Operation: Dream Catcher

"I need a dream catcher. But I need it to be a blanket. Can you do that?"

I love a wacky request. And I really REALLY love this particular wacky request.

You see, this adorably spunky little girl has been having nightmares. And yes, she has an actual dream catcher hanging above her bed...but the idea for this blanket was to give her something to wrap herself in when she felt insecure and scared. To lay over her bed to keep those bad dreams away, only allowing the good to filter through.  Which, of course, is a really fun concept for a little kid.

Why hadn't I thought of something like this earlier? 'Cause you know I have to make up one for each of my own kiddos...

But anyway, aside from looking like a dream catcher, there were other criteria. It had to be round, of course. And colorful. Lots of blues and purples, with pops of pink and orange. It also had to be cotton.

Could this work?

I guess I was lucky to simply have an amazing pattern to work with. Last summer, I was going through a massive search for unique blanket patterns and stumbled across the Anya pattern by Goodknits.  It's essentially a really big doily. But what I like best about it, is that it really lends itself to different situations.

Need a summer throw blanket for your home or cottage? Grab your favorite shade of cotton (or acrylic) yarn and boom! you're good to go.

Need a pretty baby blanket? Sport weight and a smaller hook!

Want a child sized blanket that's fun and funky? How about a different color for every round?

Which is exactly what I did for this blanket.

Now, to be fair, I've seen this done before - different colors for each row - so it's hardly groundbreaking on my part.  But it gives a really cool effect.  And while I was skeptical about using cotton yarn (I tend to use acrylic for blankets), I love the drape. I love the weight.

I only wish it took a better photo! (Says the girl who took about 9,000 pictures of this poor blankie!)

Now here's hoping that it does it's job. *fingers crossed*