I Did It You Guys!!!

I did it! My first completed ever afghan blanket project ever! I almost forgot to take a picture of it before it was forever gone into the hands of this new mommy-to-be, so I had to ask her if I could take a picture of it at the baby shower, haha! Sorry if it's not the best picture - I had to snap really quick! Everyone was really impressed. One even said, "If I pretend to be a baby again, will you make me one?" and another said "That really looks professional!" I am not trying to praise myself or anything, but it sure did feel good to have people say that about my work!! My first completed blanket and already getting good reviews. I'm really happy and pleased about it!

So what I did was I crocheted a simple shell-stitch baby afghan that I found online atwww.lionbrand.com (they are a yarn company that gives free patterns on their website!). I used I Love This Yarn! brand (put out by Hobby Lobby) color Ivory. I really do LOVE this yarn because it is SUPER soft, unlike the itchy, scratchy worsted weight yarn of the typical cheap Red Heart yarn. I Love This Yarn was about $3.99, but I LOVE Hobby Lobby for their AMAZING 40% off coupons - I was able to get my skeins for $2.55!! I used a size-I hook and it took me about 4 days to complete. I could have been done sooner, but I didn't realize that it would take more than one skein of yarn (durr, really??) so I had to wait until the next day AFTER work to be able to get more yarn. And then I ran out again, and had to wait another day to get even more yarn. Yeah. Next time, I will definitely do better research and plan more accurately!

I decided to do a solid color for this pattern. The original pattern called for 4 different colors of tan/brown and it actually looks REALLY beautiful, but for a baby, I just wanted to keep it soft and pure. I chose the Ivory because I wanted the off-white look to be more fitting for a boy. To finish it off, I added a brown ribbon with blue stitching down the center (her colors for the baby) tied in a bow in the bottom right-hand corner. I think I might make that my signature. Not really sure yet, and besides, I've only made one blanket! It's not like I have a whole line out or anything!

We'll work on my photography skills next!

Sorry it's not the best picture! Brown ribbon with blue stitches.

The original picture on www.lionbrand.com

I've convinced my husband to let me make another one. With money a little tight right now, we can't really just spend our money willy nilly on crafts (because crafting is expensive!) but since I want to make a white one for my dear friend up in Logan for her baby girl, I think it can be counted as gift money and THAT is A-OK. :D I am really excited to make another blanket. Especially because this yarn is so soft - I love working with it! Hooray for making fun blankets!