Big Bad Baby Blanket

Hallelujah! Its finished. The blanket is finished! And I barely got it done for the birth of my new niece. *beam* > that's for the baby. Not myself. Although I am thrilled that I made it in time, although just by the skin of my teeth!

I learned a lot from this experience.
1. Have a crochet hook on hand.
2. Have faith to Ribbit.
3. Pay Attention! (dropped stitches... he-hem)
4. 'Relax' - I think my gauge is tight.
5. Its all worth it in the end.

From ripping out the first 10 rows twice to fixing dropped stitches with a bobbi pin, due to lack of proper equipment, I did it. I know I already mentioned that... but I did! I really made my first blanket from pattern and it looks how it should! (We won't talk about the 'real' first blanket just yet. You know, the one I was working on when I was on bed rest. Because its technically still not finished. But that's another story)

Let's just get to this one and tell you how I wrapped it up.

I've always been a procrastinator. I started this baby blanket in May. I figured baby's due in September... easy! Except I didn't stay on it and it was hard to get used to... (All those high school exam excuses) And in the last 3 weeks, I felt the pressure! So every night I spent time doing a few rows. On labour day weekend I did a lot since we went to my parents place and I had to show off for my mom and pull it out and knit away. Show her my mad skillz ya know? Then I totally screwed up. After putting my knitting down halfway across a row I picked it up and knit backwards! Yeah. Huge Bummer. I figured that out 4 rows later. But my mom came to the rescue and helped me get back on track.

So the baby was born and I rushed those last rows in and then realized. Ugh. I have to bind off! How the crap do I bind off?! Thank goodness for Google videos. But for the love of... why don't they all start out by saying, "Binding off is simple. You will still be knitting they way you have been, its just what you do with the stitches after you've done a couple." I was all worried about learning yet another method of stitches. But it was easy, even in seed stitch and its done. Done done done. Actually, take back one of those 'dones'. I don't have a crochet or yarn needle to weave in the ends. But once I do it will be done!

I presented it to my sister in law anyway. She loved it. Then I promptly took it back so that I could finish it. I'm a jerk. I know. But I couldn't show up to meet her baby empty handed!

Soaking it in wool wash to soften it up.

I used our baby foam floor mats to block it.

This was gorgeously coloured wool. Liberty Wool #7896 Sunset... machine washable!

Look at that seed stitch!

My daughter modeling it for me.