This past weekend I attended the wedding of a dear friend from high school. Emily and I spent as much time as we could together during our high school years – gossiping, talking about fashion, watching movies, shopping, attending each others’ extracurricular events (for me – cheering on the volleyball and girls basketball teams; for E – cheering on the cheerleaders at football and basketball games), sleeping over (most of the time at Emily’s house), and just generally doing the things that high school girls do. I have learned a lot from Emily, and really feel like we just get along perfectly!
We’re six years from high school now, but I still love Emily [and her little sister Lauren, who will always be a freshman in high school to me : )] – and I was so, so happy to celebrate her marriage to a seemingly wonderful and charming man. Now, you may have noticed that I tend to express love through knitting, so a few months ago I went to work deciding on a gift for Emily and Pete. I wanted something very cozy (and for me this usually means garter stitch), classic, and neutral so that they can take it with them wherever they go in the future. I decided that the Linie 208 Natural wool I bought at Stitches would be perfect and I settled on the Moderne Log Cabin Blanket (rav link) by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne as the pattern. I decided on this pattern because it is cozy garter stitch, but has some interest – both for me during the knitting and for the recipients. I thought that the different sizes and directions of the garter stitch pieces would be pretty in the natural yarn without being too much. And . . . I couldn’t resist the alliteration – Monogrammed Monochromatic Moderne (we’ll get to the monogrammed part later).
I used the pattern as a guide, but ended up changing the structure a little bit due to restricted amounts of yarn. I added an attached I-cord edging – a finishing touch that I always love. I think the I-cord edging makes the blanket look complete and also adds structure to the stretchy garter stitch. It took me a while to come up with the perfect personal element to add to the blanket but then I realized . . . if there’s one thing I know about Emily, it’s that she loves a good monogram! : ) I looked around for a while on etsy until I found Rememberwynn, who made me a lovely faux suede patch with the newly married couple’s monogram to sew on to the blanket. [I have to take a moment to say how wonderful Rememberwynn was, rushing a new patch to me when the first got lost in the mail! Thank you Rememberwynn!]
Once the patch was sewn on, the ends were sewn in, and the care instructions were attached, MMM was ready to go!
I was so excited to head to St. Louis for the festivities – it’s been a while since I’ve visited my old stomping grounds, and I was excited to catch up with a few friends. The ceremony was beautiful, the bride was gorgeous and glowing and the reception was quite a celebration!
I hope that MMM keeps Emma and Pete [and George : )] warm and toasty this winter and for many years to come! Congratulations again!
I love the label and packaging. It really makes the gift super special.
Who wouldn’t love this as a gift? It’s so lovely in one color…. reminds me of the Knitted Garter Stitch Blanket Brooklyn Tweed knit up…but perhaps a simpler pattern. I am a fan of the Moderne Log Cabin myself and am in the middle of another right now.