In all it's round glory!

I'm done with Tooraj's round red blanket. I love it, not enough to want to keep it, but it came out really well. Tooraj, for those of you who don't know, is my gay boyfriend. He and his man are sweethearts. Tooraj is who I call when I need to cry in the presence of another. I discovered his love and compassion one day as I arrived at work.

He and I marketed books together at an academic publisher in NYC....35th betwee 5th & 6th. I'd purchased Acoustic Soul months before the day in question. I'd listened to it, but only lightly because I had e.badu's Mama's Gun to keep me busy. So, one morning I popped India.Aire's first into my CD player when I got on the train. I hadn't listened to the album enough for my mind to wander during the listening, so I listened. And as each song played I got more and more centered. It was like I was looking back on my life and the things I'd done and the life I'd lived. I'd had some accomplishments, but for the most part things seemed bleak. By the fifth song I was walking to my office from Penn Station, still listening to India.arie near tears; thinking: I'm not going to cry. Why the hell would I cry?

As I approached our building I saw Tooraj standing at the mailbox with his coffee having a cigarette, and that's when I lost it. Not in a dramatic, draw all sorts of attention sort of way, but a tear simply fell from one eye. He saw me and said, "Honey, what's the matter?" I managed a tear choked, "I'm listening to India.arie," and the flood gates opened. He said, "Oh, I understand." as he put his coffee on the mailbox, snuffed out his half-smoked cigarette and embraced me while I cried. It was a muggy summer morning in New York City in the shadow of the Empire State Building, and I fell in love with a gay man. It makes me teary just thinking about it.

Anyway. He's Iranian, and he got a rug from his mom, Persian, and shortly after I moved here I promised him that I would make him an afghan to match it. I have been "working" on his afghan for over two years. About two months ago a woman came to the Burbank SnB with a round blanket she was making out of Debbie Bliss Cathay (I think). It was a pricey yarn, but in the exact color of the yarn I'd purchased for Tooraj. It was like divine intervention because I was feeling VERY guilty about not having finished the afghan for him. It went relatively quickly, and here it is in all it's glory, you can even see one of my MANY lions in the top left corner:



Here are the center and edge shots:




I got the idea for the edge from a gallery of other pinwheel blankets. I decided to do a row of eyelets and then a few rows of seed stitch, I believe I ended up with five rows total of the seeed stitch.

I don't have floor space large enough to lay it out smoothly and snap a photo, so a couch shot will have to do. I really hope he likes it. All I need to do now is weave in the ends, wash it and mail it off.

That's all I've got for now.