In the great blanket challenge of 2011, this is blanket number two. Wooo! I really enjoyed working off this pattern from Knit Picks. The instructions all made sense and it had this very smart i-cord edge, which, now complete, looks like a seamless cord running around the whole edge of the blanket. I also like how the front and back are equally appealing, yet different. This blanket took me four weeks and came out the same week as the baby. The next one is due a week from now, so I’m going to be a little behind the baby curve for probably the next three babies.

My first blanket of the 2011 Blanket Challenge is done! Yay!

The pattern came from Churchmouse Yarns. I enjoyed crocheting this blanket but the ends were a bear. There has to be a better way of dealing with alternating row stripes. If I make this blanket again I will do three colors, so I can bring the color up, instead of having all the ends.

2011, the year of the baby, at least among my friends. I remember a couple years back when it was all weddings and falling in love. Yet, this sudden baby boom has caught me by surprise. Having children, who knew it would be so popular? I’m expecting seven babies by July, plus two more that came late in 2010. That’s a lot of yarn crafting!

To celebrate all this fresh new life, I’ve set a challenge for myself, to complete nine (9, nueve) blankets by the end of July. Some will be knit, some crochet. I plan to make them all “adult” size, since babies don’t stay baby size for long and blankets can last a lifetime. Plus, aren’t they really for the parents, anyway?

I’m closing in on completing the first blanket, previewed above. Since I have two babies coming in February and two in March, if I can get a little ahead now, then by early spring I only need to be making one per month.

No problem! Right?

I recently completed my ninth blanket, since taking up yarn crafting. For this blanket, I returned to my classic crochet ripple, but this time it is a bigger blanket in bolder colors. The little turquoise lines add extra pop to the pattern and it is all done in super-wash merino wool, for machine washability. Looking back on previous blankets I can see how my skills are improving and my aesthetic is developing.

The blanket is for the first child of the Crazy Rosie household and it needed to be vibrant just like their family.

Miss Lola had an accident this week at the dog park while racing down a hillside at top speed. When she came to a screeching halt for no reason it wasn’t apparent at first that she’d been stabbed through her chest skin by something very sharp. When she came limping back to us we noticed the two inch tear exposing her tough muscle. I grabbed her in my arms, SB ran for the car and it was off to the emergency room for eight staples, pain killer and an Elizabethan Collar.

Now she’s on two weeks rest with absolutely no running. So far she has mostly slept but I fear next week I will not have it so easy. Lola gets a good amount of running practically everyday, just to take the edge off her energy. Without the exercise she may drive me out of the house or we both may need sedation.

In other news of the month, we are trying to buy a house in our neighborhood, right around the corner from where we live now. I know a month ago I had sworn off house buying for at least another year, but it is an obsession and when this house came on the market we couldn’t just walk on by. So, we have an accepted offer and the inspection is done. We are just starting the remediation phase of the negotiation. If all goes well, we will close in early June which is very pleasant time to move. I’m sure I’ll be writing more about it in the coming weeks.

Finally, I completed my first two cable knit projects and I learned that cabling is easy and also that working with super chunky yarn makes it all go fast. I’ll have to wait until next winter to really enjoy this set.