Another Set of Snuggle Paws Down!

Having another commission come in was really good this month.  I knocked out another pair of snuggle paw warmers in almost no time.  That's the great thing about a pattern I know by heart, it takes almost nothing to whip out a pair.

These snuggle paws were done in a yarn I wouldn't have typically picked.  I don't tend to go with variegated yarns for my projects.  I tend to find they're too loud for most gloves.  It makes them very loud and kind of drowns out the beautiful pattern, but it wasn't my call, so these are the gloves we ended up with.

The color pooling definitely had an interesting effect on the gloves.  I expected to see something pretty much striped throughout.  Instead the colors pooled, making it appear almost as though I did some kind of color work instead of just letting the yarn do it's thing.

Even the little heart (something that's becoming a signature bit) turned showed off the interesting way the yarn played.  It's not as serious of a striping as the gloves, but crochet often gives a very different effect.  It works up in thicker sections, using the yarn up differently.  I think it's got a lovely effect in crochet.  It's a really interesting yarn.  I've got an extra ball, so I'm thinking I might look into crocheting something up, both because I like the way it plays, but also because I really like the idea of learning to crochet better!

The Lullula Beret

If you've been actually reading my blog, you know I have a fondness for patterns that no one seems to knit.  If it's got under 100 projects listed on Ravelry, I want to do it.  It shouldn't come as much of a surprise when I say I've done it again.  This one I was project number 8.

Let me start with this.  I used a beautiful Malabrigo yarn for this project, Silky Merino.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The colors were a bright and happy rainbow, but there was no slap you in the face primary colors.  Instead it's a beautiful, subtle color palate that, were it a Crayola marker label, it would be called Bold.  (Let me tell you, those weren't easy to find a link to!)  The colors were absolutely stunning, which is what drew me to this yarn in the first place.  Not only do I have a thing for rainbow colors, but they were such lovely tones!

This yarn was a gift from Sable.  Let me tell you, she gets me the best gifts.  Given the tight budget we live on, I'm always thrilled at the gift of yarn, and this one was no disappointment.  When they said silky, they meant it!  It was so soft on the hands and so easy to knit with, despite being a single ply.  I almost never knit with a single ply, mostly because I don't like working with it.  If I have to pull something out it pills up and gets ruined to easily.  I also have a bad tendency to split it when knitting in low light, but this yarn was just beautiful.  It worked up smooth as, well, silk!

The final project, the Lullula Beret, turned out stunning.  I love the play of the colors across the beret.  The pattern was simple enough with a nice little eyelet and some basic cables.  The look was nothing short of fantastic.

Another never, I never knit with yarns that splash color like this, especially this brightly, for anything but socks.  Socks can be hidden by shoes, so I don't mind the bright colors playing off each other like that.  For anything else, I think the bright colors look, well, too much for me.  I generally stick to more muted colors.  It's more my style.

Well, the finished product on this is nothing short of beautiful, at least in my eyes.  I don't mind the playful, bright colors.  I find it very wearable.  It's not quite as slouchy as I like, but given it's made of a silk/wool blend, it should be pretty warm in the winter.  In the winter the last thing I need is a super slouchy hat that's just going to get caught up on a jacket collar or scarf.  Winter will be upon us soon and something with warmth and bright colors will definitely keep the season bright.  I'm sure I'll wear this straight through until spring!