The Orient Express, a Grime Guard, and a Motif Crossroads

The Orient Express

Long-time friends of the blog will know that I’m a seasonal stitcher, but did you know that I’m a seasonal reader as well? When Halloween and November roll around, I need to be reading something spooky and Gothic. Last summer, it felt appropriate to be adventuring in forests, so I had a fantasy theme for the summer. At the beginning of this month, I was in a particularly Winter-ish sort of mood and needed to read something frosty, and preferably with a lot of snow. I had never read The Murder on the Orient Express, so I checked it out from the library. Of course, I had seen the adaptation with David Suchet, so I knew the plot, but it’s such a good book that my knowing whodunnit didn’t spoil it in the least! This is one of Agatha Christie's best books, in my opinion. I also really enjoyed the time it was set in, as well as the atmosphere of being on the train (I love trains). It's such a popular and well-known railway, so there's a ton of videos related to it. Half the fun of this particular book is searching for videos about the history of the train! This video by Tasting History was very fun to watch:

David Suchet also did a wonderful documentary about the train, here's the link to IMDB.

WIP Updates

Nikolai (Russian Hunting by Riolis)

Here's what it looked like before:

And here's what it looks like now!

Drum roll, please! Maybe even some trumpets tooting a celebratory sound? Yes, I finished a column! The lower half of the column had a lot of solid blocks of green and purple. I’ve also started a new column and made it back to the sky, but that won’t last for long as the tree is getting taller, and there’s already some foliage starting in my next 10 x 10 square. There are two more columns to go before I reach the edge of the design and get a page finish! Instead of moving the Q.Snap, I’ll just have to move the Grime Guard, as there’s not enough fabric left to move. I’ve decided that when I do start a new page, I’ll move to the right, so I can start working my way across the top of the design.

The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera Cross Stitch Pattern by EmnEllie

I’ve made some decent progress on this one!

The first frame is finished, and I’m pleased with how the letters turned out. I came to the oh-so-common crossroads of “which motif should I stitch next?” with the choice of the chandelier or the mask. I chose the mask, and that’s what I’m working on right now. It’s not in this picture yet, but I’ve only got a few rows in, so you’ll see it next time. I’ve grown really fond of stitching on black fabric! It contrasts so well with the floss, especially this white floss.

Odds & Ends

Keep an eye out in my Etsy shop 👀I’m going to be designing more cross stitch bookmarks soon! If you want to see one I’ve already designed, here’s the link.
Why don't we do this though? Link to Instagram

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