so what brought these thoughts to mind?
this:
a perfectly wonderful 100% acrylic afghan. my nannie made it for me when i was probably somewhere near 10 years old. that's 20-something years ago, folks. it's in great condition! it hasn't shrunk or stretched or faded in any way. maybe this blanket is in such good shape because it's acrylic. or maybe this blanket is in such good shape because it's never been stored and left to gather dust or rot away in a box somewhere. i put it on my bed as a child and it stayed there until i married & left my parent's house.
then it became my 'couch' blankie. always there to be cuddled in with my new hubby on movie nights.
then came our oldest son. my blanket soon made it's way to his toddler bed. where it stayed for years, folded in half to fit the small mattress.
today, when i pulled my favorite blue blanket out of the dryer and saw where it has a small hole... i was so sad. and then, oddly, happy.
as a crocheter, i'll be able to mend the rips & tears. adding my love in stitches, the way my nannie did so long ago. i imagine the hours of double crochets passed in her rose colored recliner while watching the price is right, wheel of fortune & hee haw.
no difficult care. just throw it in the washer & dryer. i've never had to worry or stress about my children using it. frankly, i love it more because it is acrylic.
so where is the blanket now? on my youngest son's bed, warming him every night.
I hear you on this. I do read complaints about baby blankets and acrylic, but honestly, you wash them so much and dry them, it's best. Besides, I do think wool can be a bit rough on a baby's sensitive skin. The cotton/acrylic blends are nice too, but for ghans, acrylic is the way I go.
ReplyDeleteI to repaired an old granny square blanket my brother had. It was a little tricky because I had to frog from the center of the square, but safety pins held it together as I worked and any color was fine as it was multi and it was kinda fun "fixing" it up.
Without acrylic, a lot of us would not have the afghans passed down through generations. I love going to my grandmother's house and using my favorite afghan, made by my great-grandmother.
ReplyDeleteOh, I totally concur! Acrylic definitly has it's place in the heritage of knitting and crocheting. So many would turn up their noses, but I say embrace the frugal, humble yarn. It is easy care and long lasting. Yay, for acrylic! Beautiful blog ya got here! ;)
ReplyDeleteAgree. I love the blanket my crocheted for me 15 years ago. It's a shell stitch pattern and worked in Red Heart super saver. It's held up so well.
ReplyDeleteHow sweet :)
ReplyDeleteI'm making a blankie for my bed and will also make one each for my 2 girlies and like your nannie I am using acrylic.
ReplyDeleteLove the heirloom
Howdy neighbor! I'm from the Lone Star state, too. I found you through Inside Crochet. We're going to crochet your Bloom blanket as a crochet along on Ravelry. Mine will be made of acrylic (Vanna's Choice). We would love for you to stop by the Vanna Choice Fan Club group on Ravelry and say hi! We love your pattern!
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of acrylic: if it weren't for acrylic, I would have never learned to crochet or knit. I also recently fixed a 25+ year old blanket. That Red Heart Super Saver yarn held up great through all these years of washing. Gotta love it!
PS Your grannie's blanket is beautiful!