Currently Reading Mason-Dixon Knitting: The Curious Knitters' Guide: Stories, Patterns, Advice, Opinions, Questions, Answers, Jokes, and Pictures By Kay Gardiner, Ann Meador Shayne see related

Comeuppance

Ok, Friend Gina will love this one.  I confessed to her this week that I like to read while I'm knitting.  If I'm just knitting away (as on Zi's hat), I will also read.  My hands can generally feel what to do without my constant supervision (although mistakes are made on occasion). So yesterday I was reading (and cackling over, to be quite honest) the Mason-Dixon Knitting Book while I was binding off Zi's scarf.  Binding off is not that hard to do but it is slightly different than the knitting and knitting and (yet more mindless) knitting that I was doing beforehand. 

Rachel came in and watched me for a minute or so and then said, "Mom?  Are you binding off?"

"Mmhm...yeah..."

"Ok, well, because it looks like you're knitting and I was wondering if you were still binding off."

I dragged my eyes from the enchantment of my book and sure enough!  I had knitted about 50 stitches instead of binding off. 

 does not describe how I felt.  I tinked it back to the part where I was truly binding off and finished it (finally).  But I must be more careful when reading while doing "mindless" knitting.

Here's a picture of Zi in her hat and scarf (which she did not take off all afternoon...I know the house is cold but honestly!)  Her brother is wearing a hat from the snowman kit which I will explain presently.

A few people asked about what we used to make the snowman "buttons" and eyes and such.  The in-laws sent us a kit (from Lillian Vernon, I think) that had various snowman accoutrements such as eyes, carrot noses, hats, and scarfs.  The buttons do look like Oreos!

On Monday, I was gently chided by a few of you about not posting pictures of my first quilts.  There's a good reason for that.  Once they passed into the hands of my young, I haven't seen much of them.  Abby still cavorts with hers (she calls it "Twilt" and has since she could talk) and I see it often but Sarah's and Rachel's I haven't seen for a while.  I finally got them to dig them up and photographed them this morning.

When I saw Sarah's, I remembered another mistake I made.  That would be the mistake of not using more highly contrasting colors.  I learned about that after reading a book on Amish quiltmaking and working through a few of the lessons.  I didn't know it with my very first quilt:

Here is Rachel's quilt:

I embroidered or quilted the girls' names on their quilts.  All of our children have 3 names, then the surnames, and I just thought it would be special to have their own names on their quilts.

Here's Abby's quilt:

I wish I'd also taken a picture of the back of Abby's quilt.  Hers is the only quilt that I also pieced the back for.  I knew when I was pregnant that I'd make a Burgoyne Surrounded quilt for the baby because I was way way into the Revolutionary War at that point (which would be one reason why Abigail is Abigail).  That's what the center of the quilt is.  The back is a large Abigail Adams star.

Well, my computer time is up and I still didn't get to do Friend Gina's tag.  Maybe tomorrow.  I hear tell that our spring break is next week...I'd totally forgotten it was...yeehaw!  Have an excellent Friday, everyone!

Posted by Anonymous

Too bad that last one is an heirloom because I'd seriously like to display it in my house. I love it. Leigh

Posted by AcceptanceWithJoy

You do quite nice work. I made one quilt. I got so mad because the four corners of my squares hardly ever came to a corner ~

Zi is looking lovely in her hat. I bet she would have worn the hat all day even if it were quite warm. She just wanted to be pretty in pink.