I got bored of the shawl and so needed a distraction, and started on a pair of Wendy’s Toe Up socks.

A great, easy pattern that looks real sharp when done. I have finished the first sock and just finished the toe of the second one, and will probably use this pattern again if they feel good on my tootsies.
I used Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, in Purple Club. I really like the colors in this yarn, and didn’t have a sock in mind for it when I bought it. I had thought about doing Achim’s Sock, from the Knitting Curmudgeon’s blog, but since that ended badly, I didn’t want to walk around with socks named after a guy that disappeared because maybe I will lose the socks!
So, I decided to just give Wendy’s sock a try, with a simple 4×4 rib. I really hate all that switching back and forth from knit to purl, but do need the practice, so I decided to tough it out.
Speaking of switching from k to p, I started a Moss Stitch swatch in Cascade 220, to see if I can get a slightly larger than gauge swatch for Maidenhair. I really need a new cardigan because my favorite Land’s End one is on it’s last legs. I think I will do this as my next project, after the shawl is finished, which should be done by Halloween if my progress lately is to be believed.
But, I really need to work on my technique for k/p switching in a single row, because it makes my upper arms ache. I have been trying to purl from the front (going forward, I already do it all the time going backward and love it) but I can’t really get it going as well as I like. I may just throw in some rows of purls in the swatch so I can practice, I can tell I am way off gauge with this yarn anyway, so I may just do that instead of wasting the swatch.