Tag Archives: #haed

August WIPoclaypse Update

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Kia ora! Sorry for the delay again – because again I’m sick. Sick enough for 14 days antibiotics and a week away from work.

I’m so very pleased to report that the First Annual West Auckland World Cross Stitch Day for Hospice West Auckland was a success! We raised $425 for the hospice team which is just a small drop in their $4M funding bucket, and we had a good day out. Special thanks to Zeb, who helped me secure the space and talked me off the ledge the night before; to the staff at Te Atatu Community Centre & Library for the free use of the room; the 34 women who came with open hearts and wallets; Grant, obvs, for being the only bloke and the team at Hospice outreach for the convo. Very special thanks for my boss Jon and partner Si for the goodies for the raffle and munchies. Mum’s piggy bank was stuffed full!

From the bathroom doors at the library

I completed Karla’s pukeko (purchased last month, see @orderlystitching on IG) and am eagerly waiting on the next issue, a Ruru (owl). I have an idea that I will join them together as a lap quilt somehow, which would be a nice way to make something useful that’s also handmade.

I worked on Aimee Stewart/HAED Treasure Hunt Fox to Dragon shelf, completing nearly 2000 stitches. My monthly total is the highest since April and well over expectations, even with work and now being sick. Post-covid, everything knocks me for six, dammit.

I’ve also completed 1648 stitches on Rogue Dragon and am just about into the last 20%. He’s an easy stitch, being over two on 25ct confederate grey lugana, as opposed to the latest start, which is on a fabric zip pouch that came with a stitching box from the UK a couple of years ago. It’s a bit of a squint fest but will look oh so good when done. The design is Pumpkin Blossom, a cute wee inquisitive bird from Blackbird Designs. It’s in the Autumn trilogy book.

Counting people among us may have worked out that technically I’ve started WIP 24 for the year. According to the rules, which I never really read thru, if you finish a WIP on your 23 in 23 list, you can replace it. This is a massive loophole as I haven’t even touched some of the WIPs on my original list, but yeah. I’m rolling with it. I purchased the Lan Arte secret SAL kit, so that will be my September start. I’ll also have an overlocking start and finish, as I have two Saturdays next month in a class; and lastly a long/short stitching class with Auckland Embroidery Guild and Jo Dixey. Jo completed an RSN apprenticeship, went onto more things and is by all accounts a wonderful tutor. She’s @dixeysoul on IG. I’m really looking forward to that class (which is now full).

Other side of the bathroom door at the library

February WIPoclaypse Update

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

Kia ora.

Since the last update, Auckland has been hit again by more bad weather in the form of Cyclone Gabrielle, although not as bad as the floods, but it’s certainly added to the issues; and other areas of Aotearoa are hard hit. It’s been several weeks and the search & rescue has turned to recovery and clean up. We don’t yet know the full extent of the damage and loss of life, as some areas are still without power and communication abilities, and we’ve been warned to expect more weather events. This is more than a little scary, TBH, as our environment is changing around us.

On the positive side, Si had a birthday and we realised that it was also Gotcha Day for the babes. Hard to think of them now as needing so much assistance, they rule the roost and provide us with purrs, hugs, licks and the occasional hiss.

I kind-of ignored some of the challenges this month. They were a bit much for me in this state, so I worked on what was calling to me and if I could fit that into the WIP Warriors or Magical Stitches, cool. WIP Warriors Scattegories was J (eep) this month and that has been a challenge.

I do have two more goals achieved:

  • FO Hissed Off (Silver Creek)
  • Get to 50% of Strawberry Fields Forever (Blackbird Designs) – SMASHED THIS and finished.

I’ve also stitched on the following this month:

  • Mini Cliffhanger (838, now 28%)
  • Letter P Fairy (212, now 14%)
  • Happy Bunny by the Trilogy (new start, 677 stitches)
  • QS Treasure Hunt Fox to Dragon Shelf by HAED/Aimee Stewart (new start, 3042, 3%)

Overall in February I stitched 9385 stiches, which is less than January, but I did have several non-stitching days due to a fatigue bout.

On the stash enhancing side, I ordered two more Blackbirds to go with Strawberry Fields, being The Long and Winding Road and Yellow Submarine. Who doesn’t have an earworm when reading “yellow submarine”?! Another piece of haul is Mary Hickmont’s Feline Fancy as I saw a finish in the NZXS group, and the cat was very similar to our Charlie Meowse.

I forgot to answer the January question which was If you have been to retreats, what are your must-bring items and supplies? I’d say needles (guess what I forgot the other day), my Ott light, and a couple of different projects. And items for the #passthestash table.

February’s question is What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year? I’m about to start the NZ Embroidery Guild SAL, which is mostly embroidery and is based on Dunedin imagery.

Hopefully March is an easier month on us all, weather and stitching-wise. Stay safe, stay well.

January 2023 WIPocalypse Update

Posted in cross stitch, goals, me, stitch from stash, WIPocalypse by

Hey everyone! I hope you have had some sun wherever you are – it was late arriving for the “summer” holidays here in Aotearoa, so late that I was joking we missed it in the lead up to Christmas. Unfortunately January has also brought in some pain, as B farewelled a school friend (very hard to do at 22) and a family friend drowned and another has passed due to cancer. Please, please – take care of yourselves and your loved ones. The city has also lost four people in the horrific flooding that’s taken us over.

Right. Stitchy stuff.

I have completed one goal in my annual list!

  • FO Seas the Day (Hands on Design)
Seas the Day, Hands On Design, GAST – Weeks conversion.

Seas the Day was completed on January third, while we were travelling State Highway 35 around the East Coast of the North Island.  I have found a frame too and just need to re-colour it.

Other pieces that have been worked on this month include

  • A Stitch in Time (825 or 41.86%)
  • The Letter P Fairy (429 or 9.09%)
  • Rogue Dragon (757, now 70.06%)
  • Seasonal Trilogy Autumn (400, now 10.49%)
  • Strawberry Fields Forever (2623, now 49.67%)
  • Tournee du Chat Noir (4559, now 15.79%)
  • Jim Shore’s 12 Days (474, now 29.43%)

Strawberry Fields has become my go-to stitch, as it’s mostly GAST and Weeks, which I love, and there’s a bit of repetition. Perfect for binge watching – we’ve done Wrexham and all the Broadchurch this month, and there’s been a lot of cricket. I’ve also put most things into Pattern Keeper to make it easier on myself, but that 12 Day’s number refers to only days 3 & 4. That’s all I’ve re-charted right now. Days 1 & 2 were completed prior to March 2021. In total I hit 11038 stitches, well over target.

WIP Wednesday #294

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

Woo hoo! Back from a long, invigorating and inspiring weekend away, followed up by illness then a holiday weekend, I’m resenting being here in the office when I have so many things I want to do. My personal highlight from the retreat has to be that (I think) seven or eight people rang the bell after FFO’ing their biscornu! It was the first time I’ve released a full design into the wild, so to speak, and it was cool seeing all the variations of it.

I brought quite a bit of haul – less so than what I thought I might tho – and the best is already started. Hannah had finished Blackbird Design’s Strawberry Fields Forever, and Catherine was able to part kit it. I’m using mostly the charted threads on 28ct Countrystitch Toitoi lugana.

Catherine also had another skein of the waterlilies thread I needed for Red Velvet, and that was a finish on the 12th.

I also finished up CloudsFactory Labyrinth on the 14th – not sure why I didn’t get this done months ago!

Since then I have completed 2% more of Tournee du Chat Noir and while I’m struggling to complete a diagonal, I am just popping all over putting in some bulk ecru when we’re talking, or the red circle around the cat when I’m by myself and can concentrate.

9.84%
11.84%

I am watching the first season of The Chelsea Detective on Acorn (a mostly British TV streaming service). It’s quiet, thoughtful, quirky – all the good things. Each episode is about 90 minutes, long enough for a good story. The second season is in production and hopefully there will be a lot more.  Reading-wise, I finished the third Richard Osman book, The Bullet That Missed.  Again, it’s quiet, thoughtful and quirky – I really enjoy the characters in this series. If only I’m as sprightly as Elizabeth when I’m retired! I have a bit of a book hangover now, so I don’t know what to start next. I’m listening to Anne Cleeves “Vera” novels but flirting with fluff books on my reader. Any suggestions?