I have had more than one occasion to thank my lucky stars for knitters and blog readers over the past year. It still amazes me how incredibly generous and supportive you are with your thoughts, your comments and your correspondence. Sometimes something you say or do really moves me, and reminds me just how lucky I am to be a part of a community of such thoughtful and talented folk. Today is one of those occasions. I received an exciting looking parcel from Ireland – and this is what I found inside.
It was knitted by ten women whom I have never met.
“Dear Kate . . .
. . .We thought that since you have returned to hill walking and have acquired your lovely new van that you may like a little blanket for your legs to warm you up on your return from the summit. . . .
. . . We think the Irish and the Scottish are kindred spirits where bad weather is concerned . . .
. . . the weather decided to turn, and blocking this bad boy was a bit of a nightmare!
. . . if you’re ever in Ireland and looking for company, you know who to call . . .
. . . best of luck with your continued recovery . . .
Karen, Helen, Helen, Roseanne, Siobhan, Clare, Eimear, Diane, Kiko, and Isobel”
Really, I think it might be the most beautiful blanket I have ever seen. I am completely blown away by it.
Does it not make you want to start knitting cables immediately?
Thankyou, lovely, generous ladies.
We will certainly be bringing your wonderful blanket with us when we visit Ireland later this Summer.
Gorgeous! Is there a pattern available for this please?
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I do a lot of cable knitting and am always looking for new patterns. This is a beautiful blanket .
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This is absolutely beautiful. I would certainly love to make it and wondered if there is a pattern for this beautiful afghan.
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That’s gorgeous! I usually read all your posts but I must have missed this one, so I’m delighted that you’ve linked to it from today’s. What a fabulous, fabulous gift.
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Absolutely stunning. Heart (and leg) warming. :)
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What a treasure, so gorgeous:)
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A very beautiful gesture from those ladies and an amazing blanket. I love everything about it. The cables and the colours are perfect.
I was wondering how it is made. Are they individual vertical panes, which are then sewn together?
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What a gift my God !
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Your photo’s of that blanket are stunning! And yes,,,my fingers were twitching for a cable needle as I scanned through the photo’s. Lucky lady!
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That’s one awesome blanket! I’m insane with jealousy at their talent and loveliness.
Of course – you’ve shared so much of your talent and life with us, that it inspires folk to give something back.
People are amazing :)
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Aren’t knitters the best!!
They have a friend for life!
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What an amazing very special blanket full of warm intentions, no wonder we all get emotional
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Well first it makes me want to cry. And then it makes me want to knit cables. ‘Scuse me, must go find a tissue.
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I have just returned from a little camping expedition and must say that every camper should have their very special blanket for such adventures. This is one of especial, uplifting gorgeousness and generosity. The very sweetest of dreams.
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How beautiful!!!
What lovely women.
Go the Irish!!!.
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The knitted blanket is so beautiful, love the patterns used, and the colours.
How very thoughtful of these ladies in Ireland. I particularly like that triskelle? or love knott pattern.
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That is one beautiful blanket, and such a generous gift. A true treasure.
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That’s absolutely beautiful, and so is the sentiment behind it…
I wish you and Tom joy with it. Thank you so much for letting us share part of your life!
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Utterly stunning! The muted colours are so beautiful and warm. You deserve such kindness. Your blog is such a treasure.
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So Beautiful!.
Geer,
Regards from The Netherlands
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So Beautiful!
Geer,
Regards from The Netherlands
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wow
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That is absolutely gorgeous and I think I might cry. What a wonderful gift to give and to receive!
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Hey you are more than welcome! It was lots of fun to put together! Just to add – the yarn we chose was one spun in Ireland, in Kerry Woollen Mills. And we wanted to give you this type of project also as a thank you for your recent work in the area of our national textile history. Thank you and good luck in your continued recovery and studies!
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WOW! That blanket takes my breath away!
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I love the coloring and the thought and care that went into it. Hugs to each of them and an especially heartfelt hug to you.
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What a wonderful and beautiful gift. So many perfectly done stitches, each one carrying a thoughtful message of caring and love. Wow!
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Oh my goodness! What lovely ladies to knit such a beautiful present. Of course, if you were not also lovely, they wouldn’t have bothered.
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This just makes me love people. What a sweet and thoughtful gift!
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How absolutely lovely – it makes your heart warm to see generosity such as this – there is hope for the human race!
Cheers to you and thank you, also for sharing so generously of yourself,
Best,
Rebecca
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Absolutely breathtaking! It’s so heartwarming and reassuring to know there are such warm kind folks out there in this world of ours.
Blessings,
GG
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What a stunning blanket – it is warming in more ways than one.
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AMAZING!! I can feel the love from just looking at the blanket. YES!! I’m inspired to start a cable project soon….maybe a blanket for my little girl?
Kate, I want to tell you how you have inspired me….in every way….sending you happy thoughts from SF.
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Magnificent!
If you vist West Cork please let me know.x
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Oh how lovely!!! Please, please, let the pattern be available! (maybe through Ravelry?)
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Such a beautiful and thoughtful blanket – really stunning – knitters are amazing. Thank you so very much for sharing it with your readers. I also vote for a pattern – I’d love to get in line for it. All the Best to you and your recovery.
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Beautiful! Looks like it would be fun to knit, too
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That is the mot wonderful blanket I have ever seen! I do want to go grab my knitting and throw in a few cables!
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What very sweet and kind ladies. What an amazing blanket! You are a lucky girl.
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You are indeed a very lucky woman!
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Everyone has used all the words I could say about the beautiful blanket. It almost took me as much time to read the comments as it took to knit it.
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Stunning!
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That blanket is BEAUTIFUL! The cables are exquisite… and it reminds me of cairns, celtic knotwork, and the beautiful stonework that can be found whilst rambling in rural Ireland.
Which part of Ireland are you visiting?
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Indeed this is a fantastic blanket and such a generous gift! Pattern details would be great!
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Oh my what a beautiful gift, truly something to be treasured!
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Aw! I’m actually a little bit teary! That’s so beautiful – and yes, of course, I now want to go and cast on something cabled immediately :-)
Enjoy your cosy knees!
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What a thoughtful, beautiful gift! Enjoy! They are very talented ladies and I need them to teach me!! Cx
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The blanket is beautiful – as are the sentiments behind it. Such a kind and caring gesture – stunningly executed. It made me think, about your situation and the kindness that has come from all directions and in so many ways and always accepted so graciously by you. The world is a pretty good place.
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A beautiful piece of work. Those Ladies do what we Irish do best – reaching out to others and giving support in a practical but loving way when your back’s agains the wall.
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One word – Wow!!
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What a beautiful and thoughtful gift. I wish you many hours of cosiness with it.
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Such a wonderful gift demonstrating so brilliantly the inspiration that you are to all your readers. The heartwarming benefits of their talent and generosity reverberate around the world, bringing a glow to the mildly wintery Antipodes.
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Wow, that blanket is just stunning in every possible way. I think all the previous comments have summed it up very nicely; there doesn’t seem to be anything grand enough to say about such a lovely blanket or the generosity behind it.
I’m off to find some yarn. That blanket punched me right in the muse and I now have to create something similar for my niece-to-be. Thank you so much for sharing your lovely pictures with us, Kate.
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What a heart-breakingly beautiful blanket and story behind it. I am speechless.
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Gorgeous blanket, gorgeous post!
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Generosity of spirit begets generosity of spirit.
(Amd in this case results in a feast for the eyes!)
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Stunning! Beautiful blanket, beautiful women! I just love the kindness in the world.
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You’ve just got to meet these women when you go to Ireland!
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Those ladies in Ireland have big, generous, caring, kind hearts. Such care can only give us all cheer despite the interminable recession plaguing us. Exquisite work and a gift well deserved. My gosh you must be beaming with smiles everytime you remember receiving that blanket.
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Yes, Miss Kate, you are indeed very lucky. Such kind and talented ladies. I hope you are able to visit them when you travel to Ireland.
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So beautiful! This blanket is not just a work of art, it’s a work of love and kindness and compassion. It will warm you in every way possible on chilly days.
If you do decide to take it with you on your travels, please don’t pack it in your checked luggage! I lost a stunning Aran sweater that my mother knit for me, just two weeks after she gave it to me. To this day, I’ll never pack a precious thing in my checked luggage ever again.
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wow – is about all I can manage at this moment… those women are incredibly kind, generous and amazing! You MUST meet them this summer!
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How beautiful! I wonder if the knitters would like to share the cable patterns they used?
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Beautiful! What a nice thing to do for someone.
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How very wonderful! My fingers just want to follow the wavy lines and cables.. and what beautiful colours. A truly special gift for you.
Years ago in my previous life I worked at the BBC – the director had been interviewing local people from the west coast of Ireland and my job was to transcribe the tapes. I remember very well there was one very old lady who was totally blind – she was knitting a complex cabled pattern and talking to the director about selkies and mists and the smell of the sea. I have never forgotten it and how her fingers never missed a beat as they worked. Your blanket reminds me of her and her gentle voice moving in and out of her memories, sometimes gaelic sometimes english…….
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What a lovely, thoughtful gift. It’s just beautiful and even more special because it was made with love.
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It’s the spirit of knitting, captured in a blanket. Wonderful ladies of Ireland and wonderful Kate. I love your blog.
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Perfection
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Holy.
Cow.
Be sure to pass along my address to them, will you?
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Stunning!!
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Everyone has said it ahead of me….yes, it is totally breath-takingly beautiful! Knitters are such wonderful people and certainly these knitters in particular. Onward with your recovery!
(and yes, a pattern would be a wonderful way to raise research funds…)
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what generosity… such a lovely story, and a well-deserved blanket.
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overwhelming!
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Very, very lovely! And a wonderful thing to gaze at with those befuddled post-walking eyes- no doubt it will take you on lots of visual adventures ; )
xx
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The world is full of such good people, very moving … well done Irish knitters. Kate a most worthy recipient of such generosity. Incredible knitting and thanks for sharing yet another beautiful post.
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i’m in tears. yay.
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The people who did this gorgeous blanket are some of my knitting peeps. They are the kindest, most wonderful people I have ever known. When my own tragedy came, they have been there for me as well….I believe that they are good karma incarnate. I am so glad that you get to feel their support and care as well.
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Oh my! Yes it is the most beautiful blanket I’ve ever seen. Their loving generosity and kind spirits are so wonderful. Kate you are inspirational!
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That’s absolutely stunning, I’m really taken by the colours within the blanket as well as the utterly gorgeous cabling work. And wow, what a story.
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What a jaw-droppingly beautiful creation/ gesture. It couldn’t go to a better home either. It’s the 3D knotwork that really blows me away – I’ve never seen that in knitting before and didn’t know it was possible. My husband says it should be called Celtic Knitwork…
Hurray for there being such generosity and beauty in the world.
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What an awesome blanket-you will certainly feel those sweet ladies caring and love when you wrap it around you. I hope you get to visit them!
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It is absolutely gorgeous! I also can’t help but see a metaphor in your recovery and hiking in hills, valleys and curves, twists and turns of the cables. So many varieties and so many warm hugs and lovin’. I love your thoughts on your journey, it keeps me inspired when I’m off my path. Thank you for sharing so much. God bless you and the Irish knitters. Lisa
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That is gorgeous. Best of luck with your recovery!
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This is beautiful! You will feel such warmth and love. Thank you for sharing these photos. The knitting makes me smile.
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Absolutely stunning–both the blanket (one of the prettiest “group-project” blankets I’ve seen in ages) and the generosity of the knitters. You ladies rock!
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I am delighted for you Kate – after sharing your story which touched so many hearts this is indeed a wonderful thing for you to receive from those beautiful and generous warm hearted Irish ladies – it is a magnificent piece of work, gorgeous muted colours, and fabulous cables and patterns. I am sure it will keep the chills away.
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Loveliness. And so inspiring! Such comfort in a gift. (sniff!)
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Everything about this is incredibly beautiful and joyous. To the Irish knitters, my admiration; to Kate, thank you for sharing this. As so many others have said before me, it only echoes our fondness for you and celebration of your recovery.
And I so want to knit a river of cables now!
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how wonderful. and such a beautiful blanket. perfect.
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WOW! It’s so tactile! And sculptural! You are one lucky gal!
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Wow, what an incredible tribute from amazing women, to another amazing woman. How moving!
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Stunning blanket !
Such a wonderful gift. Knitted with love.
Yes. It does make me want to cable !
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Fabulous – I love the colours because I am very partial to blue and white combinations but I adore the strip sampler pattern even more. What an inspirational blanket from a group of exceptionally talented ladies.
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Oh my, what a beautiful creation!
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Such a beautiful blanket! And so kind! There really is lots of good in the world!
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That is astonishing! A work of sculpture or fantasy or something- I just want to have it on my lap and run my fingers over it. Enjoy it for us!
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Oh my goodness what a work of art! And what a wonderful gesture :) And you’re SO worth it!!
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Here’s an echo to everyone’s words. This makes me teary eyed, but in the most wonderful and happy way. How this lovely knitted blanket will enrich your life.
Such generosity and goodness from such talented and caring women.
The kindness of strangers can blow one away. May it warm and sustain you.
You do deserve it for all of your courage and grace in such an incredibly difficult journey.
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To the lovely talented Irish ladies, care of Kate’s blog comments:
Thank you for putting into a cabled blanket the love and respect so many of us feel for Kate. What an incredible gift.
To Kate:
Thank you for sharing the dedication (both words and knitting style/time/prowess) with us mere mortals. How lucky you are, and how truly worth such a priceless gift.
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holy moly! that is the most beautiful blanket ever.
wow!
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Truly lovely
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I am blown away by that blanket. It is just so beautiful, classic, and a million other words that I just cannot think of right now. I’ve been wanting to knit a blanket for awhile now. That one is quite inspirational!
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Everything about it sings.
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Wow! It’s gorgeous. Those are some talented cable knitters. I too will knit some cables…just as soon as the humidex goes away and it’s no longer 40C outside ;-)
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That’s the good karma you bring to all of us bouncing back at you. The blanket is just stunning! I am especially drawn to the “pretzel twist” cables. I am sure they have a much nicer name than that, but you know which ones I mean…
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How beautiful! What a wonderful surprise!
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a beautiful blanket indeed! and yes, it does make me want to start doing cables immediately :-)
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Brought a tear to my eye. :)
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bloggers certainly rock.
it’s just amazing.
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So lovely! And yes, just seeing it makes me want to start knitting some cables!
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Oh Kate, how blessed you are.
And to the lovely women of Ireland who knit this for you with their own hands, all I can say is: well, I can’t think of anything big enough to say. The blanket is so very very beautiful. Such lovely knitting. Such lovely colors. Such lovely hearts.
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It’s beautiful! The ladies who sent it obviously know you need some snuggling when you travel. :)
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I’m sorry, I seem to have a lot of pollen in my eyes. And my nose. SNIFF.
What a lovely lovely gift.
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Stunning! And it just shows how much they value you ;)xx
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Oh! That is breathtakingly beautiful — and what a truly lovely gesture, too. I’ve been part of making collaborative blankets before, and I know the warm thoughts that go into them; it always makes me so happy to see that the recipients feel that love, too.
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Lovely. I would have been staggered to receive a gift like that. Gorgeous natural shades, and looks so Irish too.
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WOW! gorgeous! and what a beautiful, adaptable blanket idea!
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How wonderful people can be. That is a beautiful blanket and a very heart warming sentiment… altogether a lovely gift. And it not only makes me want to knit cables, but… I think I may have to! I’m off to hunt out cables that fit into neat strips like that.
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What beautiful work, and it matches their caring and generosity!
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That’s beautiful! What wonderful people there are. :)
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So beautiful and so inspirational. There is more than wool for the warmth in that blanket. How wonderful to know you have touched so many lives, and that your fellow knitters care so deeply. Now when you have to take to the couch you will never be alone there!!
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Beautiful blanket, beautifully made for you by skillful, thoughtful ladies.
And yes, I’d love to have a go at knitting something similar.
Hope you can meet up with the knitters when you visit Ireland Kate.
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That is amazing. What a beautiful gift.
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Gorgeous! What wonderful generosity and caring.
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Generosity, beauty, compassion. All an expression of an open heart – the most beautiful of all. No one deserves it more!
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Not to detract from the generosity of the knitters, but please can we have more close-ups of the finished article. And, would those kind knitters consider putting a pattern together for the blanket, and the proceeds could maybe go to stroke research?
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Like everyone else I am moved by such kind and thoughtful generosity! I would absolutely love to have a pattern for this and I think Heather’s idea is a great one!
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Yes, I agree. This is a wonderful idea. Thank you from all of us who are so inspired by Kate.
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Absolutely beautiful! Yes, it made me want to start knitting cables. Love the muted colors and how each cable design stands out against the background.
What a wonderful gift and act of kindness.
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How wonderful! The letter brought tears to my eyes. Yay cables & yay knitters!
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Most beautiful blanket ever! Such kind ladies, it warms my heart. :)
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what a stunning blanket, it will keep your toes and heart warm!
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That is an incredible blanket. Seriously gorgeous. What incredibly kind knitters. With such a lovely gift, I feel like saying I hope you enjoy it is redundant.. because it is abundantly clear there is no one who could not admire that blanket.
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What a lovely blanket. These ladies have put into wool our wishes for your recovery and the esteem we have for you and this blog. x
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this is so PRETTY! I am also curious to know the pattern for the “wave” part: does anyone have a clue or a description of this stitch? In the mean time: tuck yourself in comfortably!
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Incredible – I love all the different textures. I wish I could reach through the screen and feel the wonderful dimensions of all of those gorgeous cables! What a wonderful collaboration of many hands and hearts – it’s a piece of the knitting world infused with the spirit of an old-fashioned quilting bee.
Beautiful, beautiful generosity.
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Kate: A beautiful blanket for a beautiful young woman. Your inspiration travels far. Enjoy! Peg
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Exquisite, like Celtic carvings.. to warm the cockles of your heart as well as your knees!
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GORGEOUS! I love the patterns, the colors, everything about it.
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That’s amazing. I am always blown away by the generosity of knitters.
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Gorgeous creation…but made even more wonderful when you consider every stitch was done with love. Bravo Team Ireland. Well-deserved, Kate.
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SO BEAUTIFUL
it’s gorgeous!!!
It’s so generous
Goog luck for you
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Wow.
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So beautiful – both the object and the sentiment made me tear up a bit. <3
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Yes, I do want to knit cables immediately. And what is that lovely river bend-type cable? I’ve never seen it before. In all it’s an excellent piece of knitting and a generous gift.
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What a beautiful blanket! You have many, many people who are thinking about you and sending you good thoughts for your recovery.
:-)
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It’s gorgeous! And yes, it makes me wanna reach for the cable needle immediately. LUSH I tell you…
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It’s gorgeous, and I love the muted palette!
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The most beautiful blanket I’ve ever seen. How wonderfully generous.
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Isn’t that utterly perfect? What lovely ladies they are. I wonder if you’ll manage to meet them when you go to Ireland?
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That is one amazing blanket and couldn’t have found a more well deserved recipient. Did they do their own thing (like you usually do) or did they actually have a pattern for this ( like I would need)? Beautiful knitters all.
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