"Along"-itis

I have had several large long standing projects that haven't changed much in appearance recently, so I won't bother talking about them today.  Instead I want to talk about the two "-alongs" that I have been prodded by lately.  The first was the Color Affection Shawl KAL being run over on Crafts from the Cwtch.  I really loved knitting my first Color Affection Shawl and thought at the time, I would probably be knitting another one some time.  Seeing the lovely versions being created in the KAL made me want to get knitting.  I decided to order some yarn from The Yarn Yard as there was a special discount being offered in May for one day only.  I ordered two skeins of the 100% Merino Superwash from her Dye to Order Range.

The yarn finally arrived today as there had been a backlog created by the enormous take up of the hefty discount (23%) offered on that one day.  The yarn was worth waiting for.  It's lovely and sproingy!  The two colours I chose were:

Garden Shed, and

Waverley.  I bought these two colours as they are both really interesting semi-solid neutrals.  I thought I could then add one more sock yarn from my stash to make the shawl.  Then I spotted a couple of fantastic yarns on eBay.  Old Maiden Aunt 4 ply weight yarns from a knitter who was destashing.  I managed to snap up these two bargains:

50% Superwash Merino/50% Silk in the Granny Sooker colourway.  I also got:

80% Superwash Merino/20% Bamboo in the Bitter Bug colourway.  Now I had a quandry about which yarns to use for my lovely new Color Affection.  I have finally settled on this combination:

I really love how there are tiny flecks of the olive green of the Granny Sooker hidden in Bitter Bug.  It's hard to see in this photo, but they are definitely there.  I think this will be another valuable addition to my vast shawl collection!  Now this yarn has arrived I will get the skeins on the winder and get cast on, well I will after I have finished the enormous shawl/blanket I've been working on since November 2011, which is soooooo close to being finished.

The other "a-long" I have been prompted into joining is the FreshStitches CAL.  I have bought the pattern and ordered the yarn.  I've decided to use the same yarn that I used for the Teal Bird - Sirdar Bonus Chunky.  It's 100% acrylic and dirt cheap!  It will also make a HUUUUUGE cow.  I am very excited about crocheting a large version of this pattern, because it is so cute, so I hope my yarn is quick.

So these two very different "a-longs" should be lots of fun.  I think making both of them will be satisfying and entertaining.