In that Regard...

When folks I know and love find out they’re having a baby, I quickly get started with my super special baby gift. I have to get started early because my special gift is time-consuming. Lots of people I know crochet or quilt baby blankets or booties. Some people make special baskets or towers of gifts. But, I discovered something unconventional from the retro October 1986 edition of The Workbasket I found at my mom’s house a couple years ago. It was a pattern for needlepoint baby blocks, complete with stuffing and jingle bells.

Needlepoint refers to several kinds of crafts with a needle, but this one in particular is the craft of using plastic open-weave canvas, a large needle, and yarn. Typically, this craft produces the type of tacky treasures you would find in grandma’s house. But, I found this pattern so interesting and different that I had to give it a try. After tweaking the pattern over the years, I think I’ve finally got it about perfect. The amount of some colors didn’t make sense and some of the pictures on the blocks were hard to decipher. I think every set I’ve made have been different in some way from each of the others. So, I took away a little here and added a little there and have come up with, what I think, is a one-of-a-kind treasure for moms and babies.

The project itself is fairly easy and inexpensive, but the time spent laboring (pun intended) is priceless. My best estimate is a total of 26 hours. I actually really enjoy needlepoint but haven’t come up with very many projects that aren’t hideous. I don’t know how many poorly made mini-trunks my mom ended up with when I was a kid. You gotta start somewhere, right?

Just in case you were wondering, these are available for purchase, really. However, you must place your order two years in advance (you know, cause you can like, predict that sort of thing)…