I'm very close to my mother in law, I have been since the moment we met. She was a young mother so there's not a huge age difference so maybe that's why we connected so well, but anyway I digress. Shortly after Hive account@rubido and I got hitched I can remember a conversation with my MIL. She crocheted to pass the time, and had taught me the basic stitches. Basically the long and short of it was, in return for teaching me I had to make her a blanket before she was 'old' as she put it.

Fast forward 14 years. I'd been practicing stitches and short crochet projects, our son had just turned 3 and it was his first day at school. As many mums find, the first day of school is a tough one. I didn't know what to do with myself, and picked up a crochet hook and a ball of yarn. The promise I made all those moons ago to my MIL in my mind, I thought what the hell I'll give it a go. Over the next few weeks every school day an hour was spent working on it. It grew eventually large enough to use as a lap blanket, but I was exhausted by the repetition, so I put it away.

A few months later, I found myself in a down and out state of mind, so i picked it back up, using colours I had on hand, it grew once more until again it returned to its project bag, when my need for positive emotional change was filled by the creativity it provided.

This pattern has continued for 4 years. I found the blanket (it's huge now) when I needed to work on something, putting my love Into the stitches, and receiving in return something greater.

The blanket now has 1 row of stitches left. The last row until it is finished. However I cannot bring myself to make them, as the blanket has become something bigger than the sum of its parts to me. One day I know I am going to have to do them, in order to fulfil the promise I made back then.

Tldr I too have unfinished projects but the blanket I am making for my MIL is the most special.