Now That It's Cold
09/30/2009
Brrrrrrr! Fall -- the cold, blustery fall, as opposed to the colorful, candy-corn-and-pumpkin fall -- just blew in. It's suddenly cold out there! A good time to talk about . . . blankets.
When my daughter went to college, I made a blanket (Ravelry link) for her. It's the Lizard Ridge pattern, and I made it from random skeins of Noro Kureyon.
Knitted blankets are big. They take a lot of time -- and yarn -- to knit. They can be very costly to make. Let's just say. . . there's a big investment in a knit blanket. When Erin took this blanket off to her dorm, I gave her many, many warnings. Don't throw this in the washer! And NEVER the dryer! Don't let anyone sit on it in a stretch-y way! Don't use this for sun-bathing on the Quad! Don't spill things on it!Really. Ridiculous. I mean, she's far away at college -- and I want to surround her with good old Mom-love in the form of colorful stitches. But. No matter how much she values handknits, the fact is: she lives in a dorm!
Contrast Lizard Ridge with this standard, 2-hour, tied-edge polar fleece blanket:
I have made at least 20 of these blankets over the past 6 or 7 years (even Jenny has one!). They're warm, cozy, and handy to have around. They lack the charm of the handknit blanket, but they're very practical. I made this particular blanket over the weekend for Brian's girlfriend, who has just moved into a dorm room of her own. I gave her no special warnings with this blanket. Why? Well, because you can do ANYthing to this blanket -- and it will remain in perfect condition! You can spill coffee on it; step on it with muddy boots; have a picnic on it; drag it to the ice rink for hockey game after hockey game. And then -- you can just throw it in the washer and dryer!
So, now that my son is a senior, it's time to think about making him a blanket. In fact, Michelle and I have been thinking about starting a Blanket-for-your-College-Bound-Kid KAL. But. . . I'm dragging my feet. When I think about my son living in a dorm next year. . . and doing his own laundry . . . and changing his bedding. . . I kind of get hysterical. Not because he'll be Leaving Home, but with laughter. Because he just doesn't care if he lives in a cave! I don't believe I would need to concern myself with him putting a handknit in the washer and dryer, because I don't believe he'll put ANYthing in the washer and dryer.
Given that, maybe my time would be better spent making him a couple of extra-long, tied-edge, polar fleece blankets for his dorm room. What do you think?