Translate

Friday 13 May 2011

Easy Blogging

I've just joined a Fantasy Stitching Blog (Faeries, Dragons and Mermaids - Oh My!) and have posted my introduction to myself on there.  So just to share with everyone and make a nice easy blog post, here it is:

I'm Jo from the East of England.  I've been into the whole fantasy genre since I out-grew Enid Blyton books.  Back in the 70's there wasn't much for the pre-teen market so I started reading Science Fiction instead.  Asimov and Andre Norton to start with then moving onto the Anne McCaffrey Dragonriders of Pern books.  I played D&D as a teenager (my female elf Helena Henna was a pun on Kerrang's Pandora Peroxide!) and drew endless pictures of dragons.  During the late 80s and 90s the Fantasy genre exploded and I read every series going from Marion Zimmer Bradley to Terry Pratchett via the Shannara books and the Belgariad.

So it seemed logicial when I started stitching in 1993 to stitch fantasy designs.  My first large design was Teresa Wentzler The Castle - a rite of passage for any fantasy fan!


If you go into my Picasa photo album you can see all my finished TW's after The Castle (I try to be organised!).

I veer between fantasy and traditional samplers now usually alternating between the two genres.  I now have an 8 year old son who shares my love of dragons and fantasy (cross stitch not so much although he does show an interest in what I'm stitching).  Together we are reading all my favourite books and some new ones.  We have just finished our second reading of the entire How to Train Your Dragon saga by Cressida Cowell.  We read The Hobbit earlier this year and are debating whether to dedicate an entire year to Lord of the Rings (that's how long it took my Dad to read it to us!).  Right now it's Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.  We love Greek Mythology too!

6 comments:

Joysze said...

Ooooh... I remember Enid Blyton books!! They were most beloved. :D

Ewa said...

I approve of your love of dragons as I seem to have a mild obsession in that direction as well, including Greek Mythology!

Mouse said...

ooo yeahh I can relate to all of it ..lol I am stitching the castle on handy dyed sparklies fabric in purple :) love mouse xxxx

Crystal said...

I also love/ share your passion for dragons and other things. I can not wait until my boys are old enough to start enjoy those books. Loved looking through your album of your TW's wow a lot of work there.

Giovanna said...

Hehe, i must have been the only kid in Italy who read Enid Blyton (thanks to my English mother) - loved the Famous Five! I can't believe all the large finishes in your photo albums, what beauties!

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

I still have my Malory Towers and St. Clares Enid Blyton books. Did anyone else long for sardine sandwiches & condensed milk at midnight?

I have been stitching for nearly 20 years now so the large projects do stack up! I hope to complete 200 designs by 2013 which is my 20th anniversary (of stitching!!)