November WIPocalypse check in

 I'm trying to get better about posting to my blog, but to be honest I've been spending a lot of time on Flosstube watching - know it's not for me to actually be in front of a camera, but I sure do enjoy watching them.  I do look at other blogs, but it seems that a lot of people are into Instagram now, which I just can't seem to get the hang of, so haven't spent time out in that world. 

This months question is :When do you begin planning your stitching goals for the next year?

This is an interesting question because generally I don't plan my goals for the year, or even what I'm going to be stitching on, I just kind of go with the flow.  

This year I participated in WIPGO and while I didn't do well on it, it did make me think about how to set up my board for 2023 and what projects I want to stitch and how much time I want to spend on them.  I love large projects, not coverall, which I love how they look, I know me and know I would not get them finished, so don't.  I found that I need to pepper some smaller charts in-between stitching on the bigger, it makes me feel like I'm making progress on something and also I get a few finishes every year.   

I also have been participating in a group which the first year was No New Starts - and so in 2021 I didn't start any new projects at all.  Didn't get a lot done, but make progress on a lot of things.  In 2022 they added 22 in 22 - so I set it up so I could have some new starts, but found that there were projects that I really wanted to stitch on, but didn't want to add to my list because I knew there were other new starts that I wanted to do.....so this year they are calling themselves the WIP Warriors and have several different options - I'm thinking of doing either the Work you WIPs, which you have a limited number of new starts OR Stitch on What you Want, When you Want, then I could have everything listed and new starts, the best of both worlds.  Will have to decide, so to answer the question, this year I've started to think about 2023 goals in November :)

So what have I worked on this month?

Angel's Song by Shepherd Bush - this is a kit and it's been a WIP for probably 7 years now. I really need to get it done!!  

I'm on something like band 26 out of 32 plus one band of words to be added.    Some of the bands take forever like the large one shown toward the bottom.  Needed to find my rhythm with it, but once I did, it went better.  I had to restart this band several times.  Other bands go very quickly and I can do them in less than an hour.  It's nice to have the mix, not sure why I stopped stitching on this, but it has gotten a lot of love this year.  It will get finished, if not yet in 2022, definitely in 2023, I want to get it framed, and then I'll have an actual Christmas project done.  I will confess that I don't rotate for seasons, they all stay up, all year.

The next one is the Baby sampler for my granddaughter.  I have no clue what the official name was - it was originally kit that I did for my daughter.  She has it framed and hanging in her room.  

I finished another square - I have two more largish squares, a giraffe  and a house.  This one I'd like to have done sometime in February so I can get it framed for her 2nd birthday in March.  The teddy bear needs some back stitching yet, will do that when it's pulled out the next time.  I'm hoping those squares stitch up as fast as the teddy bear did - it was a weekend stitch - but then I spend maybe 5 hours on Saturday and Sunday.  I have charted out her name, birth dates, the saying and her weight, those will go in last.   I'm thinking this one will be a little bit bigger than my daughters.  My plan is to bring it and hang it where her's is and see how long it takes her to realise it's not her's.  Sneaky.

The last WIP is A Mind Independent & Free.  I decided to do the S and the W in a different color than the rest of the letters because those are my initials.  I will put the month and year that it is completed within this letters.  I love this one and can't wait to get the alphabet done so I can get into some more exciting things to stitch.  

I like the saying on this one - it's a reproduction sampler and I've been drawn to those lately.  While I don't fool myself into thinking they are something special as I'm sure there are thousands being stitch just like it, I do like to think about the person who originally stitched it.  I think on these I will put something on the back regarding who stitched it and any information that the chart may give.

Not a lot of work this month, but happy with it, I also finished a knitted cap for my granddaughter and started a needlepoint for my niece.    We came to KY to have Thanksgiving with our daughters, so while I'm here I really don't do any stitching - the lights in their living room aren't bright enough to stitch and I'm generally working during the day, and if I have the time off we are running around and I'm getting in lots of Mommie-Daughter time.  

Hope you've all had great stitching time and can't wait to see what others have accomplished.

Sandy