Old Habits

 So I forgot to post for a few months, and since then I have been to Vancouver to see Les Misérables, a show I've been wanting to see for years and it was worth the wait. And I also have booked a  trip in October to South Africa.  But until then there is stitching to do.

The question for March is Which of your current WIPs do you consider your most difficult piece to stitch?

That would have to be Waiting, it's my first time over one on 25 count, but I'm getting the hang of it. I have officially finished one page... of 30

And the Dimensions Cabin is coming along great, should finish this month 

2026 To Good Intentions

 WIPocalypse 2025 Introduction

WIPocalypse is back and like usual I'll have high hopes to post every month like clockwork (usually Friday's as that's my day off)  and then I forget for a few months and do a mad catchup, luckily this group is very forgiving of such shenanigans

So to start with the first question Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year!

I'm Nancy, a baker in British Columbia, Canada and have been stitching for 20 years or thereabouts. I'm also a two at a time stitcher and almost always finish one before starting another, in other words my only WIP's are the one's I am currently working on. I have no UFO's, yes my stitching friends find this strange.

This year I'm starting with an old Dimensions kits that I've had around for many years, Morning Lake a nice little 5x7 project

And I have decided to finally start one of the big ones. I have a couple HAED and  Unconventional Xstich patterns that have been hanging around for years, but I'm still avoiding them and going to a Tilton Crafts Pattern called Waiting. It's my first one over one on 25ct and will be 13"x17.5" when done, it's also 90% blue.  So the plan is to just pull out the second project anytime I get tired of blue. 

Oops. Maybe Next Year

 I kind of abandoned the blog this year, no reason why I just forgot, but it's time the the WIPocalypse year end round up so I came back to show what I was up to.  

Not much it turns out, I was determined to finish the Shannon Christine Peppermint Ridge SAL by
Christmas and I did, but that meant that I did nothing else all year except some Diamond Art and Lego. So here is Peppermint Ridge in all her glory 

I also finished the Panna Elephant kit at the beginning of this year and I think that might be it

The collection of Diamond Art and Lego I did this year and also one of those booknook kits

 

Feb 2025

 I waited to this week for the WIPocalypse update cause I have a finish. But first the questions

January - Tell us about the oldest WIP you have in your stash. 

Since I finished the Panna Elephants this week, my oldest WIP would be the Peppermint Ridge SAL that I started last month.

February - What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year? At the moment, just the Shannon Christine Peppermint Ridge, but you never know what else I may decide on.  

So here is the two projects.  Panna Elephant Family 

And the framework for Peppermint Ridge.

I have not actually decided what I'm going to start next.

As for what I watched it's boring this time, my usual Critical Role, which did finish the third campaign,

and I've been obsessed with board game actual plays,  I've been bingeing Quest and Chaos and No Rolls Barred.

WIPocalypse 2025 Introduction

WIPocalypse is back and like usual I'll have high hopes to post every month like clockwork (usually Friday's as that's my day off)  and then I forget for a few months and do a mad catchup, luckily this group is very forgiving of such shenanigans

So to start with the first question Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year!

I'm Nancy, known on most random sites such as Deviant Art  as Katjakay, I'm a baker in British Columbia, Canada and have been stitching for 19 years or thereabouts. I'm also a two at a time stitcher and almost always finish one before starting another, in other words my only WIP's are the one's I am currently working on. I have no UFO's, yes my stitching friends find this strange.

I usually put up what I have watched while stitching, in previous years this went along with my goal to watch everything I own, but I finished that last year so I imagine my watching habits will change, but I'll still list them all cause it is fun

At the moment I am stitching the Panna Elephants kit and I expect to finish it in the next few months,

I am also doing the Shannon Christine Peppermint Ridge monthly SAL I just received the fabric yesterday so I will be starting it as soon as I finish this ramble

I don't know for sure what I'm going to start after the Elephants, possibly a frog kit I got last year but I'll decide when I get there. 

As For What I Watched

Critical Role and Quests And Chaos and  No Roles Barred 

Arrow Season 3

Arcane - I’ve heard a lot of good about this one and it is very well done, I know nothing about the game it’s from but I’m enjoying the story, I did like the first season better than the second though.

Wicked - It lives up to the hype, while it dragged a bit in some spots, the glorious ending made up for everything and I left the theatre on a high.

Moana 2 - As sequels go this was a good one, and this was the last movie for my year long pass, now I’ll have to go back to paying for my movies. I’m happy that this got my movie habit back after Covid got me out of the movie routine 

Plus the usual complements of Christmas movies, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Polar Express and White Christmas

End of Year Roundup

It's time for the WIPocalypse year end Roundup and the question of the month is Recap your accomplishments for the year! (Your finishes, your final before/after photos, etc)

I've had a fairly productive year, the last week or so I've been working of the tree of the Panna Elephants

and this year I have finished 

Mill Hill Aqua Mist ornament

Mill Hill Halloween Owl

Mill Hill Fairy Garden

Bellatrix 

Diamond Painting Owl

And a couple new finishes, 

Mill Hill Snowflakes 

And a Baby announcement for my nephews new little girl from CrossStitchTraveler on Etsy

Can't wait to see what 2025 will bring

September, October, November 2024

It's blog time again, and it's been a few months, so let's get to the WIPocalypse questions.

SEPTEMBER: How did you learn to stitch? I am predominantly self taught form a Learn to Stitch kit. Though I'm sure my mother taught me some embroidery when I was a kid

OCTOBER: How do you organize your WIPs and stash? I have a cabinet behind me that I keep most of my stash in, it's semi organized at the moment

NOVEMBER: How do you begin planning for the next year with your stitching? Tell us your process. I don't really plan much, I might have an idea for my next project and when I'm a month or so away from starting I'll start gathering the materials that I don't already have. But I don't have a year to year thing going on.

It's been a quite few months with the exception of a show tour to Ontario that I took. I saw 10 shows in 10 days, including going to the Stratford Festival which I have wanted to go to since I was a kid. Saw two shows in Toronto, Life of Pi, and Come From Away, it was my second time seeing Come From Away and it's an amazing show. Then it was on to Stratford, where I saw, Wendy and Peter Pan, Twelfth Night, La Cage Aux Folles, London Assurance, and Something Rotten. It was my second Twelfth Night of the year, and I have to say I preferred Bard on the Beaches version, but that doesn't mean that this one wasn't good as well, the highlight were La Cage and Something Rotten, probably my favorite two of the whole tour.

Then it was off to Niagara to see those amazing waterfall and to Niagara-on-the-Lake for the Show festival where I saw Witness For the Prosecution, Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Human Hearts, and My Fair Lady. It was an amazing trip.

Stitching wise I've been fairly busy. I've got quite a bit done on the Panna Elephants,

I finished the Mill Hill Fairy Garden 

And also another Mill Hill kit, Halloween Owl

I've also started a birth announcement thing for my nephews new baby girl, but no picture until they get it.

As For What I Watched

Critical Role and Quests And Chaos and I recently discovered No Roles Barred 

Bridgerton  - Season 3 - This was my favourite of the books and I did thoroughly enjoy it. There were a lot of changes, but they didn’t hurt the storyline.

Arrow Season 3

Flash - Season 1

Borderlands - Another movie based on a video game that I know nothing about, it was an enjoyable ride and the actors looked like they were having fun. I have no idea if it followed the game story at all, but I liked it.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - It’s too bad they didn’t make more with Chris Pine.  He was the best Jack since Alec Baldwin for me,  and this one made me want to pull out the books again.

Flawless - A heist film my brother leant to me,  decent show elevated a little because it stars Michael Caine

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - A little too slapstick for me, but made for an enjoyable evening out.

Twelfth Night - The Stratford Festival version from 1986, when this one first aired on TV it was my introduction to the play which has forever since been my favourite,  I am finally going to see it live at the Stratford Festival in October and in a funny full circle way the actor that played Viola (Seana McKenna) in 1986 is the director of the one I’m about to see, I can’t wait.

Transformers One - I enjoyed this one far more than the live action ones. Reminds me of the old cartoons.

The Wild Robot - A really good kids movie, intelligent storyline and really pretty to look at.

Red, White, and Royal Blue - A LGBT Romance about the First son and a royal Prince, it follows most of the usual romance tropes without being boring, I haven’t watched a romance in a while, forgot how much I liked them when well done

The Birdcage - I’ve been wanting to see this since I got tickets to La Cage aux Folles, and it finally showed up on Prime.  The play was a great deal better, but it was still fun

Red One - Santa gets kidnapped,  I enjoyed this one a lot more that I thought I would,