knitted doll blanket

I'm slowly preparing for Madeline's first birthday.  She will turn one on August 9th.  I can't believe she is almost one.  It goes by so much faster with the 3rd!  That little knitting project I have been very slowly working on is finally done.  I made a small doll blanket to go with the baby doll I plan to make her.  I think she will also be getting a baby doll stroller if I can find a cute vintage one at the thrift store in time.

The pattern I used is this pattern from Lion Brand.  It has to be the easiest thing you could ever knit.  It took me a week because I have to get up to clean a spill, break up a brawl, rescue a baby from under a chair, and a zillion other things every 5 minutes but even so it was a breeze!  I made it smaller by using smaller needles and cutting my gauge down to 3X3. 

If you are interested in knitting and don't know were to start you should head over to knittinghelp.com.  I learned to knit 2 summers ago by watching the videos on this site.  The videos are fantastic!  Much easier than looking at pictures in a book!

I'm also going to be making this vintage doll for Madeline's birthday.  After we decided to adopt I went on a doll frenzy.  I just had to make a vintage doll!  However, like most things I set out to do, it never happened.  Life is busy right now and this lovely little doll just didn't make the list.  Not by me anyway.  A good friend made it for her daughter's first birthday last year and it turned out super cute!  She did however say it was a horrible pattern to work with.  Lucky for me she took notes of the changes she made.  Thanks Corey;)

She also just made these which I am madly in love with!

Don't you think the doll sort of resembles Madeline?  What's funny is she is exactly what I pictured she would be from the minute we decided to adopt and picked a name.  Looks, personality, the whole package!  God is good!