On the Double: Baby Blankets

About a week and a half before Christmas, my husband (inadvertently, in his defense) presented me with a knitterly dilemma. Through his work, he knows people the world over, and since he's been in his industry for nearly fifteen years, he's become close to many people that he may see only once or twice per year. That is why we can be surprised to hear that someone is pregnant with twins and due in eight weeks. That didn't give me much time to knit for two, especially given that twins come early an awful lot. Adding to the logic problem: the mother is currently in Germany, where her parents live, on bed rest, and the babies will be there for a couple months. But then they'll be in India, where the parents-to-be usually reside. That's a totally different climate. And twins could be small--or not. What size to knit for? What climate? Argh!!

I decided it had to be blankets--a one-size-fits-all gift. But given the climate differences, I didn't want to go heavier than sport/DK, so the blanket wouldn't be too heavy. And I wanted a luxury fiber. This woman, although I've never met her, is kind and generous and the type of person who sent my firstborn, when he was a toddler, a Ralph Lauren Polo button-down shirt and dress pants. (Yes, he wore them. Why not? What else to do with them? They certainly swanked up his typical Old Navy wardrobe.) She lives a sort of lifestyle I can't even imagine. I really felt I had to knit with as much luxury as I could swing, which is why I ended up ordering four skeins of Madelinetosh Pashmina, which is superwash merino, cashmere, and silk. Did I mention she's not saying if the babies are girls or boys or one of each? I tried to pick a buttery yellow, although it's a bit more gold, and a not-mint green. Actually, I love the green. It's "thyme." I covet it.

And finally, I chose a pattern, the Garter Rib Baby Blanket. I figured the yarn was so lovely, I could use a simple stitch pattern and let the yarn do most of the work. This was a smart choice, especially considering how badly the doxycycline prescribed for Lyme affected my ability to think. I've never felt so routinely stupid in my life, so it's a good thing this pattern was so simple. I'd have never gotten these done as quickly otherwise. I only changed the pattern slightly, casting on an extra six stitches to add to the width. I used a US size 7 needle, which helped in blocking--these each blocked out to about 24" by 36", and they are not at all heavy.

They are, in fact, gorgeous, if I do say so myself. And amazingly soft. The two skeins of thyme matched perfectly, but the winter wheat did not, and I knit that one first. I didn't alternate skeins at the join, and I wish I had. My husband swears it's not as noticeable as I think it is. I alternated skeins at the join for the green one, and of course it ended up not being necessary at all. Just can't win. Can't not mention it either, though. I think it's good, in the long run, that these blankets are flying to Germany soon, or the yellow one would plague me forever.

But really, skein join notwithstanding, I think they are fabulous blankets, a very fine solution to my knitterly dilemma.