To bind off or not to bind off stitches on the log cabin blanket??

Ive decided to make each of my nieces(2) and nephews(2) a Moderne Baby Blanket. Im calling them "Grow Up Blankets". My dream is for them to like them soooo much, that they will keep them with them as they grow up. (its my own little pipe dream...let me have it for a couple years at least.)

So I dont get bored tho, Im gonna map out my own layouts and for one of them, Im gonna do the Curve of Pursuit featured in the book. 

Ive made a log cabin blanket years ago when Kay and Anns' book Mason Dixon Knitting came out and had fun with it. It just seemed like the one to do for them.

We are having a KAL on my Facebook page so I decided to look for some helpful tips for everybody.

I found a blog post by the Yarn Harlot about picking up stitches along a row requiring two different methods. She was doing the same blanket, so I thought this would be perfect!

In her post "Pick-Up Lines" , Stephanie makes an excellent point as to her reason for casting off a block, and then picking those stitches back up again, rather than keeping them live.
She says:

My answer is both personal and technical. First, I like that each square is accomplished and bound off. It makes me feel like I'm "finishing" the squares, and perhaps like I could stop any time I wanted, since every time I bind off I have a blanket of a different size. (That's the personal reason.) The technical reason is that binding off creates stability of a sort, and I think that's valuable to keep the blanket from stretching all over the place.

In my blanket that I made years ago, I just kept those stitches live and picked them up again when I was ready for them, and because the new yarn just picked up where the old yarn left off and so it was a seamless "join" And as both of yall know, Im totally into "seamless" knitting.

But her reasons are so valid that I decided to try it her way. Hey, im an old dog, and can be taught!

While it made things easier, binding the blocks off, It left a ridge that stuck out like a sore thumb. Now, perhaps I didnt do something right, but mine looked just like hers. So I've made an executive decision.

Im gonna keep them live.

How do yall do it? Is there a better way??

TTFN

Why is it so hard to find American Made stuff?

Ive been looking for some bath towels for a while now. The only requirement?

Its 100% made in the USA

Yea, this was no easy task!

In my search, I found this little article from HGTV saying:

"When shopping for better towels, be sure to check the labels and look for fabric of 100 percent Egyptian cotton, or for the Supima trademark,which guarantees a towel is made of 100 percent American pima cotton."

So, considering I don't want to buy towels again next year, I added a requirement to my search.

I found these:

Magnificence Bath Towel Made in USA by 1888 Mills

Size: 27" x 54" 

100% cotton
color: white or linen
This mill is located in Griffin, Georgia.
Made in USA.
$23.95

And these: 

Magnificence XL Bath Towel

Size: 30" x 58" 

100% cotton
color: white
This mill is located in Griffin, Georgia.
Made in USA.
$18.00

And heres some of the same ones for $10.88, but you have to buy 2 dozen. This would be good If you had a buddy or two and wanted to split this up. But, I dont have a buddy.

Im in a sort of a delima deciding whether these are 100% American made tho!

This is what the The 1888 Mills - About Us page  says:

During the mid 1970’s, under the name of Eastern Imports, our Chairman, Mr. Abdul Yaqub, strategically located manufacturing facilities in Pakistan and Bangladesh. These mills were designed for low cost manufacturing of quality products servicing the healthcare industry. In 1987 Eastern Imports joined forces with a kitchen textile producer, Shel-Nor Mills, to cater to the retail industry. Then in 2001 they merged with 1888 Mills Group, a USA hospitality towel manufacturer and have retained the name of 1888 Mills, LLC.


The 1888 Mills information page on the USAB2C says:

History
In 1987 Eastern Imports joined forces with a kitchen textile producer, Shel-Nor Mills, to cater to the retail industry. Then in 2001 they merged with 1888 Mills Group, a USA hospitality towel manufacturer and have retained the name of 1888 Mills, LLC. This new entity became among the first global towel manufacturing platforms in the industry. The 1888 Team consists of industry veterans from former textile giants Fieldcrest Cannon and Dundee Mills as well as young, highly energetic and creative talent who are already making their mark in the industry. 

They cut some information off!!

Im not sure now. What do yall think?

And...im restricted to one color...white! Way to entice the Americans to buy American made towels!