Blankets and Love

Blankets are so much more than the sum of their parts. They are knit the same way as anything else – stitch by stitch – and yet they seem to possess a sort of magical quality once finished.

For grown ups, they are both practical (thrown over the shoulders on a chilly evening) and precious (a handmade symbol of love and care). For children, they can be anything – a cape, a fort, or something to snuggle under at nap time. And for grown kids heading out into the world, they can be a comforting reminder of someone back home who loves them.

Whether you knit a blankie for yourself or someone else, it always represents a little love and caring. We often keep this concept in mind as we design new blankets. Vivid came from Emily’s changing ideas about parenthood long before Max was born. Bonfire was created out of a desire for something big and cozy to keep loved ones warm in the outdoors. Fly Away represents that inevitable, bittersweet moment when children leave us to fly off and soar on their own. And our most recent blanket pattern, Lullaby, was designed to use up every drop of a cherished yarn, like Emily’s own handspun. No matter what inspires the knit, blankets are always a sweet adventure.

The scrapper

There are many ways to knit a blanket, but one of my favourites is by scraps. I love seeing knitters reminisce about projects past as they knit their leftovers into something new. One square might represent the remnants of a comfy, old sweater, another a cherished baby bonnet, and yet another newborn’s first blanket. It reminds me of a quilt my Mum once made, using all the little leftovers in her bin. She would take out each piece of fabric and tell the story of its original purpose. Sometimes it was about how wrong the project went, and sometimes it was about the person she made the item for – but each piece seemed to have a story of its own.

The handspun

Emily recently took up spinning with a passion. Taking an inspirational fibre through the process of spinning and creating yarn, and on to a beautiful blanket, has been a happy journey to watch indeed. Emily created our newest blanket pattern, Lullaby, from her desire to showcase and use up every last drop of some precious handspun yarn.

The simple

Sometimes all you want is a little simplicity, like one of my first designs, the ever simple Waffles blanket. It’s an easy journey of just knits and purls, creating a delightful texture along the way. For me, it’s reminiscent of a Sunday morning breakfast at my house, with everyone savouring a delicious, unfussy meal and the lazy bliss of nowhere to be. We also have the Malt blanket as part of our Simple Collection. Like Waffles, it’s just knits and purls, making it a great first project for knitting newbies.

The process

If you’re ready to cast on a blanket of your own, I encourage you to embrace the journey! Blankets are a big project but not necessarily a complicated one. Enjoy the process, stitch by stitch, and knit a little bit of love into each one.

~ Alexa