EmnEllie Cross Stitch Blog

  Photo by  Tim Mossholder  on  Unsplash Good morning! Can you believe that it's already February? For me, it's the trickiest month to spell. It's that extra "r," that makes it tough to spell and tough to say. In my last post, a very optimistic me said that I was hoping to finish a column on Nikolai before Valentine's Day. This time, I will make optimistic me very proud, for I indeed finished that column: Hurrah! Now I can step to the left and start a new column. Who knows? Maybe I can reach the edge of the chart before I put Nikolai away until next Winter. In other cross stitch news, I've added a new chart to my Etsy shop. Meet "Classic Monogram Sampler."   Classic Monogram Sampler by EmnEllie Here's a smaller, classic, cross stitch monogram sampler. Stitch this in an elegant black floss, as pictured above, or use a different color, or colors. The motifs appear intricate but aren't very difficult to stitch. Perfect as desk or home decor....

Photo by  Cristina Gottardi  on  Unsplash Do you like reading books? Myself, I love a good book. Mind you, I like both physical books and reading from my Kindle. It helps that my Kindle has a pretty pink case, but the screen is wonderfully easy on my eyes. By the way, this is not a sponsored post, I was recently gifted a Kindle for Christmas, and I'm still quite happy and excited about it.  Audiobooks are great too, but that's a subject for a different time!  I have a bunch of cozy places to read in here at the Castle. Decorating your cozy reading spot is a ton of fun, and Instagram throws tons of decorating ideas at me. Maybe I should make a book themed cross stitch...  I've said it before and I'll say it again, the 10 x 10 method of cross stitch on full coverage pieces is incredibly fast and rewarding. Behold:  So nice to be stitching in pastels again. I'm cautiously optimistic about finishing this column before Valentine's Day.  And while we're...

Photo by  Aaron Burden  on  Unsplash Happy New Year! I hope it’s been a good year for you so far. The beginning of the year here at the Castle has been windy and very cold. I’m only just getting used to knowing what day it is, because the Twelve Days of Christmas passed by in a blur of cozy reading spots, Christmas cake, cookies, and many hot drinks. We’re getting hit by a winter storm, but it’s still up in the air (haha) as to whether or not it will snow. In any case, we’ve battened down the hatches here at the Castle making everything snug and warm. But now it’s back to work! And boy oh boy do I have a lot of projects planned for this year. First on the list is Medieval Menagerie: Medieval Menagerie by Fox and Rabbit Designs Behold! Isn’t it stunning? The designers did a spectacular job with this chart. The DMC variegated floss is a treat to stitch with. Do you see those backstitch motifs by their hoof and paw? That was incredibly fun to stitch. It reminds me of blackwo...

  Photo by  Matt Seymour  on  Unsplash My local classical music station has been serenading me with Christmas music and carols this month. It’s absolutely wonderful. While I might not be posting to the blog very much over the 12 Days of Christmas, I do plan on kicking back and watching a Christmas special from my favorite shows for each of the 12 Days. With a hot beverage and a warm blanket, of course. We’ve stocked the Castle Larder with Turkey, so we’ll be eating a lot of Turkey. Lots and lots of Turkey, in addition to the absolutely essential metric ton of Christmas cookies. All this talk of Christmas food since December began has inspired me to start designing a Christmas pudding chart for next year. While I’ve never had a traditional Christmas pudding that gets set on fire (really) I would absolutely be game for trying one out. This video shows you how to make one, and gives a fascinating history of the dish as well.  Stitching continues on the Lion. Mediev...

  Photo by Ash Ashley on Unsplash Summer is in full swing here at the Castle. Sunny days, hot weather, and stitching. The Okra, Bell Peppers, and Italian Eggplant are relishing this heat. The volunteer Tomatoes are also surprisingly alive considering that the temps top 100 degrees here most days. While I was watering the garden, a Cardinal stopped by to see what I was up to. It stared at the water coming out of the hose, and if I could read minds (or speak Cardinal) I’d bet it was saying, “Interesting phenomena. A localized storm!” Or maybe it was just thirsty :) We have a Hummingbird feeder full of sugar water, but I’ll set out a dish of water for the other birds too. As for me, my beverage of choice lately is unsweetened seltzer water. I find that it’s so much more refreshing than soda, and much less sweet, which I prefer. Super sweet drinks and food just don’t catch my fancy. If I had to list my favorites so far, in no particular order they would be: Lemon Lime (a classic) Pass...

Photo by  Cristian Palmer  on  Unsplash   Happy Wednesday! It's been a rainy week here at the Castle. There's been so stormy weather, it feels like at any moment the Castle will float away, or look like those underwater castles that people have in their fish tanks. But let's hope it doesn't get to that point! It's been a longer amount of time than usual since my last post, but I was working on a solid block of cross stitch, and didn't want to report back here until I had some good progress to show. Here's what I've been working on!  Behold! A shield! Nice, steady progress, and here's the result. Don't you just love that variegation? Keep your eyes open on my shop for the next few days, as I have a new chart coming. It's a band sampler, and a red band sampler (being a red band sampler makes it better!).  Here’s the link to my shop. Medieval people ate French Toast? And the Romans too? I think I still prefer maple syrup…

  Photo by  Bjorn Snelders  on  Unsplash Happy Tuesday! Finally getting some May sunshine here at the Castle. Some Black Eyed Susans have started to bloom, and volunteer tomatoes have decided to grow in the raised beds. Not having a good time getting my Italian Eggplant seeds to germinate, but I bought a new seed packet so hopefully those will have better germination. The last time I shared a WIP update, the crown wasn’t finished. This time, I finished the crown, and made much more progress on the shield and that bottommost band:  Do you see that backstitch near the Unicorn’s hoof? It was such a joy to stitch! I used one strand of floss instead of two. After pondering this for a bit, I’ve decided not to stitch my initials and the year on the shield. Maybe I’ll do some tiny backstitch at the very bottom when I’ve completed it, but I’m not feeling it for seeing my initials in the middle of the finished project. It’s not that I hate the way the initials would look ...