Hey, look, I made a snail

Evidently, I am starting an entire series of animal crafts I started and then never finished. (This may be just a 2-part series, because I don't think I have any more hidden away.) This snail, though, is not nearly so long uncompleted as the camel was. I think it may be just two or three years old. It all started with me finding the book, Amigurumi Knits. I was gung ho and immediately started knitting. I made a pea pod for the P. family mom and I made Christmas gifts for a couple of girls, and then I started the snail. It was to be a gift. Was. I did really well, getting at least the shell made, and then I began to lose steam. A big reason was that I think there was something wrong with the directions and I grew frustrated. When I picked it back up again yesterday, it took me a while to figure out where I was in the pattern and then had a sudden memory of frustration and why I set it aside in the first place. I decided the snail must be finished and so pretty much made up the rest of the pattern and called him done. Here he is. I am moderately pleased with him.

I'm pretty sure the problem with the body came from the directions themselves and not with me. I had already found one error in the book when I was making the jelly fish, but caught it and made the correction. Why, oh why, are so many new craft and sewing books printed with so many errors? Is it too much to ask each of the patterns be tested from the pre-published draft to be sure they are all accurate? Why must the reader be responsible for going to the book's website and checking for errata? (I will admit that I didn't do this crucial step before beginning the snail.) Books are expensive and it is frustrating when they are wrong. Argh. OK, rant over.

While I was busy with frustrated knitting, TM had wanted to try making a quilt, so I got him started with that. First, I made a template for him so he could cut out the squares and then he took off with it. He chose the fabric, cut it out, and I showed him how to sew it together. I helped with picking the backing and making the binding strips, but other than offer advice and re-threading his needle, this is completely his. And he was fast... he started it Sunday afternoon and put the last stitch in at the beginning of quiet time today. I'm pretty impressed. He is all set to make a bigger one now. I think I may have discovered a way to work down my scrap bin with no effort on my part.

Here's the front...

and the back. The fabric is from some I had in my stash. I found a Big Dog shirt in size XXL at the thrift store one day and fell in love with it. So I bought it, took it home, and took the shirt apart and have been slowly using the fabric to make other things.

Here is a close up to show some of the hand work. He quilted the top, bottom, and batting (we used a piece of flannel) together by quilting around each of the blue squares. Also notice how the corners match up.

And for those wondering about Gretel, she is doing quite well. Her wound is nearly completely healed and the fur around it is growing back in. It has been so nice not to have weekly vet appointments. And she is a sweet dog... and patient. She'll pretty much put up with whatever the children dish out, such as being dressed up like a pirate.