Needlepoint with Aunt Kay

When I was a child I spent many Saturday mornings with my great Aunt Kay. She taught me how to needlepoint, and how to make pancakes (wait for the bubbles before you turn it over). Every Christmas she made each of us a box of the best fudge I have ever had in my life. We have her candy cookbook, but I'm afraid that I'll be disappointed so I haven't tried to make it yet. She was my grandmother's oldest sister and she was a very proper and very British lady. She had a tin with a picture of Queen Elizabeth that was proudly displayed in her very tidy apartment.

Aunt Kay took a look at the little needlepoint kit I had and tsk, tsked. We then went to the needlepoint shop and got some decent yarn and I learned to needlepoint. I made a few pincushions, but I hadn't done any needlepoint in many years.

I came across a lovely needlepoint pattern that I knew my mom (VERY picky) would like, so I bought it and offered to make it for her. It looks just like her cat Albert (R.I.P.) It's been sitting around for about a year, but I have finally got it going. As I'm making it I can hear my Aunt Kay talking about how to make it so that the back looks as good as the front, and I spend a lot of time thinking about the hours I spent with her. I would like to think that she's proud of me, and that finally, the back of my needlepoint looks nearly as good as the front.