December WIPocalypse - Wrap Up

To say this year was strange would be a bit of an understatement, after all it started with a power outage on New Years eve that lasted until the 2nd of January.  I guess that was just a precursor of what was to come.  I was luckier than most pandemic wise, in small town Canada there wasn't a lot of infection but certainly a lot of weird people paranoia. Social distancing didn't affect me much as I am a fairly solitary person anyway and since I am a baker my job only got busier.  I do miss going to movies though.  Mostly what this year did was cancel things.  Back in Febuary I had tickets to Denver Pop Culture Con, Cirque du Soliel's Axel, and a cruise to the Antarctic.  All of those went away,  hopefully the cruise will happen in 2022.  

I did get a lot of stitching done though after all they year had to be good for something, so here is where my progress is on the Lion King which I started in February, 

My big finish for the year was the Birds and Blackwork Flowers Sal from Lesley Teare 

And I did a lot of tiny things this year so here are all my finishes.

As for what I watched

Critical Role

Blind Spot Season 2

Avatar the Last Airbender Season 1 - Just as good the 2nd time round

Bohemian Rhapsody - this one is just brilliant and joyful and the music is of course, divine

The Hobbit - Not as legendary as LOTR but still a fun watch 

Beauty and the Beast - The new one - which is a pretty note for note remake but Luke Evans makes a fabulous Gaston

Aladdin - Shhh don’t tell anyone, I prefer this remake to the original

High School Musical - All three - I know they are corny but they make me happy

Santa Clause 1 and 2 - I’m not actually that fond of three so I didn’t bother this year but 2 is my favorite

The Muppet Christmas Carol - Interestingly this one is really accurate to the book and also it is adorable

White Christmas - A must watch for the season

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - This one is just ridiculously  fun and whoever cast Alan Rickman as a depressed robot is a genius 

November WIPocalypse

 The year is almost over and for me it means that it's time to start stitching ornaments, one of my favourite things to do

Novembers question is What new discoveries did you have in the stitching world this year?

I can't say I've really discovered anything new this year except that I rather enjoy doing smalls as well as my beloved BAPS, I've done more smalls this year that I think I ever have before, and it's been fun.

I've had a busy stitching month starting with the Birds and Blackwork Flower SAL and it's second to last birdie

And then come the ornaments, This was a little kit I found on sale from Design Works

This Madonna and Child is from Snowflake Stitchery (Sarah Richards) from the 2019 Just CrossStitch Christmas Ornaments issue

And this is a Mill Hill kit Snow Crystals from the Charmed Ornaments series

Critical Role

Sleepy Hollow S1  Icabod Crane meets Rip Van Winkle meets Cop Show meets Supernatural.  Of course I love this show.

Blind Spot  - Season 2 I’m really enjoying this show, It’s smart and twisty and well acted

Harry Potter 3 to 8 - I do love these movies and am now going to start a reread of the books. 

Supernatural - The last episodes - In some ways I can’t believe this show is over, if I was a better writer I could write a novel about what it has meant to me over the years. But the ending was exactly what I thought it would be and very satisfactory and tear inducing, and I can’t wait to watch it all again.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald - This was actually better than I remembered it being, though I have to say I am glad the someone else will be playing Grindlewald in the next one, I’m not a fan of Johnny Depp in this one.,

Beauty and the Beast - A tale as old as time…

Hidden Figures - This one is so good it made me go out and buy the book.

October WIPocalypse

October was here and now it's gone.

The question of the month is 

How do you choose what you’re going to stitch on next?

For BAPs I have THE LIST which I haven't updated in quite some time, I should really do that and for smalls, I just grab what I am feeling like, I'm trying to do all my small kits this year and have done a fair job of that so far.

I even had a finish this month, this cute Halloween thing from the Stoney Creek Collection that Carla gave me many moons ago and does count towards the Carla and Leo's Halloween Stitch Along

 

I also have the October Bird and Blackwork Flower Sal  

And have reached the bottom of Lion King,  I am going to work on this one far more next year,

 

As for what I watched

Critical Role

The Masked Singer Season 1-4  So a random comment about one of the mystery singers on season 4 got me a bit curious about this show and I watch one and got immediately hooked.

Under the Dome S02 I am enjoying this show, and they have managed to keep it interesting for 2 seasons now.

Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves - There is so much that should be wrong about this movie, but two things they got very right, Alan Rickman and a sense of humor, which later Robin Hood movies lack. This movie is ridiculous and so much fun, plus it’s got an amazing score.

Hercules - The Disney one,  not one of their strongest, but really enjoyable nonetheless, and I love the character of Meg.

The Hangover - I don’t usually like “men acting like stupid children” movies (ie anything by Adam Sandler or Rob Schneider) as everyone around them acts like it’s normal and even attractive.  This one both gives then a reason for acting that way and goes out of the way to show they were being asses.  Also it has some really funny moments 

Hannah Montana - The Movie - I originally went to this on movie night when it was my friends daughter’s turn to pick, and I really enjoyed it then and still do, I’ve never seen the series and probably never will, but when I want a fun, feel good movie this one works well.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - I hit the H’s which means the Harry Potter rewatch now begins

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - A solid entry, but not my favorite, though Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockheart is brilliant 

September WIPocalypse

 September was a pretty good month except for the week that we had a haze of smoke from the US wildfires, but it cleared up just in time for me to go on vacation to Jasper Alberta.   

The Question of the month is: Are you a seasonal stitcher, or can you stitch on any holiday/seasonal stitch at any time of year?

I'm usually a seasonal stitcher, at least I'll do Halloween leading into October and start Christmas ornaments in November if they are small, if it's a BAP then I'll work on it year round.

This month I only worked on the Birds and Blackwork Flowers SAL 

And The Lion King, I'm nearing the bottom of the pattern on this but that's just the first three columns at this rate it will take me years, but I suspect that next year I'll go back to my all BAP all the time usual mode of stitching.

That being said though, Sh*tpostSamplers have a SAL going for the month of October that I'm really tempted on, we shall see. 

As for what I watched

Critical Role

Blindspot S01 E14-E22 - Yup, this was good, I’ll have to get the next season

White Collar S01 E01 - 14 I finally got season 6 so it’s time for a rewatch.

Road to El Dorado - Really fun animated adventure that suffers a bit from trying to hard to mimic Disney, mainly in the unnecessary Elton John song something I’d usual love, but they don’t seem to fit the rest of this great story about a couple of charlatan adventurers that pretend to be gods to steal from the lost city of gold

Red River - This is the only John Wayne I own, mainly because I borrow the other ones I like from Mom and she doesn’t like this one. Essentially it is Mutiny on the Bounty set during a cattle drive and has always been a favourite of mine.

Cinderella - The version with Brandy, Whitney Houston and Whoopie Goldberg, this one is brilliant.

Riding Giants - I don’t do a lot of documentaries, but this one was billed as beautiful to watch and I love the ocean, so I went to and it lived up to it’s billing, and have watched it several times since. This is about the history of big wave surfing. I watched it the first time for the promised pretty waves, but it is wall told and very interesting as well.

Raise Your Voice - A stereotypical teen drama starring Hillary Duff, girl goes to music school against father’s wishes. It’s nothing unique but it is an enjoyable watch.

Ready Player One  - Really good near future movie and book though they differ immensely both area very enjoyable and smart

The Replacements - Sports comedy that’s got a good mix of heart and laughs plus a really good cast that includes Keanu Reeves and Gene Hackman 

R.I.P.D. - My brother recommended this one to me and as usual he was right and I thoroughly enjoyed it, plus he forgot to mention the bonus Kevin Bacon.

The Rookie - I do love my sports movies and this is a nice one about the baseball coach who was dared to try out for the majors by his students and made it. 

The Mandalorian - Figured since I got Disney+ I should watch this and it’s really fun.

August WIPocalypse

 This strange year just keeps getting stranger, due to staffing issues I've had to work graveyard shifts on weekends all month which means I've spent all of August being tired.  That however did not stop the stitching in fact I had a really good stitching month.
But first the question of the month, which is.
Have you participated in any of the mystery SALs on Facebook (or other social media)? What do you think makes a successful mystery SAL?
I'm not sure if the one pattern a month thing is considered a mystery SAL if so I've done a couple of them, though neither of them were called a mystery so probably not.  I have done a couple teenie tiny mystery SAL's both from Tumblr and really enjoyed them. but it's not something I go looking for.  I like my big projects but the tiny's tend to be a fun distraction when I come across them,  The two I did were from Sh*tpost Sample and Mathysphere. The Mathysphere one in particular was fun as the pattern pieces were all puzzles.
I had a couple projects this month, a continuation of the Birds and Blackworks flower SAL

And also this little piece called Frogs from Sh*tpost Sampler (I've been doing a lot of their stuff lately

As for what I watched - I have to give up putting the movie posters in the what I watched.  Blogger has changed it's settings and adding pictures has become a right royal pain in the ass.

Critical Role

Under the Dome S01 E04-E13 End of first season, I’m enjoying this one

Camelot S01- E01 My brother lent this to me, and while good notsomething I’m in the mood for at the moment, I’ll pick it up again later

Blindspot - S01 E01-13 Honestly I just bought this our of curiosity cause I wanted to see Ashley Johnson in the role that stole her from Critical Role, but I'm really enjoying it and just ordered Season 2

The World’s Toughest Race - Eco-Challenge Fiji - These were a thing nearly 20 years ago that I really enjoyed, so glad it’s returned, highly american and sob story centric of course, but the race and scenery is amazing.

Grease - I mean what can you say, it’s a classic for a reason, light-hearted if very dated story line and amazing music. The songs will stay in your head for days.

Short Circuit - A fun movie from the 80’s I remember seeing this when I was a kid and loving it, and it showed up in the Walmart bargain bin so why not.  A war machine robot gets hit by lightening and gains adorable sentience, 80’s style hi-jinks ensue and this holds up surprisingly well.

Grease 2 - This one has a bad reputation over the original, it’s deserved, it really can’t hold a candle to Grease, but that been said I still really enjoy it even if the supposed 60’s look a lot like the 80’s

Yesterday - I think this was my favourite movie of last year

LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring - Our theatre has been showing random movies since they reopened, like Grease, Harry Potter etc.  But this is the one that drew me back, had to see this masterpiece on the big screen again.

Gosford Park - An Upstairs/Downstairs British mystery movie with an amazing cast.

Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants - This is technically a teen movie but there is a lot of depth to it.

LOTR - The Two Towers - I’m so happy to be able to see the Battle of Helm’s Deep on the big screen where it belongs.

The Greatest Showman - This one just makes me happy.

Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 - A solid sequel dealing the girls becoming young adults and 

growing apart.

Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse - Wow this was smart and well written and beautiful to look at and to top it all off it had great music as well.  Why did I wait so long to see this, stupid me.

LOTR - The Return of the King - It's just so good. Especially in a theatre.

Riverdance - The 1995 original, I bought this because I saw it in an Irish Store and it seemed like my kind of thing, before it hit PBS and have loved it ever since.

June and July WIPocalypse

Anyone remember when I used to do these blogs once a week, now if it wasn't for WIPocalypse reminding me to blog once a month I would forget altogether.  Even then June somehow got away on me.  So June's Question 
Half-year recap:  How are you doing with your goals so far this year? Really well actually, I decided to work on a bit more than just one big and one small at a time because I was also doing the Birds and Blackwork Flowers SAL and had a few other smalls I wanted to do, and that's been working out fairly well, I dedicate the first week of the month to the SAL the second to a random small and then work on The Lion King for the other couple weeks, Lion King will take longer that way, but I am getting cute small stuff done

June SAL

This was a Dimensions kit that was a gift from my brother

July SAL

Quick little gift thing

The Lion King

July Question 
What new charts or designers are catching your eye this year? 
I've really developed a fondness for Shitpostsampler this last little bit. They were the source of New Plan in my last blog and I have another one of theirs that I will start in the next month or two

As for what I watched

Critical Role: and Talks Machina  

Jack Ryan S1 E 4-6 And at this point I gave up, It’s wasn’t bad but it wasn’t really Jack Ryan, and the story didn’t make me care about anyone enough to continue

Doom Patrol S1   My brother lent this to me, this was fun though it tends to be very brash and loud, but consumed in small doses

                                                                      Under The Dome - S1 E01-  - I watched the first episode of this when it was on TV but never got back to it until now, so far so good.

Glory Road - I watch these in alphabetical order so it was so watching a movie about the first all-black starting line for a colledge basketball team at this time in history was purely coincidental, also I love sports movies almost as much as I love disaster movies. 


The Golden Compass - It’s good enough that it made me want to read the books when I saw it in the theatre, but I feel like they spent more time and money on finding the stellar cast than they did on making a coherent storyline.  I am highly curious about the new HBO series though, wonder what it’s like.

Godzilla and Godzilla, King of the Monsters - I’ve really enjoyed this last version of Godzilla fun and an actual storyline with plenty of room for a bunch of sequels.









Hamilton - This was worth getting Disney Plus for, however it just made me want to see it live even more

The Truman Show - I don’t know how many times I’ve watched this show, it’s so brilliantly written, and the music is spectacular







Knives Out - This was a really satisfying  murder mystery with lots of twists and turns and a great cast

Good Will Hunting - When this movie came out in ‘97 I had no desire whatsoever to see it, but it was movie night with friends and not my turn to pick. It blew me away then and still does to this day. 






Slumdog Millionaire  - I bought this recently, sight unseen, as my brother told me I would like it. He was right .

May WIPocalypse

May seemed both long and short, I don't know the last few months have just being weird, seemed like a good time to treat myself to something I've wanted for years, to make up for all my 2020 vacation plans being cancelled. Behold! Swords

The Question of the month is Tell us about a piece that you absolutely loved stitching.
That would be my beloved Stroke of Midnight by Theresa Wentzler, There is so much detail to this and it took me two year and I adore her.

My projects this month include some more work done on The Lion King

Another bird from the Bird and Blackwork SAL by Lesley Teare

And this thing  from ShitPostSamplers I saw this pattern during the time at work we called hell week, that crazy time when every one "needed" all the toilet paper and bread. it made me laugh so hard that I had to stitch it.

As for what I watched

Critical Role: and Talks Machina 

Legends of Tomorrow S1 - At some point I’ll watch all the CW DC shows in order, but this is not that time, I got this one as a gift and wanted to see if I liked it enough to buy it all - I do.

Jack Ryan - S1 - Ep 1-3 No surprise that I had to give this a try, I’ve loved
the character of Jack Ryan since The Hunt for Red October Came out.

Upload - Season 1 - The trailers for this series made me interested despite the
fact that it seemed to be billed as a sitcom (which I don’t like) so I geave it a try, turned out to be a pretty solid mystery with a good cliffhanger ending. I’m looking forward to Season 2 if there is one.

Guys and Dolls - There seems to be a lot of musical in “G” and this is the first, Don’t quite know how Marlon Brando ended up in this with Frank Sinatra but he does a marvellous job.

By Jeeves - Another one from Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Shows Must Go On,  I’ve never heard of this one before which is a shame because it was awesome, and full out farce of a comedy instead of his usual high drama stuff, I adored this.

Gattaca - I’ve always loved this one and it’s hard to believe it’s already over 20 years old.  And as the science fiction in it becomes closer to reality it gets scarier and scarier.  Basically it’s a really smart sci-fi with a murder mystery wrapped in it,  also the first movie I ever saw Jude Law in, I’ve been a fan ever since.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks - Just got it on DVD so had to rewatch, it is now and always will be brilliant.

Great Big Sea - The Great Big DVD - Just a concert of my favourite band, wonderful background to learning how to clean the
VCR.

Geostorm - Solid disaster movie with a side of political intrigue.