Afghans

I seek to hold possessions lightly, not clutching any material object so tightly that should it break or go missing, I am overly devastated.  However, I must confess that when a naughty cat on a side table sent my mother's Waterford crystal candy dish (one  à la Ronald Regan's jelly bean jar) crashing to the floor and smashing its lid, I surfed the web to see what it would cost to replace it.  I lament selling an old family spinning wheel when we once needed cash, and I also believe I should have held onto a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress my mother bought me in the 80's.  But if I could wish one lost item back, it would be a black-bordered, granny square afghan my mother crocheted when she was a new bride and mother-to-be, living in an apartment in Pennsauken, New Jersey. That afghan sat atop several sofas in my growing-up life, until it didn't.  I don't even know when or how it departed my parent's house; regretfully, I was too busy living my life to notice. But now as a knitter who occasionally crochets, I yearn for that artifact, a narrative of sort, crafted from my mother's hands. I would cherish seeing the colors she chose and the patterns she made.

This past fall, I bid on (and won) an afghan that reminded me of the one mom made, but it is no replacement for hers, crocheted with finer wool on a smaller hook.  However, this one was made by another mom who bequested it a son who then donated it to a benefit for our church's CROP Walk effort. My mother would have approved.

An evening is not sufficiently restful for me if I don't knit a little and read a little.  I like to be covered as I sit and knit, usually watching a little television with my husband. Nightly, I drape an afghan over my legs. With our new room, an afghan to match the new sofa seemed in order. So about two months ago, I began.   Year upon year has passed (the summer we drive Barbara back and forth to Governor's School) since last I  hooked an afghan intended for us, and I have savored seeing this blanket of squares unfold. It is now finished...this warmth from my hands.