November WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi of Measi's Musings.

The main focus of my WIPocalypse this year is my "13 in '13" a list of 13 projects I want to complete in 2013, click on top tab for the list.  I haven't actually worked on any of them since the last WIPocalypse post but I did make a start on next year's list!  At the moment it looks like this but it may change (several times) between now and the start of the New Year:

  1. Joan Elliott - Green Goddess

  2. Prairie Moon - Thine is the Trick and the Treat

  3. Maria’s Wedding

  4. Kat’s Baby

  5. Dragon Dreams Monthly

  6. Joan Elliott Diary

  7. Just Nan SAL

  8. Earthquake Charity

  9. Unicef Charity

10. Firewing Dragon

11. Stitcheranon chart

12. Ink Circles Little Alien

13. Shepherd’s Bush

14. Lisa Steele Dragon

The second part of the WIPocalypse is the Monthly Challenges.  The only one stitched so far is the Eleventh Dragonlet of Christmas:

These dragons are a Facebook exclusive from Dragon Dreams.  One or two people have stitched all twelve onto one piece of fabric and are displaying them on the FB page.

I have continued to stitch one design per day on The Little Stitcher Advent Calendar, now up to Day 8:

Just for scale, that is a size 28 petite needle.  The designs are stitched over 1 on 32 count Belfast Vintage Grain.

Now, Jan from Thread Garden started this, then Shebafudge carried it on, so in the same tradition, here is MY Top Five of designs from the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornie Special 2013.  In the order they appear in the mag:

Blue Ribbon Designs (page 15)

Blackberry Lane (page 29)

(for some friends who are church-going Christians)

Shepherd's Bush (page 38)

(I would change the fabric to a blue)

Ink Circles (page 86)

Dragon Dreams (page 102)

Alot of people have said "oh, the mag isn't as good this year" but I have also read comments from UK stitchers seeing the mag for the first time (it's not readily available in newsagents here) and going mad over the lovely varied  designs in much the same way I did the first time I saw an issue.  I honestly believe it is Christmas Fatigue, so many of the designs follow a similar look or feel to previous years.  Of course, if you haven't seen a previous year then they are New and Exciting but if you've got every issue going back to the Year Dot it's easy to think Same Old, Same Old.  Whatever, it's still a million times better than the standard UK mag :-)

So do you have a different Top Five?  I have noticed the Snowbirds are very popular.  Living in a seaside town they look like Seagulls to me!  Maybe I should stitch them sitting on top of the Grain Silo near the Railway Line!

Click on the picture for the story.

The one we tell the children is that Santa stores the presents in that silo and when the tree goes on top it is a signal that they are ready to be collected by the sleigh to be delivered to all the local children.

Finally, it's time to sign up for the Annual Advent Calendar Blog Hop.  As in previous years there will be 24 doors posted on my blog.  Each person who signs up will be allocated a date, on that date they must post a photo of something Festive they have stitched, either in the past or this year.  I will then copy the photo across to my post and by Christmas Eve we will have 24 Open Doors each linked to a different blog.  Last year I had more than 24 people so we had some Double Days which was great.  To take part please email me letting me know if there is a date you prefer or wish to avoid.