Turtle Trot March 2015 Check-In

I'm a few days late with this since check in was on the 10th, which was Saturday.  Unfortunately, due to a sort of unplanned road trip this past weekend (just shy of 2000 miles of driving in 2.5 days) I did not have internet access on the actual check in day.  So better late than never.

After last month's non-existent Turtle Trot progress, and knowing that this check in was coming up soon, I sat down and gave my original Turtle Trot goals a lot of thought.  In reality, I think I bit off a little more than I could chew when I sat down and made my original goals for 2015 last December.  I've gotten way more stitching done than I ever have before, but being as I have just gotten back into the hobby after several years away, I really didn't have any idea about how much stitching I can do in a year.  And sadly, obligatory/deadline stitching has pushed back some of my other pieces.

So on that note, I've decided to modify my original Turtle Trot list.  This is because, in the end, I believe Turtle Trot is about celebrating the progress you make each month, and not to make me feel bad because I didn't get to work on certain projects.  The projects I chose originally had more to do with those that I thought/knew would take me more than a couple months to finish, and not so much with what I wanted/needed to work on. 

But I realized that having a project on my TT list that I finish even after a couple months is okay and great, because it's a celebration of the progress I've made throughout the months and year.  So I'm changing my list to include several projects that I know will need to be done before the year is up, and will rotate projects that are getting replaced back into their spots as I get done and cross things off the TT list.

So in no particular order, here is my new TT goals, which actually has 12 projects instead of only 10 now.  Oy.  The idea was to cut back, right?

1.  Halloween Quaker

(no 2015 progress yet)

Staying on the list, although I did not make any progress this past month on this particular project

    2.  Tree Frog Trio

Progress before

March 2015 progress

I did manage to make some progress on this one, which is one of the main reasons it is staying on the list. 

  3.  Gift of Christmas

 (no 2015 progress yet)

Staying on the list, although I did not make any progress this past month on this particular project.  This will hopefully be a Christmas present this year, so I'm hoping to make much more progress on it by the end of the year. 

4.  Singing Owl

First started in January 2015  

This was one of my Crazy January starts, and will eventually be donated to charity.  But I haven't gotten any further progress done on it yet, so I felt the need to add it to the list so that it gets a little more love and attention.  

5.  Silly Ladybug

First started in January 2015  

See explanation for Singing Owl above.  This project is pretty much in the exact same situation. 

6.  Brick Game

 (not yet started)

This was going to be a present for someone this month, but I haven't even had a chance to start it yet.  So it's been pushed back to being a Christmas present, which means I would like to get it done by December this time. 

7.  2015 Flower of the Month SAL

March 2015 progress on January, February, and March squares

 

One of my WIPocalypse goals was to keep up with my starts for this project for the whole year.  So I had the thought, why shouldn't I include in my Turtle Trot progress as well?  This is a project I know I will be working on throughout the whole year. 

8.  Mill Hill Ornaments (not all pictured)

March 2015 progress (not all shown above started, and some projects not pictured)

So this is actually a series of projects rather than just one.  But I have a set of Mill Hill kits I need to make up into ornaments for Christmas this year, so I would like to make consistent progress for this rest of the year on that. 

9.  Baby Tinkerbell

  (not yet started)

This is a project that will need to be finished fairly soon, as it is for a charity quilt and is due to arrive by June 1st.  However, it is by far the biggest square I have attempted so far, and it has TONS of fractional stitches, which will be a challenge since the fabric has to be aida for the quilt.  So I am adding this one to the list because it needs all the championing I can give it to make it through by the deadline!

10.  Silent Night

 (no 2015 progress yet)

Like #3 above, this is supposed to be a Christmas present this year.  I am actually really close to finishing the stitching on this one and starting on the beading.  I just need that last little push of motivation to get it done and completed before the holiday comes. 

11. Frosted Pumpkin Facebook Round Robin

 (rounds completed so far) 

This is another project I already know will be ongoing throughout the year.  So why not put it on the Turtle Trot list to help me have the motivation to keep up with it? 

12.  Super Secret Magnet Project

 First started in January 2015

And last, but not least, this series of magnets I am making as a gift for someone who I suspect occasionally reads this blog.  So I can't reveal more of the actual project until after the gift is given.  But since I need to have these done by Christmas (again), they make a good candidate for inclusion on the Turtle Trot list. 

So, with those adjustments to my Turtle Trot list, I hope to have much more progress to report on for next check-in.  I suppose maybe I should be kicked out of the SAL for changing my mind mid-year, but in the end it's supposed to be for fun, so I had to do what I thought was best for my enjoyment of the hobby.  

Until next time Turtle Trotters!