I’m not a fan of incredibly matchy-matchy accessories sets. I like things that work together, but each have their own point of view. Which is why this set for my aunt is barely a set at all.
The hat is Frostbite by Glenna, in some Rowan Cocoon I had leftover from a sweater. The yarn is delightful to work with, but I don’t think I’ll be using it much more (I seem to be sensitive to mohair). I actually really like the way her set is designed–the mittens are different enough from the hat that you don’t get the “matchy matchy” effect. In any case, I love how this hat turned out. I had to rip 14 rows of the colorwork because of a dumb mistake on row 2, and still finished it in 36 hours. While working on the cowl too. Please note: I voluntarily decided to change the color for the crown of the hat, and the fact that I very much ran out of yarn had nothing to do with it. Luckily, the color change happens at the top of the head, so it actually looks pretty decent. I felt weird posting pictures online of my wearing someone else’s hat, but trust me on that.
The cowl is the Tuesday Night Cowl, a free pattern (score) knit in some Paton’s Classic Merino I had lying around. I was a little surprised by how much I enjoy the finished product–cabling 16 without a cable needle was not the most fun I’ve ever had, but I like it so much I’m seriously considering making one for myself. It was also the first time I used Kitchener stitch without any kind of guide, which felt pretty awesome.
Pretty much all my gifts are done–my mom’s second present is in the bind-off process right now–which means I can go back to selfish knitting and generally not worrying about deadlines. I realize that sounds silly when I’m almost done with presents, and December isn’t half over, but I’m mailing almost all the family presents, and that complicates my timelines a bit. And speaking of, I should probably get to the post office!
