Hemlock Ring Blanket

Summers in Arizona can be brutal. 115 degree days, and 105 degree nights. By the time August rolls around, I'm ready for autumn. Unfortunately, autumn doesn't bring it's relief until the end of October which dramatically reduces the effect.

For me, autumn is a crisp cool day; crunching through the leaves; smelling that crisp smell--a mixture of the air and dying leaves--that permeats everything; an amazing array of burgundys, golds, oranges, and browns. I haven't been able to experience that for the past two years (three this year) and it's starting to get to me. In Arizona, autumn doesn't feel like autumn and winter definitely doesn't feel like winter.

My only reprieve on these harsh summer days is to sit inside my air-conditioned house and knit and allow my senses to drift to a more appropriate climate.

Now that I've finished the Hemlock Ring Blanket, I get to imagine my grandmother sitting out on her porch one crisp autumn afternoon and covering up with this lap blanket.

Pattern: Hemlock Ring Blanket

Source: Brooklyntweed

Materials: Cascade Ecological Wool in "Latte" (8063)

Needles: US 10/6.0mm 40" Circulars

Finished Measurements: 4 feet in diameter

Start Date: 8 July 2008

Finish Date: 12 August 2008