to have and to hold

A few weeks ago, one of my oldest and very best friends got married.

As most crafters I'm sure can agree, this kind of major event can cause one to go a little bananas. The day she told me she got engaged I started searching for patterns (I finally picked this one); I started ordering yarn that week. I wanted something beautiful, unique, slightly ambitious, luxurious. I wanted something that could become an heirloom. As my dismayed boyfriend watched the yarn pile up around me and the blanket squares multiply, all I could say to him was, "You're lucky none of my friends have gotten pregnant yet. Then you're in real trouble."

I have to say I was a little worried that what I was making just wasn't quite good enough, not quite special enough. How can I accurately reflect all the years we've had together, all the nights talking and the trips and the parties and the tears and [yes this is a very sentimental blog post] in one single little gift?
I've known Anne since we lived across the hall from each other as freshmen in college.
Since then we've criss-crossed the globe, sometimes together and sometimes only in parallel. We had crushes on boys (sometimes the same ones.) We went to school. We graduated and got jobs. We grew up (although somedays I feel like I, for one, have a lot more to do in that department.)

So I worked my little fingers to the bone, hoping to create something perfect. The squares were coming out all weird and warped and I was worried. The yarn (a wool/bamboo blend) felt a little too...fibery, in some parts. The color was listed as "polar white" which is exactly what I wanted, but when it arrived I discovered it was more of an ecru color...I panicked about that too.

Then I started blocking all of the squares and oh. my. god.

I have blocked things before, but never before this project have I experienced just what a transformation it could be. The squares turned into...squares. The flowers looked like flowers. The yarn turned into this unbelievably soft, exquisitely silky material. The color looked exactly like champagne, with an added bit of sheen from the bamboo. I love you, blocking.

I was so excited about the project at this point that I spent seven, yes, seven total hours seaming the thing over the course of two days, because I was so excited to give it to her.

She took pictures when she got the blanket home:

I am so, so happy with that. Those pictures make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. That blanket laying across that warm yellow comforter is how I imagine Anne and Ben's guest room looking someday, the place where I will stay when I come to visit, wherever they are, wherever I've been.
I really hope Anne and Ben love it.

I love you girls.

Happy wedding Anne!