Stitch progress

Last week wasn't a good stitch week. I had three days of not touching a needle because of the usual reason...the lump in my brain causing waves of almost intolerable pain followed by bouts of drug-induced napping which caused many a sleepless night leading to more pain, and round and round it went. Needle Club was pretty much out of the question and A Rainy Wedding got left by the wayside for yet another week. So much for its quick finish.

But after three days of a steroid pack and a day of quality time with my bestie on Saturday, I'm finally getting my composure back and managed to hit three separate projects today alone. Throughout the week, I did briefly touch A Summer Ball, but it was mostly white thread, so the progress doesn't look like much. I left it off here:

and got to here:


Tartan B went from here:

to here:


Alice and the Bouguereau Princesses went from here:

to here at 13.5 hrs:


And Maleficent went from here:

to here at 24.03 hrs:


I thought that the myriad of different projects scattered around the house would drive me nuts, but it's nice to know that when one project gets on my nerves and I'm not ready to stop stitching, I have options. I still REALLY hate working on A Summer Ball though. Had I not managed to get so far already, I would have burned it in effigy. I don't know how I can ever finish it in this state. But I do wonder if I haven't "hated it up" so much in my mind, that I've made it much worse than it actually is. I've only ever hated gifted projects, mainly because the patterns picked for the recipients aren't to my taste, but to theirs...even after all these years I still have nightmares about the giant Jesus head. Maybe it's a clue that I need to gift A Summer Ball, although I'm not sure to who. Then again, I might stick with the original plan to frame it and take it to work so that I can be constantly reminded never to force myself through a hated piece again. Guess I'll have to finish it first and then decide its fate.

I did learn a valuable lesson this week...don't ever try to frame with a migraine. I ended up being too rough and broke the first frame, shattering glass and all, which tore some threads. The piece had to be unmounted, re-stitched in areas where it was tore by the glass, remounted, and reframed, but she's finally done and ready to go to work tomorrow to settle into her new home:


Still four more days of the steroid pack and hopefully it will cull my headaches for a while...they usually do. Besides, I'm sure the ice covering the roads right now is going to keep things "interesting" for at least the first part of the week. I don't know how much stitching will get done next week either but I would at least like to get to the next color on Maleficent...the navy checkerboard is driving me mad!

Angel In Lilac - Week 33 1/2 - FINISHED!

I had several late nights, but I made it to the finish line and here she is in her entirety:


I actually finished her last night, but it was way too late to post it. I got home early enough tonight, but got called back in, so this is the first chance I've had to get her up. Considering she is 12 pages, I'm surprised at how small she really is, especially compared to Pea. She literally fits in two mattress layers of Pea easily. But anyhoo, onwards and upwards...Maleficent starts Friday!

The Angel from Hades

My plan was to have Angel in Lilac finished before the New Year so that I can start on Maleficent and my rotation idea (which has morphed, but more on that later). I stitched non-stop all weekend long, living constantly in confetti hell, switching colors more often than I took breaths, and although I did make progress, I'm not sure I've made enough to get me to the finish line by the end of the week. I started last week here:



and ended here last night:


I know it doesn't look like there is much left, but trust me, working non-stop every non-working, waking hour between now and Friday still might not get me done. There is even more confetti to come in her wings and since they are so similar in tone, I'm more worried about them than the entire project (which is why I've saved them to last). Each one of the designs on her dress (I call them sea horses, not sure what they are), have about 40 colors each. Granted, it's why all the browns and yellows look gold, but dad-gum! Absolutely crazy! Give me a full project any day!

But, if by some miracle I do actually finish Angel before Thursday, that will mean I will have five finishes this year and that might be the most ever! The two HAED's, Angel (not pictured yet) and Pea:


A project for a friend:


A CloudsFactory project I did as a test for the A to Z Challenge to see how long the characters took to stitch up (which I still haven't framed):


and the actual Challenge stitch itself:


I WANT to start Maleficent on Friday. I've already got her kitted up, the material is on the scroll rods and I've even graphed out the first row. I've even taken most of the day off in anticipation of her start. It is eating me alive that I'm stuck in Angel-land. My eyes were constantly wandering longingly over to Maleficent all weekend. I may not be able to finish her and Alice and the B's, but one of them will probably be finished before the end of the year. And, if by some miracle I do manage to finish A Summer Ball and 35th Anniversary Celebration, well that will be three huge projects over and done with. Rainy Wedding should be a no-brainer finish, and Tartan B will get it's attention as well. Add to that a new Challenge stitch (if I decide to go that route), and I'm already on track to beat 2014's total.

Which brings me to the rotation idea o'mine. The idea of five projects on a Monday through Friday rotation sounded good at first, but the more I think about it, the more my Asper, one-tracked brain is rebelling. I think that is too much change in a week for me, so I've decided to modify the plan a bit. Maleficent will still be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday's child and Rainy Wedding will still be Thursday's Needle Club project (providing we can get through all these Thursday holidays), but I think that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday might be better spent as dedicated to one project, although I will be rotating them from week to week. Next Mon-Wed will probably be spent working on A Summer Ball and then the next week I'll switch to Alice and the B's, etc. We'll see if that works out better. I may wait until I finish A Summer Ball to finish 35th Anniversary since I can't stand either one of them and working on two "hated" projects week to week might just lead me back down solo project road. A Summer Ball could easily be finished in a month or two if I could focus on it. If I find that it's not too terrible, I may just stick with it until it's finished and then start the beginning week rotation to plan. All things considered, I know for sure that I'd be much better off taking baby steps with the whole rotation issue, at least for January, and see how it goes, versus diving head first only to end up with more straggled projects lying around.

Then there is the whole Disneyland planning issue. I know how obsessive I get with Disney World planning, all things, projects, and life stops around me and I become a trip planning machine. How horrible will I end up being over a place that I have never been to before? So much to learn and to organize. Here's hoping that my stitching doesn't take the 6 month sabbatical that it did last year!

IHSW - December 2014

Well, the last International Hermit and Stitch Weekend has passed for 2014! This is the first year since I started doing the IHSW that I actually missed a couple of months. Hopefully next year I'll be able to stick to a regular schedule (unless I get sidetracked by Disneyland planning).

I worked on Angel and Tartan B this weekend, but I didn't get a ton done because I ended up having to do some work for one of my bosses on Saturday and I went to Hobby Lobby and got the thread for Maleficent. On Sunday I got Pea mounted and ready for framing and got my thread for Maleficent wound up. I'm still waiting on the paper to come in to print her off, but I'm not going to start her until Angel is finished (or I might not finish Angel at all). I did manage a bit of work on Angel throughout the week and ended here:


Starting with my progress Friday:


Saturday:


and Sunday:


Tartan B ended here:


but I did manage to get a bit into the blue yesterday:

I definitely prefer the new blue to the old and I'm still happy that I scrapped the old one on linen in favor of this one on Aida (although I can't bring myself to throw away the old start just yet).

Hopefully, with a slack holiday schedule and a day off, I'll be able to get a chunk done on Angel. For a Quick Stitch, it's filled with confetti and it's driving me mad in areas, especially the wings and necklace. At least she's a standard size and I won't need to get her framed. I might have a mat cut professionally for her since she is going up at work, but any old frame should do.

Busy stitch week and next year's aspirations

Despite having the second worst work week of the year (or because of it...I tend to stitch more when I'm stressed), I managed quite a chunk of stitching this past week. Pea is in the home stretches and she went from here:


to here:

Barring death or dismemberment (or incarceration for a homicidal rampage), I fully intend to finish her this week.

Angel got a bit of work despite a short Needle Club. She went from here (and a better full picture of her):


to here:

If I plan it right with her and take her home immediately after finishing Pea, she could possibly be finished by the end of the year also, or at least during New Years break.

I finally jumped the fence with Tartan B as well as restarted it on Aida. I tried 18ct first, but thought it was a bit too big (that's what happens after years of working on 28ct), so I ended up going to 22ct and I absolutely LOVE it! It's so much cleaner than it was before on the linen (although the material might be just as thin):

I started it in a different area, so it doesn't quite look the same (yet). I also changed the blue color up a bit. I thought it was a bit too drabby to match the bright Christmas Red and Christmas Green colors, but I didn't go with my instinct to go with a brilliant royal blue. I tried to stay as true to my Tartan color as possible, just a bit more on the blue side and I think I found the right one. Time will tell. It's not even looking like a "B" yet anyway. I'm just happy I managed to appease my OCD monster...he was really rearing his ugly head on this one. I will definitely have to think twice about working on linen again.

I've been debating how I will start the new year. I know I will be starting Rainy Wedding at Needle Club for my co-worker:

It's pretty small and shouldn't take too long, but considering Needle Club is only three hours once a week, it still might take the year.

I know that Alice and the Bouguereau's will be my next big HAED:

And it will probably be my big focus piece.

I've been thinking about rotating a bit though and adding a couple of extra pieces. Maybe scheduling one project each day of the week, Monday through Friday with the weekend being spent on whichever of the five I choose (which will probably be Alice). That way, nothing gets left by the wayside, getting at least one day a week's worth of attention, and maybe A Summer Ball (which got left off here):

and 35th Anniversary Celebration (which got left off here):

will finally get finished (and considering Disney World is not far off from it's 45th, that might be a good thing)! Both of these projects I really hate...Summer Ball because of the fractional stitches and 35th because of the dark fabric. Lessons learned on both projects I guess. But both will look great when finished.

I can use the fifth day to start Sleepy Hollow Mural:

It's been kitted out for over a year now anyway. Once Summer Ball and 35th get done, I will keep at least one store-bought kit in rotation.

Needle Club has brought anticipation to Angel In Lilac and I'm hoping that rotating projects at home might create the same enthusiasm. Besides, I stitch a heck of a lot more than 3 hours at home (because I have no life), so they should see more growth than the Needle Club projects do, even if they don't make it into weekend rotation.

If I manage to stay on track, 2015 should see the finish of Tartan B, A Summer Ball, 35th Anniversary Celebration and Rainy Wedding and those will be replaced with my redo of Kitchen Fun (as my kit choice):


Snow White for Needle Club:


Night Wish:


And I say now that Belle of Bonaventure will be my next Jasmine HAED:

but my mood is always subject to change, so none of these may make the 2015 cut!

Kitchen Fun was a project I did many many years ago when I was married, but due to a faulty nail, the frame the original was in fell and broke and tore the old one. I had all the other mice kits tucked away in my stash, future projects that were meant to be finished as a set and all hung together anyway, so why not get started on them? If I remember correctly, they were pretty quick to stitch up and even pretty fun (for a kit). Tea Time as been sitting in a box for far too long now:

Right when I finished Tea Time is when Kitchen Fun broke. Fate was definitely involved, but I'm not sure if it was because she just wanted the frames to match (which can really only happen if they are bought at the same time) or if she was ushering out a project from a bad part of my life with one from a good part. Considering I have three or four of those in my stash, I hope it's not the later because the stages of my life are as varied as the projects themselves and I might end up spending the rest of my days stitching and restitching these puppies!

As of now, I'm also gonna say that I'm going to rotate my projects through IHSW as well, giving each ample stitch time and I say that I'm going to start taking one day off a month (instead of cashing in my vacation), kind of my own little IHSW, so we'll see how that goes. It's hard for me to take any days off, salaried or not, because I'm the only person who does I.T. for my company, so I don't have backup to cover everything. It's just easier to cash in vacation instead of taking it off, but my mood (and my poor battered head) hasn't been the best lately and that's entirely down to stress, so it's time to make some changes. Considering I'll probably never win the lottery so I can stay home 24/7 and stitch, I guess I'll settle with one day a month (or maybe a half a day twice a month, we'll see).

So there it is, 2015's goals and projects! I'm feeling a bit hopeful and contemplative with the upcoming finish of Pea, but I might feel sullen and downtrodden once she's done an all of my thoughts might do a complete 180. You never know with an Asper!

Stitching variations

I didn't touch Pea this week for various reasons...was going to Monday night, but an old friend came into town and we hung out for the night. Tuesday brought a horrible Wal-Mart shopping experience (you'd think Christmas shopping had already begun) and I was worn out afterwards. I brought Angel home to do over Thanksgiving and wound up not being able to put her down for the rest of the week. Here's her progression (and forgive the dark pictures...since I started taking pictures on my iPhone, I wanted to continue the process, but apparently iPhones and trailer lighting doesn't mix very well).

First night's finish:


To row finish:


Through tonight:

For a Quick Stitch, this has been a very surprising project. It is small, but it's got more confetti than any HAED I have done to date.

Since the very last row is less than two block rows, I decided not to do the final row separate and just finishing the piece in its entirety.

I also managed a bit more work on Tartan B:

Busy stitching week

Closer and closer she comes to being finished! I was very nearly done with the row at the beginning of the week:


and by early-mid week I had it done:

She looks so small while I'm stitching her, but all rolled out, she's huge! It's gonna cost me a fortune to get her framed!


But I did manage to get quite a bit into the final row:

This row will be much easier because the confetti is at a bare minimum. As a matter of fact, I'm almost done with most all of it now and it's pretty much smooth sailing from here!

I added an extra hour to Needle Club last week, but it didn't help much...Angel only went from here:


to here:

We won't have Needle Club this week due to the holiday...maybe I'll take her home and work on her Thanksgiving day. At least get further along if not done with this section so I can move on.

But to make myself feel better with my lack of Needle Club progress, I threw in a bit of work on Tartan B which went from here:


to here:

I'm still on the fence about the fabric, but it's such an easy pattern, I could always do it again if I don't like the result.

At least this week grants me an entire extra day of stitching! We don't do Thanksgiving in my family anymore (and I'm thankful for that), so I get to enjoy the day. I never liked Thanksgiving food and the stress of dealing with family has gotten too much for me to deal with in my old age. If it were just me and my sister, that would be one thing, but it's not. It's just better for me to stay away. That's the good thing about being an adult with Asperger's...there are no parents or counselors or teachers forcing you to do things you don't want to do because it's "good for you". I never understood that whole "good for you" mentality anyway. If something makes you miserably uncomfortable and causes lasting stress, then why be forced to do it? Why is the appearance of normality such a treasured goal? People always say that if you force yourself to step outside your comfort zone, it will get easier, but pretty much any Aspie will tell you that's utter and complete bull! The more I'm forced outside my comfort zone, the more I crawl inside myself and the worse I get. And the older I get, the more I realize it's SO not worth it! People at work keep asking about my Thanksgiving plans (you'd think they would know me by now) and give me that "poor Keiley" look when I try to explain. I'd be much worse off being forced into Thanksgiving versus doing it my way. Not everyone has the "perfect family" or likes to pretend they do. It is what it is and I am what I am (gee, I sound a bit like Popeye...must be all the spinach I eat!).

But I am hoping by Thanksgiving I'll be able to kick my Veronica Mars habit...I tried this past weekend after the fourth viewing of all three seasons (and probably the tenth viewing of the movie), but by last night, I was back in the trenches. I've got a couple of British DVD's on the way, so maybe they will redirect my attention for a while (at least long enough for me to get control), that is if they manage to come in this week. Ahh, the joys of OCD...if it's not one thing, it's another. At least it's diverting my Post-Disney Depression into a different outlet than the usual financially deprecating state I usually end up in. Some people eat when they are depressed...I spend, and spend lots, usually on Disney merchandise, but well past my means. If watching a TV show over and over and over again means I can save my wallet from being brutalized, then so be it! Besides, it provides a good background for stitching.