Monday, July 18, 2011

Our Blanket is COMPLETE!

Woo Hoo! Alert the media! Our blanket is finally finished. :)

Oddball Blanket #1 Complete

It took several years, and several knitters to make our lovely blanket. We should all be proud of the work we have done.

I read the entire journal as I was knitting, and looked at all the sections that were knitted. Such a beautiful experience, seeing the words and handiwork of each of the sweet people who participated in our project.

This was our very first Oddball Blanket, and I started it on February 23rd, 2007.
(Oddball Blanket) First Knitter - Shandeh

It then travelled all over the United States to grow a few inches at a time. Each knitter added their own special touch, along with lots of love:
lissalue knitting

Genny Lynn Oddball Blanket Knitter #4

Florida Missy

Michigan Knitting Complete!

Blanket Curved Jhelanee

Blanket #1 SabrinaJL

Blanket #1 - Jan's Knitting

Oddball Blanket #1 after Letah75

Blanket #1 Handoff

That last photo shows how it looked when it finally came back to me after all it's travels. I still had quite a bit of work to do to finish it up. A couple sections of the blanket had been worked in a design that was too tight for the blanket, so it was drawing in the sides. So I had to remove those sections, and re-connect the blanket using kitchener stitch. Next, I added a few more sections to get the blanket large enough. Next was the huge task of weaving in all the loose ends. It was a lot of work, but I finally got it done.

Now, our blanket is complete, and ready to give to charity. We've decided to give it to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. It is the poorest spot in the USA. The average life expectancy for residents is only 47 for males and early 50s for women. The unemployment rate is 90% and the teen suicide rate is four times the national average. Basics such as running water, heat and food are scarce for many residents let alone jobs and health care.

I've heard that they really appreciate handmade blankets, so I feel like they are the perfect recipient for our creation!



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