Pucker up, round 2

My lovely friend Ashley designed Pucker Up back in January, and I eagerly knit one up from my stash -- Lily Sugar & Cream in Rose Pink.  The project itself displayed the pattern well, and the color of the yarn certainly added a pop to my wardrobe, but all in all it wasn't the best yarn choice.  In these harsh economic times, we must cherish frugality, careful not to spend where we don't need to.  That's why stash knitting is so great -- we get to craft new and beautiful things using what we already have.

Earlier this month, I made some purchases at KnitPicks and bought the yarn for my beloved Cladonia shawl and some Comfy Worsted to remake Ashley's design.

Round 2 is so much better.

Pucker Up by Ashley Aguilar in Knit Picks Comfy Worsted, Fairy Tale colorway

Ravelry Project Page

Comfy Worsted is unbelievably soft, I want to make a blanket out of it and stay wrapped up for hours.  I love the color, although I admittedly have a thing for jewel tones.  Unlike Sugar & Cream, Comfy shows off the pattern more and can hold the picots without losing definition.  The drape is amazing, and the hat turned out much slouchier than I anticipated.

Mods:

I used size 6 needles throughout because I still can't find my interchangeables.

I cast on for the medium size and knit the body in large because I wanted it slouchier.  It turns out that wasn't necessary.  Tip: If you knit the hat in yarn that can be blocked, there is no need to size up to get a slouchy hat.

Worried about yarn shortage, I knit the pleated sections two rows shorter than written, but it turns out I had some extra yarn anyway.

The pattern is quick and unique, and it can hold my giant curly lion mane so that's always a plus.  The construction is simple but the result is super sweet.  I was so grateful to size up from fingering yarn.