Monthly Recap(s): January and February
- kniteweup
- Mar 8, 2020
- 5 min read
So this is a bit of a cheat. I've put January and February together for the monthly review because, well, I completely forgot to write up a post for January. And honestly, not that much happened during that first month of 2020, so probably better to blend it together with February... and since my December post was a year in review (read it here) I'll also include December's cast ons and reads below!
Most of December was spent frantically knitting up some gifts, only a few of which I actually managed to finish in time. In fact, one of the gifts, the Thousand Forests Socks, gave me so much grief that I ended up frogging them. I've cast on some old favourites, the Hermione's Everyday Socks, which will now be more of a mother's day gift than a Christmas gift...
One super fun knit I completed in December was this adorable toque for my German shepherd, Kirby. I used Nikki Atkins' Pointy Greyhound Hood as a starting point, and made some modifications (including ear holes) to fit Kirby better. My mods have been added to the Ravelry project page, but it still doesn't fit quite right, so I'll be returning to it and perfecting it at a later date.
The Sizzle Pop Shawl by Lesley Anne Robinson -- I have been thinking about this project since the summer, when my order for the gorgeous "Magpie" yarn from Grenouille Co. arrived. I was just waiting for the perfect contrast colour, which I found at Knit City: "Surf" by Hello Stella. This was my first selfish cast-on after Christmas! Almost exactly one month (and quite a few tears over the complicated brioche) later, and my favourite shawl to-date is done!
The Ripple Bralette by Jessie Maed -- You may remember my mentioning this cotton version waaaay back in this post, and then never mentioning it again. I finally brought it out from the WIP basket, where it was patiently waiting for me to get enough yarn to finish it off. It's a perfect fit, and so soft! I'll share some photos of it to my Instagram soon.
The Bubbalo Sweater by Sus Gepard -- I've had this sweater in my Ravelry favourites for so long! And then when Pickles had a big yarn sale, I couldn't resist snapping up the yarn for this cute sweater! I had originally thought I would go for a neutral sweater, but when I saw the soft warm pink "Daiquiri" colourway, I was sold. I'm making slow but steady progress on this sweater (knit bottom-up and flat) but I'm very excited to see it coming together. The alpaca blend of the thick Cozy yarn is super lightweight, meaning I'll be able to wear this sweater all the way into the start of summer!
The Cinnabar Sweater by Rachael Raimo -- This was another impulse cast on! I've been wanting a fitted, off-white sweater for ages (the only white and cream sweaters currently in my collection are pretty bulky) and when Rachael shared the fitted sleeve version of her latest design, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. I opted for some inexpensive wool from Michaels, and the Patons Classic Wool Worsted was the perfect option. It is surprisingly soft, and its low price made my bank account breathe a sigh of relief. It is knitting up super quickly! I'm very excited to finish this up and wear it.
December was a big push for me on the reading side of things. As I've mentioned before, I set my Goodreads Reading Challenge at 40 books; by the end of term I had read around 30 books, so I rushed to see if I could squeeze in another 10 by the end of the year (spoiler alert: I could not). I finished a whole bunch of half-read books, coming in at 34 books total by the end of 2019.
A quick review of the half-read books (most mentioned in past blog posts):
Diamond Grill by Fred Wah -- I highly enjoyed this book! It was beautifully written and engaging.
The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy -- A bit slow at times, but overall a gorgeously written novel that transported me to a different world. Some strong Poldark vibes at times, so if you're a fan of period dramas, try this novel on for size.
Child of Light: Mary Shelley by Muriel Spark -- I loved reading about Mary Shelley's life and the literary criticism that Spark included at the end of the biography.
I also read Embroidered Life: The Art of Sarah K. Benning by Sarah Barnes in December. This beautiful book, featuring photos of Benning's hoop embroidery, includes tips and tricks for fibre art, a look into Benning's creative process, and more. It's such a beautiful book and one that I will continue flipping through whenever I need a little creative kick.
2020 reads have so far been made up of university readings. These include a number of Restoration-era plays, which are... interesting (let's just say there is an abundance of innuendos). Apart from that, I've read a bunch of articles for my courses focused on decolonization and on reproductive politics. Those of course I don't count for my Goodreads Challenge, so needless to say I'm a bit behind on this year's count (which I set at a more manageable 36). I have, however, got a few novels on the docket so far...
Kindred by Octavia Butler -- This time-travelling novel was assigned for my reproductive politics course, and I really enjoyed it. It focuses on Dana, a woman in the 1970s who gets called back in time to a plantation in the antebellum South. I really enjoyed Butler's writing style and will definitely be looking into more of her books later.
Jane Austen and Her World by Josephine Ross -- I picked up this little biography while I was in England, and finally picked it up. It was fun to look into the life of one of my favourite authors, and it was a very quick read, perfect to pop in my bag and pick up while on the go.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen -- After finishing Ross' biography, I needed another book to keep in my bag for quiet moments; and who better to pick than the much-loved Austen?! So far I am really enjoying Nothanger Abbey and its gentle storyline of Catherine Morland's adventures in Bath.
So there you have it! Three months of knitting and reading condensed into one relatively short blog post; hopefully over the next months I will be more organized and blog posts will return to their regular once-a-month schedule. The next few months might see a decline in activity, as my final semester of university picks up speed, but come April I will have more time for selfish knits and selfish reads, so keep an eye out for more fun recaps!
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