Knitting is one of my favorite things to do in the world...but really, the only things I'm good at making are blankets (my baby hat was kind of a disaster and ended up looking more like a Bizarre Pom-Pom Elf-Cap). That's OK, though, because while blankets are pretty time-intensive they're also super relaxing to make once you get the hang of them.

All I did to make this blanket (which is being shipped off today to Morgan, who's expecting a daughter in just a few weeks) was cast on 100 stitches*, knit and knit and knit (no purling) until I had a 36" x 36" square (the typical size for a baby blanket), and then cast off. So easy.

The reason I chose not to knit-purl or create a pattern like I did for this basketweave blanket: when you choose a variegated yarn** (one that's dyed lots of different colors) like the one pictured here, the color variations basically create a pattern for you; there's no need to add any texture because it's visually interesting as is.