AbFab for John

When the weather gets cold, I start to think about blankets and afghans.  I'd much rather snuggle under a nice blanket than turn up the heat.  I like the feeling of having a warm layer of wool or down warding off the chill.




I started this project, an AbFab Afghan kit from the folks at Colinette, not too long after I got pregnant with Zosia.  It was cold then, too, and my urge to create warmth for me and John and the baby was even stronger than normal. It was always meant as a gift for John -- even big boys need their own special blankies.  So I picked the colorway out with his help (he did surprise me a little bit when he didn't mind the pinkish tones in the blanket) and the kit got comfortable in my stash for quite some time before I pulled it out last winter.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to complete it before the temperatures outside made the thought of snuggling under a mohair blanket somewhat less than inviting.    The worst of it was, almost all I had left to do at that point in time was weave in the ends and attach the fringe.   I am not as weak as that sounds... with this project, it's an awful lot of ends.  And an awful lot of fringe.


Now that I have started back to work, put a moratorium on starting new projects until I have finished old ones, and it's gotten cold again, I pulled this project back out.  The finish line seemed easily within reach and the current weather in Chicago makes a mohair blanket seem a perfect complement to a snoozing baby and a movie on our home theater.  I buckled down one evening while John was entertaining Ms. Z and got those ends woven in.  One more evening and I had fringe attached, too.




Don't tell anyone, but there are actually more fringe tassels on one side than on the other.  I showed it to John and he could see no difference.  I think all that fuzzy mohair and the fact that the fringe tassels are spaced about every inch makes it difficult to discern unless you are the sort of person who likes to sit on someone's couch counting the fringe tassels on hand knit blanket.



After the finishing was all finished, John deemed it to be acceptable in the Den of Great Manliness which is our home theater room.  He was surprised how long it was (and so was I, to be truthful), and he remains skeptical of how warm it might be.  He does not yet trust in the mystical winter powers of mohair. 

Now I can cross another project off the "unfinished" list and start to think about what to do next.  I'm just dying to knit an actual sweater for myself.  It seems like it has been such a long time since I indulged in that kind of luxury.