Binding, Knitting and Reading

I've pleased to have finished the quilting on the final  (third) quilt I'm  making for a special family.  I really struggled with the quilting, and couldn't understand why the tension was wrong and the machine was really struggling.  My  Bernina had just come back from a service so should have been running fine.  Eventually, after rethreading yet again, I decided to change the fancy embroidery thread I was using to standard cotton.  What a revelation, no tightness in the tension, no strange noises, and the final quilting line ran smoothly.  When I sent my machine for a service I told them that the pick up thread area was really tight, but just send ordinary thread along.  Guess the moral of the story is, my machine doesn't like that fancy thread!  I'm a slow learner, and struggled with the quilting all along.  

But now the binding is on, and I can enjoy hand stitching it down.  Today is a wonderful calm, sunny Autumn day in my part of paradise.  I sat outside on the patio with my box of trusty binding clips, and started stitching the binding down along the first side.  Such an enjoyable pastime. 

Binding time on a sunny May afternoon

Just like my quilting projects, I seem to have multiple knitting projects going on as well.  I've almost finished stitching up a little toddlers jumper, using the last of the natural coloured brown wool, which was hand spun by my late friend Merilyn.  After looking through my button jars and not finding anything suitable, I'll be off to buy some brown buttons this week.  I'm pleased that I've still got a couple of balls of Merilyn's white/cream wool left which I will use in my 12ply winter socks, knitted with some 4ply sock yarn.

Just finishing the stitching 

And just because I could, I started something new.  With just one 50gr ball of this blue wool left after knitting a toddler jacket a while ago, there seemed to be enough left for a donation beany.  I'm doing a bigger size than I usually make so I hope there is enough, otherwise I'll just have to pull it out and start again, a size smaller.

Blue beany

My summer cotton top that I'm knitting has come to a standstill.  I need to sit down and work out the front neck shaping - because the pattern I'm using is a summer cardigan, not a top.  I'm sure with a bit of concentration and taking some notes it will be OK.

I need to get back to this project next

As you know, I love to read, and there is nothing I like better than a fast paced book about serial killers.  After discovering Angela Marsons books featuring DI Kim Stone, I'm devouring every one in the series in the library that I can find.  There was  so much going on, multiple murders of young sex workers, an abandoned  baby, and modern day slavery all taking place at the same time.  

And for a change of pace, I've recently finished Phillipa Gregory's books two and three in her Fairmile series.  Book two is set in Venice, where dark deeds take place, in America where the early settlers and indigenous people are headed for war, and back in England in the docklands.  Book three tells of the uprising against Roman Catholic King James, and the sugar slave trade in Barbados.  All written with Phillipa Gregory's flair for historical story telling.  To me these were "Can't put down" type of books.

A trip to the library tomorrow is a must, I've finished my books!  I'll be getting withdrawal symptoms.