Maybe Matilda: All Star Crochet Baby Blanket

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

All Star Crochet Baby Blanket

I finished the little something I've been working on . . . the project you peeked at here.
I've been wanting to crochet Forrest a blanket for months. I made a quilt for him while I was pregnant, which was so fun and fulfilling for me to create . . . and it has never really been used. I think its greatest accomplishment was its brief stint of hanging over the crib rails as nursery decor before Forrest was born. It did a great job, but Forrest has no interest in that quilt, the poor neglected thing. I kind of thought the two of them might have a special bond, since Forrest always kicked around so happily while I sewed it. No such bond seems to have been forged.

He is, however, completely enamored with the crochet blanket pictured below, made for him by my dear friend and former boss back in Iowa:
Merciful heavens, these two are inseparable. Their tender and emotional reunions, when separated by the necessity of an occasional trip through the washing machine, are rather heartwarming. He wants to bring it everywhere, and must have the company of his precious blankie for naps and bedtime. (And you'll notice that he sucks his fingers in every photo taken of him with the blankie . . . it's Pavlovian by now. Blankie in hand --> fingers in mouth.)

And you know what? It kind of bothers me. I mean, really. His very favorite thing in the entire world is a crocheted blankie . . . made by someone else. I know it's petty to feel competitive with a baby blanket, but there you have it. I just want him to love and adore and cherish something that I made for him. Is that so terrible?
I spent--literally--months searching for the perfect blanket pattern to use. Nothing seemed right--I found plenty of patterns that are adorable and sweet and would probably be a pleasure to make, but I was waiting for the one that would really speak to me. I finally found it, browsing through the crochet books at the library (all three of them)--the All-Star Blanket from the book Crocheted Gifts: Irresistible Presents to Make and Give. I assume that each person on earth only experiences a few true epiphanies in life. The moment I saw this pattern was a nearly-spiritual one: this was the pattern I'd been waiting for.
I shut down my etsy shop for 2 weeks to give me time to focus solely on his blanket. It was a relatively simple and straightforward pattern, but I did experience a few hiccups along the way. I think the pattern could have been written more clearly, but I was always able to figure it out . . . until it came time to join the squares. Good heavens. I'm assuming my issues were unique to me--no one else online or on Ravelry seemed to have any problem with the pattern instructions--but for some reason, I simply could not figure out what I was supposed to do. So I kind of made it up. It seems to have worked out just fine.
And I don't mean to toot my own horn here but . . . toot toot. I think I really hit the nail on the head with this blanket. It has exactly the look and feel I searched for in all those weeks of browsing crochet patterns. It's playful and fun and sweet (like my baby!) while staying classic and simple. I love it.

I made it as a Christmas gift for Forrest, but couldn't resist offering it to him early, just to see if it could potentially usurp the coveted spot held by his precious other blankie.
You may have to squint to see my blanket.
Yep, there we go. He obviously loves it a lot. (I don't think blankie #1 needs to worry about being replaced.) The hours hard at work, crocheting my fingers to the bone to create a meaningful piece for my beloved child were clearly well-spent.

Nah, I'm just kidding--I'm really glad I took the time to make this for him. I still treasure many of the handmade items created just for me when I was a little girl (more on those later!). For me, there is no gift more special than one planned out and created by hand by someone who loves me and spent hours hard at work, making something they hoped I would love and treasure. That's what I wanted for Forrest--I wanted to give him something that maybe 25 years from now he'll be wrapping his own little baby in, that will always remind him of how much his mother loves and adores him. Of course he prefers his original blankie now, and I'm happy he has something that helps him feel comforted and safe, but maybe (hopefully) when he's a little older this new blanket will mean something special to him, like the handmade items in my life mean to me.

(Yarns used in this blanket: Red Heart Soft in light gray heather, Caron One Pound in off white, Bernat Super Value in taupe heather and a color I can't seem to find online that I thought was called teal heather, and Sensations Sincerely in sincerely delph blue.)

28 comments :

  1. i tell ya, kids have a mind of their own! i bought two handmade dolls for my girls last year for christmas and spent a bit. do you think they play with them at all? no! instead they love those cheap plastic dolls grammy got at the yard sale for a buck each. the blanket is beautiful and i would gladly love it:)

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  2. I so know what you mean! I labored for hours, and hours, and spent WAY too much on fabric, for an adorable quilt for my daughter. What does she love? A fleece tie blanket hand-me-down. But like you, I hope that someday she will appreciate the love that went into her quilt!

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  3. I just discovered your blog and love it: I love what I see, I love how you write, it's a delight to follow your "adventures".
    The blanket is really, really nice... !

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  4. This is so awesome! Even if he isn't crazy about it now, he will appreciate all the hard work eventually. I love the pictures of him with the favorite blankie and the star blankie in the background. Cracks me up!!

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  5. Aw, that is a beautiful little blanket. You are so talented to be able to create it! And I love your thoughts on having Forrest pass it along to his children. What a sweet thought

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  6. Hola. Te ha quedado preciosa la manta de tu nene y que combinaciĆ³n de colores tan elegantes. Felicidades.
    Un saludo.
    Susana.

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  7. I love it! I taught myself to crochet because I wanted to make my daughter at hat and now I make patterns, but I can honestly say I have never made a granny square. I love this blanket. I really want to make a blanket for my son. I made my daughter a "quilt" for her crib (which is how I learned to sew) and sometimes I feel like I have all my sewing/crocheting to my daughter. I've made my son things, but something like this would be perfect!

    I love the colors you used too!

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  8. I love this blanket! I think your son will warm up to it soon :)

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  9. I LOVE this pattern!!! I have never seen crocheted stars before-- most of the stuff out there is too florally. Thanks so much for sharing-- this may be my next project after I finish crocheting the blanket I'm currently working on.

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  10. As always, you did a beautiful job on this blanket! Just perfect for a boy.... the colors, the stars, everything. I will have to keep this in mind the next time I need to crochet a boy blanket.

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  11. Lol!! I had 2 "blankie" babies. I love it! Your blanket turned out wonderful. I really love the colors that you chose.

    Have you ever considered hiding blankie #1? Just a thought.

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  12. I love your blanket, and the colors go so well together. I wish I could make something like that, I am just not that good at it yet.

    <3 Jenn
    jenn-mcclure.blogspot.com

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  13. "It's pavlovian by now..." hahaha I love it.
    Awesome blanket!! If I ever get the money to spend on that much yarn, (I know, it probably isn't that much. But we're on a...strict no-spend budget) I would definitely make this one for my little boy! He doesn't seem to have an attachment to any blanket right now, maybe I could get a leg up on that one! haha.

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  14. Don't feel bad! I made my little boy several beautiful quilts (if I do say so myself!!) before he was born, but his favorite blanket is a Christmas penguine hunk of cuddle fabric from Joanns. The edges aren't even hemmed!! :)

    Your star blanket is beautiful! Your crochet along taught me how to crochet, and now I'm obsessed! I'm totally adding the star blanked to my list of things to make! :)

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  15. So pretty! (Is that ok to say about a boy's blanket?) I love it and I'm sure he will too...someday... ;)

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  16. Well, I think it's awesome! The colors are really great.

    The same thing happened at our house though. I made 2 blankets for my daughter (one knit stripes and a crochet star shaped afghan that made me insane). She never touched either of them and went for a piece of cuddle fabric instead! My husband just says that at least my blankets will be pretty enough to pass on when the cuddle piece is a rag in the bin, but it isn't quite the same is it?

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  17. This post really made me laugh!!!
    I'm sure he will turn a corner one day and just mad for the blanket you made, after all it is awesomely amazing and gorgeous!!!!

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  18. Wow, I just love this blanket! It is lovley! Where can I find the pattern!? I´d love to make one.

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  19. Well for what it's worth, *I* love the blanket :)
    xo,
    wink

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  20. There must be something about that kind of yarn, my nephew (he's 5) got one just like that as a baby and he loved that thing to near death. Just this spring I had to do some surgery on it.. The stars blanket looks great and you could always use it until he's ready for it :)

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  21. That blanket is darling Rachel! You are so very talented! So glad you linked up with us!

    Marie
    mylilpinkpocket.blogspot.com

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  22. I adore your blanket! What a beautiful pattern - I absolutely love it! Have a fab week hon.

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  23. I am currently crocheting this blanket, also. Like you I am having a TERRIBLE time figuring out how to join the motifs. The instructions are not clear at all, to me! I think I'm going to have to wing it, like you. Love your color combos!

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  24. I bought that book as well just for this blanket, as I saw it I just fell in love with it. Yours looks amazing and the picture taking is so cute as well. Im sure he will start loving the new planket soon.

    I do wish books like this, had video illustrations as well, to show you the hard parts. It could be a CD or DVD inside the book with small videos, wouldn't that be cool

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  25. Hi,

    I too am making this quilt and can't figure out how to join the squares together. Any pointers?

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  26. Do you have a pattern? I'd love to make this for my new nephew!

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  27. I too fell in love with this pattern when I saw it on line. Was possessed until I found it in the book you mentioned. Have yet to make it since I am new to crochet (just learning as a lefty). Love your color choices (:

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