Everything is beautiful, wish you were here!

Since Ruben and I are vacationing on Sleeve Island I thought I'd send you guys a virtual postcard!

Both the front and back are completed and I have about 1/4 of both sleeves finished (I'm knitting both at the same time!) so this gorgeous sweater should be drying on my blocking board by next weekend. Then a bit-o-mattress stitch and he's off to a rendezvous with Santa for a special place under a special tree :) Don't ya just love the holidays?

I did manage to finish another gift....I give you A Step Above!

Specs:

A Step Above entrelac socks from Knitter's Magazine Summer 2004

Just over 1 skein (for a size 7.5 - 8 woman's foot and 6 inch cuff!!) of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, colorway Seaside

US #1 (2.25mm) metal DPNs for ribbing and US #0 (2.0mm) for the rest of the sock

Mods: Because entrelac tends to bias the knitted fabric, it's hard to get gauge. When I first made these socks in 2004 I was in a group with the designer who knits TONS of entrelac and she suggests going down 1-2 needle sizes from your "usual" needles size to get gauge. The pattern as written was too large for my recipient so I knit it on less stitches and eliminated 2 of the cuff "tiers" for a 6 vs. 8 inch cuff.

These sock are made with an afterthought heel. As much fun as the socks are to knit, picking up the stitches for the heel is heinous! Bogie of Knit Flix made very similar mods to mine as well as suggestions for making the heel a bit easier...and she was smart enough to write em down, hehe...(link above)

I LOVE how these socks turned out! I think they are really unique and very stylish and I hope the recipient loves them as much as I do! Go ahead, make a pair - entrelac is fun!!

Since I do much of my knitting for family/friends/body parts that are far away you guys never get to see the "action" shots.

My brother and his family were here for Thanksgiving (sadly sans my niece who has a new job -- miss you Nicodemus!) and my beautiful sis-in-law was kind enough to do a little modeling....

Hedera with the recipient's actual feet in them! Imagine that! And my niece's beaded wristers....

My beautiful SIL the feet and hands belong to!

Last but surely not least, here's what I see 99% of the time when I'm sitting on my couch watching TV and knitting away...


My knitting supervisor hard at work....notice the silky wool and the addi turbo in the pic....the P-Man is taking inventory to facilitate Ruben's completion! Wouldn't you just kill to be that relaxed? :) Have a great week everyone!

Even if your bird is bilingual, have a......

Happy, Healthy
Thanksgiving!

Reminders, memes and sky, oh my!

Today is the kick off for the wonderful

So let's all get out there and make a difference for people who need us!!


Since everyone is doing it, here's my latest meme....


1. FIRST NAME? I know this is a shocker - Debi

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My Dad's uncles David and Joe (my middle name is Joy)

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? What time is it?

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? When I'm careful, very much - when I rush, not so much

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Buffalo chicken breast or Olive loaf

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS
WITH YOU? I think so, I'm a good and loyal friend

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? You're reading it but I also keep a written knitting journal with notes, planned future projects and stash inventory (excluding sock yarn!)

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope, had em out when I was 25

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Now wouldn't that be the loudest splat heard round the world, lol! Fluffy girls don't bungee jump!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Oatmeal or Kashi Blueberry Heart to Heart

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Headstrong, you bet! Pretty strong personailty too, I often find people around me picking up my mannerisms

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Sadly discontinued Ben and Jerry's Southern Pecan Pie and Hagen Daz Vanilla Swiss Almond

14. SHOE SIZE? 9 W.I.D.E!!!!

15. RED OR PINK? I like em both equally

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I procrastinate WAY too much and too often and my temper

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Jaxon and Mickie and Nicole

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Nah but I love reading them across Knitbloglandia

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Pants? No pants today...a blue flowered cotton sundress

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? some onion rings

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My a/c running and "Something's Gotta Give" on the TV

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Since it's a fantasy anyway I'll change with my mood....today's color? BLACK!

23. FAVORITE SMELL? Vanilla, freshly squeezed lime and Polo by Ralph Lauren on a hot guy (well any guy truth be told!)

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Mom

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Strong manly hands......delicate, effemminate hands are a total turn off! Also eyes, lips and dimples!

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? I'm sure I do but I don't remember who it was :)

27. FAVORITE DRINK? Diet Coke is my addiction!

28. FAVORITE SPORT? I love watching baseball in person

29. EYE COLOR? Hazel green

30. HAT SIZE? huh?

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope, glasses just for reading

32. FAVORITE FOOD? pasta, thai and sushi

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings.

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? winter in Florida is perfection...I love the snow but don't think I could handle it anymore for more than a day!

36. HUGS OR KISSES? mmmm kisses!

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Creme Brulee or Apple crumb pie

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille

l41. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? got a laptop here

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? 20/20, the Barbara Walter's special and my *favorite* show How It's Made!

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? The P-Man chirrrrp especially my "good morning mom" chirp

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? The Stones baybee!!

45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? California and Canada

46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I'm very intuitive and a great diagnostician

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Hialeah, Florida

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I nicked it off someone's blog, don't remember who

The weather today is glorious, everything weather should be! Cool and clear, no humidity - blue skies and soft fluffy clouds abound!

I love the lone puff of cloud in the forefront seemingly scooting along under the watchful canopy of "real clouds"!

Hopefully your weather is equally spectcular and your weekend full of knitting onto others! Enjoy!

Make some noise from the front to the back

A little bit o lyric borrowed from Fatboy Slim :) Ooodles of bonus points if you can name the flick it was featured in.....

I've been trying to post for days but the weather has been gray, gray and more gray with cloudy, dark skies not very conducive to photo ops. Luckily today I managed to squeeze in some pics during a lull in the deluge!

Here's my progress on Ruben making some noise from the back to the front.....

I havent been knitting as much as I'd like cause this rain is wreaking havoc with my wrists and achy wrists = pain = less knitting but I've finished the back and am just past the ribbing on the front. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how this is shaping up and I enjoy every minute of knitting with the amazing Silky Wool. That Elsebeth Lavold knows her yarn and her cables, that's for sure!

I've also made lots of progress on the entrelac socks, see?

As you can see I've completed sock #1 and I'm about to begin tier #5 (last tier before I add the waste yarn for the afterthought heel)

What's really surprising to me is all this sock knitting has been done with ONE skein of Lorna's Laces!! And I still have yarn from the first skein left to use! These socks are average size....my standard woman's six inch leg and the foot is 9 inches for a woman's size 7.5 - 8 shoe! I've knit this pattern twice before but I never realized how "economical" entrelac socks can be!

Here's my favorite guy acting like a 'fraidy cat....

In reality, the P-Man is really friendly and outgoing but I think he might have gotten wind that today is nail clipping day and as easygoing as he is, he's not real fond of having his nails clipped :)

Hope your day is brighter and dryer than ours and filled with lots of great knitting! See ya!

W is for Worthy Causes

In my life, one constant that brings me peace (most of the time, hehe) is knitting...

Knitting soothes me when I'm frazzled, keeps my brain occupied and keeps me learning new skills, all very good things.

It brings, by way of Knitbloglandia, companionship of like minded friends from all walks of life and all parts of the globe.

Knitting gives me so much that it seems only natural to give something back via knitting. Luckily Carole and Margene are two of those like minded friends!

Once again, these lovely ladies are hosting....

(click here for more info)November 18 - December 2
Here's a quote from the Knit Unto Others website:

This KAL was started as a way to stay grounded at this time of over-consumption and excessive giving. It is sad to see children, adults, students and others around the world suffering for lack of warmth or basic needs. The basics of life are very hard for some people, right here in this country to come by. A warm hat, scarf or mittens can do more than warm fingers and ears, it can lift someone up and show that someone cares. Do what you can from November 18-December 2 and join our Knit Unto Others campaign.

Take a minute to surf over and look around for more info including charities that need our help...you won't be sorry!

A worthy cause that particularly resonates with my heartstrings is

(this button links to orphan.org - you know what to do!)

Our very own Norma, owner of one of the biggest hearts (and the sauciest vocabularies!) in Knitbloglandia has championed this cause since last year and kindly set up a website with lots of info, scarf patterns, prizes!, and pics of completed scarves here: Red Scarf Project Blog

Why knit a Red Scarf? Here's a quote from the website:

The Red Scarf Project, a project of the Orphan Foundation of America, or Orphan.org, collects red (and other unisex-colored) scarves to send in Valentine's Day care packages to college students who have aged out of foster care. These brave young people are going it on their own and trying to improve their lives and the community by attending college. The care packages are welcome tokens of encouragement to young people who otherwise receive little to no mail.

Just to make it even easier I've gathered a few of my favorite scarf patterns off the net.

I'm partial to seaman's style scarves for warmth without the bulk so I'll be knitting this scarf: Matthew's Scarf

Here's a few more I like alot:

Rainy Day Scarf

Irish Hiking Scarf

And a plethora of scarfy patterns sure to please any chilly neck:

Scarf Pattern Resources

So consider doing a little charity knitting for those who have little to cheer them, it's the feel good WIP of the season!

The P-Man thinks orange is a much better color but red is his second favorite!
So knit something for others, you'll be so glad you did and so will they!

V is for Voting, Voices and Verdigris

I try not to be terribly political here at Chez FKD but please get out today and VOTE! It's a priveledge many nations don't have, a right we are lucky enough to be afforded and a responsibility we have to ourselves and each other.

If we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem. Use your voices today and VOTE!

On a lighter note, I give you Ruben....he's the new man in my life!

He comes to me from Sweden on a Sentimental Journey, isn't he dreamy?

Ok, ok I confess, he's my new WIP....

Ruben designed by Elsebeth Lavold in Designer's Choice, The Sentimental Journey Colllection, Book Two.

I'm making Ruben as a Christmas gift for my old friend Augie. Remember him?

The pattern calls for cotton but I wanted something warmer and a bit less casual so I decided to use Silky Wool. This is my first experience with Silky Wool and WOW is it nice! It's a very smooth knit and I love the tweedy depth and almost felted feel of the yarn....yummy stuff! And the colorway I chose? VERDIGRIS!

Here's my knitting supervisor to show you my progress so far....

Isn't the Verdigris lovely? Look at that stitch definition (and that handsome P-Man!)

As much as I loved knitting the Thistle Flower tank (thank you for all the lovely compliments, btw!) I missed knitting with wool so I'm thrilled to be back! I'm really enjoying this new WIP, can you tell? I'm gushing :)

I've added 2 new buttons to my sidebar that I'll post about next time and I'll show you the progress on the entrelac socks too....til then go raise your voices and VOTE!

A little rant and a lotta knit

/begin rant.....Altho I blog for myself, as a record for my knitting, I am blessed to have readers who enjoy my musings as well. I'm thrilled that I'm part of a community of like minded friends who come here to visit and share this little piece of my world and I love having y'all here.

Now I'm amenable to sharing any tips or knowledge I have because that's one of the best things about this community as I see it, a shared online resource. However, if you, my dear reader, comment anonymously, I cannot respond! I don't want to turn off anonymous commenting but some of the "questions" are not really applicable to a post. For example: "where do I find your tutorials?" Um well, if you're seeing my blog (the actual blog, not thru Bloglines or Newsgator, ect.), look over on my side bar and you'll find them, I promise :) Another frequent "comment"...."how do I find your patterns?" Um, same place...sidebar, click on links, go to free file hosting site, look around, brave the pop-ups (it is FREE after all!) find the file! Easy Peasy!

I have my email posted over there on the side bar too....if you ever have a problem or question, dear reader, just email me and I'll do my best to help, but please comment with a contact so I can help/answer or email me, mmmmkay? /end rant

On to the knitting!

Finally after much ado I bring you the Lotus Blossom Thistle Flower Tank!

First a close up to show off the pretty colors

Thistle flowers, right?

A peek at the back and the pretty striping in outdoor light

The view from the front*

The glamour shot

Specs:

Pattern: Lotus Blossom Tank, Interweave Knits Summer 2006

#6 (4 mm) and #5 (3.75 mm) addi turbos

12 skeins of Kelly yarn, a cotton/microfiber blend, color #100

Mods: I knit the large size to achieve a 48" finished measurement with my gauge. I knit six pattern repeats rather than the five suggested by the pattern. I also added 3 inches of stockinette to the bodice before the armhole shaping.

I added an eyelet row under the bodice with a threaded twisted cord (to make sure the "girls" stay where they belong!) I chose not to add short row shaping for the bust because I felt it wasn't needed with the length I added to the bodice and I felt the short rows at the bustline would be too conspicuous because of the stripes.

One very cool thing is that the pattern is written with short row shaping for the shoulders/ back neck using Japanese short rows! This was my first experience with the Japanese short rows and I'm now a total convert! I think they look much smoother than wrapped short rows and they are much easier to do! No digging around to find the wrap! There are some good tutorials on the net and if you've never tried Japanese short rows, you should! I can't wait to try them on a sock heel myself!

I really love how this tank turned out! The patten is well written and a pretty easy lace so it would make a good first lace garment. The fit is great, the sweetheart neckline very flattering. The yarn is very soft and drapey but light as a feather and the color is subtle but lovely! I see this getting lots of wear for years to come - wearing it makes me feel all girly :)

*you might notice the long "ends" not woven in on the tank. With cottons, I leave long tails on the private side and I find they never poke thru to the front like they can do when they are shorter!

And now knitting present and future....I started the ubiquitous pair of socks.....


I'm revisiting my favorite socks, gotta love that entrelac! This is Lorna's Laces shepherd sock in the Seaside colorway. I love the unique way this is striping!

I also started a gorgeous new sweater but I'll save that for next week.

I leave you with the P-Man and more backscratcher fun.....

An action shot - don't you love the tongue of concentration?
Ah ha, evil backscratcher, you're mine now!!

Enjoy your weekend!