Doilies coming your way

I have taken up the grandmotherly art of crochet. Actually, my grandmother can crochet you under the table so don't laugh. (she sent us a really beautiful blanket when Lena was born.) I decided on crochet because knitting makes me angry, so I'm going with something I can do with less cursing. Unfortunately, I still mostly suck at it. I've made a couple hats - one for Lena and one for me. Lena will actually wear hers, but I think that's because she can't see it on top of her head. Also, she's a baby so I doubt she really cares anyway. I've also made a truly ugly scarf. For one thing - it's HUGE. I used a large gauge hook so the holes are bigger than they're supposed to be, but that's not the problem so much as the color. I started with cream, moved to maroon, ran out, and added blue. The pattern called for 240 stitches so it's like 6 feet long. I'll have to wrap it around my entire head so it doesn't drag on the ground. Also, as Jason has so kindly pointed out, we live in California so there's not much call for extra warm clothing. Even so, it's been a lot of fun. My goal is to crochet a not ugly baby blanket for my new neice or nephew. (this is my brother/sister-in-law's baby-to-be for those of you who may have thought Gina went crazy) Since Jared and Emily have taste, I think I'll go with something other than cream, maroon, and blue. If anybody out there crochets, I could use some tips.