Knit & Wish

Last year I learned to knit. And in one year, I've knitted one washcloth, one scarf and one and a half baby blankets. The first one was for my first niece (my sister's daughter). The second one will be for my second niece (my brother's daughter). (I'll be incredibly lucky if I finish this second one before she arrives.)
I started knitting to keep alive a tradition my grandmother had started but was no longer here to do herself. A tradition that every new baby in the family gets a hand-made blanket.

As I knit, I like to think of my grandmother. We called her Omi (Oh-mee). It's German for grandmother.

Sometimes I wonder what she would say about me carrying on the tradition. I like to think she'd be pleased and touched.

Sometimes I wish I had thought to ask her to teach me, and I become teary thinking about the missed opportunities to make memories with her.

Sometimes I dream about explaining the tradition to my own children while telling them about Omi and maybe teaching them how to knit.

Even though I don't have the memories of her teaching me to knit, she gave me the inspiration to learn a new hobby. One I enjoy. One I enjoy so much I have a bag of yarn sitting in a closet begging for projects other than baby blankets.

Thank you for that Omi.

Baby blanket in progress... about 50% complete: