When I first started the whole rotation-thing, I tried to follow the classic ten-hour rotation system as described by Shakespeare’s Peddler. Admittingly I didn’t following it exactly as I thought I didn’t need any kind of order to my WIPs and just used a screaming ten-hour rotation, but I at least tried to change projects every ten hours.
However, at that time I had enough stitching time on my hands that a ten-hour system frustrated me. I felt like I was just getting into a good stitching groove and then my time was up and I had to move on to a different project.
I then upped my time block to 15 hours but left the rotation as a screaming one. When the fifteen-hour screaming rotation didn’t work either I switched to my daily rotation system. Back then I had the luxury of stitching for 4, 5, or 6 hours a day and as a result, the daily system worked extremely well for me.
For the past 9 months I have been working on a screaming rotation and it has worked pretty well, all things considered. Nevertheless, now that I have had this major schedule change, I am afraid that if I continue with a screaming rotation based on the hope that I get to stitch everyday (When you work the graveyard shift you just never know when sleeping might become more important than stitching), I face the possibility of getting stalled and not making enough progress on anything to be satisfied.
For that reason, I have come to accept the fact that with this new schedule there is the possibility that I may not get to stitch every day and if I do, it could only be for small blocks at a time. Therefore, I have decided to try and go back to the ten-hour rotation and follow it a little more precisely than I did the first time.
I chose to try the ten-hour system again because I figured if I get lucky enough to stitch for a minimum of 90 minutes a day that equals roughly 10.5 hours a week. Ergo, on a ten-hour rotation system I should switch pieces roughly once a week. Obviously if I get more stitching time I will get the chance to switch pieces earlier, but hopefully the rotation of pieces will happen often enough that I don’t get bored with one particular project.
And unlike last time, I have not only dedicated myself to sticking to a rotation that is based on ten hours at a time, I also plan to methodically stitch each piece in its appropriate place in the rotation. Therefore my current ten-hour system will look a little something like this:
- Caterflies (For RR, ~25%)
- Above the Clouds (~50%)
- Spring Queen (0%)
- Fairy Flora (~65%)
- Four Seasons Cats, Summer (0%, 25%)
- Poet’s Heart (~20%)
You may notice that “The Pansy Fairy” is not part of the rotation, but I estimate I only have a few hours left, so I am going to finish it before officially starting my ten-hour system.
I am not exactly sure how I am going to incorporate new starts into the system yet, but the list does contain one new BAP start (”Spring Queen”) and the second block of “Four Seasons Cats.” By working on all of the above projects I have pretty much reached my personal limitation of simultaneous projects so I don’t think I will make any decisions related to new starts until I finally get through the entire list at least once and evaluate how things are working.
Niamh says:
I started work full time in September and found all my stitching rotations went out the window.
Originally I had designated days to stitch on designated projects.
I’ve never tried an hourly rotation because to be honest I always forget to check how long I’ve been stitching on something.
So for me it’s easier to work in percentages and the anal annie in me likes to divide the chart up into percentages and mark my progress that way.
As a result my monthly targets work on percentages, normally 5-10% per piece that I’m working on, depending on size etc. And then I have one piece that I enjoy working on (or a combination of several) that I “hammer” at the end of the month if I have time.
You will settle into the routine that works best for you, and find the time when you most enjoy stitching. You’re just going to have a period of adjustment is all.
31 May 2007 at 08:03
Kathryn says:
I envy you your dedication and organization. I seem to move from project to project as the mood and time strikes me. Maybe that is why I have so many UFOs. At least with a blog I feel that I have to show SOME progress, so projects are moving along, even though there seems to be no rhyme or reason.
I hope you find your rotations pleasing and your stitching flying along, even in the limited amount of time you seem to have. A little bit every day is better than only getting time to stitch on the weekends.
31 May 2007 at 15:21
Sue says:
Good luck on your new rotation plan, it sounds very doable, and you have a good selection of projects. I’ve never been able to stick to a rotation other than the screaming one, but I do consider it as I might get more done.
2 June 2007 at 09:01