I Love FOs!

This is the Coif I was talking about the other day. True to my word, the next time I worked on it, I finished it. This project is super fast, which is no surprise. It calls for US9 needles and bulky weight yarn! I used a double strand of Malabrigo and the suggested needles. Amazingly, I still have left over Malabrigo! It's like the yarn that never ends!

The only modifications I did were to add a little length to the ties and add pom poms. Love the pom poms. These were the best I have ever made. The secret? When you think you've used enough yarn, use more. When you think you might have used too much yarn? Use some more. Beautiful, fluffy pom poms will be your reward.

Not only is this headgear cute as heck, but it's also very warm. You just gotta love functional fashion. Speaking of function, I love that I can wear this with my hair pulled back into pigtails or a ponytail. Nine times out of ten, by the end of the day, my hair is pulled back and I can't wear a hat over it. I mean, I could, but I loathe those big lumps under hats. Seeing as I don't walk any great distance in the winter, I suffer with cold ears while my car warms. No more!

Who, me? Impatient?

So there I was, happily trucking away on my Slimline Jacket, anticipating the thrill of binding off the back, wondering if I should start the fronts or sleeves next, and whether I should knit them at once, when I was doing it, I was binding off, and I was so excited. I folded the piece up and poked in my basket and thought of what to start next. "Oh, what the hell," I thought, "I could cast on for a sleeve." I pulled out the pattern again and what did I see? My eyes widened with horror (and a little regret) when I noticed that I had omitted the shoulder shaping on the back. I sighed, and considered for a moment how dire it would be if I left the shaping out, but came to my senses, and began taking out the bound off edge.

Astrakhan is a lovely yarn, it is. It makes a very interesting fabric, it's soft, and while it's a little strange at first, it is pleasant to knit. But (you must have known that was coming), it is the worst yarn in the yarn store to frog. I only got about a quarter through, when I realized I was really hauling on that yarn to get it free, and pulling just a little too hard on the fabric to try to discern which loops were stitches, and which were just texture. I took a deep breath and set it aside, and I'm so glad I did. This morning I calmly took out the bind off, plus another row, and picked up the stitches. I didn't even flinch when I realized I had picked up too many. That will work itself out as I knit the row. The back is waiting for me right now, in fact, to finish it properly.

Finding myself in that situation last night of wanting to knit, but a danger to my project, I did the only thing I could. I cast on for something else. I've had Coif on my mind ever since it came out, but last night was the night to start it. If I work on it tonight, I'll finish it. It's fast, fun and cute! It's also an opportunity to work on my pom-poms. I think those ties desperately need them. Don't you?