Felix

First, I wanted to thank everyone for all the recent comments.  I'm doing my best to keep up with reading comments and others' blog posts but I haven't been responding because I'm hoarding my internet.  I've mentioned before that we don't have real internet here at my mother-in-law's house.  We use jetpacks and they have a very limited amount of data.  Our phones are fairly limited too.  Anyway, the internet is a precious commodity around here and well, I goofed.  I goofed big time!  I thought I was downloading a few pages but it turned out to be a HUGE, giant file and it used up half my data for the month.  So now I'm hoarding what little bit I have left.  February 3rd, when it resets, is a loooong ways away.

Anyway....

I finished the Felix pullover and I absolutely love him!  I've worn him twice although I never blocked him.  He fits perfectly.  He's nice and loose without being sloppy and he doesn't have that weird, overly large underarm where you can feel your arm skin touching your chest/rib/breast/under arm skin.  That ragland sweater that I've knit over and over again has that weird, overly large underarm thing.  Felix also looks good dressed up with a skirt or down with jeans.  I'm really, really happy with him!

I'm so happy with him I immediately wanted to start another.  He takes bulky yarn though and I don't have any in the stash.  Gasp!  I know!  How crazy is it that I don't have any bulky yarn in the stash pile?  Actually, it's not that crazy because I don't like knitting with bulky yarn.  It makes my wrists and fingers hurt.  But oddly, the bulky Wool of the Andes didn't bother me at all.  Even on days where I knit for four or five hours without stopping even for a bathroom break, I had no wrist pain at all.  So now I'm wondering - was it the yarn or has my carpal tunnel issues magically disappeared?

Anyway, I'm left wanting to knit another.  But I also don't want to buy any more yarn.  I know - another Gasp!  I had to resort to using yet another giant Rubbermaid bin to hold my stash and well, I'm determined to use up some of that yarn before I buy any more.  Having to store half my clothes (and it's not like I have that many) in our storage unit to make room for the yarn was a bit of an eye opener.  I just might have a yarn addiction.

No Chicken Here!

 So, yeah.  I'm 99.999% positive I'm jinxing myself but...  

I won't be playing yarn chicken with Felix.  I was a tiny bit worried when I got down to the waist ribbing on the body that I might not have enough yarn.  Actually, "worried" is probably too strong of a word for what I was feeling, but I was concerned enough to knit a sleeve before I knit the body's waistband.  I'd rather have a short waisted sweater than one who's arms are too short.  Having freakishly long monkey arms, I have spent my life with sleeves that were too short.  I will never, ever, no matter how bored I am with a project, intentionally knit the sleeves too short. 

Anyway, I put the body on a holder and knit a sleeve.  Well, almost a sleeve.  I have one more decrease row repeat and the cuff to go.  But the point is, I will have plenty of yarn.  Thank goodness, because my big ol' belly hanging out of my super cropped sweater would not be a good look.

And yes, I am knitting that sleeve on the world's worst plastic dpns.  Ugh! I really despise knitting on plastic needles.  Specially these.  I have no idea where they came from.  They've just been in my needle stockpile for as long as I can remember.  And they have a 10 cent price tag on their storage case/envelope/pouch... whatever you call that thing that dpns always come in.  These needles' only saving grace is that they are ten inches long which means I could practically knit an entire sweater body on them without concern of over crowded stitches.  I will never, but I could if I wanted.

Why am I going on and on about my hatred of that set of plastic needles??  Probably because I have a headache and am feeling grumpy.  I have the headache and feel grumpy from lack of sleep.  I didn't sleep last night because...  

Wait for it - I have THE best daughter in the world!  She gave me a set of Gilmore Girls DVDs for Christmas!  I'm SO freaking excited!  I just love Gilmore Girls!  I love Gilmore Girls possibly even more than I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I think we all know how I feel about that show!  Anyway, it was the best Christmas gift ever and I've been staying up late binge watching it every night.

And last night, after staying up an hour past bedtime so I could finish a season, I stayed up another hour to that I could finish reading If the creek don't rise by Leah Weiss.  (Okay grammar/editor geeks - should I have capitalized that title?  It's not capitalized on the book so I didn't but now I'm wondering...)

Anyway, it was an interesting read.  I can't quite bring myself to say I "liked" it because it was kinda awful.  Not awful in the way it was written or the way the story was told, but in the way Appalachian life can be pretty awful.  The story was full of abuse, both sexual and physical, extreme poverty and prejudices.  It was sad and pathetic but also truthful.  I'm glad I read it and it did have a bit of a happy, surprise ending.

If the creek don't rise also made me reconsider my charity knitting goals for 2021.  I may have to go find a charity group that donates specifically to Virginia's Appalachian folks instead of the groups I normally knit for this year.

So, what are you knitting?  Reading? Binge watching? And if you knit for charities, which ones?

Oh, by the way, I'm going to try something new.  Assuming I can remember to do it, I'm going to start listing available links to things mentioned or pictured in my posts at the end of each post YouTube style.  I frequently see things in other knitting blogs that I feel the need to rush out and buy/investigate and I thought you might feel the same.   

Links:

Felix Pullover pattern

Wool Ease Bulky weight yarn

Hero vintage plastic dpns

If the creek don't rise by Leah Weiss

Gilmore Girls complete set

Felix

I wasn't sure I'd get the opportunity this year so I was quite excited to start my #ChristmasEveCastOn project.

And yes, I'm well aware I should have been sweeping rather than knitting but I'm a knitter.  I have priorities.

It's quite amazing how quickly a bulky sweater grows!  I'm knitting a Felix Pullover.  I may regret not knitting the cardigan version but hey - it's knitting up so quickly, I can easily sneak a cardigan into the knitting schedule.  I'm using Wool of the Andes Bulky.  It's a first for me.  I generally don't knit with bulky yarns because they make my carpal tunnel flare up but so far, so good.  The knitting is going so quickly, I think I'll finish the sweater before the carpal tunnel issues have a chance to kick in.  Knock on wood!  

Besides how fast it's knitting up, I'm also surprised how much softer/less itchy the bulky yarn seems to be compared to the regular worsted.  The worsted doesn't usually bother me, but I can already tell that this bulky feels different.

So, what are you knitting now that the Christmas gift knitting season is over?  I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing about everyone's projects.