Monique's blankie

Sometime last year, prompted by a dear friend's pregnancy, Monique asked if I'd guide her in knitting her very first project. She'd only knit before, and had never cast on, bound off or done any kind of decrease. I immediately accepted and visited Patternfish on my ipad so that she could choose what to knit for Kate (also known as the boss of our hair). Imagine my surprise when she chose my bear claw blanket, without even knowing that I had designed and knit for IK back in 2003*.I warned her that this entails a fair bit of knitting, but she was undaunted. We agreed to substitute yarn, as I have a bit on hand, and selected a palette for baby-to-be Ella by playing around in Illustrator.Because Nordique is heavier than the original yarn, Mo decided to knit only 4 squares but decided to knit a wider border. It didn't end up being ready for Ella's birth - a couple months would have been a bit of an optimistic timeline for a woman with two boys under the age of 6, don't you think? - but it was ready and blocked with time to spare for her first birthday.Mittens are next - as soon as I come back from Knit East, she'll come over and select her colours for a pair of Jared's Northlight Mittens. Perhaps she'll catch the blogging bug and will tell you all about it herself (she's now on ravelry, btw).And, speaking of Knit East, I've decided to run another little contest. Anyone I meet in New Brunswick and Rhinebeck will receive an entry coupon. Those who can't make it to either can enter by subscribing the the newsletter. I'll share a few more details in a couple days.*It took me 6 weeks to knit the original, and I must have knit literally during every waking moment. Since then, we refer to seemingly insurmountable endeavors simply as 'bear claw'. Ironically, IK decided not to run the pattern until 2005!