Stitches that bind

I am not the knitter in our family. My sister knits for her very successful etsy shop Mad About Colour and our Mom had been the manager of the local Wool and Yarn Shop. Mom continued to knit over the years and often helped Jo out. I can knit, but it is only lately that I have taken up my needles once again with vengeance. 

Along with working my way through numerous half or partially finished projects that I am dedicated to completing, I need to keep smaller projects close at hand for those empty moments. I had been working on a pair of socks for my son for a very, very long time and Mom had wondered if I would ever get that toe on the second sock finished. I have a terrible habit of writing notes that I am sure I will be able to transcribe months (maybe years?) later, and then, of course, I can’t. It takes me ages to try to figure out what my notes mean and why I can’t seem to replicate the first sock. 

Well, something finally clicked and the original pattern became reasonable. I had somehow convinced myself that the yarn company had made an error and I had to adjust the pattern.....I am shaking my head as I write this.....Anyway, I did finish that pair and went on to complete the blue striped pair pictures above for Gabe. I also knit two pairs of socks for my sister, a pair of mitts for my daughter, the hat pictured above, plus one for my sister, and that cute pair of mitts in the upper right corner are for my little grand niece! I have a matching pair for her Mom on the needles now (I thought since the yarn was so pretty and festive that a little mother/daughter matchy-matchy would be fun!). And as soon as my son sends me a scan of his hand, I will start a pair of mitts for him.

Mom and I cuddled up in her big bed, knitting and watching the Home and Garden Channel.

I still haven’t finished binding those two quilts. And I am only half way through the latest quilt on my longarm. But, like many of us who work with our hands and create with our hearts, I need to keep a lot of irons in the fire and I need to mix it up, working in a variety of medium. Inbetween the knitting and the quilting, I am working on designing pantographs, some fabric painting and some quilting on my domestic. As well, my sister and I are in the very early stages of collaboration on a project which threatens to be loads of fun and a whole new avenue to explore.