Cozy Blankets and Yarn

I'm not sure where to start. A lot has happened in six months, but are they interesting enough for a blog post? Maybe, maybe not. Today I am going to begin with catching up on projects I've completed. There are a few that should satisfy.

In the last post I mentioned that I was awaiting a yarn order to start the baby blanket for my sister's baby. It took 10-14 days to come in and I was happy with it. This was my sister's 4th baby and she decided to find out the gender. She was having another boy and so requested I do a chevron wave pattern using navy blue, grey, and white. I used a pattern I had used several times which made it easy to work on. I completed the blanket in two weeks and it turned out beautifully!

I used Caron Simply Soft yarn. Usually for baby blankets I use yarn specifically for baby blankets, but decided to branch out with this blanket. It was easy to work with and the softness when it was finished was perfect. Washing it made it softer! A finished blanket with Caron Simply Soft is quite heavy, but not so heavy as to be a poor choice for a baby. While Michael's does carry this yarn, the colour selection leaves you wanting. Thankfully, The Knitting Warehouse has a larger selection and comparable pricing. I only have one minor qualm with the yarn. When it washes, it becomes pretty fuzzy and then fuzz and lint sticks to it. It is definitely not a deal breaker when deciding whether or not to use Caron Simply Soft.

Once I had finished the blanket for my nephew, I began working on a blanket for a mom in a Facebook mom's group I am a member of. She also wanted blue, grey, and white, but instead of navy she wanted a light/baby blue. She sent me the Cuddle Me Blanket pattern and after having to redo the first row a few times, I finally was able to read the pattern correctly. It was not my favourite pattern to crochet, but it is a beautiful pattern and with the right motivation, I would consider making another blanket using that pattern. I also used Caron Simply Soft for this blanket.


I made two more blankets using Caron Simply Soft yarn ordered from The Knitting Warehouse. My husband and I were expecting our second child and just as we did with our first baby, we did not find out the gender at the 20 week ultrasound. I used colour schemes I had found on Pinterest and did my best to match the yarn colours to the schemes without physically having the yarn in front of me. While the colours had a definite difference, they all still worked together. Being due in November, I wanted to pick fall colours and a thicker pattern to keep my little bundle warm. With the help of my sister, I chose the Greenway pattern. I have made this one before just for fun, but the colours were a bit too bold for my liking (pictured left). My husband helped me decide on the colour order for the baby blankets. The boy colours were perfect for fall and I fell in love with them, wanting a full size blanket in the same colours for myself. My brother described the girl colours as 'regal'. While I do like the girl colours, I was not as in love with them.

Due to a pregnancy condition, it was a possibility for me to go into labour early or be induce at 37 weeks. I was 34 weeks and hadn't even started the blankets. I hurt my shoulder that same week and could not lift my toddler so my mom came to help me so I could heal before having a second baby to care for. The only thing I could do that didn't hurt my shoulder was crochet.

It took me about two weeks to finish the boy blanket and nearly finish the girl blanket. I ran out of a couple colours for the girl blanket and had to order more. The girl blanket is still not finished as our second boy arrived 3 weeks and 2 days early. I plan on finishing the baby girl blanket, but for the moment it is taking a back seat until I have more time. Perhaps during the holidays while my husband has days off I will get some down time.

That's it for blanket projects. My life is full of baby and toddler snuggles and trying to balance our new normal. So far, so good with zero casualties. I've committed to a Christmas bake swap with some mom's from my Facebook moms group and have to make 6 dozen cookies next week. I chose shortbread: Quick, easy, and a classic! I may add some crushed candy canes to make them even more festive.

~Em