Pattern #1 - Jan 1st - 2nd

I was so excited when I saw the first pattern in the 2014 crochet calendar.  We are expecting baby #3 and as luck would have it, the first pattern was a baby blanket.  Not only that, we found out on Dec 30th that we were going to have a little girl so I knew exactly what color to use...PINK!!!  The pattern was, however, for a baby boy blanket done in a pretty pale blue but I couldn't get myself to make a blue blanket just 2 days after finding out we were having a girl.  It just wouldn't be right!

I immediately went to my local yarn store and found the exact brand of yarn the pattern called for in a pretty pink color.  There was only one problem...the pattern called for 4 skeins and there were only 3 skeins on the shelf.  So instead of bypassing my all time favorite color and choosing a different (less appealing) color, I decided that I could scale the pattern down a little and make 3 skeins work.

I started by making my initial chain shorter than what the pattern called for so that the finished blanket would still be in the right proportions.  Even after making the blanket smaller, the pattern still took me a total of 6 days to complete, which ate into my pattern #2 time.  In my defense, who can finish a whole afghan in 2 days while also working full time?  Please...

When I finished the afghan, I decided to add my own touch to it by sewing lace around the border to give it an even more girly touch.  I love the way it turned out and I know my little girl is going to look precious with it!

I will probably block it so that it lays nicely but I was anxious to show the end result.  What little girl wouldn't love this blanket?