Carol Harper's articles with the keyword: WIPocalypse

A new year, and time to: "Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year!" Who am I? My name is Carol Harper, although I have used the handle "that yank" more often the past. I am a "Jill" of all crafts and master of none: I paper craft (my papercrafting blog is currently neglected) and embroider (ranging from needlepoint and crewel in the distant past to cross-stitch and blackwork currently) and sometimes quilt (crazy quilting), knit and even bead a little, all of…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "Recap your accomplishments for the year! (Your finishes, your final before/after photos, etc)." Here goes, starting with my finishes, in order of "finishing": 1. Lakeside Needlecraft "Christmas" SAL 2021. Stitched on white Aida using recommended threads. Started December 26, 2021; finished January 6, 2022:  2. Stitchonomy Christmas 2021 SAL. stitched on ice blue AIDA (not obvious in this photo) in the colors specified (exceptI s…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "What five patterns do you really want to purchase (or start) right now?" "I don't really need to purchase any more projects... I have enough to outlive me by decades! But there are a few in my stash that I would like to start. The following three are patterns soon-to-be released or already in hand that I intend to begin shortly: • The soon-to-be issued "Autumn Sampler" from Stitchonomy, a companion to the already finished "Wniter Sampler" and…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "How are you doing with your goals so far this year?" There were some finishes: • Stitchonomy "Christmas SAL 2021", started December 2021, finished January 2022 • Lakeside Needlecraft free "Christmas SAL", started in December 2021, finished January 2022 • Stitchonomy SAL, "Spring 2022", started April 22, finished May 2022 There were two long-term WIPs held over from years previous: • "Hope & Strength" by Glenwo…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "Retreats and seminars – have you ever been to any stitching events? If so, tell us about them!" I have attended one scrapbooking crop (I do not scrapbook) and three quilting retreats (where I “worked” on piecing together in-progress crazy quilts - three quits the are STILL unfinished!). I have attended three in-person paper crafting events where I did learn a lot of technique, acquired a lot of swag (shopping at paper crafting events is de rigu…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "What is your favorite store (either online or brick and mortar) to purchase your supplies?" This is a hard one because I don't use just one store. And the ones I do use are all online (we don't have any local needlework shops anywhere near around where I live). I like to buy floss from Stoney Creek. I tend to buy fabric from 1-2-3 Stitch and from ABC Stitch Therapy. Recently, I am in two monthly thread clubs and a monthly fabric club at Lakeside…

A day late... as usual!​ The topic for this month's discussion is: "Tell us about a technique, designer, pattern, or anything else in stitching that you’ve been nervous or afraid to try." Hmm, that's a good one! And I can't say that there is just one. But my primaries, in order of degree of aversion, are : Technique: cut-work/hardanger. I suspect that the cutting is what has put me off... Designer: HAED, hands down. They are so HUGE and so full of confetti stitches. I am so intimidat…

In the past, we have used the first post of the year as a preview of our "plans" for the coming year. And, as they say, the best-laid plans, etc. etc. etc. ​A lot of what is written in this post is a small revision of my last check-in, so apologies if it looks familiar. But there are a few, however slight, changes. Let's start with an introduction to me, if you haven't been here before... I'm Carol Harper, AKA thatyank, and I've been stitching since graduate school "way back in the midd…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "What new discoveries did you have in the stitching world this year?" Can't exactly call this a new stitching discovery because I had heard of Sashiko but... there is apparently a variant called Kogin, which originated in the Aomori Prefecture of Northern Japan. And there is an Elizabeth Almond SAL which, of course I had to purchase! I look forward to tackling a new kind (to me) of embroidery! ~~~~~WIPS~~~~~ I actually DID stitch on my Eliza…

The topic for this month's discussion is: Do you prefer Halloween or Christmas stitching? I don't really have an answer for this question. An honest answer would be I don't tend to do holiday-oriented stitching of ANY kind of late. I USED to stitch a lot for both holidays and have a fairly extensive collection of ornaments for both. But, now, I am stitching more SALs than either ornaments or big projects. If there are holiday themes in the SALs I am registered for, then I stitch them.…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "List five projects you have unstarted in your stash that you’d like to start something in the (relatively) near future." I have to confess that, in the past year or two, during various Covid lockdowns and restrictions, I have watched a lot of live-streams and floss-tubes and the like and ordered WAY too many charts and kits from International sources (mainly English/UK but also from Germany). I have actually refereneced a few of them in past check…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "Which of your project finishes made you the most proud? The most relieved?" To be honest, I have no idea what the answer would be to either of these questions. I'm guessing it would have been one of the many BAPs through the years. Two that come to mind are the "Roll Your Own Mandala" series that I stitched on one BAPiece of fabric as a single project:  This was begun in February, 2014 and completed August, 2016. Since this took two years, it…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "Have you ever attended a stitching retreat? If so, tell us about your experiences." My answer is a qualified yes... I have been to 2 quilting retreats with the guild I am webmaster for and have stitched onboard 3 cruise ships with a cruise director who was tasked with teaching non-stitchers. But these weren't exactly stitching retreats in the sense that I think is being referenced. ~~~~~WIPS~~~~~ I haven't stitched at all on Elizabeth Almond…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "How are you doing with your goals so far this year?" I believe I said I was going to "go with the flow", whatever that meant. I had one major WIP/potential UFO in January - Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches" blackwork sampler. I haven't stitched on it at all this year and it is stalled at block 74... I had two mystery SALs in progress: • The Faithwurks/Just Cross Stitch "Quaker Christmas Sampler", with new parts issued at roughly tw…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "What was the first project you ever stitched? (whether you finished or not)" My answer depends on what kind of stitching you mean! I was in graduate school at University of Florida and was into crewel embroidery at the time. I don't know how I got started on this and I can't remember my first stitched crewel. Meanwhile, a friend had purchased a kit for an eyeglass case with purple pansies in the design to make as a gift for her mother but…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "What is your process for working on WIPs? Are you a one-at-a-time stitcher, a rotation stitcher, or something else?" I guess I would have to admit to being a rotation stitcher, although I can't pinpoint the exact time when I switched from being a one-at-a-time stitcher. It may have happened around 2012 when I embarked on a number of on-line challenges like TAST, the Crazy Quilt Journal project and the Bead Journal Project. Cross-stitching became…

The topic for discussion this month is: "What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year?" Well, besides this WIPocalypse, I have scaled back this year and only have two (mystery) SALs in progress: 1. The Faithwurks/Just Cross Stitch Christmas Quaker, which now has two parts complete: Part three is due out in the June 2021 issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine, the digital version of which should be available in late April, early May, 2021. ​ 2. The fifth and final SAL…

I have to catch up with posts for November 2020, December2020, and January 1, 2021 that I couldn't post because of the site being down. I will do those after I get my taxes done! Meanwhile, on with my check-in for January 2021I don't have that much to report so this will be short and sweet(-ish)!