hypnotic stitches
I love it when I have a secret, a good kind of secret, a happiness secret. It’s the hush hush of the planning behind the scenes and then the joy and celebration of when the cat is finally out. Earlier this year I cast on a rather end-of-winter project, massive amounts of stitches intended for a blanket, but really no purpose or vision for it past the fact that I wanted to use up the remainder of my stash before it got too warm to knit every night.
About ten rows in my friend declared that she would like the blanket as a gift for her cousin’s baby shower, and how much would that be?, and can it have stripes? Yes, yes and more yes. So we set about a plan of what she wanted it to look like and I happily stitched away.
The thing about seed stitch? It is my favorite stitch. I like the little bumps repeating and repeating. The other thing about seed stitch? It is annoying, perhaps even more annoying than ribbing, because you are always stitching the opposite stitch on top of the one below. Sometimes you mess up and have to go back. But an entire blanket in this stitch (with garter borders) is like woven rhapsody, its enlightenment for knitting addicts: you just have to keep touching it.
It came down to the wire, I was sitting up with my knitting five hours a night leading up to the shower. But in the end all that panic (and love) came to a close on that last teal green stripe. When it was cast off and the loose ends woven in, I kept holding it between my thumb and forefinger, rubbing the seeds like I can imagine the little guy will do as he gazes up at his momma while he nurses or drinks a bottle, a comforting routine that they will do until he grows and grows and grows, the blanket getting smaller and smaller compared to him as the years press on.
These are my favorite kind of things to do, garments and blankets that care for their final home. I’ve put the blanket up in my shop if you would like to share some of this love, and have the pattern available, too, for all you DIY knitters. Don’t forget to stretch your fingers!
Maine Forager's Field Guide 