Letters
Rites of Passage: Weddings and Babies Edition
Dear Kay,
I’ll just say it: we are completely and totally DISTRACTED. By the time this letter appears, you will be here in Nashville, and we will be running around lighting votives and greeting visitors to Nashville, because there is a huge deal going on:
LIZ IS GETTING MARRIED.
On Friday, our beloved ecommerce manager, Liz Masterson, will wed a swell guy, Eric Olson. It’s all pretty adorable.
Eric passed the supreme Kay-and-Ann Test of Fortitude by his spontaneous appearance at our office move back in January, where he did many amazing things including Make Sure The Shelves Can’t Fall Down. He was also instrumental in the development of MDK March Mayhem, given his expertise in sports brackets. He did not blink when we explained that a knitting pattern bracket was a thing.
It was at that point that Eric become an Honorary Knitter. Whether he knows this or not.
Anyway, we’re so thrilled about this nuptial splendor that we basically coerced Liz and Eric into letting us host their rehearsal dinner. It gets under way tonight, and it will involve family coming from New York, Wisconsin, and the eastern part of Tennessee. We can’t wait to meet everybody, and I’ll be sure to get pix of the happy couple. We wish you were all here to celebrate with us.
Meanwhile, In Nostalgialand
I’m knitting a baby blanket. (NOBODY IS PREGNANT IN MY FAMILY.) I’m not sure what got into me, except that the school’s yearbook editor has requested a baby photo to include in Clif’s senior page.
This sent me off into an 18-year archive of photographs of Clif. There are so many. My mom had four baby pictures of me, and one of them was me about to throw up on my older brother.
Do I go for wacky? Unintentionally hilarious?
I went for sweet. This is how I think of Clif: wonderment was his constant expression. The photo in the crib was his first Easter, where brother David brought him his Easter basket and explained—as only a talky four year old does—the concept of the Easter Bunny.
Of course, as a result of this days-long reverie, I started making a baby blanket.
This batch of precious precious Lichen and Lace Worsted, colorway Wild Flowers, was going to be Easel Sweater No. 4. But as I thought about my boy, and all those photos of his fat pink face and his endless antics, I thought this joyous colorway really would make for a beautiful baby blanket. And with log cabin fever raging in my head, I wondered what would happen if I just dove in.
It’s not exactly a Visible Log Cabin pattern, but you can kind of see the deal when you look at the back side.
You may be asking, what is a log cabin blanket when you can’t see the log cabin part? I don’t really have a good answer to this, but I will say that log cabin using one color is one of the great pleasures of knitting. You finish a patch, bind off, turn the corner, pick up a new row of stitches, and whammo—you’re back at it.
I wasn’t a knitter when Clif was born (CRUSHING MISSED OPPORTUNITY), so maybe this is some sort of catch-up baby knitting. I don’t know. But I’m happy to see this yarn turn into a field of wildflowers, because there’s no baby in the world who wouldn’t benefit from a blanket of Wild Flowers.
Love,
Ann
Y’all are good people. Liz is lucky. And Ann, you made some adorable babies!
So beautiful! The log cabin is more subtle than usual, but it gives a wonderful texture. Perfect choice, both in pattern and yarn!
Best wishes for Liz and Eric, and lots of laughter at the dinner.
It makes me happy to read about good things in life; weddings and babies. I’m smiling at your reminiscing and can feel the anticipation of a meeting of the clans, my best wishes to all.
If you make it, they will come … I think baby will appear for that lovely blanket.
Well, the whole thing reminds me of that perennially immature grade-school chant: “Liz and Eric sittin’ in a tree – Kay-Eye-Ess-Ess-Eye-Ehn-Gee!” And how does that little ditty end? ;-D
I think you may have come up with a revolutionary knitting concept! Why can’t we knit the baby blanket we envision for our adult friends and adult children?! This is fun to think about. What baby blanket would you knit for yourself?! You may be on to something.
What a great concept! I love this idea. It would be the best KAL ever!
I love the subtlety of the log cabin in the Lichen and Lace. Genius!
When we moved to this house, I did a lot of monochrome log cabin baby blanket knitting. It was the only thing I could deal with. Love the Lichen and Lace version. I like knitting for babies without the pressure of an actual due date, and like having baby blankets on hand.
Best wishes to Liz and Eric. (Tell us true, did Liz knit her own wedding gown? Will they honeymoon at Sheep and Wool?
Baaa!).
Ann, I can well see why you began that baby blanket. So much happiness and love in that sentimental journey of 18 years. If possible, would love to read sometime young David’s explanation of the Easter Bunny.
Knitting a log cabin square with all of that garter stitch and turning is so meditative, which is very satisfying in its own way. I think you once did the fussy cuts log cabins without “fussy cutting” the centers, but just diving into each skein, and letting the colors flow (more meditative qualities). This blanket is sort of like that, but only in shorter color changes. I am excited to see the finished product and how the colors ultimately arrange themselves. I think it will be a stunner!
Wish you all a great time at the rehersal dinner. With so much recent devistation caused by Harvey, Irma, Maria, and now those wild fires in California, there is a certain comfort in contemplating the “Yes!” to life and affirmation of faith in the future that a wedding brings.
Thanks for another lovely post.
Knit on.
Which boy said, “Well, Mom, YOU’RE a famous knitter.” I’ve always remembered that.
I think that was Joseph! Ann’s boys don’t know she’s famous at anything.
I have been working for a while–off and on between other projects–on what I call the Blanket of the Unknown Baby. It is worked in squares, so I have a stack of blocked squares, a bag of unblocked squares, and a box of yarn all waiting for a baby to come along. Now I know it’s a thing, knitting for some baby of the future. Your blanket is beautiful, and I saw that it is a log cabin right away. Much joy to Liz and Eric and all of you.
Best wishes to Liz and Eric! I’m seriously loving the baby blanket. Who doesn’t love log cabin knitting and wildflowers. I may have to knit myself a large one for a sofa blanket.
You could tell the eventual blanket recipient that the back is the front!
MDK puts me in a happy place – all the time! Love the excitement and happiness of this post and wish the very best to the newlyweds and whichever sweet baby gets that stunning blanket….
“…there’s no baby in the world who wouldn’t benefit from a blanket of Wild Flowers.” I just love that thought!
Happy Wedding! And my daughter is at the same stage as your Clif, so I send you a clink of wine glasses and good luck with the applications.
So much sweet in one blog post. I never thought of a solid variegated oxymoronic log cabin baby blanket, but like much of what you do, it is brilliant. xoxo have fun this weekend! see you next!
My children are grown and I haven’t had the opportunity to knit any baby things until my MD showed up very pregnant. Hurray !
Yesterday I was able to give her a well wrapped gift. A pink strawberry hat with a flower on the top and matching booties. I wouldn’t allow her to open the gift until she was home. So much fun! And I don’t knit for just anyone.❤️
Best wishes to Liz and Eric. But Ann, you need to knit faster. You have more baby blankets to finish — and quick! Rumor has it that Kermit’s vasectomy didn’t take…;-)!
How many skeins and it’s the pattern for Log Cabin that was posted previously?
Love it! And I have 3 versions of big people log cabins that I have done over time on my blog right now…the BEST is the one I made that combined log cabin with ball band stitches. Seeing yours made me want to start another. These DO eat up Stash Beyond Life Expectancy and since I varied the size of the “slats” of the cabin I can even use sock leftovers…
Are these projects on rav, Jordi? If so, under what name? Would love to see them, but I’m getting a weird warning message when I try to follow your blog-link.
Didn’t link blog, meant to…
http://www.abovethegwb.blogspot.com
Absolutely gorgeous!!! The ball band washcloth version is wonderful!
Agreed!
Love this sweet blanket. How many skeins will you use?
I’m making a log cabin throw/blanket out of 1 colorway of Noro. When (if) it gets cold this winter and I get it out to work on it some more I’ll try to get a good picture for the What I’m Making over in the lounge. But in the meantime I’ll drool over your Wildflowers version. Lovely Ann (and I could see the log cabin from the right side!).
I love it! So pretty!
Congratulations to both Liz and Eric, as they each seem to have “won” a wonderful life partner! I also love the idea of baby blankets for adults. I think that a lapghan of comfort is a wonderful idea, and just right for knitting and using on those chily-but-not-yet-cold days–say, mid-October?
Color baby pictures? When did that happen? I was born in ’62, and all of mine are in glorious black & white. I keep a gift closet, so I believe that when just the right baby comes along, just the right blanket will be waiting for it.
I also like the idea of knitting the blanket you wish you had had when you were a baby—I think mine would be like the Station Wagon Blanket—made out of Peace Fleece or some other wooly yarn in a range of beautiful autumn tones.
It does make a pretty baby blanket.
Happy dinner party!
You know, Ann, if you keep going it can be a great blanket for your 18 yo baby now! My 17 year old was the recipient of my most recent log cabin blanket, which is pretty large, and he loves to wander around in it, all wrapped up in yarny love.
Congratulations Liz! I know it will be wonderful!
It’s beautiful!
Maybe it’s not a baby blanket. Maybe it’s a little piece of love for Clif to take to school, wherever he goes. What a riot of beautiful color!
Best wishes to Liz and Eric. Have a wonderful weekend!
I can see the Log Cabin pattern, the multi-colored yarns can truly do so much! Beautiful colorway . .
I got nostalgic and went back and looked at my old blog posts with babies and log cabins. Sigh. How about self striping log cabins? Off to rifle through stash…
Those baby pictures! What a sweetie!
And what a super idea to knit that yarn into a mellowchromatic log cabin blankie. LOVE it.
This is just such a 100% happymaking post – thanks for such a pleasant start to my morning, Ann! (Actually, I’ve been awake for hours but am about to force myself out of a blanket cocoon and into a cold morning of Loading Up For a Trip to the Dump and Library. Because: wheee! It’s a smalltown Saturday!
And I’m late to the party, but all best wishes to the bride and groom 🙂
I
I just get “all happied-up”when I see SNIPPETS! It is a much-enjoyed visit from my friends. I think I can hear my Easel sweater calling to me from out in the studio ( am I lucky or what?) That Lichen and Lace Yarn? You got me hooked!
Thank for being so thoughtful and funny and caring….you DO make a lovely difference
Lots of love and yarn
Kate
Just lovely. How many skeins were needed?
That was my question, too. How many skeins?
Beautiful work. Congratulations to the to the newlyweds.