The story of a blankie and a hat

The blankie was for Karenanne's 50th birthday.  It was started many months ago, the result of trolling online for a very favourite colourway from Bonnie & Camille for Moda.  Bought a charm pack.  They really are charming because when I quilted all those many MANY years ago, the bane of my existence was cutting perfect (and they had to be perfect) squares of whatever size.  Enter the charm pack.  The fabric comes already laser cut squares with pinked edges no less.  So all of my angst about not sewing them exactly together or having mismatches galore were 90% gone to my joyous delight.

I really wanted this little quilt to be a blankie in the true sense of the word.  Dragged along the sand, having lots of spots as reminders of good times had with it tucked around.  So here it is...photographed in a brief break during a snowstorm.  Farewell small blankie....

The hat came about because I went to a Christmas lunch.  It was very nice listening to ladies who I work with but don't see all the time.  The gal on my left (perhaps sensing I didn't know what everyone else was talking about) proceeded to take knitting needles and a ball of wool out of her purse! and asked me if I knew how to knit!!! So then we spent awhile talking about European vs. English knitting and how she used to knit when she was much younger and how she was determined to get back into it.  And as I was determined to make something useful from crocheting we made a pact.  She would knit a hat and I would crochet a hat.  Voila!  I had ever so much fun figuring out how to do the flowers too and if I do say so myself, it looks quite nice!