It’s the end of June….

2020 is half over. How many are excited to see it end?

Wipocalypse 2020 Question is how are you doing on the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year?

How many of you feel like January was more than 6 months ago? How many feel like real life ended in March and you’ve been in either hibernation or a horror movie for the last 3 months?

I feel like I’ve been in hibernation. I went into quarantine with plans to stitch like crazy while on work from home meetings. It wasn’t 2 weeks in when my kids suggested that I get a switch lite to help with stress reduction. I told them I wasn’t stressed. My oldest son told me to sit down and explained that even if I thought I wasn’t stressed, this was the first time he’s ever seen me swear while trying to thread needles.

So I bought a Switch Lite and Animal Crossing New Horizons. I have a 5 star island and play daily which hasn’t helped my stitching time. I also haven’t done much writing or made a new floss tube video but I’ve been doing well at work and my team is amazing.

But for the last three months, I’ve been on auto drive. I’ve played video games and done not much else but work, eat food my amazing husband prepares. I’m up 10 pounds and I’m having problems with my hands and feet swelling and going numb while I sleep. It’s partially menopause, partially stress, partially not drinking enough water and eating too much salt, and sleeping in a way that impinges the ulnar nerve. It makes me not want to stitch much.

I started the year with goals to participate in WIPGO 2020, the purple peppermint Blackwork SAL and plans to finish several large WIPs this year.

As far as I’ve done on Purple Peppermint Blackwork SAL

I didn’t actually start the Purple Peppermint SAL in January but everyone’s work started looking so good, I couldn’t resist anymore and I started it and then I didn’t like the way it was looking and I stopped. I had forgotten that Blackwork works better worked from a diagonal, horizontal or vertical pattern. I know it will get better after I finish the first row and roll the fabric but for the moment, I’m having trouble motivating myself to work on it.

My first start of quarantine and what I work on when not gaming.

I thought it might help to have a project near my desk for when meetings got boring. Considering that I started it the end of March, it has some progress but not as much as it could have been.

The only thing finished during quarantine which isn’t a video game.

I did actually finish something though. This square was on my WIPGO list and I did actually complete it, looking at my chart I finished it May 6, 2020.

I have done at least a 1000 new stitches on this during the year.

My WIPGO board had 1000 stitches per square on this project. I did finish 1000 stitches on June 1, 2020 but I’m behind by 2 squares so it still needs 2000 stitches for me to be caught up. However, I look at it and I just can’t seem to motivate myself. In fact, in an attempt to motivate myself to stitch more, I started this Waxing Moon Designs.

My 2nd quarantine start

Here’s hoping that I can start waking up out of this hibernation and actually start getting things accomplished towards the goals that I set back in January. However, I’m not really planning on accomplishing much this year if it continues the way it has since March.

Saving things for later is another form of procrastination

For Mothers Day my husband gave me a gift basket which included a bath bomb.  I had never had a bath bomb before but it looked like a larger version of the bath cubes I used to have which took forever to dissolve.  In my mind, I planned to save it for later.  Save it for a time when I would take a really long soak.  

Today I finished a fantastic leadership/public speaking course called leadership from the heart.  My feet were sore, my voice was shot, I was physically drained and still on an emotional high.  I realized this would be the perfect time for that long soak in the tub.  I turned on the water and dropped the bath bomb in.

It was a bomb, alright! There was a plop and a POP!  The bath bomb exploded and the scent of wildflowers filled the room. 

I realized that I had mistaken what the gift really was.  I had preconceived notions which limited my desire to use it.  I thought it was going to fizz and take a long time to dissolve.  Instead, it was quick and because I was not mindful in the moment of it’s use, I missed seeing it explode, I heard it and saw/smelled the result. 

Since I was still in that coachable mindset, I saw the parallels.  How many times have I procrastinated things thinking that they would be long, arduous processes?  What if that was incorrect thinking?  What if things things I’ve been thinking are big hairy monsters are actually cute little puppies run through my scary filter? How many times have I missed things because I was not fully present in the moment? 

Even worse, how many times have I judged people from things in my past experience instead of who they are really?  How many times have I stopped seeking to understand based on something they said or did that triggered me?  And turning that around, how many times have others stopped listening to me because they judged me?  

To end on a lighter note, I will definitely be getting more bath bombs and using them frequently. 

Thought for today 

So the universe is not quite what you thought it was. You’d better rearrange your beliefs then, because you certainly can’t rearrange the universe. –Isaac Asimov

The WIPocalypse list is complete…for the moment

And this is the plan for the start of the year, I’ll be taking pictures tomorrow… (following the final Carousel Horse update).

So I will be keeping a focus piece which will be whatever is closest to being finished in my WIP list that means the beginning focus piece is  Winter Carousel Horse.

 I wanted to start the year with a quick finish and a new start, so between the 1st and the 8th I’ll be working on these two projects with some time on Winter Carousel horse inbetween.  There is a good chance that I’ll finish IVY tomorrow.
 1/9/12 – – IVY  – Needlepoint (original design) started in 1998, Segment from Main Street: Crafter’s Paradise in Just Cross Stitch
After I post on the 9th, I will be starting on the next project and the pattern will continue from that point. The date you see will be the date progress on that piece will be posted.
        • 2/7/12 Fire Dance – Enchanted Lair, started Sept 2004, 57% completed
        • 3/8/12 Fairy Tale Sampler –  Dragon Dreams (2nd time through), started 11/2003, 12% complete
        • 4/6/12 Autumn Queen – Mirabilia started 7/2004, not sure on the % because I only have the head complete, corresponds with Mirabilia March
        • 5/5/12 Varigated warp weaving project – I will be happy if the loom gets warped for this one.
        • 6/4/12 Autumn Carousel Horse –  Teresa Wentzler started 2/10,  27% complete
        • 7/3/12 Fire and Ice – Black Swan (and if I finish it then the Kustom Kraft one), Black Swan started 12/10, 14% complete, Kustom Krafts started 1/2003, 14% complete
        • 8/1/12 Spring Carousel Horse – Teresa Wentzler, started 1/2011, 23% complete
        • 8/31/12 Dragon Doorstop – Dragon Dreams, painted canvas, started 2006, 15% complete
        • 9/29/12 Summer Carousel Horse – Teresa Wentzer, started 7/2011, 24% complete
        • 10/29/12  Purple Ornament –  Jody painted Canvas, started 11/2006, 36% complete
        • 11/28/12 Christmas Quilts (star and pinwheel) started 4/2005, 31 of 56 blocks complete
        • 12/28/12 Needlepoint Stocking, Purple/Teal – started 11/2008, 15% complete

So, Stasha, I hear you say, what happens if you actually finish a project during the time you are working on it?  (and those who really know me are saying: “Stasha, you actually finish projects? Since when? accompanied by hysterical laughter)

Well it turns out that even during the Year of Carousel Horses I managed to finish 8 things, mostly small (okay, 4 small, 2 medium and 2 framing or finishing).   This year I’m looking to actually wrap up a few large projects which have aged nicely.  So if I do finish something, first there will be more time spent on the focus piece until it’s finished.  Then for every 2 projects completed there is a new start waiting – fully kitted and good to go but if the WIP list is still looking scary, there are other WIP’s ready to sacrifice themselves to fill a slot in the WIPocalypse calendar.  Items like the final applique block for the hand appliqued monster quilt – Mr. Big Mouth, the TW Fruit Bell Pest, Dragon Ride or the oldest WIP on my list Dimensions Embroidered Pegasus kit. So until the WIPocalypse starts tomorrow, there are still a few hours left on the Year of Carousel Horses and the 3rd section of netting on Winter is starting to call really loudly…