Belle

I crocheted a blanket for FlapJilly.  Her mommy bought the pattern, which I'd seen but rejected because I'm cheap.  I bought the yarn at Michael's and, with all my coupons and their sale pricing, I spent less on the supplies than I did on lunch that day.

I made it five times; the instructions were more than a little unclear.  *I started, examined the results, pulled the work apart and started again* repeating the pattern between the *'s over and over and over again.  The mistakes only became clear as the garment grew.

It's worked with two strands of yarn at a time, which made unraveling it unnerving.  Tangles make me nutty, untangling reminds me of Tom Sawyer in drag, yet over and over I toiled, getting it right... or right enough.

And right enough it was.  Little Cuter had opened the packaging so extricating my gift was simple.  Folded in half, looking down at the roses, FlapJilly told her mother than It's a Belle one! as her father helped her put her arms through the holes.  It's open in the back, because it's a blanket, designed for snuggling, but for my favorite 3 year old it was the entree into Beauty and the Beast's world, complete with Dancing with the Daddy, not in his arms, but with Belle leading, holding her skirts, flouncing and twirling and doing just what she does in the movie.

I had the warmest cockles, denizens, the warmest cockles ever.