A blanket for Maisie

3 years ago I learned how to knit. I fell in love with it instantly, but it was difficult to stay motivated. I could only make scarfs and at the time we lived in California and even in the winter, you can't really warrant using a scarf. So I would complete a scarf and then not knit anything for months and then pick it up again and make little doll house blankets, bows and random things, but I had yet to complete a big project.

My grandma (Maisie's (middle) namesake) knit all the time and made all the grandkids a blanket and I loved that rainbow "holey" blanket as it was called. I knew I wanted to make blankets for each one of us, but I lacked the confidence and yarn. So when I finally got the courage and found yarn that I loved (man, yarn addiction is an expensive thing) I decided to make Maisie a blanket. I let her pick out colors and upon opening the box I discovered that the yarn that I thought would be more of a bright tangerine color, was more like a dull orangey gold. I was disappointed at first, but when I paired the two colors together it made it feel vintagey and possibly something my grandma would have picked out which made me like it more.

Those first few days I knitted until the tips of my fingers were bruised and my joints in my fingers ached. I was making this blanket big (really big) because I wanted her to be able to use it for a long time and it was major work on my inexperienced fingers. I was so motivated to make that blanket, but then I stopped. Life got busy and knitting got put on hold and thus, the cycle started. I would knit for a few days and get a lot of work done and then go a few weeks (er... months) between. This went on for a year and a half. The blanket could have been finished (had I been more diligent) in probably a month or so, but it was my first big project and life was hectic that it got put on the back burner A LOT. 

Anyway, a couple months before Ellie was born I had a nightmare that there was a complication during childbirth and that I had died. And instantly my brain thought of the blanket. What if I died and never got to finish it and give it Maisie? It haunted me. I called a friend and asked her that if that did happen, could she finish it and give it to Maisie and being that I have awesome friends, she said she totally would. But this nightmare lit a fire within me. I didn't put that blanket down- Maisie would play outside with friends for hours and hours while I knitted my heart out sitting in the shade of a nearby tree. This went on for days and then finally at 1 am I finished it. I casted off, weaved in the ends and placed it nicely on Maisie's bed hoping she would see it when she woke up. Next thing I know Maisie jumps into our bed and wakes me up with "Mommy! You finished my blanket! I love it!" it was such a great feeling knowing I made something for her that is so unique and one of a kind. And my mama heart hopes it's something she treasures for a long time.

A couple days ago I wanted to document Maisie and her blanket so we had a fun little photo shoot in her room while daddy was on Ellie duty. Maisie was very excited and cooperative for the first 5 minutes and then started getting really silly and wanting to take "halloween pictures". In the pictures you can see the silliness progress into full on creepy. That's my girl though and I wouldn't have it any other way.

starting to get silly

yup, we are there.

haha, who is this child!?