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.

Unrelated Ramblings

I know, I know, I was supposed to post vacation pictures over the weekend... I got distracted.

And right now, I just don't feel like digging through those gazillion photos, so instead, I'm going to write about completely unrelated things.

The Project: Those of you who know me well are aware that The Project has taken up the vast majority of the last six months of my life. On a daily basis I spent up to five hours on it (and that's in addition to school, chores, cooking and the rest of my regular life) and finally, after what felt like a million years, it is complete. I'm not going to reveal it quite yet, though, and I'll tell you why - because I'm just too stinking busy! Between the usual stuff and Bryant's job change and my baby sister's wedding and everything else, I simply don't have the time to write a post that would do justice to such a large and deeply personal project. I expect to be posting about it early next week, so please be patient just a tiny bit longer.

Knitting: I started a scarf for myself - it's a farrow rib pattern, so very simple and squishable! The yarn is gorgeous, a deep purple that shows flecks of reds and blues when the sunlight catches it. But, then I put that on the back burner for two reasons. 1. I'm not a scarf person. I just don't feel comfortable in them. I think they're quite beautiful and some people (Mandie and Reva, I'm looking at you) make them look effortlessly stylish. I'm just not one of those people. 2. I have what might be considered a mountain of gift knitting to get done, some for Christmas, some for other occasions.

And, behind all of those other projects, I still have Zoe's socks going. They sit in my Mario lunchbox, waiting to be grabbed on the way out the door. They're perfect grab and go knitting, so they travel with us quite a bit. They've been to the beach, to Mayfield, several parks and Bryant's office this summer. One of them is ready to have the heel turned, the other is still in the leg portion, but they are both coming along nicely. I suppose one of these days I should just sit down and focus on them - I could probably have them done in a weekend if I focus.

Cross Stitch: When I finished The Project, I headed straight back to my first crafty love - cross stitch. I'm currently working my way through the "Amid Amish Life" trio from Cross Stitch and Country Crafts, 1987. No, I'm not a procrastinator...

I have finished the first one, "Hanging the Quilts" and am currently working on the second smaller panel, "Tending the Garden." The two outer panels are the same size, about 9 X 14. The center panel, "Visiting the Neighbors," is 14 X 14 - I haven't started that one yet, although I did buy enough fabric to do all three. I'm probably about a third of the way through the second one, so I feel like I'm making good progress.

Cooking/Baking: I've tried a few new recipes lately, but nothing really worth posting. I made crusty baguettes, but they weren't as good as I would have liked, so the quest continues for a perfect recipe.

I got up a few days ago and realized I was completely out of taco seasoning, fajita seasoning and nearly out of garlic bread seasoning (I have no idea why that was on my mind first thing in the morning) so I mixed up some more of each. By the way, do any of you use a homemade blend of seasonings for those things? Or other things? I love blending ingredients myself - I can control the sodium level, which is super important to me and I can tweak the spices to create a blend that's perfect for my family. If anyone's interested in the recipes I use, leave a comment and I'll post them.

School: I'm feeling kind of ambivalent about it lately, like our current system just isn't doing it anymore. And that's something I love about homeschooling - I can change it up whenever I need to. So I'm looking at a few options, little things that I think might make it a little smoother and easier for all of us.

The Boy, by the way, is doing extremely well with his new school. He's completed his first subject with an overall grade of "A" and is halfway through his second subject with a cumulative grade of 100%! Go ahead and take a moment to imagine my proud Mom face...

Reading: I'm currently reading "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. Actually, the copy we have includes the first 5 books from the increasingly incorrectly named trilogy - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe and Everything; So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish; Young Zaphod Plays it Safe. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend at least giving it a shot. Douglas Adams' sense of humor is highly developed and his writing style is unique.

This book is one of Bryant's favorites and in reading it, I've found that I "get" so many of his jokes that I didn't understand before. Things he's been saying for years make so much more sense and are hilarious now!

All the rest: I've been feeling kind of funky lately. Not really bad, just off a bit. At first I thought I was getting sick, now I think I might just be mental. So if I come off as slightly nuts, just nod and smile.