Scarf Pal Scarf Finished; Socks Begun

My ISE5 scarf is finished! I just can't believe how beautiful this scarf (Branching Out from Knitty)turned out after blocking. I hope my pal likes it! I've ordered some goodies to put in her package, and once they arrive, I can send this away before I get too attached to it! I was going to make a shawl with the remaining skein of Misti Alpaca laceweight plus the new Cherry Tree Hill Possum yarn I bought, but I may just have to make one of these scarves for me!

Now that the scarf is done and I know I will make the December 1 deadline easily, I cast on for my daughter's socks. She chose the skein of Sundara sock yarn in the Bird of Paradise colorway that's been in my stash for awhile. She had liked the Rainbow Socks pattern from Magknits, but I tried and tried and just couldn't figure it out. There is even an online tutorial for these socks--which led me to believe that it's a pattern that would have frustrated me and for which I'd have to concentrate heavily while knitting--that's not what I like in socks.

Since she doesn't like lacy or textured socks, that brought us back to plain stockinette, so I used my Sock Wizard software for the first time and figured out the measurements that way. Now I have a nice, mindless project, and I'll let the vibrant colors of the yearn do the work!