Baby Blanket and Hat

A few months ago I got on a serious crochet kick.  Probably the biggest kick I've been on in a long time!  A friend of mine is having a baby boy at the end of this month, so I thought I'd start by making something for her.  I haven't been able to post about it until now, since her shower was yesterday and I didn't want her to see her gifts before she got them.  haha!  But she has now received the present, and I can now talk about it openly.  ;)

My first project was a baby hat.  Girls are easier to crochet for, because there are endless flowers and cute little things you can add to your projects.  I wanted to find something cute, but obviously for a boy.  I ended up combining 2 different patterns.  Here is the final product:

The first part of my pattern came from here.  I crocheted the first 10 rows, and then added the ear flaps from this pattern.  I only used 8 pieces of yarn in the braids, because the 12 that are suggested in the pattern made the braids much too thick for my liking.  Supposedly this hat will fit a newborn.  I guess we'll see in a few weeks!

After I finished the hat, I wanted to make something using my favorite yarn in the world: Naturally Caron Spa.  I had some left over from the cardigan I crocheted several months ago, so I found a pattern for a baby blanket that looked like it was for a boy, bought the remainder of the yarn I needed to finish it, and set to work.  Here's what it looked like when I was done:

I found the pattern here.  I think the only change I made to this pattern was to not add the ribbon and buttons.  Even though I thought the ribbon and buttons were cute, it just seemed like it would be easier to wash without them.  I love the crisscross pattern of the stitches!  This one was extremely easy to make, and I think it came out really well.  What do you think?  :)

I have made several things since the blanket, but since they are Christmas presents, I can't share them with you yet.  Soon, though!  Christmas is right around the corner!