We were blessed to wake up to a winter wonderland last weekend. Snow days have been few and far between this winter. I've never lived in a truly cold climate; so on mornings like this, I always feel a child-like sense of awe and magic. It's snowing! The world is white, covered in a quiet blanket, and our footsteps crunch along the path as our family ventures out in search of adventure.
Before long, someone is cold and hungry and must go inside. And so my youngest made himself a cozy spot in front of the fire as he waited patiently for his hot chocolate. He looked so sweet and so young, cuddled there under the mop of hair he refuses to trim. I remembered making this blanket for him when I was pregnant, feeling him move inside me and wondering who he would be. I could never have imagined or dreamed this magic child.
This is my first completed crochet project. Created, I might add, with yarn that I bought when I learned I would become an auntie for the first time. My niece, who has never received a handmade blanket from me, is now 9. Oh well. This summer at the beach she was cuddling with a worn gray teddy bear; it was so changed from the soft yellow fellow I gave her as a baby I didn't even recognize it. She knows her auntie loves her.
The making is so much more about the process. I would work on the blanket before leaving for work, while my oldest - so young at the time - watched Sesame Street before preschool. I dreamed about moving to a smaller town, about staying home, about creating a new life with my family. We have built this new life - complete with snow days, homemade bread, chickens and homegrown tomatoes, family dinners, and no commutes - for us and our boys and we are thrilled with the results.
My sweet baby boy is growing before my very eyes. I treasure him.
* The pattern is the Tiramisu Baby Blanket from Posy Gets Cozy. Once upon a time a cream silk ribbon wove around the edge and tied with a delicate bow. Though it was lovely, it was quickly deemed impractical, for obvious - and boyish - reasons.
