Baby's Blanket: A Colour Story

This summer I knit a baby blanket. It came out a lot longer than I planned. I used every inch of each colour yarn and just kind of let it be. I used this pattern, and this colour scheme for my inspiration. Thankfully it goes great in the baby's room. 

As I was knitting this blanket, I took photos and shared them on my Instagram account. It took me longer than I thought to knit the blanket, but that's because we had such an eventful summer. I'm glad I took the time to document my progress, as each colour now tells a story.

May 28th, 2014

I must have started the blanket this day. I was probably sitting on the couch in my Leuven apartment, watching television. I tried to get my baby bump in the photo. Jon had just returned to Leuven to move us to Sweden. I started with red. I don't know why. While I was knitting it, I was reminded of the crocheted bedspreads my grandmother made for my older brothers. Red for one brother, blue for the other. 

 May 29th, 2014

This was Ascension Day, a holiday in Belgium. We had friends fly in from Peru on their way home to Rotterdam. We lived close to Brussels International Airport so they stayed with us and visited for the day. They were jet lagged, so Jon and I went upstairs to enjoy the sunshine on the deck while they napped. We made dinner together, and said Tot ziens! (See you later!) Considering that I had just started the blanket the day before, I'd say I was pretty fast! My second colour choice was navy blue. I kept the darker colours closer together and it just seemed like a natural progression after being reminded of the bed spreads that my grandmother had made.

June 3rd, 2014

I cast on this colour thinking that I would fly through it like I did the other two colours, but I had no idea that this colour of avocado green would knit up through one the most tragic events of my life. My beautiful friend and brother Daniel passed away suddenly during this time. It was unexpected and is still very new for me to process, even today. I was in Spain while all of this transpired and as the events unfolded I would knit and pray, knit and pray, knit and pray, repeat. Knitting simple stitches like this garter stitch keeps my hands busy, it became a kind of meditation. 

June 27th, 2014

This was an epic day. Not only did I start the fourth colour of my blanket, but we also placed all our belongings on a moving van to Sweden. Jon worked so hard to pack and load everything for our move, while I felt like a useless lump of a lady. My last doctor's appointment also happened on this day. It was a dreary rainy day in Belgium that day, so it seems fitting that the colour that I started on this day was grey. 

July 5th, 2014

Our first full day in our new home in Göteborg. As you can see, I wasted no time settling in a comfy spot on the sofa. We watched Belgium lose to Argentina in the World Cup Games. I thought it was a good omen that I was knitting with a colour from the Belgian flag. Turns out yellow is also in the Argentinian flag. 

July 8th, 2014

Same view, different colour: Aqua. 

World Cup was on again and we watched Germany clobber Brazil. I couldn't believe it, I know the neighbours heard me laughing in disbelief! I thought it was a replay, but actually Germany kept scoring against Brazil.

July 15th, 2014

This shade of orange also reminded me of my brother Daniel. It is the school colour of the University of Texas at Austin, the alma matter of both of my older brothers and Jon.

July 22nd, 2014

I saved the best colour for last: hot pink! I was trying to stay away from pink while knitting this blanket, but decided to add it at the last minute. I'm glad I did. It was exceptionally hot in Göteborg this summer, a few locals have mentioned that to me. My feet were really swollen and to find some relief I would put my feet up and knit while watching a few series on Netflix. I watched House of Cards and Call the Midwife. I really enjoyed both shows, but prefer Call the Midwife because I love period drama and particularly historical non-fiction. I only mention this because this is what I think of when I look at that hot pink colour at the end.

July 12th, 2014

Seems fitting to end this post with this photo because this is the view from the balcony, just outside the spot on the sofa where I sat while knitting. This photo was taken at 22:15, or 10:15 in the evening. These beautiful colours remind me of my baby's blanket, they remind me of the summer, they remind me of the events and memories of this season almost gone. They remind me that I am ready for something new.