Time already for yet another monthly posting for the #24HoursOfCrossStitch Challenge, the brainchild of Jen from QuirksandStitches, where we have fun matching our stitching for the month to various challenges. I also find it a convenient way of rounding up my accomplishments for the month.
1) Stitch for 24 hours during the month, including a minimum of 24 minutes each day
Not too bad this month. I managed a total of 29 hours and 15 minutes, mostly at the weekends on my new starts. There were, however, 10 days where I stitched for 10 minutes or less, but at least I still stitched every day.
2) Fill in the acrostic HOURGLASS, explain the connections and pick a 24 minute, 4 hour, 8 hour, (or other) goal for each letter.
Here are the 9 projects I picked for May's acrostic, along with their goal and my accomplishments:
H - Basket Case by Heritage Crafts (new start)
Connection - the cat is hiding
Goal - make a start of at least 2 hours
Actual - 2h 45m
O - Kings And Queens by Bothy Threads (WIP)
Connection -it's out with the Lancastrians and in with the Plantagenets
Goal - start and finish (about 4 hours?)
Goal - start and finish (about 4 hours?)
Actual - 4h 30m
Connection - I should be going back up to the top
Goal - 10 hours of progress
Actual - NONE AGAIN :(
Connection - still waiting for that red train to appear!
Goal - 10 hours of progress
Actual - NONE AGAIN :(
Goal - 10 hours of progress
Actual - NONE AGAIN :(
G - Winnie The Pooh 2 by Designer Stitches (new start)
Connection - greedy Pooh has eaten all the hunny!
Goal - make a start of at least 2 hours
Actual - 5h 50m
L - Mouse Reading Book by CutePatternsbyMaria (new start)
Connection - books can be found in a library
Goal - make a start of at least 2 hours
Actual - 5h 5m
A - Duckling by Heritage Crafts (new start)
Connections - aahhhh, what a cutie!
Goal - start and finish (about 5 hours?)
Actual - 6h 20m
S - Winnie The Pooh 1 by Designer Stitches (new start)
Connection - he's scooping out the hunny
Goal - make a start of at least 2 hours
Actual - 2 hours
S - Wonderful Fright by Sue Hillis Designs (new start)
Connection - the fabric has stars on it
Goal - make a start of at least 2 hours
Actual - 3h 5m
So I met seven of the nine goals. In theory, and in normal stitching circumstances, I should have had time for everything but I've again had to choose between projects. Was it wrong to neglect my two larger WIPs in favour of starting 5 more new projects? Yes and no! The new starts have done me good but neglecting Hogwarts (which I'm desperate to finish) and The Loneliness Of Autumn (which is a SAL) not so good. I'll catch up one day.
Day 1 - Loyalty Day - Hogwarts In A Bottle - Hufflepuffs especially, are said to be loyal but throughout the whole Harry Potter series loyalty was important, whichever side the characters were on.
Day 2 - Baby Day - Duckling - a duckling is a baby duck.
Day 5 - National Teachers' Day - Mouse Reading Book - at primary school level teachers are brilliant at helping children learn to read (only for them to be put off at secondary school when introduced to Shakespeare and 18th/19th century 'classic' literature!)
Day 6 - No Diet Day - Pooh 1 - with Pooh's fondness of hunny there is no way he will voluntarily go on a diet!
Day 7 - National Tourism Day - Hogwarts In A Bottle - the Hogwarts experience at Warner Brothers Studio is a major tourist attraction. Can you imagine how many people would visit Hogwarts if it was a real place?!
Day 9 - National Windmill Day - The Loneliness Of Autumn - autumn is usually accompanied by strong breezes and strong breezes are needed to turn the sails of traditional windmills.
Day 10 - Clean Up Your Room Day - Basket Case - when tidying a room, a laundry basket, like the one the cat is hiding in, is often needed for all the dirty washing.
Day 11 - Eat What You Want Day - Pooh 2 - Pooh definitely eats what he wants, and that's always hunny!
Day 13 - Frog Jumping Day - Kings And Queens - jumping frogs implies leap frog and Edward IV certainly leap frogged Henry VI and his son and heir to take the throne - twice!
Day 16 - Love A Tree Day - The Loneliness Of Autumn - there are plenty of trees in this picture which could be loved.
Day 18 - No Dirty Dishes Day - Kings And Queens - with his huge appetite for food, I'm wondering if Edward IV literally 'cleaned' his plate!
Day 31 - Save Your Hearing Day - Wonderful Fright - with all the screaching and screaming going on with various ghosties and ghoulies at Halloween you need to cover your ears in order to avoid at least temporary hearing loss.
4) Additional 'Just For Fun' Challenge: list 24 things to watch or listen to whilst stitching
As usual, I won't list, just talk about. When I stitch I often find myself blocking out external noise without realising, so whatever I listen to or watch needs to be familiar so I don't miss out on anything important!
Listening tends to be either Planet Rock or the Harry Potter audio books. It doesn't matter if I miss a song or two on the radio, and audio books can easily be rewound if necessary.
With TV I'm not so fussed. Sometimes I'll just scroll through what's on and end up with a film or historical documentary which looks interesting. If I'm not impressed with the choices on offer then I'll usually end up with a favourite such as Star Trek TNG, Top Gear, or panel shows such as QI, Mock The Week or Whose Line Is It Anyway. A very selective and eclectic mix!
On a completely unrelated note to this post, one of the weird/annoying/frustrating (and now funny when you look back) things at the beginning of lockdown was the disappearance of toilet paper off the shelves in a matter of seconds. Well, follow this link and you'll find out where it all went. The chart's titled "The King Of Toilet Paper". I hope it brings a smile to your face!
Take care,
Rachel x
You did good on most of your goals Rachel.
ReplyDeleteLinda
I hope next month will be better and you'll get back to those big projects! My husband has the Motor Trend Channel on a lot so I've watched a lot of autos being restored and several seasons of Top Gear.
ReplyDeleteYou still got in lots of stitching! Another great month Rachel!
ReplyDeleteI prefer to watch English detective stories when I stitch, such as Agatha Christie or Midsomer Murder or Poirot. Especially now the most of the sports have been cancelled...
ReplyDeleteGreat work this month, even just a 10 minutes session is better than nothing.
ReplyDeleteI watch FlossTube a lot when I am stitching. Except for bath-time stitching when I watch the boy LOL
I am finding I like the designer's channels and the needlework shops too.
A busy May for you!
ReplyDeleteI tend to watch different series, it just depends on my mood.
I wish I had THAT dragon in the beginning, luckily we've had enough to sustain us!
I watch lots of random bits and pieces whilst stitching, but usually things I've seen once so it can burble in the background. I love your duck! Great work this month x
ReplyDeleteIt's always fun to read about your plans and connections, even if you don't meet all of your goals! I still hope June will (continue to) be better :)
ReplyDeleteNice work getting 7/9, and if your stitching time had been more normal, I'm sure you would have had all 9. Hopefully things are improving and lovely work again on everything!
ReplyDeleteGreat work on the ones you were able to work on. Love all your connections as always. I of course had to buy that pattern right away you horrible horrible person haha. Love it! What a way to remember 2020.
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