WIP Wednesday: Staggered Squares Blanket

One of my works in progress, as there are many at the moment, is the Staggered Squares Blanket.  This is the second part of the gift I'm giving to my cousins who are expecting their first baby.  The other part is the orange-and-blue shelled Sheldon the Turtle.  

I usually crochet baby blankets, but I fell in love with this pattern.  I believe it is a Bernat patter that I got free from Michaels.  The yarn I'm using is something that I had in my stash.  It's an acrylic sport weight yarn that is VERY soft.  I was hesitant about using the lacy pattern with this yarn (even though this is one of the yarns that is recommended for this pattern) because I thought that the pattern might get lost among the colors of the yarn.  The larger it gets, the more I like it.  I'm knitting it on US 8s, which is making it go a bit faster than I anticipated.  I can do about 1 pattern repeat (16 rows) during my daily commute (8 rows each way).  I should have this blanket finished by the end of the month if I can keep this pace or make it a bit faster.

I also think that I would make this pattern again because it's fun to do!  I would also probably use a yarn that I could block--perhaps one of the sock yarns from Knit Picks.  I am really happy with this blanket--it is soft and light weight--perfect for this soon-to-come baby!