Afghan Rescue

Contrary to what the post title suggests, this is not a post about rescuing people of Afghanistan.

Pair some rimmed glasses with that scarf and you've got a Hipster Afghan!

or about rescuing these dogs that are the perfect combination of a broom and a mop.

The afghans to which I refer are this type.

They remind me of hippies and grandmas.

And I have a very weird obsession with them right now.

(With the afghans, not the hippies and grandmas because that's weird even for me.)

I started rescuing them from Thrift Stores about 6 months ago.

I didn't consciously set out to find them, but when I happened across one I had this undeniable compulsion to buy it.

And then it was an unstoppable force.

 

 I think it all started when I stumbled across this Bohemian vintage style wedding photo from the 

100 Layer Cake website.

I'm still working on turning one of my daughters into a hippie so that one day I can plan a Bohemian wedding complete with a pile of afghans and a campfire.

The afghans I have found have been $5-$10 and in really excellent and non-smelly condition.

It's hard to comprehend how someone could spend hours and hours crocheting a beautiful blanket and then it ends up at a Thrift Store being sold for a fraction of its worth.

Not to mention the cost of the yarn.

If you're one of these afghan crocheting folks, please know that I appreciate you and your efforts and will cherish your pieces of useable art forever!

Here are some I have rescued/collected so far 

(please forgive the horrible photo quality - I have no excuse and really hope I was drunk at the time I took them because oh-my-gosh these are terrible.)

This green, navy and white one is my most recent find.

Each of the white circle-looking things (technical term) is a flower - so cute!

And it was only $5.

It reminds of a sweet little grandma which is why I threw it over a rocking chair at the lake house.

This one in shades of brown, tan, rose, pink and peach was also a Thrift Store find.

The color combo makes me oh-so-happy!

 

Again, I am using it at the lake house for now.

Not to be a broken record but I do have one more at the lake house that is the first one I actually purchased.

Again with the broken record thing - it was a thrift store find for $10.

I fell in love with it because it's so colorful and happy and rainbowy.

 

My final show and tell afghan is this one:

 

It's the only one I did not purchase and it's here at my house.

It is the most special and my husband's favorite.

That's because it was made by his grandma whom he was very close to.

He spent many summers with her and, one summer when he was a bit bored, she taught him how to crochet.

Anyone who has met my husband, who is a rather muscular beefcake kind of guy, may find the idea of him crocheting really funny.

I agree entirely.

But I appreciate the hell out of his work and craftsmanship!

He has an afghan project started that has been unfinished since before we were married almost 17 years ago.

It's one of those projects that is much easier to work on in the winter since it rests on your lap while you work.

But there always seems to be so much going on that crocheting an afghan doesn't really get put very high on the priority list.

But, I'm thinking I may have to encourage him to finish it.

Not only would he have the personal satisfaction of finishing a project but it would be a perfect Christmas gift for his wife!

 

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney