Wedding Afghan #9 - Persson/Hanson

I met J at my architecture firm back in 2006.  We became really good friends really quickly.  Spending hours measuring walls and drawing floor plans in a deserted space makes 2 people talk A LOT.  Needless to say, we got to know each other quickly and I love her all the more because of it!  

I taught J how to knit and she and my roommate and I would often have marathon movie and/or Dexter watching weekends where all we did was knit and eat lentil soup and lamb gyros from the middle-eastern restaurant across the street.  When J told me she was getting married, I had grand knitting plans for her.  She had chosen a fisherman afghan and it happened to be a double stranded pattern and she wanted a grey/blue color.  I bought grey/blue and grey yarns and knit them up together to make an uber heavy and super warm afghan.  Unfortunately I was knitting it mostly during the summer which was just dumb.  Double layers of wool in your lap during a New York City summer is not pleasant...but the final result will keep you sweating during cold winter nights!

Galway by Spinnerin, Cascade 220, ~ 4000 yards

Completed 2010
Ravelry project page

Wedding Afghan #8 - The Shingelos

R and I used to work in the same office.  He worked for the insurance company that shared a floor with my architecture firm and we used to shoot the sh** in the pantry while we made coffee.  R is a singer and I have high hopes that one day he will make it big!  

This is the first wedding afghan I've made for a guy.  R is totally rocker and I wanted to add something homemade to his rocker lifestyle - but I wanted to make sure it was still wedding appropriate!  Enter, the black afghan with cables all over.  Simple pattern, simple color, totally suitable for a guy and black goes with everything so I didn't need to know what color his wife was going to choose to decorate with.  Win!

Cable Blanket by Bernat, Softee Chunky yarn, ~1650 yards

Completed 2008
Ravelry project page

Wedding Afghan #7 - The Weissmanns

L is my oldest friend.  We met when we were 2.  We moved into the house behind her's and she and her sister came over to introduce themselves to the new little girls who'd just moved in.  We've been friends ever since, which *gasp* has been 28 years!

L picked her favorite pattern from one of my afghan books and I ended up making it with a mint green that suits her personality and is one of the colors that looks really good on her.  I left out the bobbles in the border because, well, ugh...with a side of ugh, but the rest of the design is lovely.  This one is huge and adorns her couch in the living room where it gets heaps of use.

I will never use Caron Simply Soft again because even though they claim "no dye lot" and I bought all the yarn at the same time, there are clearly dye lots which I didn't notice until it was done.  That is my only disappointment with this afghan but maybe I'll re-do it for their 10th anniversary... :) 

Celtic Knot, Caron Simply Soft, ~2500 yards

Completed 2008  
Ravelry project page

Wedding Afghan #6 - The Humptons

My cousins, K & A, and I have been affectionately known as "The Three Little Girls" by the rest of our family for as long as I can remember.  We used to take long unaccompanied walks at the mature ages of 6 and 4 (which scared the bejeezus out of our parents), dress up in Mem's old dresses and pom pom anklet socks while we ran amok on the farm, and most famously we put on holiday plays for the family and charged admission.  

When K got married, A beat me to the afghan as she's an accomplished crocheter and wanted to make her sister an afghan wedding gift.  When A got married, K had no such desire so I got to step up and get back in my wedding afghan groove.  A's afghan is reversible - completely.  The idea surprised me that it was possible (I was so used to everything having a wrong side and a right side!) and was surprising simple.  Easy concept, but a little annoying to knit as you alternate knit and purl stitches every stitch across every row.  Tedious, but a gorgeous result!

Completed 2008

Wedding Afghan #5 - A. Seo

One of my co-workers got married and I don't even remember if there was a registry.  Needless to say, in the case of no registry, an afghan makes shopping for the couple easy peasy.  She loved the afghan and so did her mom - enough so that she paid me to make an identical afghan for her mother!  My first commissioned knit!!

classic diamonds, cascade yarns, ~1500 yds 
Completed 2007

Wedding Afghan #4 - The Schulzs

One of my oldest friends, who I've known since 3rd grade, got married and although I wasn't invited to the wedding (large Catholic families make for an extensive guest list even without friends), I wanted to make her an afghan as well.  My timeframe was tight, so I knit this one on huge (read: size 17, 12.75mm) needles and with double strands to add bulk.  Although it went quickly, knitting 3 stitches together, which I had to do a lot, was definitely the bane of my existence for a couple weeks.  At least it turned out beautifully!

starlight, bulky yarn,  
Completed 2006

Wedding Afghan #3 - The Damons

My best friend got married in 2005 and as Maid of Honor, I was determined to not faint during this wedding.  Fortunately we all got to sit during the ceremony so my fears of falling were allayed.

I strayed from neutral colors for this afghan because I got a little bored of neutrals and I figured people will always enjoy having something in their favorite color.  So, shortly after C announced her engagement, I asked what her favorite color was.  I also think I had her choose her favorite afghan from the fisherman afghan book I used.  I hope that I asked her nonchalantly and ages before she was engaged, but either way, she was thrilled to get the afghan and suddenly I was eager to do more afghans in color. 

Limerick by Spinnerin, Paton's Classic Wool, ~2700 yards

Completed 2005
Ravelry project page

Wedding Afghan #2 - The Ledermans

I was asked to be a bridesmaid in this wedding and despite my most embarrassing moment (when I fainted during the ceremony) the afghan was a hit even if my stamina as a bridesmaid was not.

Completed 2004

Wedding Afghan #1 - The Beginning of an Establishment

As a college student I seldom had enough money to buy wedding presents for all my friends getting married, so instead I bought yarn for afghans and knit all their wedding presents.  A much more time intensive process, and even though they're never on bridal registries, I will always justify that they're more personal than towels.

My first wedding afghan was for the Pauls.  Not knowing what colors people like or will decorate with, I tend to go with neutrals so they'll always match decor.  That's the hope anyway! 

Athlone by Spinnerin, ~3800 yards
Completed 2000

My First Afghan - the Beginning of an Era

After knitting scarf after scarf, my desire to go bigger got the better of me and soon I was begging my mother to help me buy enough yarn to knit an afghan (for all my NZ readers, I'm referring to a large knitted blanket, not a cookie!).

My first afghan was for me and I knitted it as the directions described, in 5 separate panels that needed to be sewn together afterwards.  This was the first and last time I ever did that.  Trying to make 5 panels the exact same length was a pain and even as a teenager, spending that much time on my hands and knees to sew the darn thing together was painful.  Needless to say, I graduated to circular needles post haste and all my afghans since have been made in one piece.

Circa 1999

Learning to Knit

My grandmother taught me to knit eons ago (or so it feels like) but honestly, at least 20 years ago.  It all started out with 2 cousins, 1 ball of yarn each, and 4 bums on one couch as my Mémère patiently cast us all on and taught us to knit.  

Every time I went to visit my grandparents I would pick up my ball of yarn and knit until the yarn ran out.  Excited that I would get to add new yarn to my project I ran to show Mem.  Without pause she congratulated me on a good job as she proceeded to unravel it all and start me over to keep practicing. Saddened by the fact I had to knit the same yarn AGAIN, I went back to knitting and unraveling until there weren't any holes and I ended up with the same number of stitches I started with.  A true accomplishment for any beginning knitter! 

When I finally graduated to new yarn, my first project was a tail warmer for the Cornell University Vice President of Student Affairs' dog.  It was red and white striped for Cornell University and tied at the edges to fit the dog's hairless (and therefore cold during Ithaca winters) tail.  And just like that, a knitter was born.