Slow Sunday Stitching - May 18, 2025

I'm sort of slow off the blocks today.  I even skipped church.   Yesterday was exhausting.   I ended up driving over 6 hours on Saturday, much of it on rural roads - narrow, some gravel not paving.  But Carl ran his second 5K.

It was in a little town west of us and was in support of a local nature/walking/running/biking trail that is entirely volunteer run and locally funded, so worth the effort!   The race name is "The Toad Strangler", which I find hilarious.  The 'medals' were homemade and very cute.   Surprisingly, the race was formally chip timed and Carl cut almost six minutes off his time in the last race.  It helped that Saturday morning was perfect running weather.  As long as he wants to run, I'll pay his fees and get him there.

I took my charity knitting, since I didn't know if I would have a table to sit at for needlework (I didn't, so good call on the knitting).   This is another Leftover Sock Yarn (LOSY) Hat and should use up the last of the neon pink yarn!  "Another Goth LOSY Hat" - no clever name on this one.

I did get some needlework done this week.  Keeping up with the daily Temperature Log stitch.  And I finished the first ten hours on the Just Nan piece "Butterflies, Blossoms and Bees".  See the changeover post for picture and commentary.  No progress on the other Just Nan piece - the finishing on the pin cube, but I did decide that it's going to have a simple fixed pincushion top.  The charm on one side is quite heavy and rather a snagging hazard, so the pincube will have to be a display only piece.  Now I just have to find the right fabric for the cover of the pincushion area.

So on to slot #2 of the current rotation.  The vintage crewel eagle is back out to play.   I got the first of the three pine needle clusters on the bottom branch done except for the bullion knot pinecone in the center.  These sets of needles are much smaller than the upper ones, yet no simpler in construction.  But they are coming along!

As far as the last current active project goes, I've already fallen a bit behind on the #WIPintoshape challenge.   Yesterday, Andrew ran a half marathon, which meant I needed to put in over 200 stitches on the Mead Dragon.   With driving my own runner all over the eastern part of the state of Kansas, I did NOT accomplish this goal.   So, I need to play catch up today.   

Still, it's been a good week.  Linking up with the SSS crew (current round up list).  Going to hop over and see what everyone has been up to.

Rotation Changeover - 2025 Rotation #3, Slot #1 (Modern)

 

This is the first ten hours (including the set-up, mounting linen, etc) on the Just Nan piece "Butterflies, Blossoms and Bees" that I am doing in the Modern slot on my current rotation.   It is on 28 count Cashel Linen by Zweigart in the colorway "lilac".  Threads, beads and embellishments are from the class kit from Tapestry of Dreams.   I feel bad that I didn't do the online class when it happened, but I went through a phase where I signed up for every single online class offered that I could.   And more than one ended up in the stash.   There will be more.....

Slow Sunday Stitching - May 11, 2025

 A somewhat slower week this week, with no FFOs.   It was totally a "Just Nan week" as all of my projects are by that designer.  I got the side seams all done on the pin cube; next I will need to make the actual pincushion for on top.  (Antique hat pin for scale.)

I also got over halfway through my rotation slot on the new Just Nan piece.   I'm hoping to get the other three rosebud corners finished before I hit the ten-hour mark.  This is "Butterflies, Blossoms and Bees", an online class from Tapestry of Dreams.  I luckily had printed off the emailed lesson plans and kept them with the pattern leaflet.   The first section is the pearl lace border- it's Soil Perlee, which is the same size and structure as number 8 perle cotton, just spun of silk.  There was a bit of frogging in this area since the quadrants look like they should be symmetrical, but they are NOT.

The second step is the rosebuds, and the specialty stitch for the second part is the Mosaic Stitch (found in the pink areas of the buds).  I started off color completing but then decided that it's better to finish each one individually.  

I don't get to work with silk threads nearly as often as I would like.  I love the way it feels, and the AVS threads stitch up like butter.   Three shades of green and three of pink in each of the corner motifs. 

There are butterflies in the centers of all four sides, but I probably won't get to start those until the next time it comes around.   There's a lot of stitching going on in this piece for something so small.  (It's only 4 x 4 inches / 10 x 10 cm!)

Linking up with the SSS crew (current roundup). 

Slow Sunday Stitching - May 4, 2025

 Happy Star Wars Day!  May the Force be with you.....

Busy Week this last week, with several doctor's visits and other distractions, but things got accomplished anyhow.

Since it's the first Sunday of the month, the first thing to report, is the Temperature Stitches Daily Log project.   Pattern by Sarah, Stitchin Mommy (on YouTube and Etsy).  April's specialty stitch was Satin Stitch, two strands done in an alternating brickwork pattern.  Up close, there are issues with coverage.  The 28 count Cashel Linen is irregular enough to cause some gaps, even though I was very careful to lay the threads side by side.  

But when you look at the whole piece from actual viewing distance, it's acceptable to me.   I love that the one unseasonably warm day we had mid- month makes a fun little 'bullseye' in the pattern.  So nice when Mother Nature cooperates!

Next monthly project is the Mead Dragon.  See the monthly report post for the comparison picture and all the stats.   This piece is also my "Pictorial" project in my rotation.  

Some FFOs (always fun to log a finish).   The Mill Hill "Bell Ringer Santa"

And the "Wildcat Hat" for charity.  'Wildcat' because it's in the Kansas State University colors. To be fair, I should probably do a blue and red one for KU, but I don't have the materials so phooey to the Jayhawks!   (Can you guess where my loyalty lies - I met Walt at the KState Union😍)

In addition to the FFOs, I did work on the finishing for the Just Nan Pincube made of four small ornament freebies.  Here's what it looks like with all four sides attached to the base.  Four more seams on the sides and it will be a cube!  I still need to make the pincushion top and install it for the April WIPIGO calls, but I'm very close to being caught up with the calls to date.   And I've rearranged my board (starting after the May calls) to include the KC Plaza Stitching Bag.  So good progress on reducing the inventory in the 'under the bed box'.

And I finished up Rotation #2 with the Majestic Eagle crewel piece (changeover post here).  Got the upper pine branches finished except for the little bullion knot pinecones that will need to go in at the end. 

On to Rotation #3 for this year.  

1.  "Temperature Stitches" Daily Log remains my top of the morning stitch with one specialty stitch each day.  I have the first couple of days of May done - Rhodes Hearts this month.  I love them.
2. "Mead Dragon" continues in the Pictorial slot with a daily goal of at least 100 stitches.   Andrew @TheRunnerStitcher has a 'marathon training challenge' that starts next Tuesday.   He's challenged his followers to stitch 10 stitches for every mile he runs working up to his next marathon.  So I'm going to tack those stitches on to my '100 a day' goal.  Easy enough in the early stages, but I reserve the right to cut back to my original goal if the total gets overwhelming.
3. WIPGO (Finish and Frame Board) - The goal for this rotation is to complete the Just Nan Pincube. I want to get it out of the way so I can focus on the KC Plaza Sewing Bag assembly.
4. "Majestic Eagle" comes back in the Not Counted Thread slot.  Really hoping for a finish on this one; there's only the three smaller pine needle clusters and some bullion knots left to go.  (Hope I didn't just jinx myself since this is the 'cursed project'.)
5. New Start in the Modern Slot "Butterflies, Blossoms and Bees" by Just Nan.  I'll be mounting the linen and getting the first stitches in this afternoon.  It's small and will be a pillow finish or a doorhanger pillow finish (the only difference is a hanging loop). 
6. Historic/Vintage slot remains Black Bird Designs "Blessings and Kind Wishes". I'd like to get this one finished by the end of June.  There's a BBD with a Christmas theme that I'd like to start for 'Christmas in July'. 

I'm grateful to the folks at the Slow Sunday Stitching link up party each week for motivation and accountability.   I have finished and fully finished so many more projects since I started reporting there. (Link to the current round up.)

Rotation Changeover - 2025 Rotation #2, Slot #4 (Not Counted Thread)

Good progress on the vintage crewelwork kit "Majestic Eagle".   I got all the upper foliage done except for the little pinecone bullion knots that will go in at the end.

Next time this comes up in the rotation, I will focus on the three sprays of needles that are under the bottom branch.   They are both smaller and less complex than the upper ones, so I am hoping for a finish in the next round (fingers crossed). 

FINISHED NEEDLEWORK: "Bell Ringer Santa" by Mill Hill

 Next perforated paper ornament.  This is a "family ornament" and it's representing ME!  Bell Ringer, of course, since there isn't a needleworker one.

This one went FAST - less than a month start to FFO.  All as charted, using the kit perforated paper, DMC floss and Mill Hill beads.  

Full Coverage Month End Report - April 2025 AND 2025 Rotation #2, Slot #3 (Pictorial)

A decent month on the Mead Dragon for April.   I put in 3,843 stitches on it this month.  My daily goal is 100 stitches, and I met that goal every day. (A couple of days I just barely made it, but 104 stitches is still over the finish line for the day, right?)   Since I'm also close to the end of rotation #2 (ends May 3), I'm counting this post as my starting point for rotation #3 as well as for the month of May.

This month of stitching brings me to 52,813 of 94,500 or 55.89%.  I'm working on row 183; the halfway row was 175.  So by both row count and % in Pattern Keeper, I am well over the halfway point!

And here's where I was at the start of April for comparison:

The back leg is now all there except for the nails (looking forward to seeing those fill in, I love the way they look on the front paw hands) and I got the drinking horn better established.  I'm starting into a rather 'slog' section where there's not a lot to talk about.  More background, more drinking horn, more wing......   It will be like that until the tail shows up.  But at least I can see the stitch count go up every day.