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I've just about reconciled myself to the fact that SABLE exists, is happening now, and that I'm the major cause of it.

I do think I am a slow stitcher. And one thing I have learned in all my years cross stitching - being slow is ok. I used to beat myself up for it but now I just don't care. Just kind of - meh - over it now, lol.

I find that I am a slower stitcher than I'd like to be. I have 3 small children (ages 7 years, 4 years, and 9 months) so sitting down for any period of time to stitch uninterrupted is pretty much an impossibility. I stitch as much as I can, but I am also very careful to do it the right way the first time as I hate to rip out mistakes. I keep track of start and end dates, but not stitch counts or how many hours I put into it because frankly, for me, it would be impossible to keep track of.

To save time, I do things like preload needles, grid, mark out the stitches I'm going to do with a fading marker, loop start, and work on only one color at a time in each section.

I think it's less about how quickly a project is finished and more about whether or not you enjoy doing it.

I keep track of my time and stitches. At first it was to give me an idea of how long a project might take. I have enough in my stash to keep me occupied for a number of years, but more than manageable before retirement.

That being said, I now include the name of the pattern, start and end date, total number of stitches and total time. If anyone comes over (or if it is a gift), they likely inquire and the answer is readily available.