The Chess Game April 19th

Quite a bit of progress this week filling in the black background.

Doha's Development

The skyline of Doha is changing dramatically, especially on the Corniche.As little as 10 years ago the only buildings along the Corniche were the Post Office,Qatar National Bank and at the far end,the Sheraton Hotel. This month the Qatar National Bank building was demolished and ,as you can see from the photo , there are many new high rise buildings in the process of being constructed.

The Chess Game update April 6th

I started this project in June 2006 and it is currently my 'Friday afternoon' project as this is the time I usually stitch.When completed it will be approx. 63,000 stitches. Progress is quite slow because of the large number of colours and single stitches.

It is stitched on 16 hpi aida and will measure 16'' x 16'' approx when complete.I reckon it will take me at least another 2 years to finish it!

The old souq

The 'old' souq in Doha has undergone a transformation in the last year or so. Many of the 1970's buildings have been demolished and the old souq area has been regenerated and extended. It is a wonderful place to browse and you can find anything and everything there from spices to shoes, perfumes to fabrics, pots and pans and sweets,tools and jewelery.One of my favourite areas is the spice section, the smell is wonderful and when you purchase things there are porters [usually elderly Iranians) with wheelbarrows who will transport your purchases back to your car for a few riyals.($1 or$2).At the far end of the souq area near the Arab Bank roundabout is the coffee shop area which has become one of the most popular haunts in Doha with its abundance of restaurants, shisha places and coffee shops, and live music at the weekend.