WIP Wednesday

I'm still wrestling with the desire for a shiny new project, and I'm still looking through patterns. This morning it has been crochet patterns for a change. I went back through my issues of Interweave Crochet, so now I have even more ideas in my head for future projects. And there is definitely a shopping expedition planned for my day off on Friday!

But for today, I thought I would show you the 2 knitting WIPs that are getting the most attention this week. The first is the triangular scarf I started over the weekend. It is still a small triangle, but it should start to grow quickly:
I am using Plymouth Yarn Suri Merino, and the picture doesn't do the colorway justice. The yarn is a mix of blue/green and purple, and every time I look at it I think of Scotland. I've only been to Scotland once, when I was 9 years old, but I still remember seeing the land from the plane as we were arriving and thinking how it looked like a patchwork quilt - with large patches of purple and green. So this yarn is filling my heart with joy as I work with it.

The second project is one that I found while rooting around this weekend. I started this shawl quite a while ago, but then I stopped working on it because I wasn't sure I liked it. The lace pattern is so vertical that it's a little boring to look at. I also wasn't sure if I had enough yarn to make it the size I wanted, because it is about 2" wider than I had intended. However, I measured it again this weekend and decided that I do have enough yarn. And it is just so soft! The yarn is an alpaca, wool and cashmere blend from Elann. And quite frankly, the stitch pattern (called trellis lace) is boring because I wanted an easy lace stitch so that I could become familiar with lace knitting before I tackle a more complicated project. So I am very glad I never got around to frogging it, as I am really enjoying working on it again.