WIPocalypse February 2015 Stuck in a Rut?

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

The focus of my WIPocalypse will be my "15 in '15"which are 15 charts I want to stitch in 2015 (following on from my "11 in '11", "12 in '12", "13 in '13" and "14 in '14" - imaginative, eh?)

Obviously taking part in the DUCJC meant I stitched on every single one of the 15!  You will have seen them all already throughout January but here are small pictures of them once again:

Joan Elliott – Diary February WIP

Just Nan – Winter Typography WIP

Frosted Pumpkins – Hallowe’en Town WIP

Joan Elliott – Faces Mystery SAL WIP

Just Nan – Haunted Pumpkins Tree WIP

Jannlynn – Gathering Honey WIP

JBW – Rocking Horse

Teresa Wenztler – You were Hatched

Kingfisher for school

Dragon of the Winter Moon from Riona

Joan Elliott – Believe for school

Nutmeg Cottage from Susan

Since the DUCJC ended I have actually worked on three of the pieces.  Trick and Treat has continued to be my bathtime focus piece, one length of thread per evening.  On the Beach is my OAAT piece so I can finish it for my cousin's baby.  And the Hallowe'en Blocks are one a month, mostly on a Sunday.

Praire Moon – Thine is the Trick and the Treat WIP

Stitched on hand-dyed 40 count linen

Primitive Hare – Hallowe’en Cubes

 

Stitched on 32 count Vintage Grain linen

Madame Chantilly – On the Beach WIP

Stitched on 32 count Kynance evenweave by Sparklies

I have changed the colours quite a lot for this piece.  The charted ones just did not look the same as the cover picture.  Weirdly, the two rocks are stitched with the same colour but from two different skeins.  Big difference in old and new DMC there!

Measi also sets discussion topics for each month:

February
How do you overcome that feeling that you’re in a rut with a particular project?

On the Beach is actually a good piece to illustrate this.  The lighthouse is blocks of plain colour.  Not very exciting, just /// and \\\ like a typewriter.  So to keep me motivated I have been stitching one block of it and then a little motif along the bottom.

I find rotation is the key to not getting in a rut in the first place.  If you have like I do, a large focus project, a small or two and a monthly target there will always be something from your Goal List you can stitch on and not feel you are "cheating"!  I personally don't like stitching long repetitive borders so find the one thread of border followed by one thread of something more interesting works for me!

Finally, I will be hosting the annual Valentine's Day Blog Hop this year.  See this post for more details.  Just send me a photo of your lovely stitching to be sent to another blogger on Valentine's Day,  I've added the Heart to my sidebar, please feel free to copy it onto your blog to link back here.