Crochet Gift

This week I am working on a crocheted gift for my niece-to-be.  My brother and sister-in-law are expecting a little baby girl (the first baby for my siblings) and asked if I would make them a baby blanket.  I learned to crochet when I was 13 and have made several large intricate blankets for myself and family members.  I decided that this time I would to try to make a snuggly stuffed animal/security blanket instead.  Enter this pattern.  It's adorable, it's pink, and my sister-in-law loved the idea.  Having never made a stuffed animal before or worked with so small of a hook, I have to admit that it was a little harder than it looked.  

In progress:

The final product:

I think it turned out ok!  I ran out of pink yarn so I couldn't do the outside row in pink like I wanted to initially.  If I make another one, I will change a few parts of the pattern.  I do not like that with the current pattern there are sc2tog stitches on the front of the face.  While reducing stitches are necessary to make the bottom part of the face curve in to close, I think that having such stitches on the front of the face are noticeable.  I would have preferred to hide them a bit better.

The stuffing is inside a cotton fabric lining so that the baby can't pull any out to eat, it is machine washable, and the face is made with yarn instead of buttons so that nothing can be eaten.  Hopefully they like it!