Guernsey Square

About a month ago I asked my mom if she needed any yarn from me, I try to keep her busy with a steady stream of TFA knitting projects. She said no, that she couldn't focus on a new knitting project until after the baby shower. When I got off the phone with her I called my sister and ranted away because my mom was getting too worked up and stressed out over the shower, it was a month away and she was so focused on it that she didn't have any time to knit! My sister pretended to agree with me that mom was crazy and we left it at that. Little did I know that she was working on two secret knitting projects for me the whole time! Sneaky, sneaky. She completely fooled me, which was tough for her I know because we usually spend a lot of time talking about all the fun, crafty projects we're working on. I'm sure that keeping these secrets was not easy for her. But the surprise was so worth it! I had no idea she had been working on these knits and they blow me away!

First up is the Guernsey Square Baby Blanket that she knit in TFA Red Label in the Natural colourway. This blanket was created by modifying Jared Flood's Guernsey Triangle pattern into a square! I'm going to bug her to put good notes on exactly how she did that on her Ravelry project page.  Stay tuned for that! The Guernsey Triangle pattern was first published as part of the 2012 Year In Colour Club and done up in Red Label it is stunning! 

I happen to have a stack of knit and crocheted baby blankets that I've made myself, actually, there is one other that my mom knit for me, I'll have to blog about that one soon too! That woman is too prolific, I can't keep up! But all of my other blankets are DK weight and are bright and colourful. This fingering weight, neutral, textural blanket is really something special. Something different for those occasions when baby needs an elegant blanket. 

The nursery is coming together beautifully. Since these photos were taken I've added a lamp, a few more books and a bit more organization. We are almost there!

"Baby Keepers"

My mom has a big box in her basement marked "Baby Keepers". It's full of baby clothes. My family has a long tradition of hand-me-downs. A lot of our wardrobe as kids came from my older cousins, and then got passed on to our younger cousins. But some things, mostly handmade, were just too special for my mom to pass on, so instead she squirreled them away in a big box and now that her first grandchild is on the way (my brother's baby is due this July and we're all so excited!) it was time to go through the box and pick out some of the special keepsakes that will get passed on to him. 

Mom and I did that earlier this week. I recognized most of the adorable baby knits from seeing them in old photo's, or even remembering my sister wearing them. But I haven't really looked at them since I've become a knitter. I picked out a few of my faves to share with you today because I was so surprised to see that even though some of these things are over 30 years old, they're still totally hip. 

Most of these sweaters were knit by my grandmother, she tended towards simple shapes, embellished with either seed stitch or garter stitch, sometimes both. When she hit upon a pattern she liked, she stuck with it (hence the photo above featuring 4 sweaters with the same yoke motif!) 

I love them all! But then again, you know I love just about all wee baby knits. But obviously, knowing that Grammy stitched every stitch in these precious little sweaters makes them all the more special. 

I love my mom

Last year I did a Mother's Day blog post dedicated to my beautiful puppy Stella, not a single mention of my actual mom... how did I get away with that? 

This year, I want to dedicate this blog post, nay, this entire day! to my amazing, giving, supportive mother. I haven't mentioned this on the blog before, because it's a little heavy for a friendly knit-blog, but this year, life has really thrown Chris and I some curve balls. It hasn't been easy, but having my mom around, just a phone call away makes everything seem manageable. She doesn't always say exactly what I want to hear, but she's always right, and she always knows best. I know that I can count on her for anything and everything. From babysitting Stella, to labeling and packaging a couple hundred Club kits, to test knitting a pattern and giving me way more honest criticism then I asked for... I'm not sure what TFA would be without her and I don't even want to think about what my life would be without her (I'm getting all emotional just typing that). 

My mom is my best friend, she's my role model and she's a total star. I love her to pieces and look forward to spending all day with her today while she relaxes and is pampered by her adoring children! 

Thanks for everything mom, I love you.

xoxo Tan