A Midsummer Knight's Read

The theme for our summer reading program at the library this year is 'A Midsummer Knight's Read.'  (I know, it's a bit of a bastardization of Shakespeare, but we didn't pick it!)  I found a pattern for a knit castle baby afghan (Sleeping Baby's Castle Blanket) on Ravelry that I wanted to make for a raffle/silent auction item.

With a new set of bamboo circs, Caron Simply Soft Collection (pistachio is the colour) and the pattern, I was off and running.  I got the pattern 2/3rds of the way finished in a very short amount of time and then put it down.  I think that the castle in the center was the learning moment for me.  (I learned to make leaves on the "beanstalks" on either side of the castle.)  Finishing up the turret cables on the last section was a bit of a let-down, although it wasn't difficult at all.

After all of this working on the afghan, I decided to find a "castle" poem.  Normally, I pick a poem and then warp my projects to fit the poem.  I'm a bit backwards this time.  I remembered one poem from a book from my childhood, but it was only a few lines long, but the author made me think even harder.  Dr. Hammer would be proud.  I finally decided on 'Block City' by Robert Louis Stevenson.  I remember reading it for some class in college and liking it.  I have always like Robert Louis Stevenson.  I'll pretend for the moment that it was for Dr. Hammer's poetry class, but who knows.  That was a long time ago.

Hopefully, this will bring in some money for programs, although I won't hold my breath.  Sometimes people don't understand how much goes into a project.  If you want a chance at it, let me know.  We'll figure it out somehow. (I think it'll fit a crib/toddler bed with a crib mattress or make a nice lapghan for an adult.)

            Block City

What are you able to build with your blocks?
Castles and palaces, temples and docks.
Rain may keep raining, and others go roam,
But I can be happy and building at home.

Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea,
There I'll establish a city for me:
A kirk and a mill and a palace beside,
And a harbor as well where my vessels may ride.

Great is the palace with pillar and wall,
A sort of a tower on top of it all,
And steps coming down in an orderly way
To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.

This one is sailing and that one is moored:
Hark to the song of the sailors on board!
And see on the steps of my palace, the kings
Coming and going with presents and things! 

                                 By Robert Louis Stevenson

 Below are the pictures of the afghan.  I apologize for the hideous colours in the pictures.  It really is a pretty shade of pistachio green.  I'm sure that you can Google the yarn if you want to see a better rendition of the colour.

This is the blanket showing the bottom turret 

cables, drawbridge and mote as well the rest of the castle.  

This is a close-up of the turret cables.

Here's a little closer look at the castle itself.  Take note of those beanstalks on either side.