Spoilers?

I have several crafting projects in the works but most are for a swap at Craftster.org and I don't want to post them, just in case. I am also in the process of completing the decor in baby girl's room. It's painted and furnished but I'm still working on the finishing touches like tie-backs for the drapes and setting up the wall art. My sister-in-law's birthday is fast approaching but I haven't decided what to make her yet. I did crochet her an afghan - two years ago actually - that I never gave her. I feel a bit silly giving a blanket in July during triple-digit heat though.
Stay tuned for these projects, as well as Independence Day fun, including cookie decorating.
What are you working on this week?

Baby (and Toddler) Afghans

I made two mini-afghans in the past month - one for my 3-year-old son and one for my daughter on the way.

My son's afghan is made with Baby Bee acrylic "Sweet Delight" baby/sport/3 in Blue Baby Camo. I bought it at Hobby Lobby and it is really soft and has a lot of stretch and drape to it. It would probably be great yarn for a pullover sweater but I live in the South so my son doesn't really need a sweater. I just improvised one big square, crocheted in rounds. The finished size is approximately 33"x33".

Above is a close-up of the stitch pattern. I chained 4, then joined to form a ring for the center. I chained 3 and made 15 dc in the ring and joined with a slip stitch. Round 1: Ch 3 and 4 dc in the same stitch, then dc in the next three dc and make 5 dc in the next dc three more times, joining with a slip stitch to the chain three. After that I just kept making rounds of double crochet with five stitches in the center dc of each corner. I had three skeins and stopped when I was out of yarn.

My daughter's is made with Loops & Threads acrylic "Snuggly Wuggly" baby/sport/3 in Paisley Prints and Soft Lilac. I bought it at Michael's. I followed a pattern from a Leisure Arts booklet "Lullaby Layettes" by Alice Hyche (I've had it for a good decade or so), but with a much smaller border. The finished size is approximately 28"x28". Below is a close-up of the stitch pattern.

Baby afghans are quick projects that are great for practicing new stitches, particularly if you stick to only one or two colors so you don't have to make color changes.