A Finished Baby Blanket - pretty,happy,funny,real

Pretty because its finally done!

I finally finished Nora's baby blanket - and she's only 8 months old! I believe that makes about a year in the works, which means I grabbed the camera to document my Herculean effort in the crochet department, because this doesn't happen everyday around here, folks!

I originally picked out this pattern because I thought it was going to be nice and simple and I liked how the circles attached to one another, which I believed at the time would make for less sewing in of ends, my most dreaded task in crochet, but once I had ordered the wool and sat down and finally read the pattern I figured out that I would have to make 192 individual circles which would end up with 192 ends to sew in. Clearly, this all happened while I was pregnant and not in full use of my mental faculties.

I began it last winter while pregnant, and somehow with feeling miserable at the end of the pregnancy, her being born, then summer all added up to about 8 months where I just forgot about the thing. But then realized I should finish it while she still was a baby and I really hate unfinished projects! So I took up I a hook again while watching football on Sundays and finally-finished! I'm really impressed with how big it turned out (I probably completely ignored the dimensions of the blanket while choosing the pattern too) and I think its the biggest baby blanket I've made yet.

She's happy because she realizes that even though she's the fifth child her mom still loves her enough to make her an baby blanket....

I've so far crocheted each baby their own baby blanket. They've all been different patterns from different crochet books and I've really liked each. Some I've been finished when they were born and they came home with them, and others have been a long time in coming, like this one. But somehow making them makes me feel very motherly and accomplished. Which is hilarious because I value the darn blankets so much I let the babies have them in their cribs until they can start throwing them on the floor and/or pulling them apart (Max!) at which point I confiscate them for posterity for storage in the basement! My husband gives me a lot of grief about this, because I'm usually preaching the gospel of pretty, homemade things should be used and enjoyed all. the. time. So I'm a big ol' hypocrite.

Funny face.

The pattern came from a this great book of crochet afghans, Unexpected Afghans, that I really recommend! It has a great variety of fun patterns that weren't stuffy or boring and all have beautiful colours and wools. The book originally had this pattern in a gorgeous coral colour, but since I didn't want to jinx the baby and afghan colour not coordinating, I picked this gender-neutral-ish teal. The blanket I made for Max may have been completely wrong colour wise (oh it really was), and I may just end up switching his blanket for this one. But let's all not tell him when he's older.

Real-Yes, crochet may be a little hole-y for baby fingers and toes.

Either way, these pictures all turned out adorably because of my crazy little girl. And by crazy, I mean serious. Because she is a serious customer. Not grumpy, but serious. She's really brimming with excitement for her personality in these pictures!


Linking up with the great Like Mother, Like Daughter for today's prettiness!

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