Baby Steps

I can't get this post to come out the way I want with the pics, so I'm going to split it up by topic. So here goes...

I started a baby blanket to give to my cousin Elizabeth. She knit Malcolm a baby blanket -- his first handknit item -- and I'd like to return the favor before or near her April due date.

It's 32in worth of cast on stitches (140 to be exact) on a Size 8 Addi Turbo 40in needle. I'm using TLC Cotton Plus yarn, which I actually really like for its softness. I know, it's Red Heart, but I'm only a part-time yarn snob. The good thing is the softness, the bad thing is...the stitch definition. You can see all the wonky parts a little too well, as the photo illustrates.

The pattern calls for alternating blocks of garter stitch and stockinette stitch with a garter stitch border. It's from the Fall 2005 Knit It! magazine.

I actually am using Combination Knitting in this project. As you can see in the first block, my knits and purls were different sizes, so there's some rowing out on the stockinette blocks. But then I switched to Combination purling, just remembering to knit into the back of the stitches coming back across the row, and voila! Much more even knitting without twisted stitches. Bless you, Annie Modesitt!

In other baby news, Malcolm got an A+ at his doctor's appointment the other day. He's now 26 and 3/4 inches long and 16 lbs. 11 oz. Percentile-wise, he's small to average, but I have a feeling he'll be catching up soon. He also did very well with his next 5 immunizations. I think Oren was more bothered by the process than Malcolm.

Monday will be Malcolm's first night with a sitter too! My knitting projects class starts then, and as soon as I get some feedback on my gauge swatches, I'll show off photos of my yarn. Oh, and the baby too.