There are so many fine examples of girl power in literature. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, Elizabeth Bennett from Pride & Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Hermione Granger from Harry Potter, The Wife of Bath from The Canterbury Tales, Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter, Eowyn from The Lord of the Rings, Mulan... The list is endless and inspiring. While I always paid attention to strong female characters, I'm beginning to focus on it more since our daughter will be arriving in about a month. I want her to be strong-minded, to voice her opinions without fear of retribution, or forced to keep her statements to herself because of someone telling her "girls shouldn't have their own opinions." We speak to our son about strong male individuals often and I think it's important to give him role models who aren't only athletes and superheroes, but men who use their mind for the greater good.
One of my favorite female characters has been brought to the small screen recently. She's opinionated, she's strong, she's loyal, and she's a leader. Daenerys Targaryen from George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones (also a hit HBO show) commands armies, walks through fire, longs to be the leader of the Seven Kingdoms, and is known as "The Mother of Dragons," due to her three dragon companions (read more about her here). She's absolutely fierce and "mother of dragons" has become a pop culture phrase similar to being called a "mama bear" when defending one's children.
In honor of dragon mamas everywhere, I'd like to introduce the Mother of Dragons Baby Blanket. Designed to be knit by a busy mama, this blanket is knit piecemeal square by square and to invoke an old-world design with a modern twist. It's easy to throw enough yarn in your bag for a square or two when you have limited time and room, or if you're like me, grab it to work on any time you get a few minutes to get a few rows in. 16 squares will get you a sizable 40" x 40" sized blanket, and the slip-stitch crochet seams done on the wrong side make for quick finishing. Topped off with an effortless garter-in-the-round edging means it's simple to size the blanket up or down with more or less squares if you wish.
Knitting up on US 7s in the soft and bouncy DK weight Dragonfly Fibers Traveller in the aptly named Daenerys color way, this yarn is superwash and a perfect shade of purple to remain gender neutral. Children LOVE texture, and the ribbing, textured vine pattern, and yarn overs sandwiched between garter ridges done on the bias make it a blanket they'll drag behind them wherever they go for years to come. Work the whole blanket in this amazing shade or make each square a different color!
Unleash your inner dragon mama and start knitting! The Mother of Dragons Baby Blanket pattern is available for download here.