Awwwww!

Well, that was a surprise! On Saturday afternoon I was hosting another Open House tea party.* So I thought. Only it turned out to be a baby shower as well! Evidently a certain yogicknitter had been hatching nefarious plans for some time… and very delightfully it all turned out.
The showstopper was a beautiful blanket, assembled from contributions from assorted Ravellers and others: friends, customers, even some of my lovely suppliers. I am so touched by this… you’ve heard me blithering occasionally about how I feel that working in the knitting world is a privilege, because what in any other market would be just business relationships become a bit more than that; we form connections with other people who are as passionate as ourselves about craft, and it’s amazing to feel part of this international network. This was a wonderful example of that. For me to have a gift made partly by people I’ve never met, people I do business with but otherwise wouldn’t know at all – well – that’s quite amazing!

Armin took this pic from a great height, to get the whole thing in. I’d like to get some pretty close-ups too, but you’ll have to grant me a little more time. Mel has promised to share some more photos of the blanket in progress, and let me know who sent what… I don’t want to list individuals to thank yet, because I am sure to leave some of you out; but from my heart: thank you so much to everyone involved. It’s gorgeous (I love the colours! I know you were all concerned about how fussy I am and whether you’d get it right – well – great work), it’s soft, and it will make me very happy every time I look at it. Big hugs. *sniff*
(Psst, GreenPea – your squares are not lost – I has them right here:

…and will make them into a lovely matching cushion!)
Anyway. It wasn’t all about the blanket. There were other presents! And cake! and more presents! and more cake! What a delicious afternoon. Pictures were taken, but not by me; you can see some of them here (Ravelry link). Erqsome made me a fabulous Stuffie, I love it lots. Baby might get a look in. Ling brought some gorgeous clothes, including a super-cute summer dress that made Armin go Awwwww! My lovely friend Claire put together a new mum survival kit, including Lindor truffles and bath oil… mmmmm…
(Am I forgetting anything? Oh dear I feel like I’m leaving someone out… If I am, we blame pregnancy brain, yes? Def not lack of appreciation.)
(ETA: of course I was forgetting something! Besides doing all the organising, and baking brownies, and knitting on the blankie – not to mention sewing it up – and providing nappies, dummies etc, plus other game wherewithal, Mel also gave me some nifty things in the form of a pre/post-natal exercise dvd, a Baby Genius vid and a relaxing cd for labour. Thank you Mel! I will certainly get good use out of all of them – and am really amazed at all you did for me and for the party…)
And Mel arranged a bunch of games, which we barely got to play because we were having so much fun with the cake! and presents! and brownies! – but which included a short-term memory game (no surprise: the pregnant lady did the worst, I’m almost proud) featuring lots of baby/mum essentials. So I am now very well provided for. If I could just pack that hospital bag… (I’m using a Zhivago, btw. A special treat I’ve been greatly looking forward to!)
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* Reminder: if you’d like to hear when these events take place – usually the last Saturday of every month, but it does vary – drop me a line and I’ll put you on the mailing list. It’s a great chance to knit, natter and of course, get a good look at my stock in the woolly “flesh”.