Still Kinda Itchy

February isn’t my favourite month. I know that at least in theory it’s got a few decent attributes and is nice and short and I understand that a lot of people like it because it is simply not January, but I just don’t care for it, and this year… even less. There’s no Madrona to see my friends at, there’s still an International Travel advisory, Joe’s arm is still broken, Elliot’s not yet eligible for a vaccine, and it is really, really cold and just keeps snowing and snowing and snowing.

I had a bit of a think about that, and decided that no matter what February’s intentions for gloom are, I am not buying a ticket on its dreary train. It can snow all it wants, I am planning beautiful dinners and buying flowers and pushing back against this abbreviated annoyance of a month and also? I am knitting whatever the hell I want and embracing the little seed of startitis that’s lurking around, and I’m just going to cast on whatever I want. Why not. It makes me happy and I have lots of needles.

I finished Elliot’s sweater – as a matter of fact I finished it two and a half times. The first time I almost finished it I had the body done and one sleeve, and I popped it over his head for a quick check, and it was too short in the body and the arms. I took it off, pulled back the ribbing on the sleeve and the body and added another few centimeters. During this time his mother and I both measured him multiple times and were completely reassured that it would fit, which… it did not. It was still way too short in the sleeves, so I can only assume he grew faster than I could knit, which is a shocking thought. The whole thing was way too nice a sweater to be unhappy with it, so I pulled back the ribbing again and added a nice generous amount, and finally… success. It’s warm and cozy but lightweight enough for everyday, and Ellie chose the button himself. (Not shown, but it’s yellow.)

Pattern: Anker’s Shirt, Yarn – Holst Garn Supersoft in “Ember” leftovers from Ken’s sweater.

I finished Alex’s socks too, but handed them over without taking a picture, I’ll get one soon. The only thing I didn’t finish before I decided to scratch my startitis itch any way I want to, was Joe’s socks, but I did start them and that’s good… right?

Yarn: well aged stash – maybe Into the Whirled? Pattern is Colsie

Once I felt like I had done my duty (sorry Joe, but in my defence I have literally been your right hand for a month) I turned me and every little whim I had free on the stash. In my first attempt to bring joy to February – I got out a kit that I bought at the Knitter’s Frolic years ago – for Shorescape. I spent a good chunk of time arranging the gradient skeins to amuse myself, and then cast on.

It’s beautiful and I love it and it’s knit on 2.75mm needles and for some crazy reason, that didn’t quite do it for me, so after a little bit…

Lichen and Lace 1ply merino and marsh mohair in “Rhubarb”

I found some other yarn in the stash and it was so pretty and so spring-like and so I cast that on for a Rock It Tee– and started knitting the heck out of it until I sort of started to wonder about a mohair summer knit and if that and menopause are really a thing? Anyway, I decided the answer to that question was rather inexplicably more, not less, so I ordered more of that yarn and I’ll give it 3/4 length sleeves but that didn’t seem pressing anymore, I mean… I don’t even have all the yarn so…

Indiogodragonfly Targhee nylon sock in “Electric Heel”

The last time Meg and I were at Indigodragonfly, I saw these two skeins of robin’s egg blue yarn with fun sprinkles on it, and knew it had to be a sweater for Ellie. Soft, cozy.. it’s destined to be a Flax Light.

Then suddenly last night I was knitting along on that, and looking at the mohair and thinking about the cardigan and noticing Joe’s socks and an urge came over me, I put down all four of those projects and sighed deeply in their general direction, then got an idea, and made this.