Flapping Parrot 32 (Page Finish!)

 Despite how much I've been working, I managed to finish another page of the Flapping Parrot!

Before:

After:

I'm fairly happy with it. I have some page lines showing but I think once it's done and has a good wash and stretch, those will come right out.

I've been thinking and rethinking my rotation lately. I'd really like to close out my WIPs before starting a new one and I like having a focus piece (currently the flapping parrot) that I mainly stitch on, since it makes me feel like I'm making progress. My main issue, however, is that I have a lot of other projects that are in progress, and that's been nagging at me, because of the number of SSMC pieces I have on the go that it feels like before I finish one of those, a lot of time will have passed.

So here's my solution. I'm breaking down my projects by type:

Focus Piece:
Still Life With Parrot (Golden Kite)

Large WIPs:
Once Upon a Fairy Tale [SSMC] (Heaven and Earth Designs)
"Surprise Stitching" [SSMC] (Heaven and Earth Designs)
QS Curl Up (Heaven and Earth Designs)
Mario (Some Random Chart Generator from years ago)
Riding the Wave (Dimensions)
Medieval Shelf (Heaven and Earth Designs)
Middle Earth (Heaven and Earth Designs)
Greek Mandala (Chatelaine Designs)
Library Adventures (Heaven and Earth Designs)
The Wizards Implements (Heaven and Earth Designs)

Small WIPs:
Game of Swannes (Long Dog)
Birds (Tiny Cross Stitch)
Magical Creatures Calendar (Cloudsfactory)
12 Doctors Clock (Cloudsfactory)
Celestial Dragon (Joan Elliott)
Snow Bears Christmas Stocking (Dimensions)

That's a lot of WIPs. So here's my tentative plan.
7 days of stitching on focus piece (Flapping Parrot)
7 days of stitching on small WIP (Game of Swannes)
7 days of stitching on focus piece (Flapping Parrot)
7 days of stitching on Large WIP (until page finish, then rotate)

I would love to be a one project at a time stitcher, but it's just not in me, and I end up getting bored and losing my stitching bug. It seems like rotating pieces is a sure-fire way to keep myself interested and motivated to stitch. Don't get me wrong, I love all my WIPs (I wouldn't be stitching them otherwise) but I need variety. So, could be you'll see some "long lost WIPs" pop up in the coming months that you haven't seen in a while. 

I also have no idea what order I'll be stitching the "long lost WIPs" in, but whatever order, I'll write it down and hopefully keep to that order. So I guess Once Upon a Faery Tale is first on the list and I'll go from there. 

So that's that. I'm basically maxed out on PTO (or very close to being maxed out) so all of June and half of July I have 3 and 4 days weekend which will be spent cross stitching, video gaming, and turning into a general potato. 

Hope you're all well and happy stitching!

Faery Tales (SSMC) 008

 I should have posted this update earlier since I kept saying I would do it and then I .... didn't. But I'm doing it now, so that's something.

Before:

After:

The new rotation is really working well for me, especially because work has just been so busy lately and I definitely don't have time to stitch every night. Most weeknights, now, I knit and then on the weekends I have more time to stitch. The result is I end up working late almost every night (sign off anywhere between 8pm and 10:30pm) and maybe get at least 30 minutes of knitting in a night. I make an active effort not to work weekends (which is why I work so late on weeknights) so that's more time for stitching with an occasional video game thrown in.

 I've been receiving some requests from friends for small stitching projects. Not sure how I'll sneak those in but I'll try and post the results. Stay tuned.

 On a personal note, we're doing well. Have some major life events on the horizon, if the stars align, so crossing my fingers that they all align. H³ and I have both been vaccinated now and although we're not exactly bar hopping or anything, I am looking forward to hugging my mom for the first time in a year.