AuburnChick's Adventures

So, I know I’ve been teasing you over the last few weeks…referring to a Super-Secret Project but giving few, if any, hints.

Well, I am thrilled to FINALLY be able to reveal what I’ve been working on!!!

But first, a bit more of a tease.

I began this project on October 5, 2009.  Chicky and I had received an invitation to a friend’s bridal shower.

“K” and “T” were getting married!  They are a very special couple.  Both graduated from college in December, and T just got hired on as a full-time youth pastor at my church.  He’s been an intern for quite some time and is very close to the local kids.  K worked at the church last summer and became very good friends with Chicky.

This is a couple that adores being with teenagers.  They have been such a blessing to my own family, so I knew a special gift was in order.

I quickly decided on a project as, of course, a knitted item was in order.

I bought the yarn…

I was ready…confident that I would be able to finish the project in the three weeks time-span to the shower.

The knitting gods laughed at me.

I mean, let’s face it.  It was Fall…the holiday season.

I worked when I could, but other projects came up.

But then things settled down, and I finally focused all of my energy…

To finish…

The Tree of Life Afghan

Folks, can you believe that this pattern is free?  You can find it here.  There’s also a Ravelry group dedicated to this project.

Now, you know me, and you know I like cables and fancy patterns.  This project kept me interested.  The tree sections were actually the easiest and fastest to complete…

These panels alternate with garden sections, which required a new technique for me…using a crochet hook to pull the yarn from back to front (trust me…it’s not too hard when you read the instructions)…

The sections in-between were simple garter stitch…easy-peasy!

There are different arguments out in internet-world about the best way to complete the border.  I didn’t read ahead in the instructions, so I was oblivious.  I pretty much did what I was told and knit it separately from the rest, attaching it by using my own modified version of the mattress stitch…

The border was very simple but very elegant, forming leaf petals.  I worked on the border when I subbed for a history teacher for a week.  My classes spent most of their days watching movies…which allowed me a lot of time to knit as the movies were long, and my students were incredibly well-behaved!

Now, I’ve gotta say that I mustered up some brain power and smartly decided to leave live stitches on my needles, not binding off the edging until I was absolutely sure it was long enough.  I knit 58 repeats, stitched them to the blanket, and promptly ran out of edging.  So, I knit another 17 repeats, adding this portion to the blanket’s edge, and discovered I needed one more repeat!!  Oy!

In total, I worked 76 pattern repeats of the border.

The border really made this project complete.  It added a very elegant touch to what was already an incredibly amazing project (if I do say so myself).

Rooster and the Mr. held it up so I could get pre-washing/blocking pictures…

Now, allow me to tell you a story…real quick (yeah, right).

See, I knew I was going to have to wash this blanket…for several reasons.

First of all, this blanket almost had a bad accident, courtesy of Pele, mischievous pup that he’s become of late.

You see, one morning, shortly before Christmas, I had left the blanket on the table while I ran to the store.  When I returned thirty minutes later, I walked into the house to see a long, cream-colored string hanging off of the table.

“PELE,” I hollered, following the trail the string had left.

I followed it to the den, where my heart stopped.

There, on the floor, lay my up-to-then-completed blanket (maybe 1/3)…on the floor.

I checked it for holes.

Nothing.

However, I did notice that some of the stitches had come off the needles, which forced me to tink back the section I had just worked…about 12 rows.  At 180 stitches per row, um, well, yeah, you can imagine how mad I was.

And relieved.

But in the process, that blanket had been drug over a very hairy floor.

So yeah, I knew I was going to have to wash it before gifting it.

No easy task.

Fishermen’s Wool is 100% wool, which means no washing machine, and no dry cleaning (I checked).  Only gentle hand washing.

I feel like a bad gifter, putting this kind of burden on a newlywed.  Oh well, it’s warm and pretty…just don’t throw up on it!  Washing it is not my idea of a fun way to spend the day.

Anyhoo, I stuck the blanket in the tub, covered it with water and added a dash of dish detergent…

I took the water spray nozzle thing-y and rinsed it completely afterward.

And then I tried to pick it up.

Folks, this is one heavy blanket when it’s wet!  I had already mashed some of the water out of it, but oh my!  I laid towels across the ping pong table and rolled the blanket in them to remove more water…

Then, I placed fresh, dry towels on the table and blocked the blanket.  I wanted to open up the edging so it would lie flat.

The blanket took a few days to dry…especially with the cool temperatures we’ve had in Florida.

Then I had to wait because one of the newlyweds went out of town for a week.

Oy!  I was so excited to gift it (and blog about it)!!

And then last night finally arrived.

Gift time!!

K and T came to the house so they could open the gift in front of us.

I was so nervous!  Would they like it?  Would it match their decor?  Would they realize that I want them to USE this…not be afraid of the 100% wool thing?

I needn’t be afraid.  I think you can tell what they thought of it from the pictures below…

K inspected the work up close…

Final stats on this project:

Began on October 5, 2009
Bound off on January 18, 2010

Used 4.6 skeins (2,139 yards) of Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool (Natural)

Knit on size 8 needles

Finished blanket size:  78 x 58

A special message to K and T:  Thank you for giving of yourselves so freely and unconditionally.  You have already had a profound affect on the children in the church.  More personally, though, my own children love you.  We have come to think of you as family.

We’re thrilled that God led you to each other, and I pray that when you look at the blanket, you will be reminded of the Lord and His promises.

I decided to make this blanket for a couple of reasons.  The Tree of Life Afghan symbolizes a couple of things…

1. The Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden…a promise of eternal life spent with God one day to those who accept His love and sacrifice for us.
2. The start of your own family tree.  May God bless you abundantly in the many, many years to come.

This gift was from the entire AuburnChick home.  I may have been the knitter, but each member encouraged me by their words and ooohhhh’s and aaahhh’s.  They also reminded me that I needed to stay on the ball and get it finished before it turned into a one-year anniversary gift!!

May you enjoy many chilly days snuggled under this blanket, and may you feel God’s love (and our’s) upon you during those, and all, times.

We love you guys!!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: afghan, Knitting, Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool, Tree of Life Afghan, wedding gift, wool | 13 Comments »