New Knitting

I have started a couple of new projects recently so I thought I'd share them!  After finishing Mickael's mitts, I needed another small project to work on, so I cast on a pair of socks.  These are the Mermaid Avenue Socks knit in Dream In Color Smooshy in Milky Spite.  The pattern is fun to knit and easily memorized, but it doesn't grow vertically very quickly.  Blocking will help some, but it's also just part of the stitch pattern.  I don't think I want to continue the pattern down the foot (I think the texture might bother me in a shoe), but I don't want to just quit at the ankle either.  I've got an idea, but until I know if it's going to work, I'm keeping it to myself.

The other project I just started is a shawl for ESK's fourth quarter Craft-A-Long.  The theme is lace knit in Aran weight yarn or heavier.  I've got a couple of projects planned for this quarter, but this is my first one.  This is This Too Shawl Pass in Cascade Eco Plus in Blackberry Cordial.  I'm loving the pattern and it's fun to watch it grow so quickly in this thick yarn. There's a little bit of lace on the wrong side, but it's easy and so far I'm not having any trouble knitting this while I watch TV.  The finished shawl is going to be gloriously snuggly!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!