Presto Lentil's beginnings

Time to update on a little knitting I was doing mid February or so but as yet haven't uploaded the pictures to be able to post!

I am very excited to be gathering knitting patterns and ideas like a crazed bowerbird as a close friend of mine gave birth to a lovely little boy a few weeks ago!

All through his gestation Mrs Mum and Mr Dad took great pains to avoid finding out his gender. So being without pronoun they referred to him as Lentil! I thought this an absolutely adorable name, and have catered my first handknit for Lentil around his endearing nickname.

I've admired the Presto Chango pattern for a while, and when I looked at it again as I hunted around for more baby patterns, I decided the lace pattern on the front looked very much like little lentilly pea pods!

So when I ordered the yarn for Bink's wedding shawl, I added two skeins of Malabrigo organic cotton in a nice nuetral colour (at that point I didn't know Lentil was a Sir Lentil either!)

I knit up my swatch on 5mm needles and while I initially thought it was too gappy and loose, it proved to be just right when washed and blocked (yes I'm a very good girl with my swatches!)

So I've gone at it hell-for-leather (is that the expression?) and have now finished the back and knitting up over the shoulders, casting off for the neckline and have continued down the two sides. Now all that is left to complete is the front lace panel and Hey Presto! A magic lentil baby cardi :)

NOTE: This progress was all made while I was inbetween needles sizes on the shawl, hemming and hawing over how many repeats and what needle size would work best - so I wasn't technically being adulterous on the lace project at the time ;)