The Fulani are thought to be the only weavers in Sub-Saharan Africa who use wool. The English term, Fulani, is the anglicized version of the word that the people call themselves in their own language, Fulɓe3, while the French term, Peul,comes from the Wolof name for this same people. The French term sounds like purl or pearl and that is where this blanket gets its name.
The pattern is based on a traditional strip-woven Fulani blanket. The design for the natural/red/black colorway is taken from elements of a large blanket that hangs in the library of the Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, DC.
| Wedding Blanket Celebration |
| If you are looking for a meaningful present and a way for a community of friends and family to help a couple celebrate their marriage beyond the single day of the wedding ceremony, you can organize a Wedding Blanket Celebration. |
| Friends and family can knit strips that are sewn together and presented to the couple. Beginning knitters can create long color block scarf-like strips, while others who are handy with the needle can embroider the designs on the finished strip. The strips are then sewn together and presented to the couple to be hung on the wall of their home or used on their bed. |
| In an Assyrian tradition (in what is now Northeast Iraq) a bride’s female neighbors would gather at the bride’s family house one week prior to the wedding. A needle was passed from one woman to the next, each making a stitch to create a large honeymoon blanket. Dancing and singing accompanied the ritual, with sweets and nourishment for the entire party, which was not over until the blanket was finished. While Assyrian blankets were more likely quilted than knitted – any enterprising group could, based on this tradition, hold a wonderful knitting celebration for a friend’s upcoming wedding. |
| Source: http://en.xikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian/Syriac_culture |
Please note: This pattern has not been fully test knit.
Fulani Pearl Blanket
Yarn
A traditional colorway such as the one shown in the photo in the previous chapter could be made up in Green Mountain Spinnery Wonderfully Wooly 100% 2-ply Worsted, in Night, White, and Poppy.
the bright colorway shown to the right is Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Bulky 85% wool, 15% mohair
1 skein Gold (1 skein per strip; the strip shown uses 78 g)
1 skein Red (1 skein per two strips; the strip shown uses 63 g)
1 skein Green
1 skein Black
1 skein Blue
Needles
10.75
Gauge:
Gauge is not that important, but if this a group project, one knitter will need to set the gauge.
CO 27 stitches and working in stockinette stitch, following the color chart to the center, and knitting the chart back the other way to create a strip with two identical sections with a medallion in the center. Cast off.
Steam block lightly by laying the knitting on a towel. Pin the edges with rust-proof T pins if they will not stay down. Spray the piece lightly with water, cover the knitting with a towel and lightly press the iron on top of the towel. Dry before proceeding.
Lightly steam block again to make it easier to seam the strips together.
Using the edge-to-edge seaming technique, sew the strips together.
