Acrylic: it takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’

I moved into my first house in the early 1980’s. I knitted this afghan of acrylic yarn, Bucilla I believe, before then–while still living in an apartment. It has been washed something like 432 times. And dried in the dryer that same number of times.  This is a current day photo.  It looks, and feels, as soft and non-pilled as it did after its first washing.  I don’t knit very often in acrylic yarns anymore, having come under the enchantment of wools and other natural fibers.  But for durability and ease of care, modern acrylic yarn is an amazing invention.

This easy slip stitch baby-sized blanket was knit in rose and blue, since I didn’t yet know if the unborn babe would be a boy (Dan) or a girl (Ann).  Dan turned 26 this past June.  Again, I believe this was Bucilla yarn–because I used a lot of Bucilla back then.  It has been washed even more times than the first blanket in this post.  It is still in very good shape.  The pattern is Carol Jansen’s Brick Pattern Afghan, from Leisure Arts #144 Baby Booklet.  I still have the pattern and may break it out soon, for old time’s sake, and knit a new one.

This is another baby blanket, of my own nothing special design: seed stitch squares alternating with a square with a cable twist in the middle. This was one of Dan’s car seat blankets. These acrylic creations seem destined to last, basically, forever.

None of my blankets are particularly artful (meaning no insult to Jansen’s brick afghan). But they all evoke fond memories of a happy baby, a happy time, and some solid peaceful knitting hours.