23 September 2012

FO: Chrysanthemums

Does the word "Chrysanthemum" make anyone else immediately think of Anne Shirley and the spelling bee? Man, I love that Anne-girl.

I think I've been struck by the autumnal version of a spring cleaning urge. It helps that I needed to clear out my bathroom and kitchen to make space for the plumbing project; I'm trying to look at all of this as an opportunity to redecorate and get organized. Obviously part of organizing is finishing up old knitting projects.  First the socks, now mittens.

Check out the Chrysanthemums:




(Not yet blocked, but still looking awesome!)

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Canopy (CC) and Kindling (MC)
Pattern: Heather Desserud's Chrysanthemums


Mods: None. One of my favorite features in this pattern is the picot edge. The cuff is probably always going to be tucked inside the sleeve of a coat, but it's still a lovely touch that makes the mittens feel a little more fancy.
Verdict: I am excited to put these in the winter lineup!
This was the project in which I actually figured out how to make the CC yarn "pop" out from the background by making its floats go underneath the floats of the MC yarn.


I mean, I think I've fumbled my way through other colorwork projects without completely understanding what I was doing by carrying one strand above the other, and I've ended up with decent results, but this time it all started to make sense.  When it's underneath, so to speak, the CC strand gets pulled a bit less tightly toward the back of the work, so those stitches stay slightly more puffy and stand out.  Now that I know, I think I can make my stranded colorwork look much better. Thanks, Chrysanthemums!

My Rav project page is here.

3 comments:

Courtney said...

These are gorgeous! I also felt like I didn't have a good grasp on color work until I made some fair isle mittens. I'd love to make another pair. Once I got the hang of it, it was pretty fun!

kathy b said...

No shame in those babies....They are AMAZING. I remember when you shared the two colors way back when...and I Loved the pairing.

Allison said...

Thanks! I am also a big fan of colorwork mittens - I think there is a pair with owls on them in my future :)

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