We Owe You A World of Gratitude!

First, I would like to take a moment and thank everyone out there that is currently risking their lives and taking time out of their busy lives to help out with all of the natural disasters that have been happening recently. I’ve never been more thankful to live in the beautiful state of Arkansas, which is landlocked and far enough away from the ocean that we weren’t impacted. However, knock on wood, hopefully no earthquakes or tornados decide to find their way here.

September 11, 2001

I was a clueless little second grader sitting in a classroom, but I remember that day perfectly. I might have not been 100% aware of the impact of what was happening, but I knew something was wrong. As our teacher turned on the television in the classroom, we watched two burning buildings fall to nothing. Now as a 23 year old, post-grad about to get married, I’m thankful that my teacher turned on that tv and I was able to witness this moment that will forever be apart of me. I’m glad that I wasn’t “sheltered” and treated like a “snowflake”. I’m glad that I was educated by my parents on what was happening and how this was a tragedy that I should always remember.

It taught me to be thankful for all the policemen, fire fighters, volunteers, and helpers that will stop what they are doing and do something unselfish to help their neighbors and fellow Americans. It makes me proud to be an American!

My Future Child’s Baby Blanket

So back to this beautiful (finally finished) baby blanket! These colors still make my heart beat a little faster and the images honestly don’t do this color palette justice. I was given a bunch of old yarn from my aunt and about half of this yarn came from that batch and the brands are actually discontinued now. Thankfully I had enough to finish the blanket!

I love this blanket so much, I pretty much refuse to give it away. So even though we are not expecting (nor are we planning on having a child anytime soon) I am hiding this and saving it for whenever we decide to have a child! I know, I know, that’s kind of weird, but I don’t care! This blanket is literally what I have always envisioned my future baby child to be snuggled up with.

Made With Love: Supplies

YARN
• Navy (Brand is discontinued Malina Sayelle, but Red Heart in Navy should work as well.)
• Rose Mauve – Lt. Pink (Brand is discontinued Wintuk, but Caron Simply Soft in Plum Wine is fairly close.)
• Aurora Pink – Dk. Pink (Brand is discontinued Sayelle, but Caron Simply Soft in Fuchsia is fairly similar.)
• Aran – Off White (Caron Simply Soft)
• Country Blue (Caron Simply Soft)

OTHER SUPPLIES
• 4.50mm (G) hook
• scissors
• yarn needle (I prefer metal yarn needles, but that’s just preference)

Granny Squares

The finished baby blanket consists of 16 Multi-Colored Granny Squares, in four rows of four granny squares. I used a simple Whip Stitch in the back loops to connect all the squares.

TIP: I doubled up on whip stitches in the intersections of four granny squares to avoid holes and gaps and I also doubled up on the first stitch of every row as well to avoid slipping (it kind of makes a knot).

Border

The majority of the border on the baby blanket is worked with a triple crochet stitch (or as some call it, the treble crochet stitch). Below is a simple breakdown of the each row of the border.
Row 1: Single crochet all around the blanket in every stitch. For each corner stitch, single crochet 3 stitches.
Row 2: Repeat row 1.
Row 3: Triple crochet in each stitch all the way around the baby blanket. For each corner stitch, triple crochet 3 stitches.
Row 4: Single crochet in each stitch all the way around the baby blanket. For each corner stitch, single crochet 3 stitches.
Row 5: Crab stitch (or reverse single crochet) in each stitch all the way around the blanket in the opposite direction. (You most likely won’t need to do 3 stitches in corner stitches for this row, but if it’s looking a little tight go ahead and add them!)

EMBROIDERY:
– Threading the Rose Mauve (Lt. Pink) yarn in my metal yarn needle, I did a backstitch all through the posts of the triple crochet stitches to break up the chunkiness of that row.
– Now use white yarn and weave in and out from back to front (this leaves the gap and makes it look like a dashed line) all the way around underneath the row of triple crochet stitches. Your needle should be inserted in-between your single crochet stitches.
– Using white yarn again do the same as before creating the dashed/gapped line, but this time above the triple crochet stitch row. Again, you will be inserting your needle in-between your single crochet stitches.

And that’s it! Now it’s time for another project! Feel free to leave a comment or question in the comments section or feel free to email me at [email protected].