Baby Blanket and Hat for Max

I don't always get to see the new little lives that my friends and their offspring bring into the world. I've tried throughout the years to at least make something before the baby arrives. This year one of my dearest friends, Jeanne (I was going to say oldest, but...) was expecting a new grandchild. We each had three kids, and raised them pretty much side-by-side.

Jeanne's middle kid, Kelley, has moved to Massachusetts, and we were lucky enough to get out there for the wedding a few years ago. She and Marty were expecting a little boy, and I had the blanket and hat all planned out. Then we got back from our trip to Europe and I had the worst arthritis attack on my hands ever. The work slowed down unbelievably. Poor Max is a couple of months old now, and hopefully received his blanket today, so I can finally post the photos of what I put in the mail last week.

I made these extra warm for a Winter baby in one of the snowiest parts of the country. I'm just so sorry it took so long to complete... By the way, when I need to make it extra warm, I use two strands of yarn at a time, which gives me three colors, one of each, plus one of the two together for a tweed effect, which is great for little boys.

This is one of my favorite patterns. I call it the star blanket, but I've also heard it called a snowflake blanket. I like it because of the way you can put the baby's head on one of the blanket points and fold the kid up inside it for extra snuggly comfort.

The hat is something new I kind of "ball-parked," and I'm not sure how thrilled I am with it. I mailed it, but I'm still deciding if it meets my standards. (Yes, I do have some standards.) You may recognize the doll at the top as my little model, who is nice enough to sit uncomplaining on my shelf until I need to make sure things are big enough for a newborn. She appears in other blog entries wearing some of the things I've made.