By the numbers

Time spent knitting: 3 months, off and on
Hours spent on this project: about 40
Finished size: 29" by 35"
Number of skeins used: 4.5, or about 1210 yards
Number of repeats: 30
Number of stitches, including cast-on and bind-off: 44,892
Number of cables crossed: 720
Number of cables mis-crossed, dropped down, and fixed with a crochet hook: 1
Number of days since the nephew was born: 26
Number of days I'd be early if the nephew had waited until his due date: 6

The pattern: Aran Blanket by Linda Daniels, from Knit Baby Blankets!
The yarn: The Leader Mill Ends and Closeouts, from Webs
The needless: size 5 straights
The verdict: Overall, this was a reasonable knit. Cables aren't my favorite thing, but this is what my SIL really wanted: a yellow, cabled blanket. And my mom likes cables less than I do, so I was volunteered for the job. The yarn is fine, and machine washable (this was the most important feature--yellow (as requested), and machine washable (as experience has taught me). I feel like a bit of a cheapskate, since the yarn was very, very, very inexpensive even before it went on closeout. It's a little stiff to knit with, although not nearly as bad as some acrylic, and it softened up a lot with the first wash. Because it's acrylic, though, the cables draw the center in enough to make the blanket less-than-square (I'd show you a picture but my camera doesn't want to talk to my computer right now). I'd rather have used superwash wool, but I know that my brother and SIL will wash this pretty heavily, and I'd rather not take a chance on it felting (like T's blanket, which I made out of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, bought at full price).