WIPocalypse – Jan 2020

Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year!

About me

I’m in my 50s and work full-time as a web publisher for an airline. I currently live in Sydney, Australia, which I’ve started to love thanks to having a great friendship network with fellow stitchers, but my home will probably always be Auckland, New Zealand where I grew up and spent most of my life.

I’ve dabbled in lots of crafts over the years, but cross stitch remains my one constant and which makes me the most relaxed at the end of a long work day. I love learning new things, so I like to dabble in specialty stitches and other techniques. I haven’t focused on this area of my crafts for a long time, though, so I’m hoping 2020 will be the year to kick-start my energy and enthusiasm for that again – I’m always happiest when I’m learning something new.

Goals for 2020

This year I’m kicking the year off with 56 craft WIPs/UFOs, which includes needlework and crochet projects. After last year’s pitiful efforts, I’m trying to learn from my mistakes and keep my goals simple (and hopefully achievable) this year.

• Progress on 12 WIPs/UFOs (aiming for a different one each month)
• Finish Quaker Diamonds
• Finish Three Kings
• Make progress on three canvaswork projects (WIPs or new starts)
• Start a bed quilt
• Make progress on a crochet blanket
• Finish at least three projects from Crate Crochet
• Finish at least one project from Crochet Society
• Finish at least one project from KnitCrate
• Complete 12 ornaments for Just Cross Stitch ornament SAL (Facebook)
• Complete 12 ornaments for Hallowe’en ornie SAL
• Finish-finish at least 12 items in my finishing pile
• Stitch at least one charity quilt block
• Finish and frame the Ronald McDonald charity stitching
• Make some bat wraps and joey pouches for wildlife rescue
• Sew an item of clothing
• Make progress on/start at least three projects with specialty stitches or non-cross stitch techniques (eg stumpwork, hardanger, etc)
• Start a HAED

I also intend starting a rotation again this year to keep me more focused. This year, though, I want to ensure I have a rotation slot or monthly time allocated to new starts for gifts – I have a number of projects I’ve been wanting to stitch as gifts for years now, so it’s time to start getting those stitched. I also want to ensure I give myself time to enjoy other pursuits and not just cross stitch and crochet.

And to kick off the year, here’s my list of current WIPs and their approx status (rounded up to the nearest 5%) – some of these I may scrap and start again, especially those at 5% for various reasons, and some may be offered up for rehoming. But for now, this is where they’re all at …

My WIPs – status @ 1 Jan 2020

Designer	Project Name	Main type	% Done
Ursula Michaels	Ronald McDonald charity	Cross stitch	95
Nora Corbett	Mia Mermaid (retreat project)	Cross stitch	85
CA Wells	Sailors Valentine	Cross stitch	85
Teresa Wentzler	English Garden Sampler	Cross stitch	80
CA Wells	Cottage Etui	Cross stitch	75
Rosewood Manor	Quaker Diamonds	Cross stitch	70
Stoney Creek	Nature’s Resting Place	Cross stitch	70
	Mediterranean Village scene	Cross stitch	70
Mill Hill	Three Kings	Cross stitch	60
Chatelaine	Egyptian Garden Mandala	Cross stitch	60
CA Wells	Pyramid Etui	Cross stitch	50
Prairie Schooler	When Witches Go Riding	Cross stitch	40
ByGone Stitches	Quaker Christmas II	Cross stitch	35
Teresa Wentzler	Noah’s Ark	Cross stitch	35
Shepherd’s Bush	Finch Song	Cross stitch	20
Country Threads	Paris	Cross stitch	20
Lorri Birmingham	Butterlies and Hearts needleroll	Cross stitch	20
Just Cross Stitch	Le Jardin Silk Sampler	Cross stitch	10
Anita Diamond	Quaker Flowers strawberry emery	Cross stitch	5
Textile Heritage	Topiary tree bookmark	Cross stitch	5
Mirabilia	Bluebeard’s Princess Mirabella	Cross stitch	5
Martha Schmidt	Hussif	Cross stitch	5
Lavender & Lace	Celtic Summer	Cross stitch	5
CCN	The Tea Room	Cross stitch	5
Drawn Thread	Almost Halloween	Cross stitch	5
Marg Low	Make a Christmas Wish	Non-XS	90
Monica Hunt	Hussif	Non-XS	90
Cindy Valentine	Apricot Elegance	Non-XS	65
–	Berry Delightful Bag	Non-XS	60
–	Wool hot water bottle cover	Non-XS	50
Inspirations	Summer fruits pincushion	Non-XS	40
Inspirations	Wool beehive needlebook	Non-XS	35
Moss Creek	Schwalmwork Pinkeep	Non-XS	25
–	Bullion rose facecloth	Non-XS	20
–	Goldwork pea	Non-XS	15
FMNIS	Rachel’s Raspberries	Non-XS	5
–	Long stitch frogs	Non-XS	5
–	Vicki’s cot quilt	Quilting	75
Jane Nicholas	Stumpwork needlework accessory – thimble pip	Stumpwork	80
Jane Nicholas	Dragonfly	Stumpwork	70
Jane Nicholas	Honesty and Heartsease	Stumpwork	70
Jane Nicholas	Oriental Poppy	Stumpwork	40
Jane Nicholas	Pomegranates and Beetle	Stumpwork	35
–	Beaded fish	Beading	50
Laura J Perin	Lahaina Breezes	Canvaswork	30
GCC	Ornamental Delights	Canvaswork	5
Crate Crochet	Beginners beanie (box 6)	Crochet	95
Lululoves	Granny Square pincushion	Crochet	90
Hooked on Sunshine	Atlanticus blanket	Crochet	70
Maria’s Blue Crayon	Coastal Indoor Rug	Crochet	50
Crate Crochet	Crate Crochet Hook Roll	Crochet	50
Crate Crochet	Ripple Tote	Crochet	20
Crate Crochet	C2C Bag	Crochet	15
	8-day kid blanket (blues)	Crochet	10
	Teal-coloured beanie	Crochet	10
Hooked on Sunshine	Phoenix blanket	Crochet	5

Goal tracking

To help me keep track of progress this year, I’ve updated my monthly craft planner (all just done in Microsoft Word) and created a checklist of all my 2020 craft goals with space for me to write in any details. These are now all printed off and about to get hole-punched to go into a dedicated ringbinder. Other than being disorganised and lazy, I have no excuses now for not tracking my progress this year! 😉

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