The evolution of a mitten

I've been working on improving my boxy mitten design. It started out as a loose knit (size 7 needles) pattern (not so great for the cold) with no holes for a cord. On that pattern, I made a thin cord and just threaded it through between stitches. The next version had a tighter knit (size 3 needles) and an attempt to make holes for a cord, but the holes were too small, complicated to make because they had a top and bottom (based on a space between the holes) that flipped between the left and right needle and ended up with two holes very close together at the scene. The final design (tight knit version) now has the same tight knit, bigger, well defined holes, and a placement that is identical for the left and right needle, including a much easier pattern to follow.