Monthly Musings: February Edition

February adventures in reading, listening, knitting, and the latest from Storyteller Stitchery.

Feb 29, 2024

February may be the shortest month of the year, but I’m glad it is a leap year, giving me an extra day to post this Monthly Musings featuring February round-up of books, craft projects, and updates. There’s nothing like sliding in at the last possible moment before a deadline 😅.

We enjoyed a wonderful week-long visit to New York City at the end of January, for our first time at Vogue Knitting Live. The event itself was fantastic, and we also snuck in some sight-seeing, and enjoyed lots of good food and walking around the city. We were only gone a week, but I’ve felt like I’ve been trying to catch up since we got home! Partly due to usual household things like the heaps of laundry that pile up after a trip, and partly in trying to catch up on work things.

Here’s a round up of some of the best bits in February, and the small things I’ve been enjoying.

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Finished Objects (FOs)

This month I completed the very satisfying Sophie Scarf, by Petite Knits (pattern on Ravelry). If you are a knitter you’ve likely heard of it, and may have one (or more) in your own FO pile. It seems to be everywhere lately, and Ravelry has 16.3 THOUSAND projects documented! It is a popular one!

I can see why. It is simple enough to be an easy knit that doesn’t take much concentration. The pattern is simple and quick to memorize, and is small enough to knit up quickly, resulting in a fun and satisfying quick project! I cast it on during our last day at Vogue Knitting Live, meaning I had it to work on during the flight home.

Knitting the Sophie Scarf while flying home to Arizona, from Vogue Knitting Live New York.

The whole scarf took just half a ball of Storyteller Stitchery Folklore yarn, a DK Tweed merino yarn. I used color Dragon Rider for this scarf.

Current Projects (WIPs)

I cast-on a Dartmoor Sweater V-neck by Caidree (pattern on Ravelry). I’m using Storyteller Stitchery yarn - Mythic base and Romance base held double, both in the color Lovegood (named after our favorite Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood). The Mythic yarn is a squishy Aran weight British Blue Faced Leicester, one of my favorite wools to use in projects! It has a lovely softness to it without being quick to pill like many super soft wools can do, and it has a gorgeous natural shine to it. The Romance yarn is a suri-alpaca and silk yarn, and creates a lovely, cozy halo to the knit. Held together, they are the equivalent of a bulky weight yarn.

The pattern itself is an interesting construction. You start out by knitting a long i-cord, and then pick up stitches along the length of the I-cord. Knitting from the picked up stitches forms the back, and then picking up more stitches creates the shoulders, so the final piece will have a beautiful i-cord detail across the upper back. I love trying new techniques in projects, and this construction is certainly unique and not one I’ve tried before.

The little alpaca pictured above is one of our sweet Knitting Needle Point Protector & Stitch Holders. I’m loving this project and really enjoying seeing it come together! I’m also excited to have a V-neck sweater in my wardrobe. This is my favorite style of neck, though I don’t currently have any knitwear that is a V-neck.

Fiber Arts projects

I got a fun new fiber arts related toy.

A drum carder!!!

When I say that I’ve wanted one since 2007, I am not exaggerating. 17 years!

They are expensive and pretty bulky, needing a dedicated table space. Despite wanting one, I’ve always erred on the side of being practical and sticking to a smaller and easier-to-store blending board. I’m not sure how most folks store theirs. The teeth on the carding cloth are pretty sharp and the whole thing is pretty heavy, so I can’t imagine hauling it in and out of cupboard space. Not without a few injuries along the way. I decided to squeeze another desk into my office space to have a dedicated place for my drum carder and yarn ball winder. I opted for the jumbo wide version from Classic Carder. I am in LOVE!!

I dyed up some Rambouillet, Cheviot, Merino, and Firestar to play and make batts. It is just so much fun! Just look at these fluffy pillows of color and texture! Delightful. I’m not sure whether I will put batts in the online store, but I do plan to bring some to our in-person events.

Reads this Month

I’ve read a mix of fiction and non-fiction this month. Most have been in audio-book format. I listen while I’m in the studio, dyeing up yarn, fiber, and embroidery threads.

The Whalebone Theater by Joanna Quinn

I absolutely adored this book. It follows an eccentric family living in a country estate. It spans multiple decades, following Cristobal and her siblings from young children, as they create a theater from the bones of a beached whale. As they become young adults, the Second World War.

The Stolen Heir: A Novel of Elfhame Volume 1 by Holly Black

I really enjoyed the Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black. This book is a fairly short one, and picks up a number of years later. Oak is now seventeen and on a quest to save his father, along with Suren, the child Queen from the Court of Teeth.

If you haven’t already read the Folk of the Air trilogy, I’d recommend picking them up before starting this one. You could probably follow this story just fine on it’s own but there are lots of references to the first 3 books, and you’d miss out on much of the wonderful details that build the world of Elfhame that inevitably make this book more enjoyable.

Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap

Dunlap sees financial freedom as a form of rebellion against systemic inequality, enabling women to break free from financial dependence and pursue their own paths with confidence and autonomy. It offers practical strategies for women to take control of their finances, dismantle gender-based economic disparities, and achieve both personal and societal financial goals.

If you are looking for a book on saving for retirement or just generally learning more about managing your finances, it is worth a read or listen.