You're not seeing this for the second time.

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Verona, Wisconsin, July 2016. This blanket is similar to one I knitted two years ago. This time, I used a more baby-friendly yarn: a machine-wash, tumble dry (can you believe it?!), merino wool.

Eglutė

A Christmas tree decorated with Lithuanian ornaments stands in Chicago's Midway Airport.

Cake, in Three Takes

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Suburban Chicago, Spring 1973. My Toronto Cousin and I share a Pepperidge Farm walnut layer cake. There was a period when we used to pick up one of those frozen cakes. We recently looked for that cake, but it apparently has been discontinued.

This photo set shows how pink our kitchen was. Behind us is the dishwasher and the Roper wall oven. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, is washing dishes; the dish rack holds a plastic tumbler from the Jewel Food Store.

I'm wearing a turquoise ring my Parents bought when we first vacationed in Glacier. On my left hand is a minuscule ruby ring that belonged to my maternal Grandmother, Jadzė. I also wear the dainty watch I selected in Switzerland. There's instant coffee and a copy of "Draugas" on the table.

(Neither my Toronto Cousin [ever] nor I [in 1973] smoked; that looks like Dad's ashtray. Do you remember crafting ashtrays and trivets with those little tiles? Who supervised you when you spread the grout?)

Ah! The checkered dish towel is still in use.

Handcrafts

Schweinfurt, Germany, 1946. One of the organizers of the cultural exhibit admires the "women's handwork" table.

Translated

Schweinfurt, Germany, 1946. Organizers of the cultural exhibit included English-language headings for their American visitors.

The Doll Table

Schweinfurt, Germany, 1946. This is one of the women with whom my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, collaborated for the Displaced Persons camp's cultural exhibit.

Skeletal Crochet

"Fabricated nostalgia."

"Architectural Crochet"

Hello, Dolly.

My Crafting Nightmare

Knitting small objects.

"[I]t's got knitting and crochet patterns so you can re-create the look yourself."

It = the book, Cats in Hats.

A Gift

Verona, Wisconsin, March 2015. This week's crane activity reminded me of the petit point* I stitched as a wedding gift for Mr. Irene. I chose this design because cranes symbolize fidelity.

*I used a canvas with 32 holes per inch.

Crafty Afternoon

Door County, Wisconsin, August 1983. Mom tackles another needlepoint project while her best friend, Donna, works on her knitting. Meškė spots the camera.

(You might recognize the lamp.)

Appreciation

Monona, Wisconsin, December 2013. The traditional ornaments are lovely; even the ornaments made from drinking straws are nostalgic.

Our Christmas Cards: Ornamental Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2000. This is the image of the first "granddogs"—Žulė and Pupa—that Mom still carries in her wallet.

Craft Fair

Holiday ManCraft isn't just for hipsters.

Background

Near Vilnius, Lithuania, about 1930. This boy is a relative—likely a nephew—of Suzanne. The photo is in bad shape; I post because I love the use of the Lithuanian weaving as a wall hanging. The textile's design is in the family of "apple patterns." I presently am adapting a woven apple pattern for a sweater design.

Thanks to Suzanne's Granddaughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Another Delivery

Here's another baby blanket I recently finished. The recipient, a girl, arrived last week. Her Mom just opened the package in which I shipped the blanket.

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Verona, Wisconsin, September 2014. The blanket design is the same as this one.

Possessive

Door County, Wisconsin, December 1977. Gigi controls the yarn.

It was a short-lived fad.

Suburban Chicago, August 1975. It was popular (among crafters) to needlepoint canvases printed with the images of art by "great masters." Mom and I gave into the fad for a while. I never finished the Fragonard; Mom completed her piece, and it hung above the television.

(We're sitting in our familiar spots.)

Delivery

I'd been working on a baby blanket during the last two months. The recipient, a boy, was scheduled to arrive at the end of July. I finished the blanket by the end of the month, and I just learned the little fellow arrived Monday evening.

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Verona, Wisconsin, July 2014. The pattern is not my design; it's an adaption of this one. Here's the yarn (color 26, "Duck Egg"). The first thing non-knitters ask is, "How long does it take you to make something like that?" I worked on this blanket for about 118 hours.