Afghans

Looking back, my grandmother started me on this path to afghan making.  She taught herself how to make granny squares before I was born, and made afghans for everyone in the family for the rest of her life.  Her creations changed over time, becoming more colourful as she got older.  She rarely coordinated her colours to make a cohesive whole, but said that all flowers looked good together in the garden.  I still have two of the last afghans she ever made:  one in shades of rust and green for me, and one in shades of beige and yellow and orange for my boyfriend at the time (now husband).   My husband's afghan was much too small for him, so I crocheted a border around the ends to make it both longer and wider.  I have very fond memories of cuddling under it watching hockey on tv as newlyweds in our first home.

I remember how much the afghan she made comforted me, when I was a child.  I watched TV snuggled under it, brought it up to bed with me and wrapped up in it under the covers.  It was a symbol of the unconditional love that I knew my grandmother had for me, and it protected me from nightmares and scary things.

I finished my first afghan when I was in university.  It was a variation of the ripple pattern, in 3 shades of green and white.  It lasted until after our sons were born, and then was claimed by our first dog, who dragged it wherever she had a nap.  I also made an afghan for each of our sons when they were around 4 years old.  We started by buying small balls of wool, then were given yarn by my mother in law and both of my husband's grandmothers.  My sons brought small lengths of yarn and string from their nursery school and kindergarten crafts and they were incorporated into the afghans as well.  I used a slightly different pattern, so each boy had his own unique creation.

Since it's cold and gray out today, I'm working on the afghan for my oldest son.  It's a ripple pattern and I made a mistake somewhere in the previous row and then discovered my mistake.  It took me a while to get ready to remove the stitches, but I'm back on track now.   It's a very simple afghan, no colour changes and no pattern changes, so I'm hoping to have it done quickly so I can go on to a new project.  The wool isn't really suitable for an afghan because it's a little thin and stringy, but it's very pretty shades from cream through soft gold into aqua and dusky blue, and I couldn't resist buying it many years ago.  By coincidence, the fabric I bought for the hand piercing class matches it very well, so i think I'll continue the theme for the next two classes and maybe make a small lap quilt.

There are so many variations of fuzzy blankets and throws available at all home decor stores at all price points.  Knitting an afghan or making a quilt are more expensive and time consuming, and not as easy care as the commercially made products.  However, I believe that you can't hand make a project for someone you love without thinking about them, and working love and good wishes into the project.