Distractions

Blueberry's fronts are still on the needles, but I'm not really feeling guilty about it. When I started to dream about being a quilt designer I decided that knitting would be a hobby. I love knitting and yarn, but I don't wake up at 4 in the morning with a sweater that has to get out of my head before I can sleep. Last week the quilt design I've been working on for my guild's mystery quilt decided that it wanted out of my head. I've made several sketches of it on paper and EQ7 and have a pinterest board devoted to it, but there are some quilts that hit a point where the design decides it wants to become real. Last Monday I woke up at 4 and knew that I wasn't going to rest again until I had a quilt top. I managed to go to work and sleep, but by Saturday I had a finished quilt top. Sadly I can't share pictures until my guild has received all of the steps.

On Friday I went to the library and got "The Spymistress" by Jennifer Chiaverini. I've loved her Elm Creek Quilt books for years, but my library doesn't have very many of them. I was really excited to see that they finally got  this one. It has nothing to do with quilting (although there was a scene where two of the characters sewed pillowcases,) but I'm still loving it. "The Spymistress" tells the story of Elizabeth Van Lew who lived in Richmond, VA during the Civil War. A staunch Unionist she established a network of unionists who worked in Libby Prison, Jefferson Davis's house, and gathered information throughout the city. Although the book is fiction, I was really excited to learn that Elizabeth Van Lew and many of the other characters in the book are real people who really did operate a spy ring in Richmond during the Civil War. I keep finding myself saying that I'm going to quit reading after this last page and then reading 20 more. 

The last thing that has distracted me from my sweater this week are these flowers. I found a bundle of silk flowers when I was shopping and decided to bring a touch of fall into my home. I tore up my fingers trying to cut them with jewelry clippers and office scissors, but I smile every time I see them. I even had some extra flowers left over and was able to make a mini bouquet to put in our bathroom. I think my husband is still trying to figure that one out, but it makes me happy.