Category Archives: goals

WIP Wednesday #253

Posted in cross stitch, goals, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Teresa Wentzler by

Hey everyone! Hope you’ve had a good week.

Last week’s #magicalstitches revolved around Professor Umbridge. If you could match the options, it was 1000 stitches total or if you chose penalty stitches, 2000. Eep. But 200 stitches a night is usually achievable for me so I tried to match.

  1. The colour Pink – Fairy Idyll’s bedlinens
  2. Tea or Teacups – I found an Emma Congdon/Stitchrovia series of smalls. Originally in Cross Stitch Crazy, they’re now available on her Etsy store.
  3. Kittens – which had to be domestic cats, so Tapestry Cat came back into play.
  4. A pattern name that starts with one of the letters R.U.L.E.S – I chose Shakespeare’s Fairies
  5. A designers’ name that starts with one of the letters S.T.R.I.C.T – here I had a couple of options with Teresa Wentztler (TC or Guardian) or one of the Sandra Cozzolino designed Mill Hill Santas.

Halfway thru the week, it was confirmed that you could use the designer name or the company it was released with, and it suddenly dawned on me that hello, it’s Nora CORBETT and C is in strict. Insert facepalm mode. So as Fairy Idyll was in front of me at the time, I knocked out another block there.

Family wise it’s a bit odd. Out of mum’s day-to-day loop, so it was a shock to find out she’d been so ill she’d been prescribed antibiotics. We had the same conversation three times on Monday night when I took up her morphine allocation. Plus with the SIL constantly going on about money. Its super hard not to bite back, but that would achieve nothing. Our focus has always been to give Mum a good life, to show our gratitude physically as well as verbally e.g. the ramps we built so she could ignore steps & use her Zimmer, altering the height of her ensuite basin so she didn’t have to bend, organise car servicing etc…I couldn’t tell you how much money or time we’ve spent, but hello, it’s Mum.

Sorry for the downer end.

WIP Wednesday #251 & bonus book mini-review

Posted in books, cross stitch, goals, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Teresa Wentzler, travel by

Morning everyone! This time last week I was absorbing the fantastic Becoming by Michelle Obama (audible version, which has the bonus of being in her voice and so with her intonations and emphasis). It was great, for work and playtime and transit time. The only obvious problem is of course the book hangover that results from a great read. Regardless of your colour, creed, race, status or whatever – this one will have some lesson to take onboard, even if it’s just that what’s on someone’s surface isn’t necessarily true. Look to their actions, and be empathetic. Remember that person next to you in the supermarket queue also has problems and prejudices, and work to minimise yours in such a way that others are enabled. Or at least, not inconvenienced or damaged.

Right. Onto the lighter stuff. Last week was the first relating to The Order of the Phoenix. I worked on the actual challenge points:

  1. Boring neighbour – 300 on something that can get boring – I used Mermaid of Atlantis’ borders and you’d think that would be straight forward. EHHHH no. Not when you look at the chart and count the BS line as where a ten block finishes…and it actually doesn’t! I had to frog 70-odd silk stitches (carefully!) and their corresponding BS line as I was two rows out. I’ve now started on the filigree corner for an Extra Credit task.
  2. Unapproved Magic – 300 on a project that’s been suspended for 5 months or your oldest WIP – Teresa Wentzler’s Tapestry Cat certainly qualified, as I started this in Christmas 2006! I worked in the Greek key sections on that top right corner and got in 600 back stitches. Boring but necessary.
  3. Dementor Attack – 300 on a project that has no faces –a new start, the Mill Hill Princess Carriage. As per, I’m making one for me and one for Ms Lou. I managed to get in all the stitching to be at the beading point – 758 stitches at work/training/travel.

This week’s challenge is around the address of 12 Grimmauld Place, the Black house that lies semi-hidden in London & is the home of the Order of the Phoenix. The options were either 500 stitches on WIPs 1 & 2, or 1000 on WIP 12. I’ve gone for the first option so there will be another session on Fairy Idyll and Tapestry Cat, as I just couldn’t face Guardian. I may or may not get this out – we’re leaving on a combo work/play trip tomorrow and neither of these WIPs is something I can take with me, FI being on the floor stand and TC being a complicated blend of multiple threads (plus white evenweave, eep!). At least there are large blocks of colour on the Mirabilia.

Bonus shot is of a mural we found in Point Chevalier, another suburb of Auckland. Not sure who the men are, perhaps the composers? But I liked it anyway.

20190707_171923.jpg

Have a good week!

WIP Wednesday #250

Posted in cross stitch, goals, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Morning everyone! Look at that, 250 posts in this series! I think that’s about the longest I’ve ever stuck with anything I didn’t give birth to, lol (excepting Si, of course).

Last week’s #magicalstitches homework was:

  1. Harry & Cedric touch the Cup at the same time – 200 on items that are touching. Shakespeare’s Fairies are holding hands… 204 STITCHES
  2. Voldemort attacks – 200 in grey or black. SF#2’s dress is grey… 206 STITCHES
  3. Cedric dies – 100 on a tombstone or graveyard scene. I have nothing here!
  4. Harry parents appear to help him – 200 on a piece you’ve had help with. Again, SF as I needed help to find the OOP chart… 225 STITCHES
  5. Mad Eye Moody & deceit – 200 on an ingredient in Polyjuice potion. SF again, as I used this in the Polyjuice task back in February. 207 STITCHES
  6. Harry donated his winnings to Fred & George for their joke shop – 100 on something that makes you laugh…think I’ll use Cloudsfactory Labyrinth… 113 STITCHES

The odd counts are because I tend not to leave a thread hanging, unless it leads to another page. That’s the half way mark on Shakespeare’s Fairies & I’m pretty excited about that. There is still a lot of Kreinik in the wings and the torso of fairy #2, but as I fold the fabric (when not working on the piece) I’m not going to stitch the sparklies until I’ve finished with the DMC. I’ve learnt my lesson there.

This week sees us move into Year Five – The Order of the Phoenix. Hooray! I’ve been looking forward to this book. It will be interesting to see how the weekly challenges match the book (the monthly are pretty spot on). This week I am working on the actual challenge, rather than the default.

  1. Boring neighbour – 300 on something that can get boring – I’m using Mermaid of Atlantis’ borders
  2. Unapproved Magic – 300 on a project that’s been suspended for 5 months or your oldest WIP – Teresa Wentzler’s Tapestry Cat certainly qualifies, as I started this in Christmas 2006!
  3. Dementor Attack – 300 on a project that has no faces – I thought I could do Four Seasons in NZ then suddenly realised the little sheep have one black stitch each for their head, so that won’t count. So it’s a new start, the Mill Hill Princess Carriage.

Hope you all have a good week!

WIPocalypse June 2019

Posted in cross stitch, embroidery, goals, grateful, lavender & lace, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Teresa Wentzler, WIPocalypse by

Hello everyone! I hope you’re well. WIPocalypse is the monthly check-in SAL hosted by Measi on her blog, and via the Facebook group – we welcome all enablers! Click on the icon to the right to learn more.

In June, I’ve completed the following stitch numbers – which would be a lot more, if it wasn’t for the Toy Car project taking up a lot of evenings:

  • Coffee Quaker 106
  • Celtic Winter 519
  • The Guardian 1291
  • Mermaid of Atlantis 3773 (two more Ultimate #magicalstitches completed & I am well into the bottom half of the design)
  • Shakespeare’s Fairies 1064 (that’s the half way mark appearing!)
  • Labyrinth 113 (Sir Didymus is about to appear)

Wowzers, this is 6886 stitches for the month. That’s more than last month, how did I fit that in?

I also have an FFO – my Cloudsfactory We’re All Mad Here biscornu! My first attempt, and it’s a bit lumpy & in retrospect, understuffed, but if I ever make one again, I know what to do.

20190625_173224.jpg

June Goals:

  • WIPocalypse One-A-Day with Coffee Quaker (also one of my remaining EC tasks of 500 stitches on a geometric) FAIL – I picked it up 3 times. Just did not have the feels for this piece at all.
  • Hello May & Hello June FAIL
  • Celtic Winter (the last EC task of 500 stitches) FAIL – got half way tho, so at least I did pick it up!
  • Don’t spend! ACHIEVED!

July Goals:

  • WIPocalypse One-A-Day with a twist – just stitch every day
  • Hello May
  • Don’t spend!

Question of the Month: How are you doing with your goals so far this year?

Goals for 2019:

  • Finish SFS in the black – HALFWAY MARK ACHIEVED
  • Complete & FFO the remaining monthly Hello There pieces (Mar-Nov) HMMM
  • Re-start Shakespeare’s Fairies & complete one fairy ACHIEVED
  • Work on Tapestry Cat, Fairy Idyll, Arezzo, Four Seasons of NZ ACHIEVED WITH A FINISH

Overall, I’m pretty happy with my progress for this year. My stress levels are well below where they could be, thanks mostly to Si’s understanding, help & affection; a bit of medication & a daily bit of “me” time. I’ve worked on every WIP that I had started, have got several finishes including Arezzo and some framing.

SFS: The one monthly goal I did achieve! No spend, no finishes but I am $17.80 in the black. Woot!

WIP Wednesday #248

Posted in cross stitch, goals, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Toy Car Restoration by

Morning everyone! Outside of stitching, this week has been fairly busy, with time spent learning to restore the Toy Car – I have the carpets looking like new, & the vinyl looks pretty sweet too. The carpet is just elbow grease – a good vacuum, then I used liquid laundry cleaner in my pet shampoo Bissell and went to town. Takes about an hour all up for each piece but worth it. I did that on the kitchen floor, easy to clean after! Currently half the lounge floor is covered in a fugly blanket & the interior trim parts – one wash & two applications of the vinyl restoration liquid, applied in circles with a blush brush. Don’t mock, I saw it on a YouTube video about restoring a MR2 & it works. I didn’t buy the cheapest brush but then again I’m not having to re-do the work after picking out nylon bristles either. Tonight I’ll be attacking the parts of the dash that remained in the car and the door interior cards. Then we’re up to installing the new sound-proofing and speakers etc. These photos have posted in reverse order, whoops.

All that, plus normal house/work/kid stuff meant I only just scraped in my stitch homework. Until Sunday afternoon I thought I’d only get about 400 stitches in, but I kept plugging away with two particular colours and while I was waiting on a report to download Monday morning, I finished. Woot! Now to knock out the last 470-odd for the Ultimate stitch I was working on.

This week’s challenge is two fold, and I am picking option one. You have to stitch 200 in the following categories: Air/Yellow, Water/Blue, Earth/Green, Fire/Red & Wood/Brown. I’m going to complete 1000 stitches (hopefully!) in The Guardian, as all the elements are present in this design.

Have a good week!

WIP Yesterday-Was-Wednesday #246

Posted in cross stitch, goals, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Morning everyone! We’ve had a good week, everything considered & the house being full of sick people. Yesterday I worked at home as there was a nationwide Teacher’s strike, and with some friends being teachers, I volunteered to host the monkeys. I did this last strike, which was only primary teachers, and while it was full-on, it was fun. I actually got thru my normal day’s volume by noon, surprisingly, so I’m hoping the same this week.

20190522_205845Last week’s goal was 400 stitches on Jenny’s Four Seasons of New Zealand (available in various incarnations on her homestitchness Etsy shop). I completed the snowflake, and all of the next block (the three mountains of the Central Plateau; Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu). The Maori legend that I grew up hearing goes something like this, with words by James Heremia:

In a time long ago, eight personified mountains were born from the landscape. There lived seven males — Tongariro, Taranaki, Ruapehu, Ngaruahoe, Tarawera, Tauhara and Patauaki — and one female, Pihanga. Their catch cry as children was “We will always be together, and nothing will ever separate us!”

 As millenia passed, the boy mountains grew into powerful male warriors while Pihanga blossomed into a comely fern-covered mist maiden, who each of them desired for a wife.

“Choose!” cried Tongariro “You must choose!”

“I cannot,” replied Pihanga. “I love you all equally.”

“Then we will battle, and the victor will be your husband,” declared Tongariro.

One by one, the mountains came up against Tongariro and one by one they were defeated. Finally, only Taranaki was left to face the powerful Tongariro. Their battle was spectacularly violent as each mountain was evenly matched.

The battle raged on for months until a burning Pihanga cried out “Stop!” as she lay close to death in her scorched and blackened cloak of fern. Rather than lose her, Taranaki conceded defeat — and so Pihanga became Tongariro’s wife.

As countless millenia passed, the landscape healed and the vanquished mountains moved away: Tarawera, Tauhara and Patuauki to the north and Ruapehu and Ngaruahoe to the south.

Many children were born to Tongariro and Pihanga including one, Panitahi, who looked very different to the others. Gossip and innuendo flowed across the landscape until Tongariro, suspicious of his friend Taranaki, decided to lay a trap.

Pretending to be asleep, he caught his friend and his wife in a tender embrace. Tongariro erupted in a gigantic rage that was heard around the world. Huge explosions tore the landscape apart. The crater formed from the largest explosion would eventually fill with water, becoming the lake we know today as Lake Taupo.

Remembering what happened to Pihanga during the previous battles, Taranaki chose not to engage with Tongariro, but retreated instead. Gathering up Panitahi, he fled heartbroken to the west, guided by the stone Te Toka Rauhoto Tapairu.

As he fled, he carved out a deep scar in the landscape.

On reaching the sea, Pouakai — one of five west coast mountains — spread out her arms to comfort Taranaki until the setting sun transfixed him to the spot. He has remained there to this day, with Panitahi at his side, and the guide stone who now resides at Puniho Pa, south of New Plymouth.

In time, Tongariro settled down and began to weep for his lost friend, his tears filling the scar in the landscape that today we know as the Whanganui River.

It is thought that one day the guide stone will release Taranaki to return to his true love, Pihanga.

True love really can move mountains. But for the moment, the mountains sleep.

This week, the challenge is either 200 stitches in designs that match the letters SPEW (society for the protection of elvish welfare) of which I could get 10 points – Shakespeare’s Fairies & a Wentzler design as I have nothing I can think of that is P or E – or I could get the same points for 300 stitches in a penalty. I’m going for the penalty, as again I’m time poor this week. The plan is to work on Mermaid of Atlantis, because she’s my “take anywhere” project and I’m loving how she is working out, especially now I’ve converted half the fish to GAST threads. I’ll continue those thru her tail.

Have a good week!

May WIPocalypse

Posted in cross stitch, goals, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Teresa Wentzler, WIPocalypse by

Hello everyone! I hope you’re well. WIPocalypse is the monthly check-in SAL hosted by Measi on her blog, and via the Facebook group – we welcome all enablers! Click on the icon to the right to learn more.

May Goals:

  • Stitch Hello April AND Hello May AND Hello June APRIL DONE
  • Continue working on Coffee Quaker daily NOPE
  • Finish the second fairy in Shakespeare’s Fairies NOPE
  • Knock off a couple more “ultimate” stitch challenges NOPE

Thru May, with the upheaval at home (and having to tell Mase what is happening with Grandma) I have been very narrow-focussed on #magicalstitches work. Because of this, most of the extra credit Year 4 work is completed (9 of the 11 at the time of writing), every weekly task has been knocked off & I’m working on some Ultimate goals – thanks to my housemates, there’s at least 3 in Mermaid of Atlantis alone.

In May, I’ve completed the following stitch numbers (honestly, these are helping me go wow, look what I can do!)

  • Floral Cat (stitching finish) 442 stitches
  • We’re All Mad biscornu (also a stitching finish) 831 stitches
  • Hello April (also a stitching finish) 511 stitches
  • Mermaid of Atlantis (new start) 2640 stitches
  • Four Seasons of NZ 659 stitches
  • The Guardian (new start!) 524 stitches
  • Shakespeare’s Fairies 130 stitches
  • Fairy Idyll 431 stitches
  • Raven Queen 371 stitches (& I hated them all)

At the time of posting, this is 6539 stitches for the month.

June Goals:

  • WIPocalypse One-A-Day with Coffee Quaker (also one of my remaining EC tasks of 500 stitches on a geometric)
  • Hello May & Hello June
  • Celtic Winter (the last EC task of 500 stitches)
  • Don’t spend!

Question of the Month: Where do you love to shop for stash? I facetiously answered this on FB as anywhere the staff are skilled at diverting my partner/children’s attention from my shopping. This is mostly true, however! Or I time it to visit Ribbon Rose when I have to go to our Panmure branches.

SFS is about to roll over once June is done. Currently I am $7.20 in the red; however by simply not buying anything in June I’ll finish in the positive! I do actually have enough calling to me in any case.

WIP Wednesday #244

Posted in books, cross stitch, family, goals, grateful, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Week in the Life by

20190513_134524Morning! Our week has been pretty good – MIL is back home (on oxygen permanently) but is more able to participate in family life, is great with her friends and we had a lovely Mother’s Day dinner (I cooked, but I left the cleaning J). Ms Louise chose flowers for both of us & did a lovely, slightly unconventional, job of it.

20190510_081046Mase had Book Week and on Friday, dressed as Calvin and Tiggr “dressed” as Hobbes. Yep, we’re all about the classics in our house! On the redeeming front, Zac is chosing to read & study To Kill a Mockingbird.

On stitching, I finished the second part of the biscornu but haven’t FFO’d it (insert chicken noises here). I did start another Mirabilia – Mermaid of Atlantis – and am planning to use this for most of the #magicalstitches extra credit challenges for the Goblet of Fire May/June months. I started with #2, as the shell chandelier/light was approved as something that might be at a fancy ball AND it was the middle of the top; now I’m working on task #1 (500 on something that could be found in the lake) with the fish, and I’m about 70 stitches off completing that challenge (I need to take an update photo), and combined with task #10 (200 stitches on a piece that has something that lays eggs) I’m working on the border, on the theory that fish lay eggs. That’s not quite at the half-way mark. Like a lot of people, I’m very motivated at the start of a piece!

This week’s challenge is WIP list based again – and as I have less than 20 WIPS, I’m allocated to option 2, 350 stitches each on WIP #1 & #7. Seven is actually the biscornu, so I have approval to jump the line to #8, which just so happens to be Raven Queen. Progress shots next week!

WIP Wednesday #242

Posted in cross stitch, goals, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Morning! Winter is here, despite Arya stabbing the Night King, and I’ve pulled out the bunny slippers. Don’t mock me – it’s actually self-preservation in my house. Something pink and fluffy isn’t likely to get nicked by one of my lovely children! Next winter I’ll be even safer, as everyone now wears a larger size than me (including Mase!).

Last week’s #magicalstitches challenges were to stitch 300 each on a tree/plant and 300 on a building. As I said before, I started the LHS conifer on Fairy Idyll and worked on the balustrade for Raven Queen. I also have a small finish which I can’t show, as it’s intended for a present.

This week is a short “week” before the new school year starts (this one is based on Goblet of Fire, and runs May-June). The challenge was to stitch on the smallest WIP in our posted list, with points per 100 stitches and extra for an FFO. Like many people, I didn’t include my Mill Hills and travel kit into the WIP list – I left it for anything of a decent size. Whoops! So instead of finishing maybe 4 things, I’ve been working on We’re All Mad Here and by 6pm tonight, I should have the majority of the front side completed. This is my progress, with 1065 stitches completed so far.

Anyway, have a good week!

April WIPocalypse

Posted in cross stitch, goals, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Teresa Wentzler, WIPocalypse by

Hello everyone! I hope you’re well. WIPocalypse is the monthly check-in SAL hosted by Measi on her blog, and via the Facebook group – we welcome all enablers! Click on the icon to the right to learn more.

April Goals:

  • Use Genoa & Wales for Extra Credit piece (500 stitches) NOPE – used Nantucket Rose instead
  • Complete first fairy in Shakespeare’s Fairies YEP
  • Stitch Hello April AND Hello May NOPE
  • Work on Coffee Quaker every day in April ALMOST

 

While I didn’t get to many goals (I’ve gone right off the Sandra Santas, surprisingly) I did hit nearly every April #magicalstitches challenge and got a lot of progress in on various pieces. There’s over 800 more in Nantucket Rose (and I reached the far side, so this is as wide as it gets) and 2800 plus in Shakespeare’s Fairies. I also started Cloudsfactory Labyrinth and the Mill Hill Celestial Sleigh. That one’s been a PITA as the kit was missing some items, so substitution city. First time I’ve ever been disappointed in a MH kit.

20190416_164824

May Goals:

  • Stitch Hello April AND Hello May AND Hello June
  • Continue working on Coffee Quaker daily
  • Finish the second fairy in Shakespeare’s Fairies
  • Knock off a couple more “ultimate” stitch challenges

 

April 28 – Talk to us about your longest-running WIP or UFO. Mine would be the Teresa Wentzler Tapestry Cat design. I brought it for myself as a Christmas present back in 2003, when I was working at Air New Zealand. I vastly underestimated the number of quarter stitches and back stitch, and while I own a lot of TW charts, I’ve only ever completed Misty, one of the Rocking Horses! I’ve also started Noah’s Ark, and stopped at the over one. Now that I’ve completed Arezzo over one, I think I will be able to press on with the Ark at least. TC? Well, he’s nearly done, probably only another 2500 stitches in him, and I’d estimate the border is about at the quarter-way mark. There’s a LOT of backstitch.

20190416_164654

SFS is still in the red, thanks to a market find. Oh, well. Hopefully some of the May challenges will lead to finishes so I can claim!