OK! I think I've finally had it with knitting dish cloths, tea cozies and little baby gnome hats. Time to move on to something a little more challenging -- something that's been waiting on the sidelines for about two years now. This!
I found this pattern in the Spring 2010 issue of
Living Crafts magazine, and knew right away that I'd be knitting it someday -- not just because the colors and patterns drove me absolutely mad (though they did indeed!) but primarily because of the story behind it, and how it gets made. You see, this is a blanket that is meant to be knit by a "tribe!"
Fiona Duthie, the author of the story, and her mother, both learned to knit from her grandmother, sitting beside her peat-fired stove in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. "Given this tradition of knitting, it was only natural that the family decided to knit a blanket for my brother's baby" -- a special blanket that would span generations, as well as the globe, with family members knitting squares in New Zealand, Canada, Vietnam, and Scotland.
Unfortunately, I don't have hardly any relatives who knit, so I may end up doing most of the work myself. It's made up of 56 individual 6x6" squares, in whatever pattern the individual knitter chooses, but all from the same coordinating yarns. When completed, the squares get sewn together into a blanket, and a knitted border is added. My daughter made me a beautiful new tote bag for Christmas (remind me to show you a picture of that!) which would be just right for carrying the supplies for one of these squares with me, wherever I go, so that I can work on it during coffee with the Muses, or while waiting in a doctor's office with my hubby. Brilliant, no?
Of course, I'm not promising either of my kids that one of these will ever be coming home with them to their house, even if they
do produce grandkids -- not unless a whole bunch more relatives suddenly learn how to knit! No, by the time I finish this one, I'm thinking it might just have to stay right here on my sofa (which happens to look
exactly like the one pictured above) for the kids to use whenever they come visit granny. I might, however, send them home with one of these Knit Squares Dolls.
Now all I have to do is find the yarn. Cross yer fingers, ever-buddy!
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4 comments:
I'll make a few squares to contribute to your blanket! Just send me the yarn or let me know the colors!
Good for you, Becky! I've become a knitting fanatic since the holidays when I had time to sit and knit. I'm thinking this is a great project!
Thanks Jess! As soon as I round up the yarn, I'll send some your way. Pris offered to knit some too.
Linda -- I think this would be a perfect project for you and Laurinda!
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Jean Ohm That blanket is beautiful. Good luck with your quest.
12 hours ago · UnlikeLike · 1
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Priscilla Lane HEY--there's Alexis and Jessica and me. We all knit--not a lot of relatives, but some. Maybe we could all make some squares for each other and each of us would end up with a warm, snuggly blanket??
5 hours ago · UnlikeLike · 1
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Priscilla Lane BTW--a member in my knitting guild is giving us Block of the Month patterns that I could share. I think they're different levels of difficulty.
4 hours ago · LikeUnlike
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Becky Thomas Lane Cool. I didn't know you were still knitting, much less in a guild. I thought you preferred crochet. The magazine article had patterns for 10 different blocks, from basic stockinette to much more complicated patterns like Fair Isle designs. I think you could do anything you wanted to do, as long as you made it come out to a 6x6 block. If I can find a good assortment of yarns, I'll send some your way.
about an hour ago · LikeUnlike
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Priscilla Lane Sounds good. I'm trying to finish a pair of mittens for Megan, and I'm about 1/2 way done with a UT scarf for Mike (probably won't finish it in time for this winter--though we really haven't HAD winter so far this year)
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