The Best "Thank You"

Knowing how people can be about not wanting to ruin something that looks fancy and probably took a lot of time and effort to create, whenever I give someone a handknit baby blanket, I always include a note to the recipient that she had better not declare it "too pretty to use", sticking it in a drawer somewhere to save.  I tell her, "The best thank you that you could give me is to come to me several years from now and show me the stains and worn spots on this blanket, showing that you actually used it."

Once, however, I was surprised that a friend who received some handknit dishcloths from me pulled the "It's too pretty to use!" line, and I had to use the "best thank you" line on her.

A few weeks ago, she gave me a "thank you" that had me bouncing up and down with glee: