Tie a yellow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree

I made this beautiful little tree last spring. I didn't intend to make this tree, I wanted an apple tree! I saw this cute pattern of an apple on the blog of  PlanetJune. I was in love, they were so cute. So I made a bunch of apples, with different kind of yarn. The smallest one, I made with embroidery yarn and it was so cute! So I had this idea of an apple tree in my window full of little red apples.

I was thinking of using real branches. But it just didn't look right, so my branches turned into my Spring Tree.

I went online in search of a tree pattern. I saw loads of beautiful, funny trees. But nothing really what I had in mind. So I took out my crochet needle, brown fingering yarn and started to crochet. I really didn't know what was coming out in the end, I just pictured the tree in my head and just added row after row. Thank god, I typed along with what I was doing, this is something I sometimes forget and regret big time!

When I finished the tree and the first branches, I was thrilled. This was it! So I added some branches and weaved in the ends. But it was a bare tree. How am I going to do the leaves? Online you see a
lot of trees with spheres as the leave part. I didn't like that for my apple tree, how am I going to put the apples in the tree? So I started out making leaves. I think I tried out 20 different leaves, but the simplest was just perfect. But how many leaves? Do I want the whole tree covered? So I just added leaf after leaf. But it still didn't look right. It took me a day to figure out what it was. Leaves on a tree are never the same color all over. So I added leaves with a darker shade of green. It looked much better instantly. I added another shade of green. But when I added the fourth shade of green, I knew it was too much.

The tree was done. I made a bunch of red apples. But as I started to put the apples in the tree, it didn't feel right. The tree was not an apple tree. I made a tiny spring bird with embroidery yarn and there was still something missing. The tree stood on my desk waiting for me to finish it. And all of a sudden it hit me... It was a perfect tree for a yellow ribbon! I made a pretty Treble Bow from BobWilson123 and it was finished!

I love my little tree. It's so pretty and happy.

I did a google search for Yellow Ribbon tree. I knew it was something you did if you are waiting for some one to come home, but I wanted to know a bit more about the history behind the Yellow Ribbon.

For a long time ribbons have been kept as a symbol of remembrance of men and women who served in places far from home. They have been kept especially by wives, mothers and sisters in times of war in memory of their soldier boys abroad. They are powerful symbols of the ties that bind. Many military medals have ribbons attached to them. It can be traced back to the Puritan Army of Oliver Cromwell in the 16th century. Oliver Cromwell's Puritan Army wore a yellow sash or yellow ribbon. These were worn onto the battlefield. The ribbons were worn as identifiers to mark out friend from foe in the chaos of battle.

source: http://endtimepilgrim.org/yellowrib.htm

The origin of the idea of a yellow ribbon as remembrance may have been the 19th century practice that some women allegedly had of wearing a yellow ribbon in their hair to signify their devotion to a husband or sweetheart serving in the U.S. Cavalry. The song "'Round Her Neck She Wears a Yeller Ribbon", which later inspired the John Wayne movie She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, is a reference to this.

The symbol of a yellow ribbon became widely known in civilian life in the 1970s as a reminder that an absent loved one, either in the military or in jail, would be welcomed home on their return.

"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando.

The song is told from the point of view of a prisoner who has completed his three-year sentence but is uncertain if he will be welcomed home.

He writes his love, asking her to tie a yellow ribbon around the "ole oak tree" in front of the house (which the bus, bringing him home from prison, will pass by) if she wants him to return to her life; if he does not see such a ribbon, he will remain on the bus (taking that to mean he is unwelcome). He asks the bus driver to check, fearful of not seeing anything. To his amazement, the entire bus cheers the response – there are 100 yellow ribbons around the tree, a sign he is very much welcome.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tie_a_Yellow_Ribbon_Round_the_Ole_Oak_Tree