Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Mastering the Basketweave- in memoriam

Do you sleep with the window open or a fan on? I do. I like to sleep in a cold room under a lot of blankets. Is that weird? It makes me feel more cozy, I think.

On my bed now I have sheets, a fleece blanket, a comforter and a yellow basketweave blanket my grandmother crocheted for me when I was a child. I love this blanket. I have several she made me but at queen-size this is the biggest(although she made my parents one that generously covers their Cal-King bed). It's also the warmest thanks to the doubled-up nature of the stitch. My mother once told me she remembers grandma making this blanket and how it took her FOREVER. I've always looked at it and wondered how on earth she did it. The stitch looks INSANE to me with the rows seeming to go over and under each other. Then, while making the fingerless mittens I learned the "frontpost double crochet" (or fpdc) and realized that HAD to be part of the basketweave. I did a search on ravelry and found a little dishcloth with the pattern. Sure enough, it's a series of fpdc and it's sibling, backpost double crochet (bpdc). Just to appreciate the massive amount of work that went into my beloved blanket I went ahead and made it.



For such a small little thing it took a few hours. I can't believe my grandmother made me a queen sized blanket this way! While I've always really loved the many blankets she made for me and my sister, I have really started cherishing them since I took up crocheting seriously again. My grandmother taught me to crochet at the age of 7 and it's been something I've come back to over and again throughout my life. I hope the things I make end up keeping people warm and cozy for decades too!

Are there any crafts or activities that you do to remember your loved ones who have passed away? Who taught you your favorite craft?

1 comment:

Michelle said...

That post reminds me so much of me too...
It is so amazing you still have the blanket...
I am sure your grandma would love that...
It's so hard not to get all sentimental...But sometimes I think that is a good thing...