Grandma Bonanza

The reason for the trip to MN, besides visiting friends and family, was that my Grandma Rose was turning 90! My mom's side of the family had a big birthday party for her at the assisted living home she lives at. It was a big day for Grandma!

She got showered with cards and gifts and hugs and smiles AND she even got taken to Subway for lunch. It was a big day, indeed.

The feather boa Grandma is wearing in the pictures was a gift from my sister Jessy. My mom thought it would be fun to dress Grandma up. Before I travelled to MN, I had attempted to knit a crown for her from a pattern in AlterKnits. It was a bad bad bad idea. I gave up after laboring through about six torturous rows. It was good that Jessy pulled through with the boa to help add a little more fun to the day.

Crepe Paper + Knitting = Hand Cramps and Grumpiness

I mostly took photos of Grandma that day, but I also made sure to capture the newest baby in the family and the family baby tamer.

Taylor and Jessy

I am really glad I was able to be there for Grandma's birthday party. I witnessed lots of special little moments, like seeing her face when she saw the photos from her past that had been put into a DVD photo album. I also thought it was really neat that one of the resident's of the home brought her autograph book to show my grandma. The book had a note that my grandma had written to her in German when they worked together at the local hospital soon after my grandma's immigration. The woman doesn't know German and was hoping my grandma could translate the note for her. When my grandma came to the US from Germany she didn't speak English. She had formed some sort of friendship with this woman despite the language barrier and that note has been there as a hidden message of friendship throughout the past 70 years.

My other grandma, Grandma Shirley, is currently going through chemo treatment for breast cancer. I wasn't able to make it to her house in Wisconsin during my visit, but I spent time with my dad who sees her regularly, so I passed on some love for her in the form of knitted hats.

Remember this hat?

It turned out too big after I blocked it, so I had to rip back and shorten it a bit.

I also wanted to make her a really soft hat in case the soft wool was still a little too much for her. This is Odessa (pattern was on MagKnits). I've been wanting to make this hat forever. It was a lot of fun to make and I think I'll make one for myself at some point. The yarn is Classic Elite's Premiere which is a pima cotton and tencel blend.