May WIPocalypse

 It's hard to believe May is over, the month has been a chaotic one for me thanks to work.  One of the graveyard shift cut her hand not serirously, but then decided to take the whole month off, or possibly forever she hasn't really specified, but when the graveyard is short I am the one who replaces people. so my schedule this month has been 6am on Saturday, 5 am on Sunday, midnight on Monday and Tuesday and 6 or 7 on Wednesday. Needless to say I've been tired and confused. 

The question of the month is What was the first project you ever stitched? (whether you finished or not)

My first project was a Learn to Stitch kit I found at Micheals, I desperately wanted to do this huge dragon pattern from Dimensions and knew I better learn how first.  

This did eventually lead to me doing the dragon.

I'm still going strong on my two projects, Winter snowfall looks like it will be done before fall though there is half a ton of beads to add to it when the stitching is done

And I have officially finished a page on Lion King (1 of 4) and when I reach the bottom this time I will officially be half done

As for what I watched

Critical Role  - Including the final boss fight of this campaign, on more episode to go and then Campaign 3 to look forward to

Arrow Season 1 - As good as I remembered

Shannara Season 1 - I started reading the Shannara series when I was 10 so it
lives pretty strong in my heart, the show does not do the books justice. That being said, it’s not a bad fantasy series at all.

Spartacus - Vengeance (Season 2) 

Into the Storm - Pretty much the same storyline as Twister but with documentarians instead of scientists. Pretty corny at time but a solid disaster movie so it makes me happy.

It - The 90’s TV Miniseries, I have a special bond with the book but have not read it in decades, but this is a good adaptation though not as detailed or gory as the new movies. 

Pippin - This is a dark musical stage comedy that was filmed in 1981. They did a lot of stage films from Canada around that time, but not many of them came to video and are lost somewhere in time.  Weirdly I found this one for sale in Los Vegas on VHS in 1998. 

Pavarotti and Friends 2 - I think Pavarotti did several of these concerts in the 90’s, this is by far my favorite mainly because of the pure joy on Bryan Adams’ face when singing with Pavarotti.

The Peacemaker - A really solid action movie from 1997 starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, and they are both written as intelligent people who actually listen to each other  while there is a obligatory romance it’s barely there and instead all the focus is on the action and twisty storyline that starts with nuclear weapons been stolen from a train in Russia, in fact Clooney and Kidman don’t even show up until 15 and 20 minutes into the movie.

Police Academy 6: City Under Siege - It’s just a bit of fluff really, not much to this movie but fun to watch when you want to concentrate on other things.

Pleasantville - A couple teens from the late 90’s find themselves in a 50’s sitcom, and change everything, this is a cute social commentary, not particularity hard-hitting but with wonderful cinematography and effects

Phoenix 2772 - Anime from 1980 I think I got this as a gift 30 years ago and have only watched it once before and couldn’t remember a thing about it, with good reason, it’s all style and no substance. 

The Parent Trap - It’s cute and really well done once you get over the cruel notion of separating twins at birth. Also interesting to see and remember that Lindsey Lohan was a really really good child actor.

The Pirates of Penzance - There are two nearly identical versions of this, both starring Kevin Kline, Rex Harris and Linda Ronstadt. one is from the stage and the other a movie based on the stage play with the same cast, I prefer the movie version but that may be because I saw it first. 

Prelude to a Kiss - Technically this is a rom-com, but it’s subtler than most, an old man kissed the bride on her wedding day and they accidentally switch bodies,  what I’ve always liked about this one is how quickly the groom figures it out. 

Pocahontas - Not one of my favourites, but still a good movie and it’s visually gorgeous 

Pride and Prejudice - The Keira Knightly version, I grew up on P&P as it is my mother’s favorite book and this is a solid screenplay for something that got condensed so much, if you want more dedication to storyline (and the dreamiest Mr. Darcy) watch the Colin Firth one, as I will be soon. But I really enjoy Keira as Elizabeth 

April WIPocalypse

 I feel like April flew by, but also like I was in some sort of holding pattern waiting for something to happen,  I miss movies and concerts and going shopping in another town on a whim(which I almost never did, but the fact that I shouldn't just makes me want to) And I want to get my shot and B.C. has been slow about that and I NEED to get it so I can go on my trip in February if that actually happens.  Maybe today wasn't the best day to blog, I'm just feeling so blah about life.  But stitching is great so lets go to that 

April's question is: Have you found yourself to be more or less productive in your stitching during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Probably more, though not by much I still have the same routine for before except for movie nights, in truth my life didn't change a lot, despite my rant above, I have always been a stay at home and stitch type person, no social gatherings for me. But I do miss being alone in a dark room with a bunch of people that love the same things I do, as long as I don't have to talk to them.

Stitching done this month is of course The Lion King and Mufasa has shown up 

And Winter Snowfall still gets love once a week and is coming along nicely

As for what I watched

Critical Role

Avatar the Last Air Bender  Season 2 

Arrow Season 1 I only ever watched about half of the first season when this
aired, the time it was on was all wrong for me so I just figured I’d buy it and watch it then, well I have all the seasons and am finally getting around to it, and it’s as good as I remember

Independence Day - My absolute favourite disaster/sc-fi movie - I love it when they start with people all over the place that eventually end up gathered to fight for a common goal and no movie does it better than this one.  It also has the best presidential speech in movies and possibly real life.

Independence Day: Resurgence - This is a worthy sequel, different enough to be it’s own movie but enough recurring characters that it’s obviously not forgot it’s origins

In Time - A smart twisty sci-fi action movie formulaic at times but a good concept and well acted, I watched this one first on Netflix but when I found it really cheap I realized it’s one I’d enjoy watching again, and it was.

International Velvet - When I was a kid - 40 years ago, our local theatre would play Saturday matinees, and they had around 20 movies they rotated, this was one of them, and for around five years Mom would drop me off at the movie and go shopping, or home, or sometimes come with me.  I never missed this movie when it played, not once, and to this day it still remains a favourite.  Given how few people I’ve met that have even heard of it, the show has a stellar cast, including Christopher Plummer and Anthony Hopkins.  Anyways this is a horse movie, and a coming of age movie and a movie about the Olympics, and I can almost quote it word for word.

March WIPocalypse

This month's question What is your process for working on WIPs? Are you a one-at-a-time stitcher, a rotation stitcher, or something else?

I am very much a two-at-a-time stitcher, one big one and a random small, I used to do the small while watching Jeopardy but having enough light to stitch by was bothering my father's eyes and that is the one show we always watch together. So now my second project is done only on Thursdays, this is a new thing for me this year and seems to be working well

Second question is If you participated in it, please tell us how your One Month Challenge went! What did you work on, and did you accomplish what you’d hoped? 

I think this is the first time I've done this kind of challenge where I actually succeeded in stitching every day. Usually something interrupts the schedule, often a concert or show. which of course is why I succeeded, sighhhhhh I miss concerts. I worked on The Lion King and that is why I'm running late on this one. I wanted to reach the bottom of Lion King before I posted it and then was so excited to start at the top again that I didn't take an official progress pic and lost track of the month as well  So this is is a tad wrinkly

As for what I watched

Critical Role

Quest and Chaos plays Pandemic Legacy - I watch Season 1 and 2 a while ago but then they played Season 0 and I got hooked again so I’m back to watching them all (on Youtube)

White Collar  - Season 2

Quidam - Cirque Du Soliel - I wish they still put out DVD’s of their shows, I miss seeing them live, but this helps

The Indian In the Cupboard - A simple but sweet story about a boy who’s cupboard is magical and turns toys alive, in particular a plastic Indian who he becomes friends with.  I think it’s the music that keeps me coming back to this movie, the score is phenomenal.

If Looks Could Kill - A spy spoof from the early 90’s, this is a ton of fun. 

I Am Number Four - I watch this and think about finding the book, cause I’m sure there is a lot more story to this story, that been said this is still a decent teen sci-fi.

I, Robot - This one is such a solid sci-fi movie, interesting story, good special effects and really well acted,

Ice Age - Fun little animated movie, not stellar, but not a bad way to spend an hour, also Scrat is adorable

Inception - Twisty smart storyline, and great effects. 

The Incredibles - One of the best Superhero movies out there.

The Incredibles 2 - Also a smart Superhero movie that deals intelligently with everyday life

World Figure Skating Championships - Happy to see it come back though having no audience made me feel sad for the skaters. Especially the Swedish man who had the skate of his life on home soil, he deserved an amazing standing ovation and there was just scatter applause and silence.

The volcano in Iceland - It’s so interesting to follow a volcano from birth, I pop in and watch the live feed several times a day.

February WIPocalypse

It's starting to feel like spring outside which means we are due for a good dump of snow.  Sighhh I'm ready for winter to end.  

This month WIPocalypse question is  What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year?

I don't have one at the moment, but my friends and I have one tentatively planned for around Halloween, now the last time we planned to start the same project at the same time, was when we planned to all stitch The Lion King, that was 2016 and so far I'm the only one who has started it and that was in 2020.  We shall try to do better this time

As for Lion King, I didn't get as much done as last month, but still some good progress,  I plan to make this my One Month Challenge where you "pick one of your WIPs that you’d like to focus on, and put a minimum of one stitch per day, every day, in that project for the month of March" 

I'll still do Winter Snowfall on Thursdays but will start at noon so I can fulfill the challenge requirements 

On other news, I have rebooked my vacation that I should be on right now, for next year, hopefully travel is back on the menu by that point. 

As for what I watched

Critical Role

Quest and Chaos plays Pandemic Legacy - I watch Season 1 and 2 a while ago but then they played Season 0 and I got hooked again so I’m back to watching them all (on Youtube)

His Dark Materials Season 1 - So well done, I can’t wait to find a copy of season 2

Under the Dome Season 3 - They should have stopped at two, it was a pretty week season, though the finally was fairly satisfying, glad I watch it, but don’t think I’ll keep the series.

White Collar Season 2 - A fun series to watch given how many dark and depressing things I’ve been watching lately 

The Hunger Games - You don’t watch these to be cheered up, but damn is it a good story.

January WIPocalypse

 The technical day for this was Sunday, but my weekends are Thursday  and Friday so expect me to be late a lot, luckily the creator of this SAL doesn't mind late.

The Question of the Month is Tell us about a WIP on which you’ve really struggled to make progress. Explain its history. What appears to be the reason you’re struggling?

And the answer is that I don't have one, the Lion King is taking a bit longer than usual, but that's because I decided to do a bunch of random smalls last year.  but this year it is all Lion King all the time

 

Except Thursdays, that's when Critical Role is on, and as it runs around 4 hours  I decided that would be when I focus on Shannon Christine's "Winter Snowfall" 

Other than that it's quiet at work, which mean experimenting, anyone have any good cookie ideas? They have to be feasible on a large scale, for example our chocolate chip cookies take 4.5 kg of both flour and chocolate chips.

As for what I watched

Critical Role

Quest and Chaos plays Pandemic Legacy - I watch Season 1 and 2 a while ago but then they played Season 0 and I got hooked again so I’m back to watching them all (on Youtube)

Sleepy Hollow Season 2 

His Dark Materials - Season 1 - Now this is an excellent adaptation.

How To Train Your Dragon 2 & 3  - Much better sequels than most movies have,  I adore this series.

Great Expectations - PBS version from 2012, a decent version, I’ve never read it so I don’t know how faithful it is, 

The Hunt for Red October - The first of the Jack Ryan movies and by far my favorite, most of the other ones try to hard into making him an action hero, also Sean Connery is wonderful as the Russian sub captain, actually the whole cast is great.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - I have never quite figured out how Disney got away with doing one with so many sexual overtones.  A much darker story than some and the music is glorious.

Once More Into the WIPocalypse - 2021 edition

 Well this year got off to a better start than last year so hopefully that's a sign of things to come.

I've been doing this SAL for a few years now and it's probably the only reason I remember to keep up this blog, so lets start it off. 

This months question is:

Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year!

Hi, the name is Nancy or if you search for me around the internet I lurk  her and there as Katjakay especially  on Deviant Art and Tumblr. I've been stitching for nearly 15 years now and have a tendency towards doing bigger projects, not HAED big (though I do have a couple patterns of theirs I just haven't done them yet) but usually over 8x10" 

Currently my WIP is The Lion King from the Disney Dreams Thomas Kinkade kit, and I've been working on it about a year, though not as steadily as I usual do, but I plan to finish it this coming year. 

 And that's it, I only have one WIP.  Sometime this year I hope to also do this lovely Shannon Christine design,

as I have the perfect red fabric for it, but I haven't got the beads for it yet, I might alternate weeks with Lion King or maybe one will be stitched during movies and the other during a series.  I don't know I'll figure it out sometime.

I'm also an avid photographer so don't be surprised if a waterfall or two show up sometimes.

The other thing I throw on this blog is what I've watched while stitching, a short list this time as the last blog was only a week ago.

As for what I watched

Critical Role

The Mandalorian  - Season 2 - all - This is such a good series can’t wait for more

Sleepy Hollow Season 2 Episodes 1-2 Still enjoying this series but I remember that season 2 wasn’t my favourite. 

Holes - A great movie technically for kids but has a twisting storyline that makes it fun for anyone

The House with a Clock in it’s Walls - This is an excellent kids movie great story, well acted and some cool special effects as well 

How To Train Your Dragon - I know I say it a lot, but this is an absolute favourite I could watch this over and over again and have.  Maybe it’s the very diluted Viking blood in me.

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