Sweet Baby Blanket

Now that I’m officially considered a senior, my opportunities to give baby gifts have diminished. My peers are past the baby-making years and my own babies are done with family building. In a way, it’s somewhat like my reaching towards the end time in life and being cut off from the beginning of life—a demarcation which makes me feel odd.

© 2013 June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

So, I was excited when one of my friends had the blessing of welcoming her first grandchild in the world—a little girl named Savannah.

© 2013 June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

Using an idea from my friend Sara at Unwind the Yarn Shop in Fort Walton Beach, FL, I cast on 150 stitches using U.S. size 6 needles and knitted one ball of yarn for 26 rows (13 ridges) before switching to the next color. This is simply knitting of every row.

© 2013 June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

After finishing the last color, the color scheme was reversed. The yarn is Rowan Handknit Cotton. The first set of blocks color order (in parentheses are the number of skeins I purchased for the entire blanket):

• Slick (3)
• Mist (2)
• Shell (2)
• Celery (2)
• Ecru (3)

© 2013 June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

Second set of blocks:

• Ecru
• Celery
• Shell
• Mist
• Slick

© 2013 June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

Blanket done, I started thinking about creative ways to embellish it. I crocheted a simple scallop edging in Ecru around the blanket. After the edging was done, the blanket was washed and blocked.

© 2013 June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

Next, I decided to add the baby’s monogram in the center of the middle section (the wider Ecru-colored portion).

© 2013 June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

The monogram was made by braiding the Slick (hot pink) color of yarn and forming the three letters which I’ve hand-stitched to the blanket.

© 2013 June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

Here is Savannah’s completed blanket.

© 2013 June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

The blanket was carefully packaged in a pretty box and shipped off to Atlanta in time for the baby shower.

© 2013 June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

I loved making this gift and feel it connects me back to the beginning of the life cycle—nature’s own creative project.