Hexagon Granny Square Afghan

I lack sewing skills, so a quilt is currently out of the question for my hope chest. But, I still wanted to make a blanket of some kind for this project, so I decided to check out granny squares. My favorite blog that has granny squares on it is Attic24's. All of her afghans are brightly colored and pretty. One of the reasons that many people don't like granny squares is because they remember the old, unattractive colors that they used to be made in. There were reasons for this; people needed to use odds and ends of yarn. However, if made with coordinating colors, granny square afghans can be very attractive. I started one two days ago and it's extremely easy, addictive, and very fun! I can't wait until it's finished.

I'm following Attic24's hexagon pattern, as linked to above, with one small modification-- I misread her directions and did something different in my first hexagon, then decided I didn't feel like remaking that first one and just continued to make them all that same way. Attic24 is a genius for how she weaves in the ends of different colors by crocheting them in, and you join all of the hexagons together by crocheting them together as you go, which makes for a stronger finished product and less work later on.

So far, I've made eight hexagons-- one the first day, since I started it at night, six yesterday, and one so far today. I'm making it all with cotton yarn, so it's not only going to be extremely pretty, but also is going to be made with all natural fiber. I chose cotton over wool because a.) it was what Attic24 uses, and b.) because it won't be itchy and will be far easier to wash. So far, I really love working on it! I wonder how many hexagons I'll need in total....

Taking Stock

This awful December weather.... It's so hard to take any decent photos, the light is so dim! But I decided to brave the bad lighting today regardless.

Since I actually decided to make a hope chest some time ago, but never got around to it, I have managed to accumulate two things that I would like to put in it. Recipes and cooking are two of the things/skills that are supposed to go into a hope chest. Since I adore cooking, this was never difficult for me to accumulate, and when I moved into my apartment, I made sure to copy down my favorite recipes straight from my sister's own recipe box-- barring whatever I missed, and I'm sure I missed a few of the things that I love.

I ordered my gorgeous walnut recipe box from TonisGifts on Etsy. I knew that I wanted a wooden recipe box that would last through moving around and not get dented, and I also wanted a handmade one rather than a manufactured one so that it already had some care put into it.

The second thing that I already have is a wooden jewelry box with a painted glass top. I got this from the Salvation Army and it's a bit dinged up, but it's still quite pretty. This is obviously already in use, but I think that it's an important part of a hope chest nonetheless, especially for me. All of the jewelry I have was either given to me by a family member new or belonged to a family member and was given to me. The few pieces that I've bought myself, I purchased on very special occasions. I didn't exactly plan it this way, but that's how it ended up, and I rather like the memories that go into each piece of jewelry. I have a ring from my father that used to belong to his mother, if I remember correctly, and little dangling glass earrings that were given to my mother by her brother, and then to me. I also have from two Christmases ago, jingle bell wreath earrings made for me by my sister Elizabeth. I can tell a story behind each piece of jewelry that I have, right down to the minutiae, and I think that all those memories deserve a special place to put them.

As I go through my things to see what it is that I already have that I want to go in my hope chest, I've decided to keep a log of either when I got these things or when I decided to put them in the hope chest, as well as project details, etc., to keep track of what I'm doing. This should make an interesting thing to put in it itself after I'm all finished-- and should be especially fun when I can start making things to put inside it!

Why Reclaim the Hope Chest? - Introduction

 The art of compiling a hope chest has been lost over the years, and the few that continue to make hope chests focus on religion and what they consider to be a woman's place in the world rather than the actual craft of creating one. The goal of this blog is to reclaim the hope chest for the craft of it.

Most women now, due to the woman's rights and feminist movements, have little knowledge of how one does what were traditionally the female arts because they rejected so totally what they had done in the years before. This was a very necessary thing for the movements to succeed, but in some ways, very unfortunate. These "female arts" are now just another branch of the arts, but because they were such an important part of female culture historically, it might do us-- women as a whole-- well to remember them. To not do something just because it used to be part of everyday life for women is little reason not to do it, and to let what many consider a sign of female subjugation deter from enjoying something is just as much of a subjugation. And in doing so, women have forgotten and disregarded much of what their ancestors accomplished, degrading them as surely as women were when they were disallowed from higher education and jobs.

Okay, so now that we've gotten the "why" out of the way, let's talk about the fun part! I can't remember why it is that I decided I wanted to create a hope chest, but once I did, I got the book Hope Chest Legacy: A Legacy of Love by Rebekah Wilson. As I read it, I realized that she largely seems to view the hope chest as the ultimate showing of a woman's place in the world as a wife and mother. I didn't agree, and thus the idea for this blog was spawned. I want to "reclaim the hope chest" for all women in general, as a sign of the beauty of handmade crafts and a revival of the culture of women, not as a sign of degradation, but a sign of victory. My hope chest will be for when I buy my first house at whatever undisclosed point that might happen in the future. Anyone else that might decide to do this project as well can use this as an opportunity for when they get their first apartment, for a new house of their own, or for their child when they go away to college. Even if you don't need to save all of these things in a chest for a certain amount of time because you already have your own home, you can still join in the project by making beautiful handmade things for yourself.

Hope chests traditionally took years and years to accomplish, from the time that a girl was four or five until she was married-- and this was when she knew all of the skills she would need to create her hope chest! Since I and any others that may choose to begin similar projects won't have to do those tedious tasks like hemming sheets unless we want to, this means that it hopefully won't take quite as long! Generally, hope chests included a great many linens, quilts, blankets, etc., as well as a recipe box, books, albums, seeds from the family garden, a sewing box, and many other things, as well as the knowledge of how to use them all.

Personally, I am fortunate enough to be able to crochet, cross-stitch, and do a little bit of knitting. To complete my hope chest, I'm going to need to at least learn sewing and embroidery-- as well as other things that I've forgotten to include in this list-- and maybe finish up that knitting knowledge; for whatever reason, I've never been able to purl. So I still have a ways to go! I'll be chronicling this through this blog, so hopefully you'll all enjoy it and maybe be inspired to reclaim the hope chest tradition as well!