Skip to main content

Gardening, A WIP Parade, and a Mango Tree

 

Desirae Hayes-Victor on Unsplash

Happy Monday! Well, it's that time of year again- gardening season. The weather is still too crazy to plant anything, so it's mostly weeding and tidying. Last year, the Castle Wolf Pack kept running around my garden beds whenever they saw a squirrel, so building a fence is on the Spring to-do list as well. I've already given the roses a much needed trim, and they looked very appreciative. I'll definitely be growing Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, and Okra this year, so stay tuned for their pictures once they start to grow.

On the cross stitch side of things, I've made good progress on Nikolai: 


Russian Hunting by Riolis

That tree branch is looking good, and it was very nice to be stitching in cream, blue, and pink floss. It's a nice color trio!

Now, about my next WIP. I've looked into my rotation, and these are the ones that jumped out at me:




Of all of them, I'm really staring at Medieval Menagerie. It's one color, it’s Medieval (I love Medieval things!) and it's an amazing chart. I'll make good progress on it, since it always stitches up really quick.

Then again, that Dimensions Gold WIP is definitely appropriate for Spring. So is Great Wave Off Kanagawa. But do I want to jump into another full coverage WIP after Nikolai?

While I ponder this, here's a nifty time-lapse video of a Mango tree growing: 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jane Eyre, a Horse, and an Irish Harp

Paolo Chiabrando  on Unsplash Happy Tuesday! It's a rainy, windy day here at the Castle. When the wind whistles past the windows, it makes me feel like I'm in Jane Eyre, looking out across a moor. Have you ever read Jane Eyre? It was required reading for me in High School. So, have you ever read a book that's so engrossing that you can't bring yourself to put it down? That's what Jane Eyre was like for me. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it! While we're still on this topic, here's a free Jane Eyre cross stitch chart that I found on one of my adventures in the magical land of Pinterest.  Slow and steady wins the race, as the old saying goes. Here's my progress on Nikolai:  Russian Hunting by Riolis I've reached the other side of the horse's neck and chest! That bit of yellow peeking out on the far left hand side is the background starting to appear again. I believe that black line is one of the horse's reins. Square by squar...
2 comments
Read more

Hot Chocolate, a Horse Ear, and Bonbons

  Rachael Gorjestani on Unsplash Happy Hot Chocolate Day! There's nothing quite like a hot, steaming mug of chocolate to brighten up a Winter day. And let me tell you, I need a hot drink here at the Castle. The weather has been absolutely freezing and very dark. Now, getting back to Hot Chocolate, here's a nice article I found that goes into the health benefits and history of that cheerful beverage. And if you're interested in really celebrating today, then here's a free Hot Chocolate PDF cross stitch chart that I designed a while back. The download is an ebook, so you'll get some other beverage themed freebie charts as well. Enjoy! Mind you, I haven't just been sipping mugs of Hot Chocolate and huddling over my heater (only some of the time). I've gotten in a good amount of stitching since my last post. Behold a horse ear:  Russian Hunting by Riolis I'm looking forward to stitching the pinks, yellows, and blues of the sky again. In shop update news, ...
2 comments
Read more

Meet Nikolai, and Eat Mississippi Pot Roast

Meet Nikolai Or at least, meet Nikolai's head.  See that dark block of stitches in the middle? Yes, that is Nikolai's head. He has one of those warm Russian hats on, so he won't catch cold riding through this winter scene.  I really like stitching in 10x10 squares, it's amazed me how much progress one can make when using this method.  Russian hunting is absolutely stunning, but maybe it's time for a change soon. Here's my tentative plan: keep stitching on Russian Hunting until the end of January, then at the beginning of February put it away and start working on one of my other wips. We'll see. Mississippi Pot Roast If you've had this dish, you know it's heavenly. If you haven't had it, you're missing out. Simple as that!  Beef, ranch dressing mix, pepperoncini peppers, and au jus. It sounds like a weird combo, but trust me- it is amazing. One of my all time favorite meals ever.  The flavors mix together beautifully. There's r...
Post a Comment
Read more