Baby Blankets

No question about it, I am good with my hands. I can sew, throw a decent pot, fix things, grow things, and I have made too many quilts to count. But for every grandchild I try to knit or crochet something (because this is what a grandma does?).
I am a terrible knitter! I have never properly learned how to do it. The only thing I ever knitted was a sweater for my husband, and it was the only thing that thieves did not take from our parked car. Well, who could blame them?
Now, many years later, I continue to try. My soon to be twin grandchildren are going to have hand knitted blankets from Grandma!
I bought the skeins of polyester yarn, so soft, so washable, so forgiving of mistakes. I think that these small covers might eventually be the "loveys" those kids will tote here and there and finger for a few years. I will embellish them with satin ribbons their small fingers will fondle.
As with all the handmade items in process- the quilts, the grow charts- I think hard about the recipients. For the mostly blue blanket I think of that little boy with the dark hair and brown eyes who will grow up while I can still be a part of his life. For the mostly pink blanket I think of his sister, not a princess, but so capable and smart. I think of their good parents and how lucky they are!
Terrible knitter that I am, still it is important to me to do it. I must confess that these blankets have been a shared experience. Many friends have contributed by knitting a few rows here and there, helped by casting on and off, crocheting the edges.
I know that these odd (but soft!) blankets might not be well received in this age of everything perfect and commercial. And this will be o.k. The point is that I have made these gifts and thought about these new persons and it has been a joyful journey for me as I thought about these children I am anxious to meet in a couple of months.
The very best thing about being in this stage of life is the sheer potential of one's granchildren you love without any strings attached.