A Blanket for my Baby
So, BG suddenly has a thing for blankets.
She has a baby blanket that a friend of mine made for her. It's the only
one she wants to take to daycare because it's really warm. All the other
blankets she has are lame baby blankets made of cotton or polyester.
So, when I get a chance to go shopping, which isn't often, I now search for warm girl's blankets. Perhaps I’m not shopping in the right place or I am not willing to pay an astronomical price for a blanket; I haven't found one yet.
The other day, I decided that I wanted to start on Buddy's scrapbook. For BG, I took a picture every week of her first year. Someone told me about it and it sounded cool at the time, but upon completing the scrapbook it was too many shots. There was no noticeable difference at times and when I look at it I just remember how I cheated to include a certain picture on the correct week. So, for Buddy I've been taking a picture once a month. I write on a onesie or bib his weight and height with the date and I take his picture. So far, I've only missed one... I just totally flaked on it; I have no excuse.
So, anyway, we went to the local craft store to buy a nice, blue scrapbook. While we were there I saw that they had a knitting/crochet class. There were some really cute scarves on display. The class description said she showed you how to knit or crochet with her needles or would help you with an existing project. The class was $15 for a two hour session. I couldn't pass it up. Better yet, they had a class on Saturday afternoon.
I called up the hubby to verify that he could stay with the kids that day and I pre-paid for my class.
When I arrived, she was teaching a couple of kids to knit. I felt really stupid and out of place that I had signed up for the "kids knitting class." But, I figured, I didn't have my kids with me, so I might as well stay - I had paid after all. The teacher was very nice. She was an older lady with obvious experience. She asked me what I wanted to do. I told her I wanted to make a blanket for my daughter. We decided that I should learn to knit first.
As she started to teach me how to hold the needles and where to put the yarn, more people milled in. Phew, it wasn't a kids knitting class after all. I told the lady that I used to knit and crochet when I was kid with my mom but it had been years since I'd done it.
We started slow - she showed me how to start putting yard on the needle and then she told me to practice that. Again, I was feeling stupid for being there... but as I did it, she was showing one of the other kids how to knit. It was something about "through the fox hole and around the tree and into the den." As I was ready for the next step, I thought I really wasn't going to handle it well if she told me to put it through the hole and around the tree or whatever... But she didn't, instead she just showed me how to do it and then she handed it off to me. Up until this moment, the whole knitting and crocheting thing was like new to me. I felt like I was learning something new for the first time. But, as soon as those sticks hit my hands again, it seemed that was all my brain had needed to make the connection. All of a sudden, my hands started doing their own thing. The instructor and I both stared. Then she said, "That's not what I showed you."
I didn't know what to say. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me. Part of me wished I was through the hole. But then the instructor said, "That is the European way. If you're comfortable doing it that way, I wouldn't change it one bit. Just keeping doing what you're doing."
It was the weirdest feeling to be on the outside of my brain looking in. I started remember knitting sessions with my mom. Events I had forgotten came flooding back to me.
It was the best $15 I've ever spent.
I am really enjoying making this blanket. Every time BG sees it, she says, "Mom, are you making me a blanket?" And I say, "Yes, Baby."
"Are you done yet?"
Wouldn't you know it, her favorite color is blue?!
So, when I get a chance to go shopping, which isn't often, I now search for warm girl's blankets. Perhaps I’m not shopping in the right place or I am not willing to pay an astronomical price for a blanket; I haven't found one yet.
The other day, I decided that I wanted to start on Buddy's scrapbook. For BG, I took a picture every week of her first year. Someone told me about it and it sounded cool at the time, but upon completing the scrapbook it was too many shots. There was no noticeable difference at times and when I look at it I just remember how I cheated to include a certain picture on the correct week. So, for Buddy I've been taking a picture once a month. I write on a onesie or bib his weight and height with the date and I take his picture. So far, I've only missed one... I just totally flaked on it; I have no excuse.
So, anyway, we went to the local craft store to buy a nice, blue scrapbook. While we were there I saw that they had a knitting/crochet class. There were some really cute scarves on display. The class description said she showed you how to knit or crochet with her needles or would help you with an existing project. The class was $15 for a two hour session. I couldn't pass it up. Better yet, they had a class on Saturday afternoon.
I called up the hubby to verify that he could stay with the kids that day and I pre-paid for my class.
When I arrived, she was teaching a couple of kids to knit. I felt really stupid and out of place that I had signed up for the "kids knitting class." But, I figured, I didn't have my kids with me, so I might as well stay - I had paid after all. The teacher was very nice. She was an older lady with obvious experience. She asked me what I wanted to do. I told her I wanted to make a blanket for my daughter. We decided that I should learn to knit first.
As she started to teach me how to hold the needles and where to put the yarn, more people milled in. Phew, it wasn't a kids knitting class after all. I told the lady that I used to knit and crochet when I was kid with my mom but it had been years since I'd done it.
We started slow - she showed me how to start putting yard on the needle and then she told me to practice that. Again, I was feeling stupid for being there... but as I did it, she was showing one of the other kids how to knit. It was something about "through the fox hole and around the tree and into the den." As I was ready for the next step, I thought I really wasn't going to handle it well if she told me to put it through the hole and around the tree or whatever... But she didn't, instead she just showed me how to do it and then she handed it off to me. Up until this moment, the whole knitting and crocheting thing was like new to me. I felt like I was learning something new for the first time. But, as soon as those sticks hit my hands again, it seemed that was all my brain had needed to make the connection. All of a sudden, my hands started doing their own thing. The instructor and I both stared. Then she said, "That's not what I showed you."
I didn't know what to say. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me. Part of me wished I was through the hole. But then the instructor said, "That is the European way. If you're comfortable doing it that way, I wouldn't change it one bit. Just keeping doing what you're doing."
It was the weirdest feeling to be on the outside of my brain looking in. I started remember knitting sessions with my mom. Events I had forgotten came flooding back to me.
It was the best $15 I've ever spent.
I am really enjoying making this blanket. Every time BG sees it, she says, "Mom, are you making me a blanket?" And I say, "Yes, Baby.""Are you done yet?"
Wouldn't you know it, her favorite color is blue?!
What a sweet story. I recently started knitting too. It's very relaxing and gives me time to think.
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