New Hooded Baby Blanket Pattern

I get so much satisfaction from publishing patterns.  Every time I publish one, I feel a surge of motivation and I tell myself that I need to set firm goals and get more done.  My good intentions are usually waylaid by general life stuff, so I guess I need to learn to coast on the high I feel when I actually do publish.

Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of small craft businesses?  I do all the time.  When I see a particularly great photo, I wonder how many shots it took to get that great one.  How many different set-ups did they try? Where did they find that model?  We in the crafting world have all had to become our own photographers and marketers which I always think is the hardest part.  I daydream about a magical intern who will do all my pictures and listings for me so I can spend all of my time designing.  Alas, it is all on me and not just me I fear.  When you are the offspring of a pattern designer, chances are about 100% that you will get roped into helping out.  

I have two son's, so they manage to escape quite a bit by virtue of being the wrong gender for much of what I make.  However, I am not shy about enlisting them for help. I have to giggle when I think that part of their childhood memories will be some of the weird things I have asked them to do for Wind Rose Fiber Studio. For instance, just yesterday, I had my 19 year old son hold a life-like baby in his arms so I could get a picture of my Hooded Baby Blanket for the pattern.  The poor guy had to sit there and play daddy with a baby doll and he was such a good sport.  I love my kids!

I guess I should share a bit about the pattern while I'm here.  I wanted to make something super soft and fluffy so people could use it as a prop for precious new baby pictures.  At the same time, I wanted it to be practical.  After toying with a few ideas, I remembered my kids old hooded bath towels and how cozy they were.  It was fun to wrap them up after a bath from head to toe and let them snuggle. I decided to make the same kind of thing only as a furry blanket. You can burrito up a baby with hood included or just use it as a nursery blanket. While the pattern is not difficult, it can be a challenge to work with fur yarn.  You need to be able to feel for where the stitches go, but as long as you are comfortable with a crochet hook, the Hooded Baby Blanket should be a quick and easy pattern.