A slight obsession with books

Crafts, cats and books

A bit of optimism

18 Comments

Last year I managed to complete just one cross stitch project. The year before was the same. I have a rather large stash of charts and kits waiting for attention and if I carry on at that rate, I’ll never make a dent in them, which means that I really shouldn’t buy any more. That’s not good, as I’m constantly seeing shiny new charts & kits that I need.

This is my current stash of kits, plus charts that have been kitted up. I have a lot more charts that haven’t been printed off yet, plus charts in books and magazines. This gives you an idea of the problem though.

So, I’ve had a sort through and any that really called to me were put to one side as a possible next project. I ended up with five and I know this is very optimistic, given my record, but I’m hoping to complete all five before the end of the year.

This was the first one that called to me. I’ve had this one in my stash for over three years. I loved it when I first saw it as I love most things to do with Middle Earth, plus it has owls. Bonus. I think it’ll be brilliant fun to stitch and it makes me smile every time I see it.

Next to be put to one side was this one. This has been in my stash for at least four years, probably longer. It won’t take long as it’s tiny and I do love using WDW threads.

Then I found this one. I put it to one side, and then put it back in the box before getting it back out again. I fell in love with it at the NEC craft show several years ago and it’s been intimidating me ever since. I’m going to have a go at it, and if I make a hash of it, at least I’ll have tried, right? Finally I picked out two by CCN, one of my favourite designers. This one will be a fairly quick stitch and is so pretty. And this one shouted loudest to be freed from the box and has already been started. I thought it was perfect for this time of the year and it’s a nice simple design with only whole crosses, so very relaxing after the last project. Next Sunday is the SAL post and I’ll be showing off my finished Crazy Cat Lady. The following SAL post will be my start on Snowflake Serenade. Hopefully I’ll have quite a bit done on it by then.

Author: Carole

The books I read, the things I make, the places I go.

18 thoughts on “A bit of optimism

  1. This is really inspiring as I am long overdue for revisiting, reprioritizing, and reorganizing my stash… Maybe I’ll be brave and do it after I finish my Swans! (Though just typing that makes my stomach tense a little!!!) There’s a detailed tiger needlepoint the might just win out, or perhaps something a little less daunting after the swans are done.

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  2. We’ll keep egging you on x the owl one is awesome, I too am trying to be good and not start until I’m finished… it’s soooo hard!

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  3. Oh your problem is the same as the rest of us I suspect! I look forward to watching you stitch these up!

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  4. I can’t wait to see your finish on Sunday! I have 7 cross stitch wips going and each week I focus on one project. (That’s the plan) All your new projects look like lots of fun!!

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  5. I bet you get most if not all finished, and what a nice mix. Finish that Snowman Serenade so you can start the owls!!!! They are just adorable!

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  6. Carole, you make me want to reorganize all of my projects. I think you had fun revisiting them. I love all of your projects. And I especially love the one you have chosen to start with. It is in my stash, too. I look forward to seeing all of your stitching this year and am keeping my fingers crossed that you can get through the 5 you have picked for the year. Great goal! Happy New Year!

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  7. I think that’s a brilliant way to decide what to do 🙂 And having started a (much simpler) embroidery piece recently, it’s not as bad as it seems 🙂

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    • Thanks, and good to know about the embroidery. I’ve done quite a bit of counted embroidery but nothing like that one. I think I’m a bit scared of the free-style aspect of it.

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  8. no harm in being optimistic ^^
    I reckon the SAL will help keep you on track this year. The CNN and Lizzie Kate designs all look like they’ll be easy to divide into stages so that you make steady progress. Same with the owls. Owls would be like having a mini happy dance each time you finish one!

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    • The SAL has been keeping me on track for several years now LOL
      I thought that about the owls too. Once the outline is done on Snowflakes, filling in the boxes will be like mini happy dances too. I love projects like that 🙂

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