still lightMy second Still Light is just as much of a squishy stockinette joy as the first one I made almost four and a half years ago. I wear the first one very often and especially when I have to wear something semi-dressy and want to wear a knitted item. I really could use about four or more of these, but they do take some time to make.

This time I decided to knit the neckline ribbing and bind off immediately after. Then, I picked up those stitches before starting the body. Since this is such a large item it’s important to have a firm foundation to give it support. This was my way of doing it. Last time I did a provisional cast on and waited until the end to bind off at the neck. I think the way I did it this time was less fiddly.still light-2

I also decided to put the body on hold and knit the sleeves when I ran out of the first ball of Ella Rae Lace Merino (color Dark Teal). I’m glad to have the sleeves done, because on a large garment like this knitting them two at a time when you have to flip a large sweater back and forth is more of a chore. I’m very pleased with Ella Rae this time around. I used it last time and the balls were the same dyelot then, but were different enough that it seemed necessary to alternate balls every couple of rows. Alternating slightly different skeins of the same color can help mask any dramatic deviations. That was a bit of a pain and it left a ridge where I was alternating the skeins that didn’t block out for a long time. So far I haven’t noticed any major pooling or dramatic color shifts between these hanks.

This is a soothing knit. Some might call that boring, but it’s great company for meetings or car rides or trips to see Zootopia with small people. My brain is also pretty exhausted many evenings, so autopilot knitting is just the ticket. This would be the perfect color for St. Patrick’s Day. If only I had a week to just knit!

I can’t wait to finish this and hopefully wear it this season. Matt’s Rift is still happening but I only work on it about once a week these days. I don’t have hope that it will make an appearance this season due to the early warm weather, and that is zapping my motivation somewhat.

It’s going to be fun to think about some spring knits soon! Any inspirations? Please share! My Ravelry perusing has steeply dropped off so I’m behind the times.

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