First FOs for 2007

My first FOs!

Two blankets... one for a little person and one for a big person, plus a whole lot of stash-busting! Little Person Reversible Blanket
Remember this? I still had odd balls of orange, pink, green, yellow, lavender left over and another baby blanket deadline. With the aid of the knitting machine, I whipped up the random stripes blanket in a few days. Then, I hand knitted a picot edging and sewed a flannel lining. Although the lining acts as a cosmetic enhancer to hide loose ends, I actually spent time weaving them in! Now my friend HK's newborn daughter has a new reversible blanket! The only complaint I have with the knitting machine is that it can only handle a maximum of 100 stitches (without purchasing extra hardware). Luckily, 100 stitches is satisfactory for a baby blanket.
Big Person Blanket
Someone asked me when I buy sale yarn whether I have a project in mind. I do, sort of. I google like mad until I find the perfect project, then I buy the suggested number of the recommended yarn or calculate yardage for substitution yarns. :) This blanket is an example of those. I had a bag of frogged Patons Shetland Chunky recycled from a previous project. When Lewiscraft had their liquidation sales, I found this pattern online, and I knew it was the perfect way to get rid of old yarn while maximizing a good yarn sale! It's machine washable and a super quick knit, which are all added bonuses.

I modified the pattern. Instead of continuing the garter stitch border along the sides while knitting the body, I picked up and knit the garter borders for the sides after I was done. I think it looks cleaner this way. Stashbusting Meter:
Little Person Blanket:
Bernat Berella orange, yellow, pink, green, lavender left overs from Bernat baby blanket kit.

Big Person Blanket:
4 skeins Shetland Chunky (green), 4 skeins Patons Divine (frosted green 06206), 4 skeins Patons Divine (soft slate 06044)