WIPocalypse For July

I'm kind of proud of myself this month because I did an actual rotation with my stitching projects. The problem for me is that I tend to really get into stitching on one thing and am having fun, so I don't want to put it away and stitch something else. So getting into a real rotation is a big thing for me.

I made some progress on Rainbow Row.

This is the main one that I just wanted to keep stitching! Nice that I can see the building taking shape in back of the tree.

My Tulip's Praise had some stitches added to it.

The whole center section with the tulips is done and I started on some detail below that. This is a big project and I know it will be quite a while before I'm done. But coming along nicely and it's fun to stitch.

I started another Joyful World monthly chart - this one is November. I'll probably have it done before November! Giving myself plenty of time!

The way I'm stitching and the way the thread was dyed (Gentle Arts Green Pasture) gives the peacock's tail a striped look. At first I didn't know if I liked it, but no way was I going to rip it all out. I have since decided that it looks good the way it is and I'm leaving it. Note: It's really difficult to rip out stitches on 25 count fabric when you're stitching over one.

If you didn't see it in my last post, I finally finished Kaleidoscope!

I figured I'd post it one more time. It's a big finish for me as it was so detailed with a lot of colors. I'm pretty sure I'm going to frame it.

There's a new project on the horizon!

It's called But First Tea by Zindagi Designs (on Etsy). I have a special finishing method planned for this, so I had to make it fit a certain size. Therefore, I had to choose my fabric accordingly. Once again, I'll be stitching over one on 25 count Pearl Norden. Yes, more teeny-tiny stitches. I actually do like stitching these small stitches, so it should be a fun project. Very colorful too!

Question Of The Month: What is your oldest and your newest WIP?
I'm pretty sure my oldest WIP is Tulip's Praise. I think I've been working on it for about two years. I'm happy to be putting more stitches into it because it's going to be a beautiful finish. My newest WIP is But First Tea. That counts, right? Even though I haven't put a stitch into it, it's kitted up and ready to go. That first stitch will probably happen this week!

My August Goals: 1. Keep up my rotation success! 2. Possibly add a new project. But which one?

Thank you to Measi's Musings for hosting WIPocalypse. I truly believe that being in this group is responsible for keeping my stitching going and for avoiding stitching slumps!

Thank you for visiting my CraftyCat blog. Please feel free to comment and even become a follower! Check back often for more updates!

A Big Finish

I hope you didn't expect some kind of giant cross stitch project when you read "A Big Finish". This one is relatively small in size, but was a lot of work. It took me quite a while to finish it up as well.

It's Kaleidoscope, and it's all done! To be honest, I don't know how long I've been working on this, but let's just say that it's been years rather than months. But as you know, I have been working on other projects at the same time. So there's my excuse.

It's meant to be finished up into a cushion, but I'm leaning toward framing it. What do you think?

I also talked about this on my Flosstube channel, CraftyCat Stitcher. I made a second video! I think my Flosstube experience is going pretty well so far. Being a slow stitcher, I won't be making videos every week with amazing finishes. I'll probably be posting there every couple of weeks.

Now I want to find another Sheena Rogers design to stitch! I really love these stitch-filled squares!

I'll be posting here on Sunday (I can't believe that it will be the last Sunday in July!) with my WIPocalypse progress. At that time you'll see another start, maybe two!

I Took The Plunge

Yes, I finally did it. I became an official Flosstuber. In case you're not familiar with Flosstube, it's a community of stitchers who do videos on Youtube. If you told me a year ago that I'd be doing this, I would have laughed and said "yeah, right". But here I am, CraftyCat Stitcher. As I say in my video, I didn't know what Flosstube was until about eight months ago. I started watching and was pretty surprised at how many stitchers create little videos and post them on Youtube. I've only done one so far. If you want to see it, just go to Youtube and search "CraftyCat Stitcher".

In my last post I mentioned my stitch group's stitch day a couple of weeks ago. This was our annual birthday celebration and I made each stitcher a bracelet. I had fun making each one unique, with different combinations of beads. Memory wire bracelets are easy to make. You basically only need wire and beads, and sometimes a charm if you want. But the important thing is to have the proper cutters for memory wire! That stuff is pretty tough!

I also wanted to wrap them differently than I usually do. I found some cards in the clearance section at Hobby Lobby and devised my own way to attach the bracelets.

Here they are all packaged up.

Thea also got crafty and made us all these cute key wristlets.

As you can see I've already attached my keys and have been using this wristlet every day! I always keep my house keys separate from my car keys (for some reason), and this makes it easy to find my keys in my purse. It's especially handy when I have a bunch of stuff to carry into the house from the car, like when I get home from work. I have a purse, a lunch bag, and sometimes books and grocery bags. I just pop this on my wrist and no more fumbling around for my house keys! Cute and functional!

As far as stitching goes, I haven't done much in the past week for a couple of reasons. I've had some good books to read, and I've also been out of town visiting our son and daughter in law. It was a whirlwind trip, so no time for stitching. But I did get a little more done on Kaleidoscope before I left.

My goal is to complete this one soon. It's been in the rotation for a long time, so it's about time to get it done! I'll be making it a priority.

That's about it for now. I will be continuing my blog, even though I have discovered the world of Flosstube. I like the process of writing and posting photos. So keep coming back for visits. I also plan to get back into my Pinterest attempts at some point. See you soon!