Nanny's Ripple began when I was about 12 years old and my Nanny made me my own blanket.
It was a ripple afghan in pink and white...pink being a favorite color that we both shared.
My blanket has been ever-present on my bed since then. Whenever I moved, it moved with me, going as far as Japan in the early 90s. It has always been a great comfort to me, especially when I most needed it.
Last year, I finished a ripple afghan for Jack and at that time decided I would like to make an afghan for each one of my nieces when they graduate from high school.
It hadn't occurred to me to make one for each of my siblings as well until I drew my brother John's name in our family Christmas exchange this year.
Maybe...(I thought)...my brother and my SIL would enjoy one too? And so, that was it. I was underway...making a double-wide ripple for their queen-sized bed.
Nanny made lots of afghans in her lifetime, many of which she donated to Church sales and bingos.
She didn't just make ripples but granny squares as well. I can still remember loving to stack and re-stack those piles of granny squares, organizing them by color as they covered the tabletops in her little row house.
I've noticed over time that the granny square afghans have had a tendency to unravel, whereas my ripple afghan has lived through lots of washings and years of use and has never sprung a hole.
My guess is that's due to the increased number of yarn endings on a granny square afghan where you have tend to change colors multiple times within and amongst squares.
These endings come loose over time and cause the blanket to get a few holes. I know how to fix them but not many folks do. That decided it for me. Everyone was getting a ripple just like mine.
Well....a queen-sized afghan was a bigger undertaking than I had expected.
It took me about 45 minutes to complete one row and it's about 161 rows long. Needless to say, I ended up crocheting many hours throughout December which is why I wasn't blogging~! I crocheted myself right into carpal tunnel and had to wait until after Christmas to finish the final few rows.
We met yesterday for breakfast and for Operation Blanket Transfer (which includes a photo shoot, of course...)
Aren't they cute!
We were taking pics on the rocky remains of an old mill down near the river.
It was also the day of the Ravens' playoff game and Ray Lewis' last game *sniff* so we were all dressed for the day.
I like to think of this pic as a foreshadow of our later victory...
I hope we beat the pants off Peyton Manning next Saturday...sorry Denver fans...
And Nanny's Ripple has begun....two down and LOTS to go!
Happy Monday everyone.
P.S. The crazy elf went off the deep-end over the weekend. I hope she'll be ready to appear here next post.
