A few years ago, two very special little girls were born. As their first birthday approached, I wanted to make them a handmade keepsake. I bought a pattern for monogrammed crocheted baby blankets, picked a soft cotton yarn, and got to work. My optimism and enthusiasm were short-lived. I was a few rows into the first one, an A, when I had an honest conversation with myself. There was a small chance I might finish the A, but there was no chance I was making a C.

So the started blanket, rolled up and tucked in the bottom of my yarn basket, was mostly forgotten. Every once in a while, while digging about in search of yarn, I would see it and my conscience would suffer a pang.

Then recently another little “A” baby girl was born, and I was offered a chance at redemption. I seized it.

I finished that A blanket, a few rows at a time, and delivered it when Baby A was just over a month old.

 

 

I didn’t notice until I looked at these pictures a week later that there is a slight colour change near the end. I ran out of yarn and had to buy two more balls to finish it off. The yarn lady warned me that unless the yarn is from the same dye lot there would be a difference in colour. I held up the nearly completed blanket to the new yarn and said “Pshaw.” It looked like an exact match to me. Turns out my yarn lady knows a thing or two about dye lots.

With some of the leftover pink I whipped up a duck. I can almost make these in my sleep as long as they’re not of the micro-variety.

 

 

The ducky is for Baby A’s big sister.

 

 

 

 

What an accomplishment to finally finish this! I wonder which half-finished project will prick my conscience next…

 

Cost of these Things: €4.60 (2 more balls of yarn)
Cost of all Things to date: €88.61