Focus=Low, Drive=High

For someone with the attention span of a gnat, I'm still making progress on stitching. I think both my ADHD and OCD are kicking into gear, so it's causing me to stitch almost everyday even though I can't pay enough attention to make much progress. I tried really hard to work on Faces 167, but I literally couldn't see it! I already had an eye doctor's appointment this week, so maybe I can get it straightened out next time this one rolls around. I should have never tried 32ct, it was a test run for the SS/MC bookshelves (which I didn't want to be gigantic, but I started the first one on 28ct anyway, so why did I torture myself with a test run that would be a total project?). Oh well, lesson learned! As I mentioned in my last post, I left off on this one on Jan 29th, 2024 with 14,533 stitches done out of 50,175, which makes a total 28.96% done (as well as 68.43 hrs in):

I literally worked on it for one night, moving up to only 14,817/50,175 (or 284 stitches) and another 1.84 hrs of stitching (I think I spent more time squinting than stitching, which is what you'll have to do to see the progress):

I gave up and decided on Sleepy Hollow Mural by Lewis T. Johnson, another HAED (I've been on HAED kick I guess). I left off on this one Feb 11, 2024, 10,407 stitches in out of 246,000, or 4.23% and 150.93 hrs.

The issue with this one is it is so dad-gum wide! I thought it would be easier if it was on scroll rods instead of a q-snap (I still can't get the hang of q-snaps), but apparently not. The q-snaps really warped the fabric as well, probably because I'm not good at using them. I had issue mounting Sleepy Hollow on my newish stand because it kept tipping over due to the width and the weight of it, so I put it in the stand that these particular scroll rods go on, but it's a center-mount lap stand that doesn't work well when you have a pup sitting between your legs. I literally have to sit the stand on his back, which he doesn't mind, but it makes me uncomfortable and constantly aware of the pressure I use. He is, afterall, only 9lbs and really old. I think he thinks of it as shiatsu-Shih-Tzu massage...I personally wouldn't like it if there was this constantly-moving, twice-my-size, wooden cross stitch stand moving all over my back. And it's not like I can put him down, he just sits in the floor in front of me and barks until I pick him up again. Spoiled brat! After two days of fighting with it and him (technically three, but you'll see in a mo-mo), I gave up on this one too at 11,958/246,000 (or 1551 stitches in), or 4.86%. It was an additional 6.49 hrs, making it a total of 157.42, but the third day was only composed of 0.08 hrs, so that's why I'm only counting two days on this one (and here it is in all its wide glory):

Friday night was a tornado night (it's that season again), so I was paying more attention to the weather instead of stitching. Saturday, I spent the day cleaning carpets, washing various blankets and whatnots, and putting down the new throw rugs I bought weeks ago. I also went through all the pending printed cross stitch patterns that have been sitting in a box in my entryway for over a year or maybe two. I sorted them into their various binders as well as ordering new binders for the ones that were left (not that there is room on those shelves for more binders, so I guess they will all live in the closet). Overall, it was just a crappy day for stitching. I did, however, pick up Evil Queen, which is a pattern from Thread Geeks, late on Saturday. I last left off on her on Feb 26, 2024 (one of my leap year starts) and she previously only got one day of love, which got her 3.7 hrs, 934 stitches out of 86,688 and 1.08%.

Since I only stitched a bit Saturday night, I was super-determined on Sunday and did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself! I'm sure it's because this one is a non-dithered pattern, but I literally put in 13.92 hrs Sat night and all day Sunday (and 10.5 hrs of that was Sunday alone). I'm now up to 4595/86,688 (or 3661 more stitches) which is 5.3%:

Regina is my project for this week, but I'm just gonna take it day by day (I could literally change projects tonight if the mood hits, and I'm just going with that mentality). The thing about this one that bugs me is it's all greens and tans and blacks, even though the mockup looks all blues and purples and pinks and blacks (and the purple-blue family are technically more in Regina's wheelhouse anyway):

I would chalk it up to not being at the purple-blue area yet, but there is not a single thread in the box for those shades. I'm really curious to see how it's going to turn out and I'm a bit worried as well. I would hate to get pretty far into this and realize all the colors are off (another Alice and the B's quandry). Oh well, we'll see how this week goes. I still have numerous stitch projects I haven't touched yet before I rotate back around again. Plus, as of now, all that area to the far left on Regina is nothing but black, and I'm not sure I want to get into another Hook issue where I'm stitching nothing but a solid background (and Hook will be coming up soon because the background triggered me).

Speaking of Hook, the issue with it is, I'm constantly thinking I should restart it on white and just ignore the background instead of stitching it. But I also don't want to get far enough in (like Snow White) where I can't go back because I'm too far gone. Plus, I'm thinking about the other three that make up this set (there is a Jefferson, August and Graham to match and do I really want to do all this background stitching three more times?). I left off on Hook by Tilton Crafts on Feb 1st, 2024 at 61.1 hrs in, 14,418/148,750 stitches in or 9.69%:

But, as you can see, there is still a ton more white to do yet. Ugh. I'm just not ready to let it go and start over though. I just keep thinking (and probably stupidly), what an accomplishment all that background stitching will be and how amazing it will look when finished (again, probably a stupid thought). I wish "work smarter not harder" was my motto, but apparently I missed the day they handed out "logical goals".

And, just for reminder, here is Hook, followed by Jefferson, Graham and August (and that's a LOT of white):

Here's something I need your guys help with...how do you exclusively use electronic patterns? I'm still stuck in paper world (hence the bindering up of patterns on Saturday). Since I stitch two-handed on scroll rods, they cover my legs completely and block my view of the tablet. I keep the paper copy clipped to the top with a hair clip and can use my right hand well enough to mark off with a colored crayon (but there is no way my right is dexterous enough to use an iPencil on an iPad). The paper pattern is constantly in my face and makes it easy for my eyes to shift back and forth, whereas I only use the tablet to keep track of progress by marking off the stitching at the end of the night and clocking in and out of a time keeper app for time. The project isn't strong enough to hold the iPad and I can't see a smaller Android tablet (and I don't like them, I just live in Apple world). I can't stitch one-handed anymore because, well, it's way slower, and my right hand just cramps closed around it and I have to pry it open (and it hurts). That's the reason why I had to stop playing video games, the neuropathy keeps me from knowing how hard I'm gripping something. Do you guys use a tablet stand? Not that I have any room on the left for it, but if I thought it would work, I could try it. Do you just keep pulling the tablet up and down? I can't be the only person that works two-handed, am I? Any thoughts or ideas you have would be greatly appreciated!