations: $ 60.00

Total   $  779.79

As in the past few years, my biggest expense has been the Stitcher's Hideaway, an annual treat that I would be loathe to give up.  For the most part I have been stitching from stash with a minimum of new purchases.  The amount spent on charts came as a surprise to me as I tallied it up.  One third of the amount [$31.47, to be precise] was spent by my husband who bought the charts as an anniversary gift but the rest is squarely on my head.  It's more than I have spent on charts in several years.  And I thought I was being so good.  Then I did splurge on some Glorianna silks.  I couldn't resist the 50% discount at Chris' Collection Closeout sale and spent $145.00 on the silks alone.  I wish Chris the best in her retirement.  

The figure of $779.79 divided by 365 days in a year works out to $2.13 a day.  Most people spend more than that on coffee or other minor vices,  So I don't feel all that guilty though I do think I shall try to be a bit more frugal in 2014.

Merry Christmas

Putting Up my Tree

I put up my Christmas decor, such as it is, on Christmas Eve and take it down on the Feast of the Epiphany.  I have three trunks filled with Christmas tree ornaments, Christmas figurines and framed stitching, Christmas linens, candle holders, creche sets, etc.  But as I get older, I find I use very little of it.  Less has become more.

This year I am just putting up my hall tree with stitched ornaments and a small live potted tree in the living room.

Here are a few shots of the minimalist Christmas here.

A small creche figurine on the hall table and a wreath on the door complete the decorations this year.  In a few years, I'll be retired and have the time to do more.  I have a nice collection of framed Sue Hillis Santas that I usually put up along the tops of my book cases along with my collection of ceramic Santas.  And one trunk is filled with 40 years worth of ornaments.  When I am retired, I hope to put a big tree in the living room and a small one in every other room.

I suspect that sometime next summer I shall have a sort of Christmas in July 2014 celebration, when I shall sort through all the decorations and make decisions about what I shall keep and what I shall offer to my grown children and what I shall offer to the consignment shop.

Further Progress

It feels good to be making progress on this floral motif band.  Not good in the sense of enjoying the activity, though.  Rather good in the sense of nearly being done with a distasteful chore that is a necessary prelude to a more enjoyable activity.  Though, I will admit that these motifs are a little less irritating the second time around.  Perhaps familiarity  breeds comfort rather than contempt.  And they do seem to stitch up more quickly the second time around as well.  As a whole, this sampler is really an interesting and enjoyable step outside my comfort zone: a lot of very bright colors, a surprising juxtaposition of unrelated motifs, a more British than American design aesthetic.

Just to give you some perspective, this is what the band looked like in my December 2nd Progress photo.

And here is where I stand after three weeks stitching solely on this project.  It was pretty slow going, with a fair amount of frogging at first.  But things sped up a bit once I got accustomed to the motifs.  I was surprised by the change in color on the star motifs on the right: everything else in the band is quite symmetrical.  I just need to complete the bottom points on the stars and then do all the back stitching and this band will be history.  But for now I'll be putting this aside till Christmas night.  I still have lots of last minute stuff to do for the holiday.  I won't have time to stitch till my guests for afternoon tea go home on Christmas Day.  So don't expect any more progress photos till 12/26.

Since I am on Christmas recess from December 23 through January 3, I am hopeful that there will be enough stitching time to complete The English Band Sampler by Dec. 31st, thereby meeting my 2013 goal of finishing two BAPs in the year.  If not, at least it will serve as a BAP finish early in 2014.

How Many Different Ways Can I Say...

I am still stitching on Band 6 of The English Band Sampler.  This fussy band is made fussier still by the need to mirror exactly those small counting errors made on the left side of the band.  There was absolutely no way I was going to do extensive frogging when a little attention to maintaining symmetry would do the trick.  And, no, I am not going to tell you where I made the errors.  The sharp eyed among you have probably already found the mistakes.

So, this is what things looked like when last seen.

Current Progress

As you can see, my progress is painfully slow.  A vicious cycle has set in.  My dislike of this band has decreased my motivation to spend large chunks of my time on it, which in turn stretches the process out, which in turn increases my aversion, etc.  I haven't lost my enthusiasm for the whole design, just for this band.  And this band seems to be never-ending.  At least I have managed to complete the border and divider on the right side of the band and have stitched the floral motifs.  The star motifs are yet to be stitched.

I estimate that it will take me six or seven more hours to finish this band and move on to a more interesting one.

Okay, I want My Christmas Traditions Back and I want Them NOW!!!

I have avoided engaging in the Christmas Wars.  Even though working for the Catholic Church would seem to put me on the front lines.

It really doesn't matter to me whether a person says Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings or Merry Christmas.

I don't flaunt bumper stickers, T-shirts or lapel pins with messages like Keep Christ in Christmas, Jesus is the Reason for the Season or It's okay to wish me a Merry Christmas.

I ignore the silly "Christmas" songs on the radio.  You know the sort:  Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, Yingle Bells, Hairy Christmas and such.  I hum Christmas Carols to myself.

The town hall lawn can be adorned by menorah's, creches, Kwanza candles till it looks like Disney World for all I care.  

I avoid malls, outlets and shops from November through January.  I blithely delete all the e-mails offering me one last chance for free shipping before Christmas.  I have no clue what the latest must-have toy or electronic gadget is.  If other people want to get all involved in that consumerism schtick ... hey, more power to them.

I may be a devout Roman Catholic but I have always lived in very diverse communities and I don't expect the world to revolve around my belief system.

BUT DON'T MESS WITH MY CHRISTMAS FOOD!

Not one single local grocery has had a stollen or a fruitcake for sale. And, yes, I have been making the rounds since Thanksgiving.  I finally had to break down and order a 2lb fruit cake from Harry & David for $29.95 plus shipping and handling.  Still can't find a stollen.  I'll be surfing the Internet to find the nearest German bakery tonight.  If I have to go into the city [NYC] just to find a stollen, I am going to be one cranky elf.

And do you know how hard it is to find old-fashioned candy canes in red and white stripes flavored with peppermint?  Oh, there's french vanilla, spearmint, cherry, cherry vanilla, root beer and eggnog flavor.  For all I know, there's  even spinach and tripe flavor.  And the colors: rainbow, green and white, blue and white [for the Channukah trade?!?], brown and white, cream and green, etc.

And marzipan.  I need this to make pignoli cookies.  Has it suddenly ceased to exist?

Come to think of it, I haven't seen any chestnuts in the produce sections of the supermarkets, either.  Peanuts roasting over an open fire just doesn't have the same cachet!

Another Stitching Meme

I found these questions on Stitch Bitch's blog and thought it might be fun to answer them myself.
1)   Which fabric do you most prefer? 36 ct and 40 ct linen, though if a design is charted for 28 or 32 ct, I will work with it 

2)   What is your favorite fabric count? It depends on the design and on my end game!  I have been known to stitch something designed for 28ct on 40 ct if I want to reduce the size dramatically ... and vice versa.

3)   What color fabric do you most enjoy stitching on? Mostly neutrals for samplers but I stitch a lot of fantasy charts that tend to look better against an over dyed green [suggesting forests] or an over dyed grey [suggesting a winter sky] or an over dyed blue [suggesting skies].  And I do like the dramatic punch that comes from stitching on black linen but the design has to be right.

4)   What is your favorite fiber? I love silk for most stitching but I admit to loving all the glitzy specialty fibers as well when working on ornaments.  Wools and wool blends for needlepoint, over dyed cottons for a lot of my cross stitch projects.  It really depends on what I am working on.

5)   How many of the 450 DMC Colors do you own?   All but the newest releases from this past Fall.

6)   Of your last five projects—how many used DMC/Anchor as the main floss? One.

7)   Of the last five projects, if you didn’t use DMC/Anchor—what did you use? Over dyed cotton floss from GAST, Week's Dye Works and Crescent Colors.

8)   What needles do you prefer? 28 Bohin and 28 Piecemaker tapestry needles since they are both slim enough to serve as beading needles for petite seed beads.  I like John James 28 petites for the same reason.

9)   What is the UGLIEST design you’ve encountered? I can't be bothered remembering such things.

10) What is the most BEAUTIFUL design you’ve encountered? I have stitched many Teresa Wentzler designs and would be hard put to decide which was the most beautiful.  I have also stitched a Sweetheart Tree Christmas Sampler, Holly and Hearts, that I thought quite lovely.  And then I have seen some gorgeous work at the Show & Tell sesions of retreats and on blogs that I read.  Impossible to pick just one.  And anyway, why would I ever stitch something I didn't think beautiful or clever or appealing in some way.

11) Who is your favourite designer?  Depending on my mood, Teresa Wentzler,  Prairie Schooler, Victoria Sampler, Primitive Needle, Sue Hillis, Cedar Hills, Dragon Dreams and at least half a dozen others.

12) Least favourite designer? Anything saccharine sweet or involving teddy bears, Precious Moments, cartoons, or self-conscious cuteness, etc.  But specific designers:  Brooks Designs, Lizzie Kate and their ilk

13) Will you/would you support a designer whose personal beliefs offended/angered you? Personally, I am not offended or angered by the sincerely held belief systems of others, except in extreme cases like hate groups such as Neo-Nazis or White Supremacists or the Westboro folks.  I tend to be a live and let live sort.  For that matter, I can't say I have a clue about the belief systems of any designers whose work I stitch.

14) Do you have a lamp especially made for needleworkers/crafters? Yes, I have a Brite Lite.

15) What brand of stitching lamp do you have/prefer? It's not so much the brand as the lamp.  I miss my old table top Ott with magnifier and lamp in one.  I will have to replace it as my Brite Lite is too much of a light weight, always tipping over at the slightest tap.  Ultimately, I'd like to get a Dazor floor lamp with magnifier.

16) What kind of environment best suits you when you are stitching? I like my straight back wooden chair with cushions supporting my spine. It is set up next to my book case and with a small table in my living room.  I generally watch DVDs while stitching.

17) Have you stitched any design more than once? Yes, a few ornaments or smalls for exchanges.

18) Favourite design you have stitched and finished?  This is a tough one: some of my samplers or one of my dragons or faeries.  I don't have an answer, off the top of my head ... so, I guess that means I don't have a favorite.

19) Least favourite design you’ve stitched and finished? A design featuring a shed wall covered with lobster buoys that I stitched for my husband.  Second runner up: a design of a cat entangled in toilet tissue that I stitched at the specific request of my husband who assured my sister-in-law that I'd be "happy to stitch it for her".  He now knows not to make promises he can't keep! 

20) Last, but not least, what’s your longest running WIP? My last BAP, Teresa Wentzler's Woodland Angel Christmas Stocking took 17 months of intermittent stitching.  I think the Teresa Wentzler Autumn Faerie took nearly as long.

Still Plugging Away at the Sampler

I am becoming something of a schizophrenic stitcher.  For the most part, I have become a one BAP at a time stitching dervish. But, every so often, during what I will call BAP overload, another stitching persona surfaces who only wants to stitch a flurry of smalls.

For the moment the OCD BAP stitcher persona is still in control of my body and I am working diligently on The English Band Sampler.  Since my work week is compressed into four days, Mon-Thurs, I had some time on Friday and Saturday to work on my sampler and I managed to stitch for 4 or 5 hours, working around the usual household chores and mealtimes.  I did have to do a bit of frogging.  I guess it is not a good idea to satin stitch on a high count fabric late at night.  Tired eyes are all too likely to miscount linen threads nestled under a satin stitch, throwing off the symmetry.  But otherwise things are moving along smoothly but ever so slowly.

Since this is such a repetitive design, it is perfectly understandable that reader interest has plummeted.  Heck, I am having a bit of a struggle keeping up my own interest as I face repeating the motifs.  I have only completed the left half of the band and the divider and border on the right.  The only difference between the half I have stitched and the half on the right of the divider is that the design is flipped head over tail.  Otherwise, each half features the same repetitive floral and star motifs.  Hardly the sort of thing to inspire bated breath delight.  I guess every project has its rough patch ... even the dearly loved Woodland Angel had its snow drift!  I am really looking forward to getting past this band.  But at the rate I am going, it shouldn't take more than a decade or two.

I'll hold off posting a progress photo till there is more progress to boast about.

Still Working on the Sampler

My cold kept me home on Monday.  I didn't try to stitch for fear I'd just have to frog it all.  I can't seem to concentrate when I have a cold.  And this cold is perniciously persistent.  [I do love alliteration.]

Progress when last seen

And, on Tuesday, the schools were all closed for snow and I was feeling just well enough to get a little stitching done.  I finished the two motifs that were started in the above photo and have started back stitching and specialty stitching on them.  To complete the band, I have to duplicate what you see below to the right but flipping the stars to the top and the floral motifs to the bottom and completing the satin stitched border that looks rather like a double  helix.  Now, I picked this up again after a little over a year on Friday, 11/29.  At that time, all I had stitched and back stitched was the flower on the upper left and the Tudor Rose was stitched but not back stitched.  It has taken me 12 days to stitch three motifs and do some of the back stitching and specialty stitching.  At this rate, it will take the rest of the month to get the second half of this band done.  This is a very fussy and time consuming band.

Current Progress

I'll be working a 12 hour day today so I will bring this with me to stitch when on my lunch and dinner breaks.  I hope I will have a much better progress photo soon.  I have a three day weekend and we are expecting heavy snow Saturday and Sunday so it will be something of a hermitting weekend.  We shall see how much stitching I get done.