The oldest craft in the book...

I made something that everyone has likely seen or made before.  But that's okay.  It was a man-friendly craft, so I thought I would share it.  I made this a couple of months ago when it was actually cold outside, in case you were wondering.

My mom and I found an Alabama fleece on sale while fabric shopping one day.  As soon as we spotted it, I knew I should do something with it.  I decided to make one of those hand-knotted fleece blankets (typically referred to as tie blankets).  My mom had made me one several years ago, so I thought Andy needed one of his own.  The other kicker?  You don't actually have to know how to sew!

The Bama fleece was a bit pricey, so I decided to back the blanket in a solid black fleece (as you can see in the picture).

First, I cut off the extra white border that came along one edge of the Bama fleece, and I trimmed the black fleece to match the length and width.  I laid them on top of each other (with the sides I wanted to show facing out).  I also pinned around the blanket to keep the pieces from sliding around too much.

Then I cut a 3 in. square out of cardboard I had around the house.  

I used this to cut squares out of each corner of the blanket.

All of the corners are cut off...

Then I proceeded to cut strips approximately 3/4-1 inch wide, one after another.  I cut up toward the middle of the blanket maybe a scissors length (around the same length as the square cut out on the end).  You cut these tabs all around the entire blanket.  When I finished the cuts, I began tying the two tabs (including the Bama fleece/black fleece) in knots all around the blanket.  I double knotted them, but not too tightly (the blanket will start to bunch up on you if it's too tight).  This part I found to be very mind-numbing and slightly therapeutic. :)

And in no time at all, I had a throw blanket for the hubs.

Just look at how happy he is.  

As you can see, it could have been a little longer, but it's more of a lap blanket and that works for him.  Clearly.  He's fake sleeping like a champ!

So there you have it.  The easiest way to make a blanket for someone special!