January WIPocalypse

January is almost over, so I really need to get my WIPocalypse introdction post up now! If there are any among you who don't know it yet, WIPocalypse is a SAL hosted by Measi over at Measi's Musings. You know that I love low maintance SALs, and WIPocalypse is the lowest maintanance of them all - just about whatever you've been working on, every month or just some of them, doesn't matter. Measi also gives optional subjects to talk about each month, and January is traditionally the month to Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year!

So for any newcomers we might have here: Hello, I'm Leonore, 26 years old, from Germany. I'm a computer scientist, got my Master's degree last year, and now I work at university to get my PhD eventually. I live together with my boyfriend of almost six years, Felix, and the beautiful town of Freiburg in southern Germany, near the blackforest. I love cross stitch, which I taught myself at the age of about seven or eight, crochet, which my grandma taught me around the same time, and knitting, which I just picked up recently. I'm also trying to get into sewing and quilting, but haven't found the time to get very far yet. Most of my crafty projects so far have been gifts for other people - my grandma is my favourite 'victim' to receive said gifts, but I'm happy to craft for everyone who appreciates it. Besides crafting, my hobbies include reading, watching movies/shows, and video games.

Now for my projects, I have collected quite a few WIPs and, I'm afraid, also a few UFOs over the past few years. Here's a (probably not complete since I tend to forget about stuff) list that I hope to reduce a bit by the end of the year:

• Cross Stitch Angel by Joan Eliott
• Game of Thrones bookmarks by blacklupin
• Lady and the Tramp by Candamar Designs/Thomas Kinkade
• Cut Thru' Cottage by Bothy Thready
• Peacock Tapestry by Teresa Wentzler
• Dark Force by Tilton Crafts
• Ornaments of the Month by Magical
• Kitsune by Unconventional XStitch
• Red Velvet Cake by Glendon Place
• Things Unseen Sampler by Lizzie*Kate
• A Perfectly Kept House by Lizzie*Kate
• Autumn-Colourd Half-Granny Square Shawl by Gemacht mit Liebe
• Fun coloured Easy socks by Ewa Jostes
• Baby Suprise Jacket #4 by Monika Eckert

There are also a few projects I haven't worked on in years and that I may or may not get back to, so I'm not listing them here.

Now my long-time reads might have notices a few projects on there that I have not yet shown here, but don't worry, I will get to those soon-ish! (hopefully). In fact, one of them is right here: I started yet another Baby Suprise Jacket as a friend of my grandma and mind is going to be a first-time grandma soon, and I really, really love those colors! The gradient between the different blues is sooo pretty:

 The other thing I have been working on is Lady & The Tramp - I've finished the section I showed you last time and I am now ready to move the hoop up to the upper half of this half-page:

 For now, though, I'll have to put her aside since I just yesterday got some lovely supplies from Joydri...this is for a gift for my grandma, and I'll get stitching right away so I can finish before her birthday in mid-March.

 My other immediate plans are mostly knitting related - I need to get that jacket done, and also start the second sock. As for plans for the year, I have decided to spend less time planning and more time actually stitching! I don't have as many deadlines as I usually do...Cut Thru Cottage should be finished by the middle of the year, I have to big-ish starts planned (both presents for round birthdays with a ~2 year deadline), a pattern my friend Pinky made for me that I'm itching to start, and lots of other stuff that is calling to me...but I'd mostly like to finish some stuff, especially something for myself as our walls are sad and empty and in terrible need of pretty stitched pictures!