Tuesday, April 28, 2009

United Knitting


It began innocently enough with a telephone call from Mareseatoats. She asked, "hey Rudeek, what are you doing this fall?" "Would you like to get involved with our United Way kickoff?" It sounded innocent enough so I said, "well that sounds good to me." "What do I have to do?"

In retrospect, I think it's some kind of payback for the 2004 San Francisco Breast Cancer Three Day. I'd only called to request a donation from her. Nobody twisted her arm to join me on the walk, but she did. So now it's my turn to pay her back for my kind invitation and knit a few squares of the Great American Aran Afghan. She belongs to a knitting group that has taken this project on and plans to auction it off at their kickoff.


A box of supplies containing 3 skeins of Encore and a note warning me to get gauge came in the mail yesterday. I sat down in the afternoon to read about my 3 squares. Since there are some novice knitters in her group, I thought I got a couple of challenging pieces to knit and the newbies took what the book calls the easier squares. Really though, I don't think any of them are all that easy. We'll see. The blessing is that the squares are small, and presumably, they won't take forever. The payoff will be flying to Houston to help Mares and her group put the thing together at the end of summer. Now that? That sounds much easier than walking 60 miles.

Top Photo from The Great American Aran Afghan

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Get gauge"--heh. When I was a complete newbie, some neighbors and I (they were newbies too) decided to knit an afghan in blocks for another neighbor who'd been diagnosed with cancer. We naively thought that if we all had the same yarn and the same size needles, it'd all work out. Wrong! The size difference in blocks varied as much as six inches! With a lot of blocking, we finally got an H-shaped afghan and told the recipient to think of it as well-intentioned folk art.

Rudee said...

Amy, my sister and I did discuss this potential problem. We're a little worried about Encore because it's mostly acrylic and may be hard to whip into shape. She used that yarn because it's easy care-wash and dry.

We instituted a few things like slipping the first stitch on every row, and only one person making the border. Hopefully, these tricks will help keep the squares close to, well, square.

Stephanie V said...

This will be a beautiful afghan. I made one a few years ago - using two frogged sweaters! The winner will be getting a treasure. Take photos of each of your squares, though. Once you've made it, you'll probably not do it again. And they are something to be proud of...really.

Jane said...

Looks like you will have some fun. Look forward to seeing your blocks

Rudee said...

Stephanie, I'll think I'll make 2 each of my squares-one in the encore and one in Cascade 220. I'll keep one of each to go toward my own afghan.

Miss-putting it together will be fun. I hope there is wine involved.

Brenda said...

This pattern looks really beautiful. We are doing a prayer shawl ministry and I just got the pattern for them last night. They sound very easy...we'll see.
This afghan you are working on looks like it could take some time to complete. Very pretty.

Rudee said...

Brenda, there are 24 squares. Four are for pillows and twenty are for the afghan. There are 12 people making at least one square and my sister is doing the border. I'm sure it'll be interesting.

CT said...

WOW!!! that is a super handsome afghan!!!!! oh please show photos when you finish it! glad you are going to help put it together, that way you can show us the final thing!

thanks for all your kind comments, Rudee.

sandy said...

Well that's a charitable thing to do. I bet these will be lovely.

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic achievement. The world tends to pull together sometimes doesn't it.

CJ xx

Rose said...

Wow, I'm impressed; can't wait to see your blocks. (that sounds weird)

laurie said...

you are making that afghan? the one in the picture? holy moly. i could walk 60 miles. i could walk 600 miles. i could not make anything even close to that. i cannot make anything. :[

debra said...

Gauge? Frogged sweaters? Cascade 220?
I don't speak the language but I think it's great that you're participating----one square at a time.