Ostrich Feather Smoke Ring

I have been spinning and knitting away on my first smoke ring. I love the smoke ring concept. I like the way it looks. I like the fact that it combines the purposes of a hat and a scarf in one garment, and I like the fact that it can't fall off when you are wearing it. I like the fact that it doesn't need artful arrangement, and that it is an appropriate accessory with indoor garments. You don't need to take it off at all. I even like the way "smoke ring" sounds, as if it made its way out of an old tale.
The Yarn: Spun fingering weight from Susan's Spinning Bunny 5 fiber sampler in Chocolate Covered Cherries, and Abby Franquemont's batts, Beyond Tweed. I thoroughly enjoyed spinning all the fibers, the variety of textures, seeing how the dye took differently on the different fibers. The colors are vibrant, and these gloomy-day photos don't quite do them justice. Abby's blend is a luxurious dark grey blend with accents of other colors, and I have a good bit left that I will spin alone for some matching fingerless mitts.
The Pattern: My own, using the Ostrich Feather stitch from the Vogue Stitchionary. This is an attractive stitch pattern, even though it loses something with the variagation of the yarn. I would like to try it again with a solid color to show off the pattern better.

Soft, warm, and bright enough to cheer a dreary day, my new smoke ring is a happy project. After the rush of holiday knitting is over, I plan on knitting more of these for myself.