Caden
Mom absolutely loved babies. She not only had four of them herself, but she had four grandchildren that she willingly and happily took care of whenever she was needed. Soothing a fussy baby never fazed Mom. The baby could be crying when she picked him or her up, but give it just a few moments in Mom’s loving arms and that baby would likely be calm and happy again. There are those people who are just so natural with babies - Mom was definitely one of them. And babies loved her, too. She had such a warm and loving presence that they sensed it when she held them. (See our Kindhearted pattern for more about babies in Mom’s retirement years.)
Because of Mom’s love of babies, we have created this extra special and unique Alice’s Embrace pattern. It is named after Caden, my grandnephew, who sadly left his earthly journey just shy of eleven months of age. He had complications with his heart shortly after he was born. Although he was just here with us for a short time, the amount of love we all have for him is indescribable. Mom would’ve absolutely loved holding and cooing over this little guy.
Needless to say, this loss has been devastating for his parents, Ryan and Brittney. They feel very blessed that they had Caden in their lives, but it was for much too brief of a time and they will forever cherish their sweet little boy. After Caden passed away, I quickly knit Ryan and Brittney an extra long prayer shawl - I wanted it to be able to wrap around the two of them. I made it in a vivid blue that reminded me of the color of Caden’s beautiful eyes. The shawl meant a lot to them and because they would like to help others going through what they went through, this pattern is created not only for Alice’s Embrace recipients, but also for you to give to someone who has lost a child. If you know exactly who would benefit from a Caden blanket or shawl, please knit one for them; or if not, make one for us.
From Mom and from Caden… this special knit piece will give comfort and warmth to someone special when they need it most.
