Knitting for cold weather- FO

Here in my part of the US temps are dropping and mornings are quite cold. Trees are changing, fans are being turned off, windows only sometimes opened at night. The days are warm but fall is coming so naturally my thoughts turned towards hats and scarves and gloves etc.

I don't make myself things. Occasionally something will pop up that I love but it usually gets gifted. This time around though I was determined to make myself something. Something I would use when it got cold. Something that would use up a single skein of Manos Silk that was bought with me in mind.

Enter Karisma. It was the perfect pattern: not a ton of yarn needed, more than one color needed (so my single skein could still be used), pretty, warm. I could go on.

Cascade 220 (purple) and Manos Silk in Steel (blue)

They knit up fast. Really, really fast. And they use next to no yarn. That picture right there? That's AFTER I was done. I have enough left over to make a hat should I so desire. And I do.

It's not quite cold enough to wear them yet. As evidenced by the grass you can see here.

 

I love to see the inside of projects like this. The inside out one isn't blocked yet. I weaved in ends and ran out the door for pictures. The manos is a dream to knit with. I've been a fan of it since the first project I used some but this was a whole new level of lovely. It's soft, it withstands frogging (this skein has already been used once before in cabled mitts but frogged shortly after finishing), it doesn't shed, it's soft. I think I said that already. The color is clean and consistent. I'd buy more if there was any near me. My only mods to the pattern was the cuff. As written the cuff is almost 5 inches long. I opted for 2 inches. Part of that was because I wanted to make sure I had enough of the manos to make it all the way through and part of it was because who needs a 5 inch cuff!? I may go back and add another inch to them (vs a hat) but that can wait until winter is here and I know how much arm pokes out from my coat. I did end up tacking down the floats around the thumb just to avoid snagging it on my fingers. It's a bit tight at the top and bottom of the thumb now but that will ease up with wear.

 

To say I'm pleased with them would be an understatment. I wasn't sure of the contrasting fingers when I saw the pattern but am so glad I stuck with them. This one marked a few firsts for me: silk, gloves, and made for myself. I definitely want a few more weeks of warmth but I wouldn't mind a cold snap cold enough to require some hand coverings.