My niece wants a balaclava with helmet strap openings for riding her bike in Chicago in the winter. She chose this color (which looks very bright in this pic but is actually more toned down in reality).

She also liked this finish with a 2x2 ribbing around her face but not the contrast color trim: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/jenleigh/antifreeze-2

I like the malabrigo because it is soft enough to be near her face and not itchy in the least. I like the pattern because it seems she will have the option to pull up the lower part over her mouth and nose, if she chooses.

I strongly recommend Wool & Company. This was my first order but they were very communicative. Plus I was able to order a single skein of yarn and they shipped it pronto free.

Using loads of stitch count markers was an asset. And, I did not have exactly the right size circular for doing the face ribbing and neck, so I used four double points for the neck and 5 for the face, which worked well. I skipped the crocheted crab stitch trim and did a stretchy bind off instead.