And now for something completely different...

...an *almost* rabbit-free post.

Unless you're a friend of mine on Facebook or you've clicked on that link to the right that says "my crochet stuff on FB", you might not know that one of my hobbies is crocheting. I'm by no means an expert; I tend to stick to simple stitches and stitch combos and less complicated projects such as shawls/wraps/ponchos, afghans/throws/blankets, scarves and the occasional hat or bag. I usually go with other people's patterns from books or yarn labels, although I do occasionally come up with my own stuff. I'm very proud of my work, though, so I do like to show it off from time to time.

I recently finished three blankets for the next grandchild-to-be (my oldest stepdaughter is expecting a baby boy on or around Dec. 5th), although I had to wait until after her baby shower today to post this on the off chance that my stepdaughter reads this blog.

Blanket #1: My own design, "Yankees Pinstripes"--done in the NY Yankees colors of navy and white. Since my stepson-in-law is a Yankees fan like me, I had to encourage passing on the tradition. The yarn is TLC Cotton Plus, a cotton/acrylic blend (and let me say that trying to find navy cotton yarn suitable for a baby blanket at a reasonable price is a near impossibility--come on, yarn makers, what's the deal there?)

A closeup shot of the details: the bobble stitches are supposed to represent baseballs. If I'd had more time (and more skill), I would have tried to add the interlocking NY logo to the border, but just didn't feel up to the task this time. I'm definitely going to work on that when I get the chance.

Blanket #2: "Cauliflower"--this is a pattern from a book of baby blankets, and is one of the hardest patterns I've ever worked on. The pattern itself is relatively simple; figuring out what the heck the designer wants you to do is the hard part. I swear these patterns are written in Sanskrit sometimes.

Closeup of the details: the yarn is Bernat Cottontots in white. I love the softness of this particular yarn, so it's one of my favorite yarns for projects like this.

Blanket #3: "Striped Blanket" (that's the name of the pattern, not the description) --another pattern I purchased, although I used a different border than the original and chose to use one color instead of going with stripes. The funky stripe in the middle is what happens when you use variegated-color yarn and the pattern of the yarn colors is slightly off on one or two skeins. I had no idea that this had happened until I finished the blanket and was spreading it out to take a picture of it. Needless to say, I was not thrilled (and actually wish the funky stripe pattern was on the entire blanket), but what can you do?

A closeup of the funky stripe: The yarn is Bernat Cottontots in Sweet Dreams. This is a super-easy pattern, so it's great when I've got a last-minute gift to do. I want to do a full-sized version someday, it's a super-comfy blanket.

I'm currently working on creating a bunny square to use for a blanket, but it's not coming out as easy as I thought it would. I'll have more details in a future post.

I was planning on making this a completely rabbit-free post, btw, but Mr. Mick surprised me today while I was giving him his afternoon meal. Every day, I crumble up a couple of papaya tablets in his pellet mix. Many times when he's sticking his nose in my way and looking to get treats even after he's gotten his share, I'll offer him a whole tablet before it gets crumbled up. His usual response is to give it a sniff, then turn away, although he will eat the tablets once they've been crumbled into the mix.

Today, he's doing his usual poke-poke-nudge-nudge-c'mon, where's the treats? routine, so I hold out my hand with the two papaya tablets in it. To my surprise, he snags one and goes back into his cage, munching away. When he poked his nose out again, I offered him the other one, but that one was rejected. I guess any treat will do in a pinch if you're a desperate bun.