Sock progress

Travel followed by a cold: those are my excuses for no knitting news here, and not nearly enough knitting either. Oh, and the fact that it's Spring out there!
However, I can now report that I have turned the heel and started the ankle of my second sock of a pair using Wendy Johnson's Diagonal Lace pattern and Whimzy Pinzy's hand dyed wool free sock yarn in shades of (mostly) green.
More knitting later.

Ravelympics

I joined some knitting pals in Ravelry's Ravelympic challenge of completing one or more projects during the Olympics, with the following success:

Competing simultaneously in the Hat Halfpipe and also the Stash Compulsory Dance, I have turned yarn purchased at least 18 months ago into a hat:

And in the WIPs (Works in Progress) Dancing I have finally completed a languishing pair of socks:

 

Snowmageddon Happy Hat

The snow inspired me to get out some yarn that had been waiting for a project and use it to make this hat. The yarn is hand spun patchwork cotton from Folktale Fibers. The photo doesn't do justice to the happy colors! The hat is based on Cathy Carron's top down pattern Pat from her book Hip Knit Hats but obviously I didn't bother with a contrasting color for the brim.

I finished something!

 

Here is my rendition of the popular Springtime Bandit scarf/shawl pattern, made with Bonnie's Bamboo from One Planet Yarn and Fiber.

I've learned a lot making this and now view charts with something close to enthusiasm.

Lace knitting

 
After a recent knitting class where I learned to read charts in lace patterns, I'm making good progress on Kate Gagnon Osborn's Springtime Bandit I'm using slightly lighter weight yarn so it will probably turn out to be a scarf rather than a shawl.

Souvenir of Maine

When in Maine earlier in November I got some fluffy cotton yarn--Colinette Fandango, purchased at Heavenly Socks in Belfast:



Here is the resulting improvised scarf:

More sock yarn

I've fallen behind on posting the lovely recent additions to my Whimzypinzy sock yarn collection. Here they are:
Peacock-inspired:

The photo doesn't do justice to the subtle colors in this one, inspired by my photos of ferns, asters, butterfly, leaves:



Shades of green (had a name but I don't remember it)


I'm well stashed in preparation for my knitting group's planned "stash down" knitalong--no danger of a yarn shortage here!