"Snugglers of Catan" Baby Blanket, or "Catanket"

I’ve had this project in mind for quite some time. As big “Settlers of Catan” fans, I like the idea of making a replica of the game board, and this Dream in Color yarn has such great colour variations within each solid that I thought it would really evoke the game tiles perfectly. But I had no need to make one for us, so I was just waiting for the perfect opportunity... which came along thanks to Huss and Sarah who obligingly decided to have another baby, thus providing me with a great excuse to make them a “Snugglers of Catan” baby blanket (or, as Jeffy likes to call it, a “Catanket”). I found a hexagon pattern in one of my knitting books, and used the Dream in Color yarn in seven different colours to make the tiles. It was a really fun project - lots of great colours, and doing each hex meant that it didn’t get boring. It was neat to see it all coming together as each hex grew on to the previous ones. We took the pattern from the "beginner layout" of tiles which the game suggests using with first-time players. (I didn't even know such a layout existed, but it seemed appropriate given that babies are true "beginners" - in all things.) Huss and Sarah are big Catan fans themselves, and also already have all of the practical baby stuff they could need, so I felt like this would be a good gift for them. The wool is all 100% washable (a must for baby items, I think), and the blanket itself is about 1m in diameter, so it can be used in a practical fashion if desired. But if they just want to think of it as a goofy gift for their latest little one, that’s just fine, too. Regardless, it was made with lots of love, and is full of wishes for every good thing for all of them as they welcome baby Altair in to their incredible family.
Pattern: mostly out of my head, with help from Jeffy; hex pattern from the “Snapping Turtle Skirt” out of Norah Gaughan’s “Knitting Nature”
Yarn: Dream in Color “Classy” in “Some Summer Sky” (water), “Butter Peeps” (wheat), “Spring Tickle” (sheep), “Happy Forest” (wood), “Grey Tabby” (ore), “Lipstick Lava” (brick), and “November Muse” (desert)

Baby Booties for Shawna & Robyn

It's kind of become my "thing" to make a pair of these booties for every new baby who crosses my path. This is a pattern from a book I bought when Neva was a baby (so, seven-and-a-bit years ago) which has since been discontinued, and I have made them so many times and in so many ways with so many different yarns that I kind of think of them as "my" booties. This most recent incarnation is a pair for friends who are expecting their first baby at the end of April. They were given at a baby shower on Saturday and, if I may say, nothing tugs at the heart strings of a group of women like tiny knitted booties. Wishing them a safe delivery and a healthy baby and every joy a new life brings.
Pattern: Soft Shades Layette Booties from Patons "Giggle Knits"
Yarn: Dream in Color "Classy" in "Butter Peeps"

Ridiculous Gauntlets of Pointlessness

After seeing a pair of little gauntlets I'd made for Hugh back in the day (to keep that part of the wrist warm which seems to always be exposed between mitten and jacket), Neva requested a pair for herself. I had some other projects on the go (go figure) but was ready to get at them recently. When choosing yarn, however, I lamented that the stuff she'd chosen was acrylic and therefore wouldn't be as warm as wool. "Oh, warmth doesn't matter, Mommy," she said. "I want these for playing Superhero in the basement." Alrighty, then. At this point I stopped caring about quality of execution and focussed on completion - mostly so I could get these off my list and move on to the next. She's delighted, nonetheless, and she even wore them to school today - presumably to play Superhero at recess.
Pattern: mostly of my own devising
Yarn: Two different chunky weight acrylic yarns from my stash (leftovers from her poncho, actually)