Babies Babies Babies

I need a strategy to address the “unexpected” arrival of babies.  I know, I know, I usually have a few months to prepare a gift for my friends and family who have wee ones, but for some reason I always procrastinate and never have something hand made for the big day.  And most of you will probably think, “who the hell cares, just go to Target like everyone else, get a six-pack of receiving blankets and some cute outfit and you’re done.”  But no, I can’t do that.  I wasn’t raised that way.  I grew up watching my mom make layette sets and blankies for everyone, from her multiple nieces and nephews to the lady she pays for gas at the local Speedway.  Call it handmade snobbery, call it some kind of Martha Stewart-induced obsession, but I’ve got to make things for babies.

Except my own of course.  You have heard the phrase, “the cobblers children have no shoes”?  This knitter’s daughters have no blankets.  Every blanket I’ve ever started for them ends up in the hands of someone else. 

So I showed you all the  blanket I made for my friend Em who is having a boy sometime soon—the due date is a moving target, but he’s expected sometime (they can’t stay in there forever).  My niece also had a baby earlier this month, and a good friend of mine, Mike, became a dad for the first time this summer.  For Mike, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make him something—I haven’t seen him in forever, but he and I go way back (I remember him as a wee boy), so it’s just so sweet to see him as the awesome adult I knew he’d be.  So here’s what I made for his little boy…..

The blanket, a crochet pattern that I use for nearly every baby blanket I make (really, I need a new schtick, but it’s just so quick to make).  And the bear, which is a new addition to my repartee.  I pretty much love this little guy, and plan to make more.  The best part about him and the blanket is that he’s made from yarn that is made from recycled plastic bottles—which is cool, although I will never figure out how they do that.  And it’s all machine washable—ideal for spit up, blow outs, dirt, strained peas, and tears from mom and dad. . .

Do I expect everything I make to become an heirloom?  Oh, god no.  That’s why I make everything machine washable.  I want parents to USE the gifts I give them.  And would they probably use a bouncy seat or a wipe warmer more often?  Probably.  But you can’t snuggle a wipe warmer.  At least not without some discomfort.