Connecting to the Past While Crafting for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

I have mentioned before that I have inherited a large quantity of yarn from my mother-in-law. She crocheted hundreds of baby blankets for babies in need. One year she purchased a hundred little dolls and crocheted blankets for them for Operation Christmas Child.

She had a close friend who joined her in her crocheting projects and she would supply all the yarn for her.  She got to know the ladies in the craft departments at Walmart and other discount stores and when they put yarn on clearance they would contact her and she would stock up.  Unfortunately the
last couple years of her life she could crochet less and less, which meant she left a nice quantity of high quality yarn and I have been having fun putting it to good use for my shoe boxes.

As I crocheted a hat the other day I thought the yarn looked very familiar.  Then I came across a blanket she had crocheted my daughter probably 25 years ago.  It is a perfect match.  I don't know if the yarn I used to crochet this hat was left from that project or if she had purchased it later, but regardless, it, like the blanket, is in perfect condition.  And the blanket is in the pattern I shared about and tried to re-design into a bitty blanket for my shoe boxes.

Crocheted by my mother-in-law.

Aunt Norni's Simple Shell Mini Blanket ~ Crochet Instructions

It was bittersweet connecting to the memory of my late mother-in-law while crafting for my Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. I am sure she would be glad that children around the globe will be blessed with the yarn she purchased so many years ago.

I have designed several other crochet patterns using her yarn -- you can find them all here:  Crocheting for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes Tutorials.