Edna takes after quite a quirky collection of creative ladies. She’s pretty sure some of her perseverance comes from her Great-Grandma Emma May, who made this little blanket by feel after she could no longer see the stitches.

I’ve had this little 6 by 8 granny square afghan since I was a tiny child. It’s made it through moves and purges and floods and hurricanes and, understandably, none of the folks who have pilfered things from me over the years thought to take it. It’s a favorite — not because of it’s beauty, but because of who made it. It is, quite literally, the only relic I have from my father’s father’s mother and she made it for me.

I’ve stared at this little blanket for over 3 decades and wondered why my “Gramma May” used red thread to put it all together. I’ve also been curious about the placement of the colors. It appears truly random. It’s quirky, no doubt. My knowing that she was going blind as she made these little blankets (she made them for several of us great-grandbabies) helps explain some of her choices.

At any rate, I love this little blanket. I love the hands that knotted the yarn. I kind of like imagining that some of her affinity for crochet was passed to me and, along with it, her tenacity and ability to survive in a pretty harsh reality and still manage to make beautiful things.