Whether your friends, the parents-to-be, are going to be parents for the first time or the n-th time, it is difficult to know that what you are buying for the child is not going to be a duplicate. An added complication is that not all parents-to-be would like to know the sex of their new baby, so it is pretty hard to get a gift for the baby shower or Christening (or whatever) and still feel sure that it will be appreciated.
However, there are some gifts that are unlikely to be duplicated and without having to spend a total fortune, a crocheted baby's blanket is one of them. If you have already gained the skills to create a crocheted baby's blanket, then all well and good, otherwise you have two alternatives: you can either learn and thus increase your number of skills, or you can pay for one.
Forty years ago and before, most women could knit and crochet and knew about yarns and threads and knitting needles. Unfortunately, the parents of the Seventies either did not learn these skills or did not pass them on in general, but knitting and crocheting are making quite a comeback now in the early Twenty-First Century. People are proud to own hand-manufactured items like crocheted baby's blankets.
One of the advantages of using modern yarns and materials is that the dyes are probable to be less dangerous than before, but you will still have to buy them from trustworthy suppliers to be absolutely certain.
Another benefit of a handmade item like a crocheted baby's blanket is that is probable to become a family heirloom. A handmade crocheted baby's blanket is certain to be appreciated because it was handmade and not shop-purchased. It is even better if the maker's name and the baby's name are embroidered on it too.
If you are a novice to crocheting a baby's blanket, there are a couple of items that you need to bear in mind with regard to the baby's safety.
First, select a tightly-knit pattern so that the baby's fingers and toes cannot get snarled up in the blanket. Second, the fabric or yarn ought to be soft, colour-fast, non-toxic and machine washable. Babies' blankets get dirty fairly often, so it certainly is a boon to have a baby's blanket that is machine washable.
Third, take the time to ask the parents-to-be if they have a colour plan or theme in mind for the nursery. Fourth, the blanket should be the right size. If your crocheted baby's blanket is to be used in a cot, then it should be the exact same size of the cot for safety reasons. If it is to be a general blanket, then you can make it larger so that it can be useful for longer.
Lastly, but not least important is to remember that babies teethe, so do not incorporate anything into your handmade crocheted baby's blanket if there is a chance of the baby choking on it, beads are a definite no-no.
More Information:
Owen Jones, the author of that article, writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with the
chenille throw blankets. If you want to know more, please visit our website at
Woollen Blankets.
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