D is for Destiny and....

I was beyond sad and I thought my tears would never stop but three years ago today this krusty, easygoing, lovable lil guy came into my life....

It was Destiny and I fell hard. Thanks for always being Delightful my Darling Kitty Man...and thanks for filling my life with a million smiles when I thought there were none! Happy Anniversary my sweet little Bubba!!

Chips, Cast-ons, Completions and Cardigans

The astute among you will guess today's post is all about the letter C

First I give you CHIPS...COLOR CHIPS that is. Guess what we
are planning here at Chez Blog de Fluffy?

Yup, we're painting the cave as soon as we can decide on what color. So many choices! Plus it's truly amazing how different the colors look in different light - what looks green in daylight looks brown under fluorescents! But the P-Man and I are having fun thinking about the possibilities!

I finally tamed the fractious beast that is the Lindissama Lace Vest.

A while back FKMom asked me for a vest "with holes like a shawl but with buttons". So I searched for the perfect lace vest and found the Lindissima. I believe it's just what Mom is looking for!

I CAST ON and then I CAST ON and then I CAST ON some more. Finally after the fifth CAST ON success was mine! You see, it's knit all in one piece so casting on 200 odd stitches and working 6 - 8 rows was no bowl of cherries...I couldn't get the gauge/fabric I preferred to coincide with a wearable size without enough math to make my brain fall out but eventually the stars aligned and the moon was in the seventh house and all is well! Have a gander....

ooo pretty!
It's a fussy pattern in that the lace is on every row for the border so there is a ton of centered double decreases thru the back loops! Oh my aching wrists (x SIX, ack!) Thank goodness for addi lace needles!

I'm using Louet Sport in Teal, a colorway Mom has drooled over admired many times before and a yarn I love knitting with. I'm really loving how it looks, I even picked out stunning silver buttons for it already :)

Now y'all know about me and socks...besides always having a sock on the needles I'm pretty adventurous and varied in what I like to knit and have knit many different patterns, both my own and others' designs.

I've got well over 100 pairs of socks under my belt but this week's COMPLETION has helped me realize MY. FAVORITE. SOCKS. EVER.

I give you the CARDIGAN Socks...

Handsome, yes?

Will ya look at that gorgeous heel? (and ignore the long overdue mani!)

Striking in any pose!

Specs:

Pattern: Cardigan Socks by Anne Hanson

Yarn: 2 skeins Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Harvest

Size US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Knitpicks Harmony Wood needles

Mods: NOT A SINGLE ONE, WHY MESS WITH PERFECTION? :)

I loved every single stitch of knitting these socks! The menage a trois of the perfect pattern with the perfect yarn (I ♥ ♥ ♥ LL shepherd sport!!) with those amazing needles made for a heavenly knit!

The sock is so cleverly designed, the charts are immaculate, the pattern is easy yet has lots of visual punch...can you tell I'm having separation anxiety?

If you want great sock, here it is my friends!

I leave you with this pic of my lil guy...

P-Man feigns disinterest but he's really jazzed about Mellow Meadow and Shady Grove :)

Have a great week!

Who're you calling a Blimp?

As you might have guessed, today's post is brought to you by the letter B!

One of my very favorite things is knowing that, depending where it's headed or returning from, I live directly in the flight path of the celebrated Goodyear Blimp!

This is the sight I see off my Back Balcony just at nightfall many an evening...This is what I saw last Friday at about 6:15 pm...

There are only three Blimps in the fleet these days and this is the Spirit of Innovation that's based in Pompano Beach, Florida, a town about 15 minutes north of me.

I'm not sure why but no matter how many times I've seen it, it still gives me a little thrill every time I do :)

You can read all about the history of the Goodyear Blimps here


Now for some Beauty--

Knitting and Knails!
Here's my latest sock and my latest mani...

Aren't they Both Beautemous? The sock is the Cardigan Sock by Ann Hanson and the knails are Kinky in Helsinki by OPI, of course. It was really hard to capture this rich, decadent color - it's a deep shimmering magenta and so so so pretty!

I am absolutely LOVING every stitch of this sock! I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in the Harvest colorway and it's knitting up like a dream! The Shepherd Sport is one of my very favorite yarns anyway but combined with this clever, stunning pattern it's knitting perfection, I tell ya!

The astute among you will also notice the amazing needles I'm using...yep, those are some Knitpicks Harmony fixed circs and I am completely ♥ smitten ♥. I'm not a die hard knitpicks fan, in fact I really don't care for their yarns very much and I find their other products just ok.

I purchased my Options fixed circ cause addi doesn't make a 2.25 mm which is my "go to" needle for socks and while I'll never give up my addi's, it do like the Options for magic loop. But I had a gift certificate for KP and I figured I'd give the Harmony a try, also for magic loop and I'm so glad I did! They are smooth and strong with just the right amount of grab, have a soft, malleable cable perfect for ML and they're beautiful. What's not to love? I have no plans to purchase sizes other than for socks but having them sure makes my sock knitting even more enjoyable - imagine that! :)

I know I promised a new non-sock project but that's just gonna have to wait til next time cause I didn't think Bullocks was an appropriate B post, heh... It's a beautiful vest for my Mom but I'm having lots of gauge issues and I've frogged the bloody thing five times now. It's a really fussy pattern as well and it's getting on my last nerve! So next time, I hope.

Here's my last B....but as they say, I've saved the best for last!

Bubba sleeps
But why a B you ask? Well, I confess I've taken to calling my boy Bubba!
I'm not sure why but it's true, I've nicknamed him Bubba and I think it's kinda cute. Well we do live in SOUTH Florida after all :)

See ya next week, happy weekend!