You can tell how comfortable I wanted to be to knit Star Athena’s Red Velvet Cupcakes Cuffs. I set up my tray for a nice, quiet afternoon. Knitting, reading while staying caffeinated and hydrated. And, yes, my mp3 player for an audio book.

I had two balls of our new yarn line, Galileo, in Firefly that I had been keeping for something special. Besides having cold hands whenever it is even just a bit chilly, I knew that I wanted fingerless mitts as part of my Knit Travel Survival Kit. But, as I searched around on Ravelry, I began to think that cuffs might be a better option for traveling. It didn’t take me long to find, and fall in love with, the Red Velvet Cupcakes Cuffs.

Photo from Ravelry pattern page of Red Velvet Cupcakes

I finished my travel blankie/shawl a couple of weeks ago. The cuffs came off the needles last weekend and they were quick to wash and block. The merino wool gives me a nice level of warmth while the bamboo makes the cuffs look dressy and give the ruffle a nice drape.

Yes, I know the cuffs and the blankie don’t match but I don’t think I ever had that plan in mind. What I wanted was a blanket, a way to keep my hands warm when the air-conditioning on the plane was too much and leg warmers for drafts. I haven’t even chosen a leg warmer pattern but I will be comfortable enough with my blankie and cuffs as we travel to the east coast this weekend.

I did make a few changes in the pattern because I was worried about not having enough yarn. Obviously, I made the stockinette section shorter but I also did fewer repeats of the final ribbing section. If I had had one more ball of yarn, I could have made the cuffs according to the original pattern. Oh, well, I rather like them being a bit short.