Massive Stitchery Update

Dunno what's going on with me this week!  Everytime I think about posting, the energy sucks straight out of me. (Personally, I think I'm just so very done with winter that I'm just plain out of sorts and blue.)

I've been doing a bit of housework, but I'm not exactly getting any great sense of accomplishment about it... either it's just uncovering more to be done, or it's stuff that is getting undone faster than I'm getting done.  I really, badly need the weather to warm up so I can throw open the windows and get some fresh air in here, literally and figuratively!

But I've also been stitching - and even remembering to take pictures, so I'm going to update on that in a one big post here, and call it a fresh start for tomorrow.

I kept to my bag of January Challenge projects - pulling one out each day.  Some only got a token measure of work...others kept my needle flying.  Being able to quickly move from one project to another is keeping the more challenging ones from getting laid aside and lost for months, as they normally would have.

This is "Don't Blink" - the Dr. Who themed stone angel I designed - it's going to take forever before this turns into anything that looks like anything, and it takes a lot of concentration while stitching to deal with the subtle color variations.

I'm a lot more excited to see what it will look like than I am during the stitching, but I am plugging away at it anyway.

Next, the Dolphins kit - I made a bit of progress on this one, but still a long long way to go (this bit is just the center of it... there's a large frame section that surrounds this).

This was a long lost WIP - when I first started it, it was intended for my eldest daughter, who collected dolphins.  Well... I had a suspicion that was past the last time I visited and none were to be seen...so I asked her, and had my suspicions confirmed.  She associated dolphins with her first husband (it was his go-to gift for her, so most of her collection was from him), and now that she's remarried, they're no longer appealing to her.  So when I do finish this, it's likely to stay with me or go to someone else.
All things considered, I'm glad I didn't finish it and give it to her - that would have been sad to have done all that work and have it wind up stashed away somewhere because she couldn't have it out and didn't feel right passing it along to someone else either.

I made just a little bit of progress on the perforated paper gingerbread house - and also realized that back when I started this, I completely missed an entire section of it - and didn't tuck away enough paper to finish the project.

Not an immediate issue, but I'm going to have to buy some more brown perforated paper to finish this - and hope I can find some that matches properly.

The Elizabeth B sampler from The Sampler Girl is one that kept my needle moving - the colors are not those suggested (I was using thread I had on hand), but I like the way it is turning out quite a bit, and I think about 2 more days of stitching will see it done.

The day I picked up Country Gallery, I had high hopes about making some real progress - but I wound up spending the day babysitting, and was quite happy to set it aside in favor or dancing with Hailey - she's discovered rhythm in a big way and is hilarious to watch.

So, I managed to finish the pig, and start the next square - the scale on this is so large, I'll be at it a long while, but since it's composed of all these smaller motifs, it doesn't feel quite so daunting as it might.

I made some good progress on the Beary Godmother (still not sure who will be getting this one) - I think another couple days will have this one done as well.

I would have gotten farther on it, too - except the wings involve a bit of sparkly thread mixed in with the regular floss, and while I always like the effect fine after its done, dealing with snarly, stupid sparkly floss puts me in an absolutely foul mood.  So I put up with it as long as I could, and then tucked it away for another day.

Unfortunately, the next day, I randomly pulled out.. the Wizard.  Which is nothing left to do but backstitch, some background half stitch - and more sparkly thread.  And just to be fun about it, I'm having to guess at what threads I ought to be using, because the threads to this kit are long since lost - and the graph only calls them 'blue' or whatever.

There is a Dimensions kit converter to DMC online.. but that's for Dimensions numbers and I think this thing is so old it predates their using numbers.  Mutter mutter...another one I'll be glad to be done with, but it's going to be grin and bear it the whole way.

Finally today I got in some more time with the Art of Stitchery's 2 part "Mystery" Sampler.  This is a really pleasant project and I think it's unfolding nicely.

So I've got four more to work on this month, and then I'll be turning my attention back to the Blackwork chalice to get it completed.

And hoping hoping hoping that spring will get rid of this snow once and for all before it's finished!