Finally finishing some projects - and just in time for the snow, too!
This was based on the Danielle Hood - which to my eyes looks like a cowl! (with all respect to Norah, but I don't do fair isle... I just don't.) Strangely, the Danielle Cowl is actually a funny buttoned or button-adorned scarf-like garment. Never mind. I finished it, and have been happily wearing it ever since. It's quite easy - I just made a tube - I did not do any increases or decreases, and I used the very soft Rowan Cocoon yarn - two skeins is all I needed.
I also finally completed my silly-colored "mibbies" - that's what I called mittens when I was small. Since my fingers tend to get very cold in the winter, mittens are pretty good for daily use for driving and clearing off the car in the morning - if I wear gloves for those jobs, the individual fingers seem to stay cold. Just something I learned. So I used Noro Kureyon for the mittens, and just followed the basic rules for mitten making rather than any specific pattern.
I did, however, discover that I don't like the 'accepted' method of leaving an opening for the thumb - most directions I've read say to just put a couple stitches on a holder for later, but I've found that that method leaves either a tight ring that later pinches your thumb (because it's basically a slit in the pattern) or leaves a washy, wide opening. So I got to the row where I needed to put the thumb-stitches aside on a holder, did that, and then on the next round when I reached the held stitches, instead of closing the round, I simply turned the work, worked the round until I hit the held stitches again, turned, and worked the round back, and then when I reached the held stitches this time, now I closed the loop and continued working in the round. This left a [] box or slot rather than a slit, if you will. A hole, two rows deep/high. I'm happy with the results, and will do that for the next set of mittens I make.
I've also gotten all entrelac-happy. I wish I'd started it before, but for some reason I was having trouble understanding the directions. Now that I've sat down & used up a few stray balls of leftover wool that ... well, not only is it great for using up small leftover skeins, but it looks cool too.
