Summer '06: The Final FO!

Back when I first started to knit, this Sheep had one simple rule: Is this pattern easy enough for me to knit up with a minimum of pouting and late-night Googling for answers to such questions as: What do you do when you suddenly find that you have three times the stitches as when you started?

I still look for ease of knitting in most patterns...I'm not too proud to admit it. But the first question now is always: Would you purchase this item as a finished garment? If the answer is, "no" then I probably shouldn't be knitting it. It is highly unlikely that I will suddenly find myself flinging aside all other clothing in the closet in order that I might reach that hand-knit boa simply because I made it.

But this new project sort of broke the rule. The Sheep is slightly prone to hero-worship and something of a follower. Some things don't just miraculously change after high school, I suppose... So, if The Stoned Knitter had a muff, then The Sheep must have a muff. There was just no question about it.

And, ya know what??? This is a handy little item!!! You knit it with odds 'n ends, it can be done on two circulars if you don't happen to have the right needles lying around and it is highly forgiving of little mistakes.

I knit mine using Woolease Chunky for the cuffs then added two strands of Classic Elite Commotion for the muff body. I decided that I wanted a thicker fabric as this needed to be functional and warm and decided that a smaller needle might be a good choice. This was sound thinking on some levels, however what possessed me to attempt moving all that yarn around on size 7 needles I will never know. Due to the handstrain and escalation in the use of foul language, I opted to shorten the muff body by about an inch. I can't afford hand surgery at this point nor do I have the time for a lengthy stay at a residential mental health facility. It was really a good choice!

One muff...looks felted doesn't it? It's not. Its a billion pounds of yarn scrunched into a solid mass.

Muff in motion...

C'mon...have you ever actually seen a muff outside of a Currier & Ive's print? Me neither. Thus, I felt the need to parody ice skating. It made sense at the time.

I'm planning on taking this into school and storing it in my recently acquired desk. It'll be ready to rock and roll come winter recess duty. I'm forever heading out with one stupid mitten that must be switched from hand to hand in the hopes that I might balance out the frostbite. I haven't been able to hold onto a complete pair of mittens since my mom stopped safety pinning them to my coat. This should solve the problem.

And thus The Sheep completes her first "Along" and her summer vacation all in the space of a day. Tomorrow is a holiday, and then we're back to the daily grind. I have a couple of projects in the works and a linen sample to share with you in the near future. For now, though, lets all revel in the muffy goodness!

Hot cocoa, anyone?

SA