Square 1: Denver connection

After finishing a long, cherished knitting project, I was ready to move onto my first sweater. But as all available funds had recently been spent on something else, I will need time to set aside enough for a quantity of the yarn I want. So I had to find something fun and inexpensive to amuse me.

For more than a year I have had the idea of learning to make mitred squares so I could knit an afghan. I have lots of pretty remnants from various projects. So on April 25, 2009 I started by knitting this square.

I used yarn left over from a hat I made on commission for my friend Mark last year. You can see it on my other blog. It was a difficult project, but I learned much in the process. I am not normally a perfectionist, but the commission inspired me to fuss over the choice of yarns until I got the colours just right, correct my mistakes, and in the end produce an item of which I was genuinely proud.

Sending something so lovely across half a continent to a friend I have never met in person felt like selling an offspring. Nine months later I made this first square to show off the yarn and commemorate the rich experience.

While knitting it I felt the story in the fibre begging to be told. My friend Erin recently made a story scarf out of four or five interesting pieces of yarn from different sources. That inspired me to create a story blanket. Each square will have a story of its own.

Then I realized it would also be fun to ask friends for remnants from their knitting projects. Others who don't knit but want to be a part of the story blanket could also donate yarn. Each square will relate to an incident in my life or a person I know. It might take years, or not, but it will be a journey.

So the idea of creating this blog came up at the same time. It will not only tell the stories of the squares, it will be a virtual part of the blanket.

There are errors in this mitred square, but it was my first. That's part of life and the blanket.