Time to pick up the sticks

I know a couple of ladies who will be having babies in the next few months.  My go-to gift has become knitted baby blankets.  I just bought some yarn and I'm anxious to start on my favorite blanket pattern.  The next blanket I'll be making is for a boy.  After using a non-traditional tweedy yarn in a taupe color for a recent baby girl blanket, I really think stepping outside of the pastel pink, blues, yellows and greens makes for a unique, heirloom-quality piece. 

The mom-to-be mentioned her nursery theme and said there were different shades of blue in the palette.  When I was out shopping at Pat Catan's, I came a cross this yarn in a really mutted shade of blue.

Vanna's Choice in Dusty Blue by Lion Brand

I really like the color and the feel of this yarn.  I really think the color will transition well from infant age through the terrible two's and beyond.

So, now I just have to locate my #9 circulars and get started.  I think her due date is in April, so the shower has to be right around the corner.

Baby Blanket Gift: The Finished Product

I finished knitting the baby blanket a while ago, but forgot to share pictures.  The final product turned our really nice!  It was one of about 6 or so hand-knit or crocheted baby blankets Erin received at her shower.  (Lucky girl, huh?)

Here it is in all of it's completed glory:

Baby Blanket Progress!

We've been working late into the night on our house lately.  We really want to get if finished as soon as possible, and there is still a ton (seriously, a whole heck of a lot) of work to do before we can move in.  Our weekday schedule consists of our 45 minute commute, a full day at work, a 45 minute drive back and a quick dinner before we head over the the house and work for 4 or so hours.  Weekend time is split between home improvements and trips to the home improvement store.  I see yard sales everywhere, but have to use all my will power to stay focused on the task at hand and not stop and waste time.  (Although, in my book, a yard sale is never really a waste of time.)

I realized on Sunday that my friend's baby shower is about a month away.  I put a good week in to knitting that baby blanket when I first started, but was not near finishing it.  I found that I can get some solid knitting time in during our daily commute if Chris drives to work.  Just yesterday, I added about 6 inches to the blanket.  Not too shabby!

Here are some photos of my progress.  I'm about three-quarters of the way finished.

This one better shows the seed stitch border and the contrast between the knit and purl stitches.

Right now, I'm in good shape to have this thing finished long before the shower.  Maybe I'll even have time to knit up a matching pair of baby booties!

Project Baby Blanket

One of my friends, Erin, is having a baby! She and her husband are expecting their first little bundle of joy in November and I'm so excited for her!

They found out at their ultrasound appointment that they are expecting a girl, and Erin has already set a theme for the nursery. (Ladybugs!)

I've decided that, aside from what I'll purchase for the baby from the registry, I would knit a baby blanket for her. The shower will be in October (I'm also making the cake) and I wanted to get started on it now while I had some extra time. With most of the projects Chris and I can tackle for the house currently on hold until we have some work done to the walls and plumbing, I figured now would be a great time to get started.

When my sister was expecting my niece, I whipped up an acrylic yarn version of the Big Bad Baby Blanket, a pattern featured in the first Stitch'n'Bitch Book by Debbie Stoller. I used a pink yarn with specks of blue, purple and yellow and the end result was a cute blanket with a tweed look!

I've decided to use the same pattern because I love how the pink one turned out and I wanted something easy enough to work on while watching TV.

For Erin's baby's blanket, I purchased Lion Brand's Baby Soft in Cream:




The project calls for knitting with two skeins at the same time, so I picked up four skeins at Michael's yesterday while they were on sale. (2/$7.00) I also bought a pair of size 9 bamboo circular knitting needles for the project.

Even though the pattern calls for wool, I chose the acrylic yarn because I want the blanket to be easy to clean. I would hate to invest all of my time (and money!) on a wool blanket and have the parents-to-be accidentally wash it the wrong way and ruin it. I used acrylic on the first one I made and it's still going strong and looks great.

After working on it last night for about 30 minutes and during my lunch break today, I've only finished 12 rows of seed stitch. (126 stitches across) I have to complete 20 rows before I can move on to the much easier stockinette stitch pattern that makes up the bulk of the blanket. I'm hoping to finish the last 8 rows of seed stitch tonight. The seed stitch serves as the border in this adorable baby blanket.

Here's my progress so far:





So, that 1,512 stitches finished so far and about 18,648 to go!