Knitting for babies redux

Some friends of mine are expecting a baby boy in January, so of course I was planning to knit something. The question is, what?  Because fresh as I am from the baby cardi it took me six months to produce, I'm torn between

Oooooh, new baby - must knit!

and

Oooooh, new baby - off to Baby Gap!

Since the baby isn't two for another two and a half months I've been putting off committing to a pattern.  I did design a blanket in my head for a project, but I'm not sure I have time to knit a whole blanket given everything else that goes on here, so I'm trying to avoid thinking about that.

Panic: on the weekend I was invited to a shower for the baby.  Which is happening this weekend.

Disclaimer: I responded to Panic by heading straight for Baby Gap.

And now I am reminded that two and a half months that have Christmas in the middle are the knitting equivalent of two and a half weeks, and I gotta get going.

I fell in love with and have been obsessing about a little vest I saw on Amanda Soule's blog - scroll down at the link - called In Threes.  Prepare yourself for a lot of Ravelry links by the way, with apologies to those of you who are not Ravelry members - a lot of designers offer their patterns though free downloads there and there's no other way to link to 'em.  I linked to blogs where I could.

Back to In Threes: this little sweetie is essentially the baby cardi I knit last time, but in one colour and without the sleeves.  I can think of all kinds of reasons a mother and baby would love this garment, mainly to do with the extra layer of squish and soft under the mum's hand and the core warmth for the baby, who is free to suck his or her hand and flail around generally.

But... well, I took it over to Knitting and Tea and Cookies and we agreed it's really more girl than boy.

Now, Pebble does not have the girly problem to worry about, and it looks like a superfast and extraordinarily sensible knit.

Except... well, the multiple-time mothers at Knitting and Tea and Cookies pointed out that buttoning up that many buttons is a crazymaking exercise.

Hert kindly suggested Kelly Brooker's Newborn Vertebrae, which is a long cardi without the front - or rather just enough front to stay on.  Fast and sensible for putting onto a baby who is clutching onto your body and needs just a warm back.

It's just... I'm not 100% in love, and I'd like to be if I'm going to not knit other things to do it.  You know?

Mamie1 has had speed and success with the Owlie Sleep Sack, and I was sold on that instantly because it's adorable.  And functional! because you can tuck a baby up in it now, then use it as a surprise bag for stuffies and other toys later.

Then I noticed the big disclaimer at the pattern site that says this sack is not for sleeping in, for safety reasons.  Well, yes.  And now I'm thinking, why tempt fate?

Finally I thought to check my own library for baby patterns, and remembered how much I like the Baby Soft Cardigan from The Knitter's Book of Yarn.  It's got the kind of sleeves I invariably sew in lumpy... but it's a fast knit.

Oh dear, what to do.  Other than Baby Gap again, I mean.

(Maybe a few pairs of Kelly Brooker's Vanilla soaker pants?  Because regardless of what sort of diaper goes underneath, they'd be awful cute.)