Baby knitting

I've been doing a lot of baby knitting recently. So far this has been for friends and relatives (I have a niece due in September), but, as is probably obvious in the photo below, I'm expecting a baby too, so it looks like there will be a lot more baby knitting in my future.

I haven't really started knitting for my baby yet, as it's not due until December, but this is what I've been making for the impending niece:

Ella Funt cardigan by Pamela Wynn. This is a really cute pattern, which I loved as soon as I saw it. It's a bit of a pain to get hold of, as due to the whole VAT mess thing, it isn't available as a download in the UK, and you actually have to go to a shop that supports Ravelry pattern selling and buy it from them, who will then put it into your Ravelry library. Fortunately it turned out that Iknit at Waterloo could do this, and I visited there whilst on the Fashion on the Ration outing so got my hands on it then, plus some balls of Debbie Bliss Baby cashmerino with which to make it. It's a fun little pattern to knit, and I love the elephants! The patterning uses some leftover bits and bobs of thinnish DK that I had lying around.

My brother and SIL really aren't ones for the whole pink/blue thing (well, neither am I for that matter!), but I thought they really should get something that was pink and sparkly, tee hee, so I found this pattern and yarn whilst on holiday. You can't really see the sparkle on it, but I promise it is... I'd forgotten what a pain it is knitting all the bits separately and sewing them all together at the end. So much easier to knit it all in one from the top down or bottom up. Don't think I'll be using this pattern again!

I haven't yet made up the little dress I'm going to make for the niece too, but that should get finished in the next week or so.

And, what am I planning to knit for my baby? Well, I've got a baby blanket half-finished so far, a really cute sheep tank top which I've already bought the yarn for and a puerperium to make too!

And my totals for July are looking pretty good, as I didn't buy any yarn that month, but I used up 728.5 metres. So, the running total for the year so far is 1355.9 metres more yarn used up than stashed!