Stitch by Stitch: knitting Project 1

Project 1 is progressing, in spite of my mistakes.  I'm past the first horizontal border of garter stitch, and now into the "adding textural interest" phase.   My self-calculated pattern was to have a garter-stitch border on either side 20 stitches wide, then alternating squares or rectangles (would decide when I got to them and saw how they looked) of stockinette and garter stitch.  This would provide plenty of garter stitch to make the blanket lie flat, but with stockinette to vary the texture and the way the color looked.  
Here's the way the whole thing looks right now; these pictures were taken near sundown outside.  Full width, 40 inches.





To the left is the garter stitch border, below is the horizontal (top or bottom) garter stitch border, and the next section to the right is also garter stitch.

And here is the mistake-turning-into-something-interesting:


 
I'm now nearing the end of my first ball of yarn, and although there are plenty of mistakes, I think Project 1 is going to end up as a perfectly usable item.  I've recovered my rhythm for knit stitches, am beginning to pick up a rhythm on the purl stitches, and have learned a lot about the vagaries of circular needles.  The long uninterrupted knit-rows of the garter stitch top border--180 stitches--really helped with the recovery of a nearly-forgotten skill. 

Still have no idea how long it will take to finish Project 1, since I have other things that must be done or else, but I'm now taking the knitting bag with me and managing to knit a row or so while in situations where I can.