Oooh La La -- TA DAH!

I am really excited to be revealing a finished product!  I think this is the second project I have finished this year.  Seriously, that's a LOT for me!

The other day/night, depending on how you look at things, I mentioned that I had made some blankies for my Little Darling.   Well, this is the story behind that....

I call it:

The Special Request

One day, I was tackling my least favorite chore, laundry. I hate doing it because I am the only one who puts my dirty items where they belong. The Hubs and my Little Darling, on the other hand, lead me on this wild goose chase as I try to recover all items to be washed for the day.  I walk into my Little Darling's room and I see something like THIS!  The above photo.  She had been taking off her dirty clothes each day and dressing her animals in them!  The animals/ people thingies were crocheted by my mom (who ROCKS my socks off in creative needle talents!!!)  So in an effort to not lose my cool on  my four year old, I explain to her that First, dirty clothes aren't toys.  They are nasty and need to be in the basket to be washed.  Second, if she needs clothes and blankies for her "Babies", I can make them for her.  She just has to tell me what she wants.

So I unclothe her "Babies" and do my laundry.  As you can see in the picture above, I am not finished with the project because she is still using her dirty clothes for wardrobe ensembles and her actual blankies for her "Babies". 

I was diligently working on my Little Boy Blue hexagon blanket, when my Little Darling comes to ask me to make her some blankies and some pajamas for her "Babies".  What kind of mother would I be if I didnt' feel honored to accept that request?  My Little Darling almost never asks me to create anything for her.  I never make anything for myself or my household, just gifts for friends & family.  For my kiddo to rely on me was really touching and special.  I had no choice but to drop what I was doing, bag it up, and start on her projects.  She made the request of 4 blankies:  A Rainbow Blankie, a Purple Blankie, a Green Blankie, and a Pink & Green Blankie.  I am not sure whether I will find more creative names for these lil projects, but I am pumped to have a more heart-felt purpose in my work!

About a week ago, I finished her rainbow blankie.  I chose only the cute colors, but then, my Little Darling walks in, puts her hands on her hips, and asks, "Well, Mom.  That's gweat, but what about the bwack and the bwown?  And dis color, and dat color?"  She was right, a rainbow isn't just the "pretty colors", it's ALL colors.  So I added black, a dark blue, and two shades of brown.

I was trying to make the Picot stitch for the border, but (hahahaha!!!) I really couldn't figure it out.  I've got it now, after viewing SEVERAL tutorials and looking at MANY charts!  But it was too late for this blankie.  On here, I just used a popcorn stitch around the border.  I am not sure if I like it yet.  But it is interesting.  That I can admit.

The little Blessing in Disguise in regards to working on these projects for my daughter is that I am getting to learn and to practice techniques and designs I otherwise would never allow myself to attempt.  This is going to help me a lot with my little secret!  I need all the versatility I can imagine!  These blankies will serve as prototypes and test-runs for something bigger, better, and more serious...... but for now, it's all about the fun of being creative for my Little Darling.

And this blankie was so much fun to make that I completely breezed through it......but then again, I have been a machine lately in the crochet department. 

Nothing like making something special for SOMEONE SPECIAL to motivate you to finish :)

Happy Summer Day to ya!