October 2023 WIPocalypse Check-In

Hi everyone!

After an absolutely beautiful summer-like stretch of weather this past week, it’s now decidedly autumn with a light rain. The leaves started falling in large amounts the past couple days, even though half of the trees are still quite green. It’s an odd autumn here – although the color has been quite pretty.

Today is definitely one of those Sundays where I’m just puttering in my office, prepping my life and stitch planners for November before I settle down for some stitching this evening. It’s been a bit crazy lately, and I’m looking forward to some time to relax and just let my brain dump out a little to give breathing room next week at the East Hill Farm retreat in New Hampshire.

Quite by accident, autumn is now retreat season for me – mid-October was the inaugural Stitch New England retreat, which was a ton of fun. I’ve never been to Stitch Con or Stitch West, so seeing that many stitchers in one room for the first time was quite the experience! I’m definitely looking forward to the second year next year. 🙂 Stitch-In at the Farm is a veteran retreat for me – this will be my third year. I think it’s become my favorite one just because it is a complete removal from everything – no cell service, no TV, no internet. Just the farm, the mountains, and my stitching among like-minded people. Can’t go wrong! I’m so ready to go!

Next Year Plans

WIPocalypse will definitely continue next year with the last Sunday of the month check-in dates. I’ll be getting all of the details prepared to upload alongside next month’s WIPocalypse check-in. I know several stitchers are already putting their plans together – so for now, mark that final Sunday on your calendars!

I’ll leave off here for this month. I hope you have a lovely November as the holiday season starts to pick up steam.

Happy stitching,
Mel.

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Important SAL Announcements…

Question of the Month: How do you begin planning for the next year with your stitching? Tell us your process.

Next posting date: November 26, 2023

Topic(s) for next time: What is your favorite way to finish ornaments and/or smalls?

Need all the basic info about the SAL?  Go here for all details for 2023!

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Please remember that this stitch-a-long is intended to be fun – so if you’re too busy to post, too busy/ill/etc. to stitch – no worries! Post when you can and share what you have going, even if you’ve only been able to toss a single stitch into it. If you miss a few months, not a problem – just jump back in when you’re back with us! It’s not a race or a competition – we’re all just here to cheer each other on with our progress.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


September 2023 WIPocalypse Check-In

Hi everyone!

Autumn arrived here yesterday in wet and windy fashion – it’s barely 60 degrees (16C), and I can feel the cold and damp creeping into the walls of the house. Definitely good huddle under a quilt and stitch the weekend away weather! I’m ready for autumn, though – I love the crisper mornings with comfortable temperatures to be outside without sweating. Hopefully this rain won’t be quite as omnipresent as it was this summer in New England. Can you believe we only had three weekends in the last sixteen that weren’t rained out? Madness.

With September winding down, my attention is starting to move to ornament exchanges and what projects I can try to push toward a finish for 2023. The thoughts to plan a little for 2024 are also brewing – especially in the planner department! The one I’ve been using isn’t quite fitting my needs, so 2024 is going to be a year to change things up.

Upcoming One-Month Challenge – One Stitch Per Day

October will be our final one-month challenge month. As always it is optional, and as always, remember – it’s just one stitch a day. One often leads to more… and you’ll make great progress! Every. stitch. counts. If you can’t join us for this month’s one-month challenge, we will host them again next year.

Have a wonderful October – see you soon!

Happy stitching,
Mel.

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Important SAL Announcements…

Question of the Month: Are you a seasonal stitcher? If so, which seasons do you find yourself more productive or less productive?

Next posting date: October 29, 2023

Topic(s) for next time: How do you begin planning for the next year with your stitching? Tell us your process.

Need all the basic info about the SAL?  Go here for all details for 2023!

*~~*~~*~~*~~

Please remember that this stitch-a-long is intended to be fun – so if you’re too busy to post, too busy/ill/etc. to stitch – no worries! Post when you can and share what you have going, even if you’ve only been able to toss a single stitch into it. If you miss a few months, not a problem – just jump back in when you’re back with us! It’s not a race or a competition – we’re all just here to cheer each other on with our progress.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


August 2023 WIPocalypse Check-in

Hi everyone!

There’s definitely a feeling of impending autumn in the air here in New England. The humidity of summer shut off a couple weeks ago. The leaves are starting to get a lighter tinge to them, and the mornings have had a crispness that I absolutely love. Before that, though, the traditional checklists to kick off autumn need to happen – Labor Day weekend, my son going back to school, catching a glimpse of the first tree turning red. (I would add in pumpkin spice coffee… but that’s already started – Erich brought home a pumpkin donut for me this past week).

Is anyone else participating in an S-theme stitching month – Sampler, Smalls, Starts, etc – for September? Last year I did smalls. This year I feel the itch to do samplers. Later today I’ll be finalizing which ones I’ll be working on. I’m taking a virtual class through the EGA that I wasn’t able to start on time, so that’s on the list. I Love New England is on the list. But I would like to add a couple more.

Upcoming One-Month Challenge – One Stitch Per Day

October will be our final one-month challenge month. As always it is optional, and as always, remember – it’s just one stitch a day. One often leads to more… and you’ll make great progress! Every. stitch. counts. If you can’t join us for this month’s one-month challenge, we will host them again next year.

Off to a busy day – one of our close friends is moving in with us today to save on rent due to the price explosions in New England. The space is just about ready, but I have some other chores to get out of the way before the truck arrives.

Until next time,
Mel.

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Important SAL Announcements…

Question of the Month: What is your comfort zone regarding the number of projects to have kitted and in progress at any one time?

Next posting date: September 24, 2023

Topic(s) for next time: Are you a seasonal stitcher? If so, which seasons do you find yourself more productive or less productive?

Need all the basic info about the SAL?  Go here for all details for 2023!

*~~*~~*~~*~~

Please remember that this stitch-a-long is intended to be fun – so if you’re too busy to post, too busy/ill/etc. to stitch – no worries! Post when you can and share what you have going, even if you’ve only been able to toss a single stitch into it. If you miss a few months, not a problem – just jump back in when you’re back with us! It’s not a race or a competition – we’re all just here to cheer each other on with our progress.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


July 2023 WIPocalypse Check-In

Hi everyone!

Well, the odds finally went against me in early July, and I had my first bout of Covid since all of the insanity started in 2020. I figured it had to happen eventually! Thankfully it was a relatively minor case, and aside from a daily fatigue wall and an off-and-on cough, I’m back to my old self after about four weeks.

It affected my stitching time a little bit, but with Black Needle Society’s Frogwarts retreat mid-month and the 24 Hours of Cross Stitch Marathon the following weekend, it was a very productive month for me with two finishes (yay!) and some nice progress on several other pieces.

Now I’m looking forward to an August with the first full-family vacation in about seven years and some much needed mental health time! I hope that your stitching and summer (if you’re in the northern hemisphere) is going well, and that you’re also finding some little times to escape and just allow yourself time to breathe and relax.

Upcoming One-Month Challenge – Stitch-a-Long SAL

I forgot to mention this one last month (sorry!), but August is the Stitch-a-Long SAL. In August, pull out those stitch-a-long projects that have fallen behind and do a focus month on one (or more) of them to move them further toward completion. You set your own goals for it during the month.

I’ll be working on my Temperature Tree from 2021 (blush) and hopefully put in a bit of time on Fruits of Plenty as well.

Off to do a bit of end-of-month blogging for my projects and actually get a post up for what I’ve been working on! Have a lovely August, and I’ll see you next month.

Until next time,
Mel.

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Important SAL Announcements…

Question of the Month: Which are your favorite and least favorite fabrics to stitch on?

Next posting date: August 27, 2023

Topic(s) for next time: What is your comfort zone regarding the number of projects to have kitted and in progress at any one time?

Need all the basic info about the SAL?  Go here for all details for 2023!

*~~*~~*~~*~~

Please remember that this stitch-a-long is intended to be fun – so if you’re too busy to post, too busy/ill/etc. to stitch – no worries! Post when you can and share what you have going, even if you’ve only been able to toss a single stitch into it. If you miss a few months, not a problem – just jump back in when you’re back with us! It’s not a race or a competition – we’re all just here to cheer each other on with our progress.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


June 2023 WIPocalypse Check-In

Hello everyone!

Summer has definitely arrived here in Rhode Island. It’s quite warm and muggy, and we’re in the middle of an unsettled weather pattern where it’s either blazing sun or pouring rain, and not much in between.

Max’s last day of school was Friday, so he’s making Big Plans for the summer to fit around his day camp schedule. I’m trying to tell him not to make too many and just enjoy being a kid… but kids don’t understand the glory of unscheduled summers since they’ve never known anything else.

My stitching continues to go well this month. I’ve been stitching on I Love New England as my daily focus and reached my goal for the month of getting all of the small letter text into the piece. Now I can relax and work on some border for a bit while I catch up on some other stitching I wanted to accomplish. I’m still uncertain how I’m going to work next month – I may not do a daily focus as planned on one piece, and focus instead on pushing a few pieces forward that honestly I could get done before the end of the summer.

Upcoming One-Month Challenges

July will be another one-month challenge month. As always it is optional, and as always, remember – it’s just one stitch a day. One often leads to more… and you’ll make great progress! Every. stitch. counts. If you can’t join us for this month’s one-month challenge, the next one will be in October.

I want to get a couple of small house chores done so I can slack off and stitch all afternoon… so time to get moving. Have a lovely rest of the Memorial Day weekend if you’re in the US, and enjoy your June stitching!

Until next time,
Mel.

*~~*~~*~~*~~

Important SAL Announcements…

Question of the Month: Half-year recap:  How are you doing with your goals so far this year?

Next posting date: July 30, 2023

Topic(s) for next time: Which are your favorite and least favorite fabrics to stitch on?

Need all the basic info about the SAL?  Go here for all details for 2023!

*~~*~~*~~*~~

Please remember that this stitch-a-long is intended to be fun – so if you’re too busy to post, too busy/ill/etc. to stitch – no worries! Post when you can and share what you have going, even if you’ve only been able to toss a single stitch into it. If you miss a few months, not a problem – just jump back in when you’re back with us! It’s not a race or a competition – we’re all just here to cheer each other on with our progress.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter