Tangible Memories

 Robyn and I celebrated our 17th year together last Sunday.

And this year's gift might have been the most meaningful I've ever given them.

In 2021, I decided to make a temperature blanket for 2022. Being a dyer, I knew I wanted to use my own colors. I picked 12 of my standard colors and dyed them up on my Familiar base.

I decided to have both the high temperature and low temperature for each day. And if there was snow, rain, or a mix of the two, I added in a third color.

Because I am a sentimental nerd, I had planned on cast on on 219 stitches. 2/19 is our anniversary.

I was so excited to work on this thing.

In fact, the last pic I took before the accident was most of the yarn laid out on my desk, just waiting to start.

I had seen a post on Reddit with someone else's temperature blanket where they made tassels out of the ends instead of weaving them all in. And that's what sold me on the idea.

And then 2022 happened.

I didn't actually get to cast on until Robyn was in rehab. 

I remember hooking the swift and ball winder to the railings of the bed, worried that the squeaking of the swift would bring in the nurses.

I knit on this thing through every therapy appointment. A lot of people asked me what I was working on while I waited on Robyn.

I fell behind as the temperature got warmer. But I had hopes of finishing it in time for the anniversary of the accident.

That didn't end up happening, so instead I decided to gift it to Robyn for our anniversary. So for the entire beginning of 2023, I knit and knit and knit and knit some more, burning through 6 months of temperatures in weeks.

As I neared the end, I started looking for a leather tag to put on the blanket to finish it off. And it needed to say something very specific. A friend, Carrie (Carrie In Color ), was down to help me out and I commissioned the tag from her.

And being the person I am, I couldn't actually wait until the damn thing was completely done to give it to Robyn. A full TWELVE DAYS before our anniversary, I handed Robyn the tag and told them that the blanket was for them.

And they just absolutely broke.

"We fucking made it"

That's what did it. Reading that let them release a whole well of emotions they didn't realize they were holding in. 

 
The knitting itself was completed on February 6th.

The final tally for yarn was 13 skeins.
5,292 yards.
Three whole miles.

You can tie the strands of yarn end to end and stretch from our house to where the accident occurred.

I feel a little lost now, to be honest.

I kept finding myself seeing it raining or snowing and wanting to go note it down for the day.

Robyn really loves it, though. They say it's their favorite thing I've ever made them.

I think that's a pretty good compliment, with seventeen years worth of gifts behind it.