Guess who what I've been sleeping with?

Now, now, get your minds out of the gutter - I only wish I had some juicy bedmate to reveal, besides the P-Man of course, heh!

I do have something else pretty juicy to reveal tho...

Remember these?

After more than a year (a fact which totally freaks me out, btw!) I give you this.....

A finished Carnival Throw!

Isn't it pretty? I am CRAZY about it!!

Specs:

Adaptation of the Carnival Shawl from Rowan RYC Classic Holiday

Knitpicks Shine Sport in Grass, Apricot, Cream, Green Apple and Sand, approximately 6 skeins of each color - I totally LOVE this yarn! Machine washable and dry-able, very very soft and a pleasure to knit OR crochet with!!

#4, size "E" metal crochet hook

Finished measurements: 52" x 65"

Started February 2006 (!!!!)

Mods: When I began this project I had been searching for an afghan/throw pattern so I could make a cotton afghan. Being primarily Fluffy KNITTER Deb I never really considered crocheting one. Then I saw the Carnival Shawl!! I loved the swirly medallions and thought they would be perfectly adaptable to a throw. I wasn't so hot on the crochet** aspect but it's a very easy pattern and I figured it could be some mindless TV crochet and I could knock out a medallion or two each evening and still have time for knitting. Ah the best laid plans, right? I'm not really sure what caused this WIP to languish for so long except that I can unequivocally say I much prefer to knit than to crochet.

After waking up many times in the last month freezing because I had kicked off my heavier blanket during the night and saying to myself "I wish I had a lighter throw that would keep me just warm enough all night long" the D'OH! moment struck and I remembered my Carnival throw!

So I buckled down and gave her my monogamous attention until she was done! Yes, I am having serious knitting withdrawal but I think my new throw was worth it, don't you?

The pattern gave no direction as to how to connect all the medallions so I crocheted my 68 medallions together. I then put a few extra rows of single crochet around the whole throw for a more finished edge.

I am really pleased with how this foray into the "wild side" turned out and would heartily recommend this pattern for any "non-crocheting knitters" who want a bit of variety in their crafting lives!

I also promised to share a GREAT new knitting gadget I discovered....One thing that made joining 68 medallions together much less of a chore than it could have been was these:

These are Knit Klips and they are WONDERFUL! They are smooth and wont snag your knitting and make lining up pieces for joining together a BREEZE! Truly!!

Here is a pic using them for my throw:

I've also used them for sweater finishing and they ROCK!! Try em, you won't be sorry!

I know that blogging has been scarce but with Spring Fever, knitting ennui and 2 really long term projects on the needles (My Forest Path Stole and the Carnival Throw) it makes for poor knitting blog fodder. To appease you and since everyone seemed to really love the P-Man tongue action shots I offer you another....

Isn't he just so freakin' CUTE? :)

Have a wonderful weekend and I promise to be back soon with actual KNITTING content! TTFN!

**I can crochet really well and altho I think it is a wonderful craft, especially as an adjunct to knitting, I honestly do prefer to knit. You can't beat the ease of using single crochet to put in a set in sleeve, and crocheted embellishments are always pretty but my heart belongs to knitting :)

Just a little late to the dance

I'm **this close** to finishing my UFO which I hope to share later this week plus I have a GREAT new knitting product I found that I want to review here because it's THAT GOOD! :)

Until then I give you.....

Six weird things about me

1- I'm a pretty down to earth thinker, not much into fantasy and such yet I am VERY superstitious! One of my daily superstitions is that I always put on my right shoe first, no matter what, for good luck. I have a large collection of good luck charms and I'm especially fond of "ethnic" good luck charms like the Hamsa (Hebrew and Islamic) the Evil Eye (Greek and Turkish) and the Azabache (Cuban) . Got any favorites you'd like to share?

2- I've never tasted pecan pie! I love pecans, I most definitely have a sweet tooth and the pie looks good but I've just never had the occasion to try it. I always think "I should try that" when I see it but I never do, heh!

3- My family tells me that when I was 3 years old at a wedding I walked up to the band and asked them to "play the Pachanga" so I could dance!! Today, I wouldn't know a Pachanga if it bit me on the heiney.

4- I was born without tear ducts. When I was a baby I cried but never shed an actual tear. When my Mom mentioned this my pediatrician noticed that my tear ducts were completely closed and he had to surgically open them. Oh, what a floodgate he opened :)

5- I absolutely HATE having my feet touched! I had one professional pedicure in my life and was "chemically" prepared for that one (god bless xanax!) The thought of having someone suck on my toes gives me the uber screaming meemies just THINKING about it!

6- Growing up I wanted to be an ichthyologist. I have no idea where I heard about this as a career choice but it's what I wanted until about age 13. I feel very connected to all things oceanic and believe I might have been a fish in a past life.

So there you have it, a little gilmpse into the weirdness of this fluffy knitter.
Have fun and I'll be back really soon with my UFO!

Ok, for those in P-Man withdrawl, here ya go!

See ya soon!

No Nittin' Here

Truth be told I haven't touched a knitting needle in about a week!!! EEK!

It's not that my ennui has made me anti-craft, it's just that I realized it was far past time to finish my one and only UFO!! When I looked back in my archives, I was shocked to realize that I started this UFO more than a YEAR ago!

Now anyone who knows me for more than about 3 minutes KNOWS that is just not me! So I'm buckling down and finishing this much needed and anticipated UFO and I'll share it's completion very soon! Until then I bring you.....a Movie Meme!

Check off the the ones you've seen and bold the ones you recommend!

(X) As Good As It Gets
(X) Good Will Hunting
(X) The Sixth Sense
(X) Home Alone
(X) Jaws
(X) Men In Black
(X) Men In Black 2
(X) Cast Away
(X) Mrs. Doubtfire
(X) Ghost
(X) A Beautiful Mind
(X) Jurassic Park
( ) Passion of the Christ
(X) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
( ) Pirates of the Caribbean
( ) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
(X) The Exorcist
( ) Starsky and Hutch
( ) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
( ) The Princess Bride
( ) AnchorMan
(X) Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
(X) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(X) Anger Management
(X) 50 First Dates
(X) The Princess Diaries
(X) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(X) American Pie
(X) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
( ) Harry Potter 1
( ) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(X) The Wedding Singer
(X) Little Black Book
(X) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
(X) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
(X) Signs
(X) The Grinch
(X) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
(X) White Chicks
( )Butterfly Effect
(X) 13 Going on 30
(X) I, Robot
( ) Robots
( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( )Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(X) Along Came Polly
(X) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(X) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
( )Meet the Fockers
( )Eight Crazy Nights
(X) Joe Dirt
(X) King Kong
( ) A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
( ) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(X) Final Destination
(X) Final Destination 2
(X) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
(X) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
(X) Surviving Christmas
( ) Flubber
(X) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(X) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
(X) Ghost Ship
(X) From Hell
(X) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
(X) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
(X) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(X) Ten Things I Hate About You
(X) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(X) Sixteen Candles
(X) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
( ) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
( ) Ocean’s Eleven
( ) Ocean’s Twelve
( ) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(X) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
(X) Independence Day
(X) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(X) Christine
(X) E.T.
(X) Children of the Corn
(X) My Bosses Daughter
(X) Maid in Manhattan
(X) War of the Worlds
( ) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(X) She’s All That - the Fatboy Slim dance is so worth it!
(X) Calendar Girls
(X) Sideways
(X) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(X) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
( ) The Terminator
( ) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
( ) X-Men
( ) X-2
( ) X3
(X) Spider-Man
(X) Spider-Man 2
(X) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
( ) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
(X) The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
(X) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
(X) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
(X) The Notebook
(X) K-Pax
(X) Krippendorf’s Tribe
(X) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(X) The 40-year-old Virgin
( ) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
( ) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
( ) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
( ) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
( ) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
( ) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects( ) Elf
( ) Highlander
(X) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(X) Titanic
( ) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(X) Hook
( ) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
(X) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 1
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
( ) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
( ) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
( ) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
( ) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
( ) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
( ) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
( ) The Matrix
( ) The Matrix: Reloaded
( ) The Matrix: Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
(X) Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
(X) Hannibal

The P-Man and I will see you soon, have fun!!

Oh the abuse!

Clearly Beth has Photoshop and some actual skillz to go with it :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Take 2

I can't turn down a dare!

Beth dared me to dress Pumpkin up as a Leprechaun for St. Patrick's Day but I was unsuccessful in finding suitable Leprechaun clip art so instead I give you this!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Giving praise where praise is due

Or sometimes threats make good things happen!

Hopefully this will be my last blog conversation regarding the evil minions Gateway. Now I hate to jinx anything but after another million phone calls, threats to involve the South Dakota DA, much crying and follicular ripping I finally unearthed the ONE Tech who actually knows what he's doing! YAY!! My new BFF Dustin found a hidden virus that was booting up the computer rather than allowing the hard drive to do it thus wreaking all sorts of havoc. He also unearthed (and repaired!) a battery glitch and....dare I say it? It's been smooth sailing! YAY x2!! Now I'm praying I haven't taunted the computer gods and life can move forward once and for all!!

Moving on to actual knitting content there's been a pitiful showing, truth be told. For the first time in a really long time I really haven't felt like knitting so much and I'm not sure why. I have noticed a similar ennui on many blogs, so at least I have good company :)

I've barely touched the Forest Path Stole but I do have an FO!

What else? Socks!!
Here's my first pair with the new Panda Cotton from Crystal Palace --- I LOVE IT!!

Specs:

Essence of Elfine footies - Just over one skein of the Panda Cotton, Fern Colorway

US #1 (2.25 mm) Aero DPNs

Knit toe up with a Turkish Cast On

And check out that bee-you-tee-full tubular bind off, baybee!!

Mods: I converted Anna's original Elfine to footies and added a yo short row heel.
I really love the Panda Cotton - it's very soft and kinda squishy. It's comprised of 4 elastic strands so it can be a bit splitty but not horribly so. It stood up well to being frogged a few times (until I found the right pattern) The yarn *seems* a bit thicker than most fingering weight yarns but once knit and stretched a bit, it was quite fine and fit comfortably into shoes.
I will most certainly being using it again and I definitely recommend it!

Now some pretty knitting accoutrements.....

I love wearing shawls/stoles but don't like wadding them up in a knot and hate fussing with them to keep them in place so I went looking for some shawl pins and look at the beauties I found!!

These are hand made by the very sweet and talented Chris who sells her lovely wares here. Chris' original designs are stunning, functional and won't snag your beautiful knits! Plus Chris is very helpful and accommodating in helping you get exactly the knitting bling you dream of :)

Now P-Man does a little Vogue, and strikes a pose!

What a stud muffin!

Now if that doesn't cure the ennui, nothin' will!

Have a great week!

Miscellaneous fun or there is occasionally life besides knitting or bitching at computer techs!

Since the knitting around Chez FKD has been less than stellar because of interminable hours of Gateway grief yet again** I thought I would share one of my favorite vids of all time.

I am completely in love with this man....great sense of humor, totally HOT! completely endearing boyish smile and a COOL SCOTTISH ACCENT!! ::::SWOON:::: And he's talking about my beloved (!!) Florida. Have a gander and a good laugh....



Hottie Scottie, right? I love me some Craig, baybee!

And now for you La, the ecstasy of the feets...

Have a little fun and hopefully I'll be back soon with some actually knitting!

** so yes, things are working again (for now - no jinx, please!) but I have actually contacted the Consumer Protection Dept. of the Attorney General of South Dakota to file a formal complaint cause more than a year of this %^&*$% is more anyone should have to bear!!