Brixel Duo

Patterns available on Ravelry: Brixel Cowl & Brixel Hat.

I've been itching to play with some mini skein sets for quite a while now, and although I spent some time looking at a few online, I was never quite inspired enough to purchase one. Enter Little Fox Yarn and her trunk show at my LYS Yarn Matters earlier this year. All it took was me seeing this little set in person and I knew exactly what I was going to make with it!

I'm beginning to think there's actually a little spark of magic when I touch certain yarns with my very own hands. They whisper to me hints of what they could be. And who am I to deny that siren song!?

Of course, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you probably know that this isn't the only mini skein project I've made recently! One evening when I was working on the cowl, I was feeling rather cold and so I popped it on my head while I was taking a short break. Lo and behold, it fit pretty well as a hat! It was also super warm and cozy. And so that got me thinking that I should do a sister pattern.

Boy did I get myself in over my head!

But after some trial and error, lots of patience, and some toddler free time to buckle down and work out those last kinks (and do the ever-dreaded math), I finally sorted out a way to write instructions for decreasing in the round in linen stitch in multiple sizes. Whew! It wasn't as simple as I wanted it to be, but it works. I may never ever write another hat pattern, though! If I do, it will most certainly be from crown to brim, like the sane person that I apparently am not. O.o

It DOES let you maximize using those minis, though! And that was the whole point, so I'm glad I stuck it out. We shall see what the rest of the world has to say!

My favorite part about these two pieces is the way the colors pop and fade from one to the next. The basketweave pattern created with post stitches adds some scrumptious texture, but it also makes simple stripes look like more complicated colorwork! And it would work almost as well with a self-striping yarn for those of you who hate sewing in ends as much as I do, ha ha. Ah, but it was worth it for these two!