Despite the fact that today marked the beginning of my youngest son’s spring break, I was up early, and after I had had a cup of coffee, I had the luxury of time, which I decided to use to focus on the Little Boy Blue blanket I began in late February with the hope that by day’s end it would be “all done.”

Intended as a gift for the now two-year-old son of a friend from college, this project has been on my mind since before my friend’s son was born. While the project languished in the idea stage for at least two years, once I had decided what I would do and how I would do it, the project has not let me rest.

As of my bedtime last night, this is how much of the blanket I had completed:

and here is a photo of the progress I made between the hours of getting up and 11:00am:

I then worked to get this far before I would stop to eat lunch:

With three sides nearly done, my son and I then took the time to run a few errands, the last of which was a celebratory lunch to kick off his spring break and fortify me for my final push with the blanket.

I spent what remained of the afternoon making squares needed to complete the border, using a join-as-you-go technique to attach them to the last unbordered edge.

I took occasional breaks from the crocheting the squares to weave in ends, but throughout what remained of the afternoon, I barely looked up from my work, and then it was done: all of the squares that comprised the border were joined, their ends woven in, and trimmed:

I still need to give the blanket a good soak so that I can both properly block it and get out all of the pollen and cat hair that has accumulated over the past four-and-a-half weeks I have been working on it, but hopefully, my friend’s son will enjoy this blanket, and it will become an aid in helping him to get the rest a toddler’s parents so desperately need.

Little Boy Blue

Come blow your horn,

The sheep’s in the meadow,

The cow’s in the corn;

But where is the boy

Who looks after the sheep?

He’s under a haycock,

Fast asleep.

Will you wake him?

No, not I,

For if I do,

He’s sure to cry.