Cross-Stitching and Reading
12 Dec 2013
I am not actually talented enough to do both of those things at once (unless you count listening to War and Peace on my iPod as reading), but these are a few of the things I’ve been up to lately. I bought this cross-stitch sampler in January as part of a goal to try some new crafts (why yes, I am already excited about the ones I am going to try next year!) It was on sale, so I got it, even though it was by far the most ambitious cross-stitch project I’d ever even thought about trying, and there was a good chance that it might be just totally out of my league. I am really happy to say that it is going really well so far, and I won’t even mind if I don’t finish it until 2017.
I am finally reading Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall after putting it on my Kindle for our Greece trip in September. I have mixed feelings about it, but I’m trying to keep the jury out until I’ve finished it. It’s strange to read a historical novel in the present tense, but I think my main qualm so far is that the style is a bit too modern and choppy for me. I am a nineteenth-century psychological novel kind of girl, dyed in the wool. But there are some lovely turns of phrase, and I am hoping I will like it more as I go.
This is what the cross-stitch will look like when it is finished: an ode to two of my favorite things! What are you working on and reading lately?

Dec 12, 2013 @ 05:33:31
I use to cross stitch when I was in my 20s and 30s. I’ve always knitted but the knitting to over completely and eventually! Love your little stitches and coffee and tea are the perfect drinks π
Dec 12, 2013 @ 07:42:03
I wanted to like Wolf Hall, but I could not get over the present tense usage and ambiguous pronouns!
That is an extremely ambitious project. I feel you–I’ve been working on a tote for my mom for 18 months now. It takes a while, but it’s fun.
I wish it were possible to read and cross-stitch at the same time. I use it as time to catch up on the myriad podcasts awaiting me in my queue.
Dec 12, 2013 @ 21:37:56
Seriously beautiful.
Dec 13, 2013 @ 08:44:44
I hope you end up liking Wolf Hall; somehow, I felt the more modern language and style worked well for the plot…By the end, I was 100% Team Cromwell. π