I have to agree with Ericka. Yes, you can think of it as boring, or you can think of it as soothing repetition. Not any more or less repetitive than cross stitches or needlepoint (although in either one there can be some interesting additional embroidery). And too many knitted and crocheted baby blankets aren't "fit" for a baby - too many holes to trap tiny fingers.
But is it any more boring than a ripple afghan or granny squares? Once you know a pattern, whether it's knitting or crocheting, you pretty much just keep repeating it over and over. :~)
I will admit wholeheartedly that the ground is boring. But it wasn't just meant to be plain. It was meant to be embellished in some manner. Though not always. In which case it was meant to be warm. Remember coal furnaces or simply fireplaces?
It works up fairly quickly. The tedious part is the embroidery on top. The ground is sufficient so that you can do surface embroidery and not be limited to cross stitch.
By the way: did you know you can make it look like knitting? There's a ton of different patterns you can make which I was unaware of until I borrowed an old book from the local library. That book has since disappeared and I would love to have it again.
Dianne