EmnEllie Cross Stitch Blog

I did it! I finished the phoenix band before the Winter Solstice! As you can see, there’s another band as well. They look like butterflies and flowers to me. The second band stitched up so quickly. That’s the nice thing about repeating motifs, once you get the pattern down, you can just go on cruise control mode and not have to keep referring to the chart. I thought about stitching the phoenix egg in Kreinik but decided against it. So that’s all from Medieval Menagerie for a bit. Now, it’s Nikolai’s turn! (AKA Russian Hunting by Riolis). Here’s where I got to the last time he was in the Q-Snap:  Stitching in a grid, here I come! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

  Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash Hobbit Food I’ve come to the realization that I would be a good Hobbit. I like food, cozy comforts, good stories, and naps. If you read that and thought, “Eh, I don’t want to be a Hobbit,” seeing the cooking videos from the Rhubarb and Lavender Instagram account may change your mind! I mean, just look at that: Elevenses in Middle Earth | Rhubarb and Lavender on Instagram Delightful. Here at the Castle, I have a New Year’s tradition of watching the Lord of the Rings movies back-to-back. The extended editions, of course. I’ve seen this trend where you watch the movies and make food that looks like something the characters would be eating. While I won’t be doing that this year, it’s definitely something I want to do one day! Watching the Fellowship trek through the Misty Mountains, while I sit in the comfort of my sofa, and munch on Browned Butter and Ale Pudding sounds like a grand time. Phoenix Feathers and Libraries I need a graph to illustrate...

  Photo by Gwen King on Unsplash Have you ever picked up a book so good that you couldn’t bear to put it down? That was me recently with Northanger Abbey. I finished it in about three days, but that’s not a testament to my reading speed (I read at a snail’s pace). It was with me at meals, was with me as I dozed off at night, and was with me in every spare moment I had throughout the course of my day. I had never read it before or watched an adaptation of it. But I did know some things about it that intrigued me, so that, plus the fact that it was written by one of my favorite authors, made me decide to give it a try. It was fantastic. For those three days, my thoughts were like this (spoiler alert, just skip this list if you haven’t read the book yet): Catherine, you’re adorable. Henry Tilney is great, but yikes, I don’t like the General. Thorpe, you’re actually the worst. Udolpho this, Udolpho that. Catherine, get it together. Why did I wait so long to read this? November has gr...

  Photo by Cederic Vandenberghe on Unsplash Dear Reader, I’m currently obsessed with Wordle. Yes, I’m a few years late to the party, but now that I’ve started playing, I can’t stop! It’s a pleasant addition to my morning breakfast routine, and even when I’m not playing the game, if I hear a great word, I’ve developed the habit of counting the letters and checking how many vowels it has. My advice is: don’t start the puzzle until you’ve had some coffee first, because some of those puzzles are devilishly hard. Some people have told me that their strategy is to start with the same word every time. Imagine how excited they’ll be when their starter word is eventually the actual answer of the day. Do you  Wordle too? (Yes, I’ve made that into a verb.) Moving on to the WIP update October is still young, and I’m advancing up the backstitch mountain. You can’t really see it, but I’ve done the backstitch on some of the candies in the upper-right-hand corner, the top of the frame, and s...

  Photo by David Trinks on Unsplash Happy September I know I’m a bit late on this, but it’s finally my favorite month! We’re waving goodbye to the sun and heat of Summer and saying hello! to Halloween, Thanksgiving, potpourri, cinnamon-flavored everything, and copious amounts of faux, decorative acorns. Doing things like browsing school supply sales and looking at stacks of stationery and bright pens that you don’t really need, and wondering if you should buy a gigantic pumpkin for the front patio. At least, that’s what Autumn looks like here at the castle. The first of many seasonal additions to the castle are scented soap pumps. One of them has bats, and the other is shaped like an acorn. Next up, I’ve hung a harvest-themed wooden sign by the castle gates. During a conversation with a friend the other day, I discovered that some people don’t decorate until the first day of Autumn, September 22nd. That sounds like an impossible challenge to me! The moment the calendar turns over ...

  Photo by Matt on Unsplash Autumn Cross Stitch List For all of the seasonal stitchers out there, here’s a list of my Autumnal charts to add to your WIP pile.  Mini Autumn Triptych by EmnEllie  This one’s a mini freebie. It’s a quick-stitch and calls for variegated floss, which is always super fun to use.  The link to this chart is here.

  Photo by Ignacio Correia on Unsplash Secret Garden SAL Stop the presses! Put down any project you were thinking of starting! CrossStitcher Magazine has a wonderful new SAL in their latest issue. From the magazine: “Welcome to our new Stitch-A-Long! Designer Amanda Butler has created an amazing Library SAL – each month we will add another book to our Library shelves, which could be a childhood favourite or bestselling classic, and we hope you will find your favourite amongst them.” The first part of the SAL is The Secret Garden. ( Click this link here to see what it looks like ) I love this book! I didn’t read it as a child, but I read it a few years ago after someone recommended it to me. It’s such a great story, and the ending is simply marvellous. This chart is so beautiful. I love how those roses look, and the purple at the bottom complements the green floss so well. It will be very interesting to see what the other books in the SAL are! I’m definitely going to stitch this S...