A bit of a self-indulgent comfort project, but man I really enjoyed it; I’m knitting a mid-sized one and hoping to make one that’s pretty big if I can sort out a gradient from things I’ve got on hand.
Steppe Shawl
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Yesterday I learned a lesson.
Although the blanket had been ready for a couple of months now, I was only able to gift it yesterday to my pregnant friend.
A few days prior, I was hesitant about giving a hand-made gift.
What if it was not appropriate? What if it was too much? What if she dislikes the color or the pattern? What if she already has too many blankets? What if it ends up fraying or pilling quickly? What if the fibers trigger some weird allergies? What if it sends the wrong message?
So many what-ifs...Some of them ridiculous, I know. I was seriously contemplating only gifting the special lactation cookies she loved. In the end, since the blanket was taking up storage space and I didn't want to waste my efforts, I wrapped it up and gifted it.
My friend loved it. She even messaged me later that evening to personally let me know how touched she was that I hand-knitted a blanket for her baby. She told me that she will treasure that blanket.
I gave an unevenly-stitched fragile blanket, and instead, my friend received a thoughtful loved-filled gift.
Sometimes we need another set of eyes to remind us of the beauty in what we do.
Sure, my stitches would never be as even as a machine's. But every stitch is accompanied by love, prayers and best wishes for her baby. A machine could have easily produced the same-sized blanket in a matter of minutes. Still, each moment working on that blanket was meaningfully spent for someone special. I didn't just create an item. It was a lovingly crafted message of love from me to a dear friend.
We crafters are often our own worst critics. Sometimes we become too obsessed with perfection that it hinders us from communicating our love.
Perhaps next time, rather than focus on the little imperfections, I should step back and see the whole of what I created.
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