WIPocalypse - February update

WIPocalypse SAL is hosted by Measi's Musings

Last year I participated for the first time in the WIPocalypse 2018 SAL organized by Measi’s Musings and I enjoyed too much. This year I didn't want to miss the opportunity of repeating the experience. 

I wanted really to publish in the previous WIPocalypse update in January, but as always in my busy life, one thing brought to other and finally I couldn’t write or even finished the projects I wanted. That normally happens to me all the years, I take a while taking the new habits you want to implant for the new year. But now all is being settled, I am being able to do most of the thing I want (unfortunately not all) and I am ready to join the WIPocalypse 2019.

This year I am going to be more realistic than the last year and I made a very short projects list. I am sure I will be adding projects but not more than the ones I can make. At that moment my list, which includes projects carried over from last year, is as follows:

1. Hooties All Year Round 1
2. Just Cross Stitch Christmas ornament
3. One flower each Month
4. Connie Gee Design Blackwork SAL
5. Advent Calendar
6. Season Dreamcatcher

I have finished other small projects which are not part of any SAL and they are punctual jobs.

As that is the first post I am presenting here this year, I am going to introduce you to all the projects I mentioned.

Hooties All Year Round is a PinoyStitch design. Last year I made his design Hooties 12 Days of Christmas and I liked it so I bought in Etsy that new design. That one has one owl each month with something representing the corresponding month, as for example in the two I am showing here, a scarf and red beak for January and hearts around for February.  I am stitching it in white 18 count Aida fabric but I chose this time the Magic Guide one because I wanted to see how it is going.

Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments are part of the Christmas Ornie SAL 2019 organized by Christmas Ornie SAL 2019. Last year I participated with the mentioned Hooties 12 Days of Christmas. This year three options were proposed, 12 Days of Christmas, Christmas Carol or Just Cross Stitch magazine. I have most of the issues of that magazine so I decided to go for that option. Each month I will choose one design from the issue specified and at the end of the year I should have 12 ornaments if all is going right.

The first one is a design made which was published in the special Christmas issue published in 2009. I did in Aida 18 count rustic Oatmeal with threads in similar colours of the ones in the example. I finished it in a pinkeep style.

One Flower each month is a project proposed in the magazine Cross Stitcher. Each issue will be having a flower representative of that month. I did January’s one, the snowdrop.  I chose for my snowdrops a brown 28ct evenweave and stitches 2 strand over 2 threads. I used the threads DMC in the called for colours excepting for the white one. I decided to substitute this thread for the new variety of DMC thread, the DMC Etoile. I finished it as it was proposed in the magazine, as a heart shape cushion.

Connie Gee Design Blackwork SAL is one of the projects carried over from 2018. Last year the 12 first parts were released and I was nearly on time. The design comprises 25 parts so it will be going over all 2019 year. I didn't have time to work on that project and it is as I left in 2018.

Las year I wanted to make an Advent Calendar and actually I started it. I did the two first days, a star and a gingerbread man. I chose a nice 18 count Christmas red fabric and the colours for threads (excepting some red shades which are not going to be very visible over that fabric). I am carrying over this year and I finished the third and fourth days, a pair of mittens and a bauble. I need to speed up a bit.

I finished also two small jobs, both for a present, and now they are in their new homes. One of them is for someone very special for me, my cousin and friend, who has a baby boy last October. I wanted to do something special for him and I made a birth record. I chose a design consisting in dummy with some heart shaped balloons. It is done in 14 count Aida white with baby blue spots and the colours chosen for the design are also blue shades. I framed it in a fake marble frame.

The other small job was made for a Valentine's Day swap organized by my Spanish cross stitch group. I stitched a freebie designed by Agi from the blog The World According to Agi. Obviously the design is based on hearts. I made it in 14 count Aida white with pink spots.

I started also my Seasonal Dreamcatchers, but I will talk about them next month after advancing a bit.

As Measi’s Musing did last year, she is also proposing this year a question every month. For the month of February the question is:

“Which music do you listen to when you are stitching?”

Well, most of the time I don’t listen to music but when I do I like to play music in Spanish from the 80s and 90s (when I was teenager) or a sort of flamenco music typical from my birth place, Sevilla in Spain. If you want to know it play the following video:

See you next month.