Here we have a wound-up hank of Malabrigo Sock in a delicious color called "eggplant" sitting atop a yarn cake of Araucania Ranco in a color that has no name. I've had the Malabrigo for a while because, well, I am weak when faced with anything "eggplant" -- positively helpless with "aubergine" -- take me, I'm yours (it seems to say to me).

 
I have been working on and off on Gretel.

Exciting, isn't it?

 
Yeah. I know I'll truly love it in the end, but the process... not so much that it's a black stockinette blob but, for me, that it's on circs*... is sooooo sssssllllllloooooooooooooww.

The first self-prescribed antidote to the black stockinette was a colorful lace shawl with which I couldn't be more pleased.

I've been feeling itchy. It's been quite a while since there's been any garter stripe action around here -- I'm perfectly fine if I never get over it -- so the second self-prescribed antidote is a Stripe Study Shawl.

I took that pattern with me to the UK as a possible project -- for either knitting or acquisition -- so it's been in the back of my mind for a while. One of my two remaining hanks of dye workshop yarn from Scotland came to the LYS with me last night as a contender, too. In the end, though, I decided on this combo; many thanks to Phyllis and Pam at Iris Fine Yarns for their assistance last night!

*I prefer straight needles, so I've begun Stripe Study on straights, and I will continue that way, adding more as required, for as long as I can... maybe even all the way. (I knit Cerasifera entirely on straights.) This works *for me* when it's a project that's knit back-and-forth; my pay-off is comfort... and speed.