Goal review - January

Stitch JCS facebook group ornie - DONE!

Stitch 2 days of istitch 2015 Advent SAL - DONE!

Stitch Mabel Figworthy 'Round in Circles' January design - DONE!

Use random generator each Sunday
17th - 47: Rosa - frogged the kloster blocks on 2 sides, then restitched and added star stitches. After that, I moved on to the trellis stitch with it being couched at every bisecting/intersecting point.  That was a lot of couching! Then...the bullion know roses! Oh my word! They are fabulous once done, I love the look!

24th - 67: Summer in Susex - not a lot of stitching time this week so very little progress. That's a shame really as in reality it is not very far off being finished.

This week's design is number 39, which are the Lizzie Kate Flip-Its.

Rosa

The random generator picked 47 this week. I think it's Rosa but I sort of lost count as I scrolled so I could have miscounted. Anyway...Rosa is what I worked on this week. This is a speciality stitch piece by India Grace Designs that I got the year I went to Harrogate.

So, this is where I started from...

...and this is where I finished. I had to unpick 2 and a bit sides of the kloster blocks as I put too many stitches in them.  I had made it 50 stitches on each side when in fact it should have been 45. The design is square, I just took the photo at a strange angle.  The rose is made up of bullion knots.

Today, the Random Generator selected 61 which is Summer in Sussex by The Nutmeg Company - so that is what I will be stitching on this week.  

Mabel Figworthy 2016 SAL

Here is the first round of the Mystery SAL, Round in Circles. I'm actually up to date for once!

I have a cunning plan...

...Can you remember who used to say that?

I have decided that I need some kind of a goal to fail at this year. So the plan each month is...

Stitch the facebook JCS group monthly ornie. The reason for this is that I bought a twig/blossom tree last year for Christmas and despite how many ornies I have stitched/received over the years, it still looked bare-ish.  I'm sure that isn't a real word but I'm sure you know what I mean.  Another 12 would help with that!
Stitch the Mabel Figworthy 2015 SAL.. I started the last SAL in 2013 and have made it to April. These would be lovely stitched on one piece of fabric each and hung in the hallway. If I could get one stitched each month this year, then I could do the 2013 SAL next year and actually get them hung. I do enjoy learning all the new stitches for them.
Stitch 2 days of the 2015 istitch Advent SAL. Surely even I can manage two a month?  Then if I can REALLY over achieve and do 2 extra over the course of the year, it will be finished in time for Advent this year!
Each Sunday use the random generator to select one of my WIP/UFO list projects. This will then be my piece to work on for the week unless I am working on any of the above designs instead and then it can wait until the following week.

What do you think?  Is this manageable?  Can I do it?

Another finish

Wow! Second finish of the year! What is going on?

I joined a Facebook group and the plans are to stitch one ornie a month from the 2015 Christmas ornament issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine. Several polls were put up and everyone voted. This was the favourite one, so I started with that.

It is Blue Ribbon Designs 'Snowmates'.
The fabric is 28ct jobelan (I think) and is called chocolate milk.

Sweet Pea - Nora Corbett

Well...after finishing Vixen and the SAL piece, it was a case of what shall I stitch on next?  I have 3 tubs/boxes of WIP's/UFO's and so grabbed the first box to have a look through.  Sweet Pea caught my eye, so I pulled the threads and cracked on with her.

Here she is before I started working on her...

Sweet Pea Pixie - Nora Corbett

...and here is where I am up to now.

I have no idea why this photo is refusing to turn round the right way, but you get the idea!  I had the bright idea of doing the skin 1 over 1 which is taking FOREVER!

Finishes, finishes

Happy 2016 to you all.  

I hope that it is a fabulous year.

Vixen - Nora Corbett
Fabric - Icicle (Crafty Kitten)

I managed to finish Vixen yesterday as the treasures arrived from Sewandso.  However, I managed to send one of the treasures flying across the room and can't find it.  I will order another packet when I 'need' to order something else too.

Whilst I have been waiting for the treasures, I pulled out Mabel Figworthy's Song of the Weather.  I had stitch the kloster blocks for April but that was about it. Today, I have finished off the block.  I had to learn how to do bullion knots, Portuguese ladder stitch and Greek crosses to do it.  My Portuguese ladder stitches aren't brilliant and I keep thinking about ripping them out and doing them again.  I suspect by the time I reach December, I will have done so!

Mabel Figworthy's Fancies - Song of the Weather (2013 SAL)

I really liked the Greek crosses once I understood what on earth it was I had to do with them.  I am sure that mine will improve with practice but I am happy with them for this 'learner's piece'.

I have signed up for the 2016 SAL which is called Round in Circles. I am thinking that I will do it with the same threads and then both of them could hang in the hall next to each other.  The first design was released today and is a nice easy one to start off with.