Revealing

I remember very clearly the moment when my sister, Reva, told me she and Michael were going to be married. I'd met him once or twice, but not really gotten a chance to get to know him well. But I'd seen the way he looks at her, the way he treats her like she's the most amazing person ever and the way they sort of revolve around each other. I was so happy for them!



Then I got to thinking about ways I could express my love and happiness. I wanted to give them something unique, something no one else would give them. I didn't want to pick something off a gift registry (although I will admit to buying a bridal shower gift off the registry), so I turned to my favorite hobbies.



I was kicking around Ravelry.com (if you knit or crochet or have any interest in either, I can't recommend this site enough) when I saw "IT." In that moment, I knew this was the one, the gift I really wanted to give them. IT was an afghan made up of columns of alternating cables. One patterns is called the XOXO cable and is exactly what it sounds like - stacked X's and O's, made by cabling. The second cable is far more complex and appears to have several strands weaving in and around each other, with "rings" made by wrapping the yarn around the cables. I don't know what the name of this cable is, but it is gorgeous.








So here it is, the big reveal. I was so excited to give it to them that I failed to take any better pictures. LOL So please imagine this with the ends all woven in and blocked enough to straighten the edges. The color is a bit deeper green in real life, with just a hint of grey.

Below are some interesting tidbits about the afghan, so read on, if you're curious.

Started March 30, 2010, completed knitting on August 17, 2010, finished weaving in ends and blocking on September 13, 2010.

Total time to knit: 4.5 months

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease (wool and acrylic blend) in color #177, Loden

Needles: 40 inch bamboo circular needles in size #10

Yarn used: 13.5 balls of yarn or 1.58 miles

Stitches per row: 296

Finished size: 4 feet wide by just shy of 6 feet long


Times Pookie and I snuggled under it, in progress, to read: countless


You may recall that several times during the making of this afghan, I was cranky about it. I got overwhelmed quite a few times and nearly gave up on it once or twice. But each time I got fed up with it, I reminded myself that this was meant to be an expression of my feelings for my sister and her new husband, that it wasn't always easy, but it would be worth it.

It's kind of funny, I hadn't considered how much my family would have to give for this project, too. When I was ready to start, I figured out (with Bryant's help) how many rows I'd need to finish each day to be done with the knitting before our vacation Labor Day weekend. And some days I made my goal, but some days, life got in the way. As the wedding got closer, I had to put up to 8 rows a day into it, leaving me very little time for anything else. I can't tell you how many times The Boy made dinner or Scooter helped Midge with his schoolwork and any number of other similar situations. So while I did the actual knitting, every single person in this family helped. And no one complained. They all seemed to understand how important this project was.

And when I put that very last stitch in place, my heart swelled with pride. I'd actually finished a massive project! I'd actually mastered this complex cable on only the second project I'd ever used cables on (the first being a pair of socks for my Gram last year - not a lot of cables and nothing complex there)!

So Reva and Michael, I hope this blanket will keep your bodies warm and the love and happiness I knit into it will keep your hearts warm. We love you.