Christmas Presents for My Youngest Niece

This past Christmas, the present that I spent the most time on, hands down, was for the youngest person on my gift-list.

And by youngest person, I mean my 4-month old niece.

Before she was even born, I knew that I wanted to knit her a baby blanket.  After all, that's what knitters do, right?  They knit baby blankets.  I figured it would be a simple, happy thing that I could do to show both her and her parents my love.

Heh.

It wasn't quite that easy.

The final blanket!

You see that picture there?  The pretty, fluffy blanket in bright shades of yellow and orange and green and blue?

Well, originally, the blanket didn't start off like that.  Oh, no.

Instead, it started off as as beautiful striped pattern using cotton yarn in two colors: cream, and a blue/green/cream combo.  I was hoping to use cotton yarn for three reasons: it's easily washed, it is very soft, and it is organic.

I started knitting it in August.

See?  Isn't that pretty?

...Only, I didn't get that far. 

I struggled with it for awhile, but two months in I had to admit that I was avoiding it. And why was I avoiding it?

I just do not like cotton yarn.  Apparently.

The shortened fibers fribbled and fuzzled everywhere, leaving me entirely covered in fuzzies just by looking at it.  Not only that, but something about those fuzzies made me itch like crazy.  I would work on it for a little bit, and then have to take a shower because I felt like I was a giant lint ball.

So...  yeah.

I had to surrender, because I just couldn't do it.

This was as far as I got with blanket number 1:

...It had such potential.

Still, it wasn't a total loss.  I ended up sewing the two shortened ends together, making a cowl.  I gave it to my sister-in-law (the one whose daughter the blanket was going to be for).  So, at least something good came out of my blanket fail.

And, as for the actual blanket...  I started over.  (Obviously, or I wouldn't be writing this entry.)

This time, I did not use cotton yarn.

Here comes the next contender!

The yarn that I did use was one that I already had in my stash...  I had bought it months before, because it was so wonderfully soft.  I'm not sure why I overlooked it the first time, when I was planning the baby blanket...  it was amazingly soft, and in the perfect colors!  (Honestly, the little one had been nicknamed Tadpole--and aren't those cheerful tadpole-y colors?)

By this time it was the beginning of November.

Once again, I started knitting.

This was my view for many, many a night.

...and kept knitting...

I already had a foot and a half done, and still had
so much yarn left!

Finally, two days before Christmas, it was done.

The final blanket!
The dimensions, I believe, are 2 by 3 feet.

Now, this yarn was much nicer to me than the cotton yarn was.  Still, it was not as painless as I wanted it to be.

Things that I learned while knitting this blanket:

1. I do not like knitting wide things, apparently.  Long and skinny is fine...  but give me a pair of circular needles and more than 100 stitches, and I get cranky.  Who knew?
2. I do not knit as quickly as I used to.  I blame this on hurting my wrist last year...  I'm not sure if it's a real thing, or if I'm just paranoid, but in any case I'm wary of pushing myself too hard.
3. Super fuzzy yarn is extremely soft and happy, but makes my fingers feel rough after working with it for too long.

To be honest, by the end of working on it, I was soooo ready just to be done.  But, I kept going until the entire skein was used up, because I wanted it to be a nice size.

Another shot of the blanket, mostly to show off my even rows.
Or something.  ;)

Yet, on Christmas morning, I realized that all that hard work--having to stop and start over again, and knit myself into a tizzy--paid off...

My little niece loves her new blankie.

Sleepy baby!

Hamming it up for the camera.

Happily cuddled up and sleeping.

...And, honestly, that made it all worth it.

So, thus ends the chronicles of the baby blanket...  I'm not sure if I'm ever going to knit one again, to be honest.  But, in the end, I am extremely glad that I was able to make it.

After all, I am grateful that I was able to give my little niece--and her parents--something that I poured myself into.  I love them all very much...  And hopefully something as seemingly simple as this baby blanket shows them that.

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All pictures of the little one have been posted with her mama's approval.  Isn't she darling?!