Good Coverage for a Shower

I like to crochet or knit afghans as wedding and shower gifts. I've always liked to do that, but I really got to thinking about the whys and wherefores while I was working on this blanket in May...

Showers are full of promise for a beautiful wedding, weddings are a celebration of love, and the whole process is full of hearts and flowers, so I try to look for patterns that feature heart and/or flower motifs and patterns. This square, even down to the title "Summer Romance," is so perfect for a couple getting married in July...where has it been all my crocheting life?

Adding to the theme of lives joined together, I did my best to join these squares with continuous chains, 2 length-wise and 3 width-wise. I love the way that knitting and crochet take a single strand of yarn and work it over and under and around to create something new and useful...you can take a square or border apart, and you still have that single strand of plain yarn...but chained and woven together, you have an object of warmth and beauty, with love worked into each stitch.

And I love the way the border of this afghan, with tiny hearts all around and muted colors, brings all of the squares together into it's own unit. It is like the love between a man and woman, that starts raw and prime, as a single strand of yarn...but when that love is joined and worked together by the promises to honor, cherish, respect and protect one another, it draws the couple together in a common life-goal. It is the keeping of these vows, especially when times are tough, that protects and grows each individual, and also strengthens the couple's love bond. The border of this afghan is not boastful or flashy. It is humble and strong, and it will hold together the individual squares for years to come, enhancing their beauty.

All in all, an afghan is also a practical gift. Living in Ohio, you can always use an extra blanket around the house...and it's awful fun to snuggle up with the one you love under the covers!

So that's why I make afghans for weddings. 

What is the best wedding gift you have given or received?