A sweetheart blanket

I've been making a lot of baby blankets lately.  I think that's because they're simple in construction but not as large as a full blanket, so less materials and time are used.  Also, I think there's nothing more cute than a little baby in/with handknits.  Hats, blankets, buntings, sweaters, big flower headbands...they're all adorable. 

I am continuing to use some yarn that was given to me by Grandma.  I'll tell you right off hand that I dislike this yarn in this pattern.  As previously established, I'm anti-acrylic.  However, I had all this red yarn, and I found the perfect pattern for it: Babylove Blanket by Meg Hollar.

The yarn is Red Heart Baby yarn (a discontinued line).  It's a light fingerling weight yarn.  It would have been even more fabulous in a less-stiff yarn (the hearts would have stood out more).  But again, with acrylic yarn, you can't beat the ease of care and sturdiness.

This blanket took a LONG TIME to make - 3 months to be exact.  In my current workload, this translates to approximately 16-18 hours of solid work.  With 195 stitches on each row and 312 rows completed, I worked a total of 60,840 stitches in this blanket.  The hearts were fun to work, though, and broke up some of the tedium.

The final dimensions of the blanket: 32" long by 31" wide.

This blanket is going to a special couple.  They have been friends for several years, and are expecting their first baby, a boy.  They've waited for a long time to become parents, and Chris and I are so thrilled that they are getting their chance.  The hearts on this blanket represent only a fraction of the hopes and prayers that have been lifted up for this baby, and I hope it gets a lot of loving use.