Coiffed

When the temperature dips below -10 or so, it's really too cold to be vain. Still, there have been a couple of days recently when I've put my hair in a ponytail only to have it seriously messed up from being under a toque. Then I remembered a pattern I've loved since I first saw it almost four years ago (about 16 in knitblog years?) in Knitty: the Shocking pink coif designed by Megan of Not Martha. Now, I know the more recent Calorimetry pattern is sweeping the knitwaves this season, but I'm not convinced it's got the ear coverage necessary for seriously cold weather. But the coif? Ohh, the coif. Here it is again, this morning, passing the warmth-and-coverage test with flying colours -- and in flying snow, no less:


Very toasty. I knit my coif from one 100g ball of Gianna (50% wool, 50% soysilk). According to the website, colour 048 is "coffee bean," but in reality it's a dark reddy-browny eggplant. It's warm and soft, but I've never come across so many knots in a ball of yarn! It was ridiculous. The first knot came about half a meter into the ball; a few meters later there were two more knots within a few inches of each other; and after I'd knit the i-cord I went to pull out some more yarn and the strand pulled right out of the ball! What's worse, knots or separate pieces that aren't even knotted together? Sheesh. So I can't recommend the yarn. I figure if you're going to charge $15 for 100 grams of yarn, you can give me a continuous strand thankyouverymuch.

(By the way, the original pattern ties under the chin with st. st. straps; I worked a 2-stitch i-cord on one side instead, sewed it into a loop, and sewed a button on the other side. I didn't block the coif, mostly because I finished it late last night and wanted to wear it this morning, but also because it shouldn't actually be completely flat, or it won't curl around your head properly.) I love this ... headpiece. Don't forget about those bygone patterns! This one is a treasure.