18 April 2009

Two! Two! Two FOs in One (post)!*

Today was a beautiful day, with temperatures in the 70's. So it seemed a perfect time to show off my two most recent FOs, both for dealing with the cold. But since they are primarily for the cold at work (which lasts indoors much later than it does outdoors), they are appropriate and still necessary.

On Friday, I wore my finished and blocked Ivy's Cowl (Ravelry link only, sorry!) to work. It was comfortable and warm, and best of all, not bulky. Here is a picture of it once blocked:



and here it is on mine own neck:


I'm very pleased with it - it was a relatively quick knit, not overly complicated, but resulting in something light and airy that is still cozy. Also, I managed to not screw up the teeny bit of laciness in it, which creates the ivy. That's a first!

Next, the Owlings (Ravelry link here, other link here). These are based on Fetching, one of my very favorite patterns, but they are supposed to look like little owls, instead of plain cables. Originally, I thought I might add little beads to make them look like owls' eyes, but after giving it some thought, I realized that since I was making these for work, and work would mean they would quickly get used and dirty, adding the beads would not be the best idea.

I am pleased with how they turned out, though I found the pattern a little bit more fiddly than the Fetchings pattern. I do like the longer cuff and the bindoff much better, and will likely incorporate them into further pairs of Fetching.

I did make one really stupid mistake, which I didn't realize until I went to start the second one. After the initial 4 x 1 ribbing for 4 rows, the pattern wants you to do 4 x 1 purl ribbing for one row. I had done 4 rows of that ribbing as well, which is why they kind of puff out just above the bottom. But I didn't think it ruined the overall look, and I really didn't want to re-knit the first one, so I just kept the mistake in the second one!

The true colors in the yarn (Dream in Color Classy) are somewhere between the shades in the two pictures above. They are soft, comfortable - not too loose or too tight - and kept my hands nice and toasty while letting me still have the use of my fingers.

The way things are set up at work, there are really only a few times a day when you have any opportunities to talk to any of your co-workers: morning line-up, lunch, and getting ready to go home. When I was getting ready to go home on Friday, there were three other people left in the staff room, and when I put the cowl and fingerless mitts on the table to put into my backpack, they all noticed them. They were very complimentary, and amazed that I had made them myself. One person said, "This is exactly what we all need. We should get the yarn and have you make a pair for everyone." The first part of that statement is true. The second part got no response from me ...

Anyway, I'll be taking them both with me again tomorrow, since it's supposed to be cooler outside, and there's a chance of rain later in the afternoon (adding another layer of cold to the cellblocks). Though I would love the weather to stay more spring-like, at least I can still get some use out of my latest FOs!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

*Hm, does anyone remember those commercials for Certs, where one lovely model would say, "Certs is a breath mint," and the other one would say, "Certs is a candy mint," and then some guy would show up out of the blue and say, "You're both right! Certs is two! Two! Two mints in one!"? (God I'm old. Do they even make Certs any more?)

16 comments:

SissySees said...

I remember two, two, two mints in one...

Love both items. I found myself wanting a LIGHT scarf or cowl Friday morning. We had highs in the 70s, but frost that morning. (Gee, you might have just distracted me from the socks I don't seem to want to knit except at the firehouse... off to find a cowl pattern for some Tofutsies...)

Chris said...

They turned out great! I know what you mean about the chill lingering - I swear my office is colder in July than in January.

Jenn said...

I remember it! I haven't seen Certs in years (not that I've been looking).

Carol said...

I remember that commercial. Will someone tell me WTF is "Retsin"? They always said "Certs - with RETSIN", like it was "Certs, coated in 24k gold!" And I still have no idea what "retsin" is.

Love the FOs.

Tell the people at work you will teach them how to knit if they want to make their own warm stuff.

Lisa said...

Then they would click the two mints together. Oh I loved Certs. Then they took out the sugar and they tasted awful. But they were like crack. Hm. That could explain why it's so hard to find them anymore...

Quilting Mama said...

How lovely! Perfect for the inconsistant weather of late.

Wow I too remember the Certs commerical. As Lisa says, they were like crack and the ones without sugar were awful.

Lynn said...

I remember those commercials!! They were the perfect amt of flavor until they changed the recipe and took out the sugar. Yes sugar may not be great in mass quantities, but how can a fake chemical sugar be any better?!?

I love your cowl and fingerless mitts. They are PERFECT for your job. And I love how people always feel you can just whip these babies up.

Mistrmi said...

A good cowl (and a good cowl pattern) could only be beaten by a good pair of fingerless mitts.

Marie said...

Your knitting is so lovely, and the cowl looks so comfy.

I, too, remember Certs. I used to eat them like candy. Haven't seen them in years.

Dianne said...

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. "Two, two, two mints in one!" is what I'll be chanting all day now! :)

Lorraine said...

Bridget- Oh yes, why don't you just knit a set for everyone???

And they used to smack the rolls together? I loved Certs!

joanchicago said...

I love the cowl--the shape and the color! I think I need at least one. ;-)

Two mints in one! Yup, I remember the commercial. Never wanted to taste the mints.

Carrie K said...

I remember that ad too. And I'm not old....er than dirt.

Yeah, why don't you just whip up pairs for everyone? They're really cute. Don't you love non-knitters? If you did, you'd get the same offhand response too, I'd bet.

Brigitte said...

Yes! That's what it's from! As soon as I read the title I thought - man, what's that from?? Shampoo?! LOL. I think they do still make Certs...

Nice little set! I like the colour you chose. Of course, with me I'd be putting on the cowl and totally mess up the hair and probably get lipstick all or it. Because I'm like that.

Ally Jay said...

Both projects looks great on you.

Chloe said...

I work in a non-Death Row Super Max in California. You'll get the hang of the whole thing and not be so tired at the end of the day.
We had alarm training last week (we being the officers, not me personally. I just watched).
I wear an alarm every day. It's about the size of an old garage door opener. If I set it off (accidentally, which happens to everyone) or on purpose, because I need some backup--horns start blaring deafeningly and about 50 officers pour into my area at a dead run--which is why you don;t want to accidentally set it off---these guys sprint over from wherever they are to rescue me and I don't want them to think--bet it's a false alarm, I won't run--while I'm being dis articulated.
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