Understandably Unfinished Update

I did some work on my Oldest UFO this month! 

January 2012 progress close up

8576 Angelic Ornaments by Dimensions C9) 1998

Holly Babes

January 2012 progress

8576 Angelic Ornaments by Dimensions C9) 1998

Holly Babes

I met (and beat) my goal from where I was last month: 

December 2011 progress

8576 Angelic Ornaments by Dimensions C9) 1998

Holly Babes

                                  
which was simply to finish back-stitching the little ice-skater angel.  


Here is the thing.  I HATE THIS UFO!!!  I considered quitting.  I said it, you heard it, QUITTING.  I have precious little stitching time and 5 out of 8 ornaments is still 5 ornaments, right?


Sigh.


Wrong.  


I didn't have it in me.  One, I enjoy the stitch along and don't really want to quit.  Two, it's no pressure.  I have all year.  So I figured I would just make small small small goals and see how it goes.  This month my goal is just to get the next angel's hair and face done.  Three, I really do LOVE these angelic ornaments.  It is the %$#^&@*(# plastic canvas I hate.  I had no idea a billion years ago when I started it that now in my older years where I type 8 hours a day to make a living plastic canvas would be exhausting.  In my naive days,well, it is what came in the kit. y needle doesn't glide though.  Who knew I got so much joy from a gliding needle?


Speaking of joy -- how's this?

That is Sunshine, Sebastian, and Grandpa's Dog.  Now, you may be wondering a few things.  Like, why am I letting my children play in the water when it is January.  I have a few good reasons.  The dog was doing it.  Children uniformly seem to believe if it is good enough for the dog it is good enough for them.  It was also over 70 here.  The water is in the 50s, cold for us grownups but as warm as some lakes up north ever get.  It's been a rough 2011 and 2012 seems to be slowly better.  This was a joyful afternoon.  Simple joy.  And look at Sebastian (again, not his real name).  Standing in his socks in the rocks in the water.  That child has autism.  This is HUGE HUGE HUGE!  That boy in the rocks in his socks in the river, that boy is one of the two best reasons why I am no quitter.

*&^%$& angels.  

It's ToodleDO not Don't Do

Have I mentioned I love Toodledo? It is an online to-do list that you can separate into folders, assign priority levels, and give due dates. Because it is internet based, you can access it from anywhere you have internet, and it has a "slim" design for your phone/iPod/other device.   If you so chose, it will also email you a "hot list."  The hot list is a fantastic way to remind yourself myself of what it is you I forgot to do yesterday!

For example, yesterday was The Oldest UFO day.  I should have posted a picture of the progress of my oldest UFO.  You guessed it, I forgot.

Evalina however is a kinder gentler blogger and is not disqualifying people for gross incompetence forgetfulness.  I get a whole new fresh start this month, so it is only fair to post my starting point.

This is where I was last month:

Be prepared to be amazed.

This is where I am this month:

I know what you are thinking.  Did she work on it?  Surely not.  I did, I promise.

It's hard to tell, I know, but her whole little wing is filled in with the shiny pain to work with beautiful iridescent ribbon.  

I still get a lot of hand fatigue working on this.  The needle is huge, so I am going to try a smaller needle and see if it helps and I can still work on the (sigh) plastic canvas with it.  I also can't find where it says what colors to use for backstitch, though obviously 12 years ago it probably had those directions.  I do have those four angels on top complete though, so I can use them to figure it out.

My goal for next month?  Simply to have this little one's backstitching done as otherwise she is complete.  Then 5/8 angels will be done!

In my defense, I was busy stitching away on my second oldest UFO, Sebastian's stocking, which was completed and hung on the mantle with care and pride right next to his Sissy's.

They do have names -- I have cut them off in the picture on purpose.  I forgot to move the cat's picture before I took a picture, but I hate to put this post off, because I am most surely going to forget again.  

It's only 12 but . . .

It is my oldest UFO.

8576 Angelic Ornaments by Dimensions C9) 1998

Holly Babes

If you can see it satisfactorily, it is 8 Morehead Angels.  I have a few ideas why this ended up a UFO after 2006.  But what was I doing from 1999 to 2006?  Evidently just procrastinating   Well, and reproducing.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE these angels, as you might suspect from my selection of them for Sunshine's stocking and then again for Monkey's stocking.  I HATE HATE HATE that these particular ornaments are stitched on plastic canvas.  I find it quite fatiguing.  They (including on the stockings) also use a lot of blending -- 1 strand of this with 2 of that.  In 2006, little Monkey was diagnosed with autism and our life became a whirlwind of therapies and doctors for several years. During that time, these angels were just too "complicated" to carry around and stitch in waiting rooms.  The last few years Sunshine has been having health problems.  

So right now I am uber focused on my UFO below -- Monkey's stocking.  It must be done for this Christmas.  That particular piece was a UFO from 2004.  

Now, I have to tell you.  I was never ever going to stitch one of these angels again when I finish these projects, but yesterday I saw the cutest stocking with a Morehead angel and a little mouse. I adore Christmas mice.  I clicked away from the page, but . . .

That said, in a drawer not even started I do have a gingerbread mice stocking pattern for myself.

Hmmmmm . . .

In hopes of being urged along, I have joined a oldest UFO stitch-along being managed by EvalinaMaria.  What do you have in your drawer that's begging you to join?