Jackie/Jackie's Stitches

Hello, I'm Jackie of Jackie's Stitches blog. I'm a knitter, quilter and stitcher. I have a job that can be highly stressful and my hobbies keep me sane. I find that I don't have enough time for everything I want to do but most of us probably wish we had more time!

My viewpoint for 2011 is to make progress towards finishing. I'll start some new projects (most yet to be determined) and hopefully finish some projects in 2011.

Here is what I have in mind so far:

1. Grid and Grommet Bag - currently about half done Goal: finish it or ditch it

2. $5 Quilt - currently 50% complete. Lots of applique left. Goal: progress

3. Stitchers Garden Quilt - currently 75% complete Goal: finish the top

4. Quakers and Quilts - currently 80% complete Goal: progress

5. Jenny Bean Halloween - currently 50% complete Goal: progress

6. Knit to Fit Sweater - currently 70% complete Goal: progress

7. Per Terras (a/k/a the Albatross) - currently 80% complete Goal: finish it

8. Scarf for Chris - currently 60% complete Goal: finish it in February

9. Jo Morton's Prairie Basket - currently 50% complete Goal: finish

10. Jo Morton's Log Cabin Table Topper - currently 90% complete Goal: finish this week?

11. Stacy Nash Peacock Pinkeep Drum and Linen School Girl Sewing Book - neither currently started as I'm waiting on my pre-stitching kit. Since I'm taking a class on this my hope is to finish these both in class with Stacy this month. Not sure that is realistic.

12. Scarf for Mom - not started but have yarn and pattern Goal: Progress

13. Try to do the finishing on an ornament. Goal: Learn a new skill

Looking over my list, everything but #1, #6 and #7 were started in 2010. I finished very little in 2010. Hoping 2011 will be full of fun. Finishes are a bonus!

Teresa B (or GirlWithNeedles)

 I guess I'll get the ball rolling here. I'm Teresa B. and yes, I'm the one that got this started. It's not a new idea, I've had years of trying to finish things before, and even been successful. There isn't that much to tell about myself. I'm single, never married, no kids. My first loves are books and stitching, but I found knitting a few years ago and have certainly not stopped having fun with those fibers. I also learned to crochet as a child and still bring the hooks out on occasion. I also love to travel, and am hoping that I'll get to do more of that in the coming year.

So here's how I'm looking at this 2011challenge. This is my personal challenge, not necessarily what everyone else will do, I'll let them explain what their plans are in their own posts. In 2011 I'm going to start January by working on 15 different projects during the month of January. My projects will be a combination of new starts, WIPs, stitching (of all types including some canvas work) and knitting. I'm packing away all my WIPs and lovely stash except those 15 pieces which I'll keep handy so I can work on them exclusively. As the year progresses, and hopefully I finish something, I'll replace the finished item with something from my stash. I'm not going to make a one for one swap, so if I finish a knitted shawl I won't necessarily replace it with another knitting project. And I'm going to allow myself 4 times during the year to make swaps, I'm thinking seasonally. This will allow me to work on seasonal pieces that I want to have for an upcoming season.

I'm not going to list out my 15 here, I thought about it, but had to make a change because of some classes I'm taking later this month at the Attic.  That's also why I'm not limiting myself to the first 15 days, since my classes last through the 16th! I will tell you what's first on the agenda, it's a little piece by Stacy Nash Primitives for one of the classes and is a drum pinkeep. Although it's not charted I'm going to put 1/1/11 on it since I'll start it tomorrow. After that I'm not sure what I'll do. I'll have to let you know along with pictures of my progress.

It Begins

A new year always brings new resolutions, especially for those of us who love fibers. Now some of you may be familiar with the idea started here that many stitchers are participating in where each of the first 15 days in January you start a new project and the goal is to finish them all in 2011. Nice idea, but many of us have just a few WIPs hanging out in our stash that we'd like to finish...someday. So I got to thinking. Maybe 2011 is the year to work on finishing those WIPs and maybe even a few new pieces from my vast stash. Then I thought, "I bet some of my friends would love to do the same." So when an email went out to my stitch group here in Jacksonville that included the question of who was going to do the "15 in 2011" challenge I chimed in with my take on that idea. And guess what, a few people thought it was a good idea and wanted to join in the fun. Since some of us have blogs while others don't I offered to set this up to track our progress. Not just what we finish, but how we're doing in our quest to finish.

So that's what this blog is all about and that's what you'll see during the coming year. I'm going to let everyone, including myself, introduce ourselves and tell you what our personal goal is this year.