Exciting knitting

I have a lot on the needles right now. So much for my resolution to have 2 things on the go at any one time - a lace project and a sock project. But I'm really enjoying almost everything I'm working on, with the exception of the test knitting project. The yarn for that is simply awful, and I am getting to the point where I simply can't work on it. I really should just frog the whole thing and start over in a different yarn - something animal instead of vegetable this time. Warning: doing cables with very splitty yarn is not a good idea! Said splitty yarn is very gorgeous however, so  I've been using it for other things. I decided to try it out crocheting, and found it to be surprisingly easy to work with. I actually finished this scarf, called Queen Anne's Lace (ravelry link) at the beginning of April, and was so pleased with it that I'm considering making another. I have enough yarn for it, certainly. It reminds me of ocean waves, with the blues and the greys seeming to crest together.

But I digress. What I'm really enjoying making is my second pair of socks, after the first turned out so well. I've chosen a pattern from Knitty called Spring Forward, a lacy sock that is proving easy and fast to knit. I'm breaking one of my sock rules and using a luxury yarn - merino and silk - with no nylon in it. Nylon is supposed to make the sock wear better and last longer. Heaven only knows how well these socks will wear, but I'm really enjoying making them. Pictures to come later, when I'm done with one of them.

Another surprise on my needles was a KAL called Morganna. It's a shawl designed by an Irish woman, and I bought the pattern as part of a charity drive to raise money for the Japanese disaster. It's a little slow going, since the rows are over 300 stitches long and there is cabling involved, but I love the yarn, a Blue Faced Leicester. It's a little darker than the picture shows, and will make a lovely shawl.

I'm making a long visit to my parents' home starting next month, and have planned out what I will be taking. I've put the patterns on my new Kindle, for ease of having them all in one place without papers getting all messed up while travelling. The Kindle is great for that kind of thing. I have one shawlette to work on, and several pairs of socks - I'll most likely take the lace project I started awhile ago. It's a stole that's knit in the Orenburg tradition, and while it's dead easy it's going to be absolutely gorgeous. You can see, even unblocked, how intricate it's going to look. I think the cobweb yarn that I picked rather because I liked the colour and the yardage was right is going to make another impact I hadn't thought of in making it look more delicate and airy. This makes me happy.

Gee, you think I like knitting lace? Oh yeah.