I'm getting better

He's looking more like a Dragon, and I'm remembering to update occasionally... however I've now been on this page for a month, which is bloody awful even by my standards, so I think I need to get a shuffle on with this little dude now and get the page finished!

And now I'm back...

February was a tad busy so I didn't really get much stitching time, but I'm back now, and so is Dragon Rider, and it turns out that I do have more to show that I thought I did, which is nice. Although I am now about to hit confetti so this is probably about to slow down a bit, but at least it shows that I'm still alive & kicking!

He's back!

A page finish means that Dragon Rider it back out, and I've realised that I'm working on his head, all is good in the world. Look at the little cutie! I got all excited this week because I thought I only have 5 pages left, and there was the vaguest of chances that I might finish him this year, I have eight pages left, that isn't going to happen!

It's the end of the green as we know it...

Well, it is for now anyway. Another page finish means that he's tucked away for a while, but I'm quite proud to see another page, this is my third page this year, which is my record since I started this dude, so I'm hoping to be truly amazing and do one more page before the end of the year, although I'm going to have a page or two on other things before I go back to him. But, I finally feel like I'm making some progress, three pages is a column, I've done an entire columns worth this year, I am so proud. So, another project is out, and I've picked something with a Halloween theme (and also to compliment a couple of birthday purchases - ooops).

And still more green

It is a lot of green, but it's progressing! I've done some gap filling this week, which always makes it look like I've progressed more than I may have actually done. But it's been a good week, and I'm hoping this week will as well, there's the vaguest of possibilities that I'll actually manage to finish this page this week, but don't say it too loud! I know it's not exactly the most exciting page to look at, so hopefully I'll have something interesting to show when I move on. I know what my next page will be, but I also have my monthly SAL theme to do something on which is Halloween, so I'll probably pull something out for that for a week or so before moving on to my next page project.

What you have created, if it has a name, is some green!

I have actually lost track of how many times I've found an excuse to use that title now, it may well be my favourite Blackadder quote and makes me laugh every time.

Anyway, here is this weeks green, and it is, indeed, very green. I've achieved more than I thought I would, but not as much as I would have liked, I'm hoping that the next couple of weeks might go okay for me. I'd like to get this page finished before the end of the month because I've also got a Halloween SAL theme this month, with a couple that I'm currently working on for it.

New.... page!

I was good I resisted (at least temporarily) another new start, I went back to Dragon Rider, I'm determined, this one is going to be finished it two years... I know, two years is still a long time, but I'm ambitious, not stupid!

Woop!

I got my page finish (and apparently managed to take it in weirdly pink light, but lets ignore that). I finished my page and as per usual stepped back and went, oooh, there it is, that's what I was stitching. I knew it was the bike, but I can't quite worked out how, look how shinny it is. I'd set myself the target of finishing the page by the end of the month, and I'm only one day off, so I'll take that as a win. Especially as I stupidly left all the confetti till last, which I never normally do, because I know it drives me insane!

So, new start next (woohoo for my stitching groups SAL theme this month), which one shall I pick, I have so many in mind.

It's still a leg, but it also has an arm...

Do dragons have arms? I don't know what else to call it, as it's definitely not a wing (although they are there too), so I'm going to have to refer to it as an arm... and now that I think about it, I'd better hope he's got arms, or else how is he steering that motorbike? More accurately it's actually an elbow... yup, once again I've moved my nose more that four inches away from it, and suddenly the whole has come into focus.

I was planning on finishing his leg this week, but it hasn't quite happened, however I didn't plan on getting as much below his leg done as I have so it sort of evens out. As is often the case, all the colours in that little patch just below his belly are also in the silver and blue of the bike, so as they were out I did that bit as well, but it meant that the leg isn't quite done, but I'm on the last colour, so hopefully not much longer until it is... and then hopefully I'm not that far off a page finish (sssh, don't say it too loud)

And secondly, the crochet is back out (because this is the weather to be working on blankets, but never mind). I was slightly enviously watching people crocheting at my craft group last week and figured that it was definitely time for mine to come out. Sadly, the first thing I did was frog 13 rows of the project on the right, but I'm back on that now, and on the left is my third attempt at working out what to do with one of my many whirls. I like corner to corner blankets, so hopefully this is the one. We'll see what happens anyway.

Oh... it's a leg!

Those words actually came out of my mouth yesterday, I'd been stitching away with absolutely no idea what I was stitching. In my head I think it was part of the bike, it only clicked yesterday.

He's coming along, and, third week in a row and I'm not yet considering moving on, miracles happen!

Green, so much green

He's not had a bad week, although I was actually hoping to be more productive than this, but all in all, not to bad at all. The bike is taking shape and there's a fair amount of green shmush for my little dragon dude as well. Hoping for a similarly productive week this week as well (famous last words).

He's back again

My little dude is back out. I had intentions to be a lot more productive this weekend than I actually was, but you know me, I'm easily distracted, there are so many things I can pretend to do in an empty day.

I have managed to write a fair amount this weekend, I've nearly hit my monthly target already, I'm so proud, albeit it also slightly surprised. And as it's a new page it doesn't take much to make it look like I've achieved something, and two colours means that you can already see the shape of the page appearing.

Page finish - a whole one!

Second page finish of the year, seeing as I only managed four page finishes in the entirety of 2017 (and I'm being quite generous in those descriptions, most were small pages and barely deserve that tile), then 2 pages already is quite an achievement, I'm so proud! Especially as this is Dragon Rider, and we all know what a love hate relationship I have with this. And guess what, this is the 11th page finish on him, out of 21 pages, so in a technical sense, I'm over half way, and the maths is boggling my head at this time in the evening, but I think even though some are  partial pages and some are full pages, I'm still officially over half way through. If I can vaguely stick to me stitching plans for this (and I'm certainly more optimistic that I was last year), then I'm hoping to get three more pages done on this throughout the year. If I do manage it then that'll be the most attention he's ever had in one year. Parts of my (overly complicated) rotation are still in place, and once I get over my startitus the full rotation will be back into effect... Although I'm not admitting to how far off that could potentially be. So, with that in mind, a page finish means time to move on to a new project, I've just admitted to startitus, what could my next post be about.

Happy stitching!

So close...

Having not had a chance to work on this dude last week, I suddenly seem to have achieved a lot this week. I was hoping to have this page finished by today, but it hasn't quite happened. I should be done by next week though, which will mean that I will have managed a two pages in two months. I'm on track, for a page a month, and I'm going to enjoy that feeling while it briefly lasts.

He's still surviving

He's still holding on, I think I should actually finish this page (shhh, don't say it too loudly). I meant to finish the green off, but that didn't quite happen, and I seem to have done a lot of wing instead, but he's growing and that's the best thing at the moment, and I'm showing actual progress each week which is also a miracle at the moment. I will continue and I will finish the page.

Three weeks and counting

I'm hanging on and so is he, and I have actual progress to show, look, the sky is finished, I'm so proud. I'm actually still getting on with him pretty well, however, a couple of other charts are absolutely begging me to start them. I've got a couple of bespoke charts that I got done recently that really want my attention, and a friend gave me a gorgeous Hocus Pocus needle minder a few days ago, and it's reminded me that I have a Hocus Pocus chart that would be such fun to start as well. But I'm trying to be good and keep working on this dude until the page finish, let's see how much longer I can last!

He's survived onto his second week

We all know that I don't always have the best relationship with Dragon Rider, so every week that he manages to stay on the frame is another miracle. The target I set myself was to finish the moon, that didn't happen, but I have done bits that weren't included in that so it sort of evens out. I've managed to pick a couple of colours that actually give the page some shape to work from. I haven't had much time this week, so the fact that I've achieved this much is an absolute miracle, most days this week I've got home late from work had dinner and gone to bed, so my poor stitching (and consequently sanity) have suffered a little bit. I'm going to be (probably overly) optimistic and aim to have the sky finished by this time next week, so let's see how laughably far off that I am, especially as I've also got a couple of pieces of crochet that I want to work on next week. Also, I just sent a new pattern off to be printed, how long do we think I can last until I cave in?

He's back (again)

Having only managed half a page last year, I said I was going to be good and try to show some actual progress on Dragon Rider last year, so here I am, trying to make good on that, my first colour on my first page is done. It's not much, but it's all a step in the right direction. And I reckon I only need to spend two more weeks on this to equal last years entire progress,s o hopefully I can make a really dent on this this year. I'm aiming for four pages, although I suspect that that is a little bit ambitious, knowing what I'm usually like. Watch this space!

And finally...

The page that has taken me a year and a half is finally finished... I have officially finished 10 pages and so am very close to being half way through! Woohoo! There is a chance that I finished this page mostly through stubbornness, far to many of the final stitches were one stitch of a colour where I'd missed it the first time, and I may have *cough* fudged a couple of the colours.

And I don't think my stitching is deformed, I'm fairly sure it's some slightly warped perspective (I hope)!

Sooo close!

He's progressing, I can see it. I have a theory that each page works in three stages, and this one is definitely in the third stage. Stage one is when you start a page, it's a big blank space and therefore it doesn't take much for you to see progress because you're starting with nothing and creating the shape of the page. Stage two is (for me) a bit of a slog, it's no longer a new page and it feels like you're not getting anywhere fast, you work for ages and nothing happens. Stage three is when you're suddenly filling in those little gaps. You work on it and the white gaps are noticeable smaller, that's when you know you're on the way to a page finish. Once again, I'm hoping I might finish this page this week, which, seeing as I started it in September 2016 is a pretty appalling record. I have to finish this page. Also this page is nearly half way, he's 21 pages and this is page 10. When I finish the next page I'll be over half way.