blood, sweat, and spit. and then flowers

I've been knitting a blanket for two years.

It started out for one of my sons a couple of winters ago. As it grew, the color didn't look right for him, so it morphed to being for a couple of little girls my daughter & her husband have contributed to the family. It also started out as one 5'x5' vision, became 2 halves of that, then ended up combined back into one. (Long story, not necessary to this.) Then it was too hot to knit a big blanket. Then I was travelling. Then I re-taught myself to knit and kept going. This happened more than once.

Finally last month, with help from one of my 4 mothers-in-law, it was "zipped" and finished!

Then there were the two or three squares with noticeable mistakes...what to do with them?

Cover them with daisies! Then research into putting daisies on this afghan. 

Knit? nah, too weird, not even attempted

Embroidery? attempted - also weird

Crochet? I don't know how, so that got put off for a long time, even though I'm surrounded by friends and family willing to teach me.

I tried and gave up multiple times. There were no tears, but there may have been words.

Text last week to my sister: "I hate crochet. I'm buying daisies on Etsy." 

But that felt like a cop-out. So.

To the mattresses! And to YouTube, once again. Crochet for Absolute Beginners. I started to understand it, and my fingers started to follow. I don't hate it anymore.

A 5-hour train ride this week had me unexpectedly without wifi, so instead of computer work...daisy centers! Triumph. And I can even breathe now while I crochet. I will never love it like I do knitting, but I can manage it if necessary.

My brain learned, my fingers learned, I got to lean on sisters and sisters-in-law and friends and that mother-in-law and be cheered on by all of them. I got to hold soft things, be warmed, dream about what people I love might like, gain from others' creativity - and I got to persevere. (I do hate that. And love it.)

And man, I do love trains. Even Amtrak, in short bursts. 

 

Eventually my son will get a blanket, even though his girlfriend can whip them out in a couple of days. Because who doesn't need a blanket made by their mom? 

It won't take two years.