the first project

I learned to knit in college. One of my boyfriend's room mates was a terrific knitter, his grandmother had taught him when he was little to get him to sit still while she entertained. I took it up as a way to keep myself from snacking in front of the TV. This advice was also published (under my name) in a Real Simple magazine.

But when my parents accidentally purchased a crochet pattern book for me as a Christmas gift, instead of a knitting pattern book, I thought I'd try to learn that craft as well. It has really come in handy, especially now that I have a little boy to wrap up in the warm, fuzzy blankets that I make. Nothing makes a mom's heart swell with love more than seeing her son snuggled into a thoughtfully handcrafted blankie. This was my first attempt, and now it's one of several blankets that keep my little boy warm at night:

And here is a detail shot:

The original pattern called for blue and white (it was from a Bernat pattern booklet called Little Boy Blue I think, and unoriginally titled Checked Blanket), but I tend to prefer greens. Plus, we didn't know at the time whether we were having a boy, girl, or a lanugo-covered monkey child.

Anyway, this blog is going to be my attempt to keep track of my projects and see what other arts I can try along the way. Hope you enjoy the ride!