Socks on Parade, Part Two!

Two more socks for you my Knitbloglandia buds!

First up -

Christmas in February Socks



Last year during our entrelac challenge over at SKA I knit these

My partner in crime fellow mod Bettina went so crazy for them that I promised to knit her a pair which I sent to Germany for Christmas in February!

Specs:

Pattern: Annetrelac Socks

Yarn: Schaefer Heather in the Cranberry Kiss colorway ( I ♥ ♥ ♥ this yarn!!)

Needles: US #1 (2.25mm) and US #0 (2.0mm) 32" addi turbo circs, magic loop method

It's a super easy pattern that looks much harder than it is! I used a little bit heavier yarn than the pattern suggested so I made a ton of mods - all deets on on my Rav page (link above).

Bettina loved them and they are a perfect fit, see.....? (actual Bettina feet, woo hoo!)



And now for something completely different I give you....more socks!

Juicy Mystery Socks



Specs:

Pattern: March Mystery Sock by Kristi Schueler of Designedly Kristi fame

Yarn: Sereknity Yarn and Fiber Sock Options Shimmer Merino & Bamboo in the Seriously Citrus colorway - Again LOVE!!!! (as an aside, I am completely enamored of bamboo blend sock yarn - it's so smooth and cool on the needles and the feet!)

Needles: US# 1 (2.25mm) Hiya Hiya 32" circs, magic loop method.

This was a very interesting and fun Mystery Sock with a cool Cast On/Bind off. We started the sock on waste yarn and added a knitted on I-cord after the whole sock was completed! A new and interesting construction from one of my favorite designers and bloggers, BUT IT STILL NEEDS A NAME KRISTI!! :)

Thus ends this week's installment of "Socks FKD has been too lazy too post". The parade continues next week :)

But WAIT!!

A certain handsome kitteh boy has a BIRTHDAY this week!

My P-Man turns FIVE next Friday!!


Happy Birthday baby boy!


There isn't a sweeter lil chubler kitteh than you!

See ya next week! :)

Yeah, me again but this is REALLY important!

Every year, Claudia of Claudia's Blog participates in a Ride to Raise $$ for MS

I always make a $$ donation and I usually donate a prize as well (every $10 donated gets an entry into a raffle for some AMAZING prizes)

Well last year, I donated a pair of hand knit socks....I said that I would knit a custom fit pair of socks for whomever won my prize. Well guess who won my prize? One Anne Hanson of Knitspot fame....talk about intimidation! But Anne was completely lovely and gracious AND had never had anyone knit her a pair of socks before !!

Then a few months ago a friend over at SKA, Ms Jenn/ (MePlz over on Ravelry) told me that she "thought lots of people would be willing to buy a raffle ticket to win socks handknit by FKD".... and I thought hey, instead of donating one pair of hand knit socks as a prize, maybe I could raise even more $$ for this VERY worthy cause by raffling off a pair of hand knit socks! So I made Jenn a promise when Claudia's MS ride rolled around again this year, I would raffle off a *Knit by FKD* sock...

So here's my **challenge** to you my sock knitting/blog reading friends....

For every $5 you donate to my PayPal account: JustABitMore8 AT aol DOT com between today June 23 and next Saturday, June 28, you will win a chance to have your very own, pair of custom knit FKD socks!

The pattern/design/color will be a surprise (I promise no orange Monkeys unless that's what you really want!) but I will use your specs and get to know what kind of socks would make you squeeeee and rock your sock wearin' world!

Every penny raised will go to support Claudia and her fight against MS (and this disease SUCKS cause among other things, it stops knitters from knitting!) so let's work together to wipe it out now and forever!

So if you think a pair of FKD socks are worth $5 (or more) put your $$ where it's needed and I'll do the rest! :)

Socks on Parade......

Howdy Strangers!

It's been so long since I've updated Knitbloglandia with the many, many socks I've been knitting I think the time has come!

So as not to innudate my readers (the shock of frequent posting could kill the few that are left, hehe) I'll share them over the next few weeks, 2 at a time....

Then as an added bonus, y'all can look forward to some regular kitteh beefcake too!

And so we begin:

Vinnland Socks

Specs:

Pattern: Vinnland

Yarn: 2.5 skeins Heirloom Argyle in Burgundy Heather (LOVELY YARN!)

Needles: 32" US #1 (2.25mm) addi turbo for foot, US #1.5 (2.5mm) for last pattern repeat on leg and for tubular bind off, magic loop

Mods/Notes: Used Turkish cast on to start. Changed yo SR heel to flap heel modified from the July SKA Mystery Sock

Even tho these were knit for a man's size 13!! they were a fun knit that went very quickly! The yarn is rugged but soft enough for next to skin wear and very handsome. This pattern had been in my queue forever but for some reason I was intimidated - needlessly so and I'm sorry I waited so long! They were a very enjoyable knit and made a really sharp looking sock!


Disco Elise Socks


Specs:

Pattern: Elise by Jaimi Allen

Yarn: Tempted Glam Girl in the Concubine colorway :)

Needles: US #1 (2.25mm) KP nickel 32" circ, magic loop
#13 steel crochet hook
32 size 8/0 crystal silver lined seed beads

Notes/Mods: Knit these toe up so I could use every inch of this pretty, pretty yarn! You can't see it from the pics but there is a sterling silver thread running thru the yarn which is why I called them "Disco Elise" :)

Cast on using the Turkish cast on of course!

The pattern is nice and stretchy but hugs the leg nicely.

I again used a modified version of the July Mystery Sock flap heel but added the eye of partridge stitch.

I added a row of silver crystal 8/0 seed beads to the last row before starting the picot edge to bring out the silver in the yarn and make them even more disco-y.

I used a picot hem rather than any ribbing to keep the very feminine look.

Here's a close up of the picot hem, the beads and the silver thread in the yarn:


Very enjoyable socks and the proceeds went to a very good cause so the socks were full of win!

Ok, that ends our sock update portion, now for the kitteh beefcake!!


Even asleep he's so studly, isn't he? See ya next week with sock update part 2!

Life before knitting

Hi all! I'm back and it's actually been less than a month since I last posted! I'll wait while y'all recover from the shock :)

Thank you all for the lovely compliments on Mom's Lace and Ribs Tee! She's really happy with it too, she's already worn it three times! (which is more than I can say for some of my other handknits!)

I also got so many nice compliments/inquires on my cross stitch sampler that I thought it would be cool to show y'all evidence of my crafting life BK (before knitting, hehe)

Actually, I learned to knit 30+ years ago when I was 8 and kept it up pretty much til I moved to Florida in 1989...because there were no LYS (and no Internet!!) back then I had no access to any decent non-K-Mart, one step up from being a Hefty Bag ack-ryllic, so there was no knitting here at Chez FKD!

Of course, being a true knitter at ♥ I did have a stash, albeit a puny, well-traveled one but if I used that yarn, it would be gone (I have since used most of it but I do have a sweater's worth of Tahki Soho Bulky Tweed that I actually bought when I was in high school!)

So being of a crafty nature, I lept full force into my other favorite craft - counted cross stitch!

I learned when my BFF came home on college breaks as she went to DukeUniversity in North Carolina and counted cross stitch was mostly a "Southern" craft back then...she learned and then taught me and would send me kits and fabric from NC. Plus those were the pre-Internet days where if you wanted something that wasn't locally available, you actually looked thru a catalog and "mail ordered" it!

When I finished college, I moved to Virgina (2 towns away from said BFF) and really got into the craft. Even tho I was actually knitting back then, in fact I was teaching knitting in my LYS I was completely smitten with cross stitch. I loved that you started with a totally blank canvas and you created the picture from nothing! Plus I loved all the beautiful colors of the shiny DMC floss and the intricacy of the patterns.

So I give you some of my work over the years.....(click to embiggen as always!)

I've always lived near the ocean and had a fascination for the sea and beautiful tropic fish. This is one of the first pieces I ever created and resides at my front doorway:


Keeping with the sea creature theme as well as my lifelong enjoyment and fascination with Koi, here are the pieces that adorn my hallway:


The crab and the fruits are cross stitch, the koi fish kites are needlepoint done with cotton floss.

Here's another sea-flavored pic...is it any shock that I was born in Florida and grew up in a town named Oceanside? :)


As well as being obsessed with the sea, hehe, I LOVED doing cross stitch samplers!
I love the intricacy and all the different personal touches the original designer would add as most of the samplers I've done have been reproductions of antique samplers. These samplers were used by the young girls of their time to learn their ABC's and hone their "womanly skills" of sewing and stitching!

Here's my first sampler:

It's a Danish sampler worked on cream colored linen. You can see I completed it in 1981 while I was in college and it was one of the kits I ordered before I moved down south.

This sampler was also a kit. It's called a Freisland Sampler because it is in the style found in the Freisland region of northern Holland.

This is also done on cream colored linen. Just looking at this reminds me of how much fun they are to make! I didn't date this one but I believe it was completed in the early '80's too.

Both these samplers reside in my boudoir :)

Here's another peek at the sampler in my living room that my Mom was posing in front of.

This is a modern day sampler (not an antique reproduction) and was SO FUN to make!! It took me two years to complete because what looks like "simple" cross stitch is actually many different, complex crewel and embroidery stitches combined with cross stitch stitches. Each one of those flowers on the border took me about two hours EACH to complete! I finished this one in 1988.

Last but not least, this is a bell pull that hangs on my bedroom wall. A bell pull was used in Victorian times to summon the servants but no matter how much I ring the bell, none of "the servants" ever show up, dagnabit! Heheh...

This is a special fabric called Teramo which is a thicker linen with decoratively woven panels alternating with standard cross stitch panels.


It's a bell pull that represents the four seasons and it's one of my very favorite pieces!

Here's a close up of Spring.....

And Winter:


Hope y'all like my virtual cross stitch tour! That's more than you've heard from me in the rest of 2009 combined I think, hehe....

I just can't help it, I do so much yakking over at Sock Knitters Anonymous (we're almost at 7300 members now!!!!) that I'm all typed out when it comes to blogging....but I do miss it (and my blog friends!) so I don't think I'll ever leave it completely. Besides, where else can I share my very favorite project who resides in my boudoir and anywhere else he pleases?

Happy Sunday! :)

I just couldn't wait for Mother's Day....

So I gifted FKMom with her new Lace and Ribs Tee last night!!


Isn't it a perfect fit and doesn't she look bee-yoo-tee-full in it?

SQUEEEEE!!!!!
Dontcha just love it when handknits come out *exactly* as planned, look fabulous and are super appreciated? :)

ETA: To all those that have asked, yes the sampler is also *my* handiwork!
I used to cross stitch all the time BK (before knitting, hehe) If you click on the pic to embiggen, you'll see my name on the sampler! Thanks for the extra compliments :)

Will Wonders Never Cease?

What wonder you ask?

Well here at Chez Blog de Fluffy, there is actually KNITTING to share....AND it's NOT SOCKS :)

(of course socks will always be near and dear to my ♥ and there are a few of those to share but that's for a *future* post - hey! there's another "wonder" - plans for a future post for uber lax blogger, FKD, hehe)

Anyways, yep it's true - finally a garment makes it's debut....

I give you the beautiful and lovely Lace and Ribs Tee!!

A close up of her pretty lace stitches


Her delicate picot edged neckline


Her lacy sleeves


The front, back and eleventy million pins/blocking wires (the #1 reason I knit SO MANY SOCKS.....minimal blocking, no pins and no contortions to get em to look pretty!)

And the money shot.....

Isn't she a beauty?

Deets:

Cast on: January 1, 2009

Completed: April 4, 2009

Lace and Ribs Tee by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer (Ravelry Link)

Yarn: 7 Skeins Schachenmayr Micro, color #73, Spring Green

Needles: Addi Turbo US #2 and #4

Notes/Mods: I have to say that this was hands down the most well written pattern I've EVER used! Jackie is so talented and professional every single step was spelled out and easy to follow without being fussy or overwritten!

The yarn is a silky, knits like buttah sportweight microfiber with fabulous stitch definition that just flowed across my needles. I think it will be cool and comfy to wear even here in Hot as Hades Florida.

My only mods were minimal - I did a "standard" picot edge for the neckline rather than the 2 row, sewn down picot the pattern called for (I picked up the purl bumps and knit my picot together to form the hem rather than sewing it)

I had to go down 1 needle size as the yarn acted like cotton (altho was MUCH easier on the wrists and had much more memory!) I also preferred the fabric with a smaller needle so I knit at a slightly tighter gauge and went with the 47" size to obtain a finished measurement of 44".

Because I used a microfiber rather than a natural fiber I was afraid (needlessly!) that the tee wouldn't block well so I crocheted the side seams and to set in the sleeve caps rather than mattress stitch them so the seams would have lots of stretch for blocking.

All in all I LOVED knitting this Tee and LOVE the finished product! If I loved it so much, what took me so long to knit it you ask? Well, I merrily cast on *thinking* I had 10 skeins when in truth, I *only* had SEVEN! I was so worried I would run out of yarn despite many calculations that I figured if I let it marinate for a while the yarn would magically multiply and all would be well, hehe....I worried for nothing and have about 1/2 of a skein left :)

I think the FK Mom is gonna LOVE her new Tee, at least I hope so! It's just her style and color so I'll follow up with some modeled shots in May after it's gifted in May.

I'll be casting on another sweater shortly (try not to faint!) as a special friend has a special birthday this year and she's allowed me the honor of knitting "her dream sweater" to celebrate what she means to me :)

Plus there will always be socks!

I leave you with this adorable pic of the P-Man who's equally shocked to not see the socks :)


Happy Knitting!

A Long and winding road...

Thanks for giving the P-Man such a warm reception after such a lengthy absence...boy time does fly when all you do is eat, sleep, chase the occasional catnip mouse, sit on sunny window sills and look amazingly cute :)

So while we wait for the Lace and Rib Tee to make it's debut I thought I would share a little long overdue, triumphant story with my long suffering standing readers at Chez FKD...

For the last three years I've had an ongoing battle with the evil Gateway to make good on the POS (piece of shit) computer that cost me major bucks and was nothing but a lemon from the minute it came out of the box...

To whit, in 3 years time the thing had nine hard drives, four mother boards, 4 processors, 4 video cards and the memory replaced 5 times...plus I had no less than 10 "experts" come to my home to try and remedy the problems (I purchased the in home/total replacement insurance plan) with other assorted remedies and doodads.

And the computer would work wonderfully for a few months and then bite the dust once again.

Luckily throughout all this I had a back up....My first laptop, purchased in 2000 when Gateway was still a reputable company with with quality product. I LOVED my Solo 9300 and never ceased to be amazed by the fact that a NINE YEAR OLD COMPUTER not only worked like a dream but with a wi-fi card became a WIRELESS LAPTOP. Imagine Gateway back then was so forward thinking that I could go wireless with a laptop that was built when wireless wasn't even a gleam in Bill Gate's eye, hehehe...

Well unfortunately, my well loved and well used Solo 9300 met her demise back in January :( I still miss her.

And my jury-rigged POS Gateway was still limping along. I could see the writing on the wall (finally!) and even tho my POS Gateway was under warranty until January 2010 I was tired of the fight....

Yes, I kept writing my letters to the CEO but knew in my heart of hearts it was time to let go, move on and buy a new and reliable computer. As a side note, in the interim, Gateway was purchased by Acer and no longer does ANY retail sales. Personally, I think that is a commentary on our present economic state....a reputable company sold out for the $$ and quality went out the window but that's for a whole different post/rant/blog ;)

So I started looking around but I was worried I would have to make a purchase "under pressure" because my POS Gateway was so unreliable...but that's a major purchase that I didn't want to make under duress. Then two really incredible things happened....

The first was I discovered the Netbook! It's like a Blackberry on steroids and is just the cutest little computer EVER! I figured I needed a back up just in case my POS gave up the ghost and at least I could maintain Net access with minimal $$ outlay (and maximal cuteness) and always use it for storage and total portability while I leisurely searched for my perfect new "main" computer! For those not familiar with a Netbook, it's a mini-computer with all the bells and whistles of a bigger computer except an optical drive (no CD/DVD player - but you can buy an external one, I did!) plus it runs on WINDOWS XP!! :)

I researched them thoroughly and went with the MSI Wind 120. It has a crystal clear 10 inch screen, an ergonomic keyboard (the largest on the market - gotta save those wrists for knitting!) a 160 Gig HD and it is fast as the wind...I ♥ my lil mini!

Then amazing occurrence #2...Gateway FINALLY came thru and sent me a brand new computer!!!! YAY!!!! It's a 16 inch screen media center, 320 gig HD, and it works like a charm....and the operating system is Vista which I heard all sorts of horror stories about but guess what....I LOVE IT! So after much ado (and anguish and persistence) I give you: Esperanza ( Hope in Spanish, heh ) and Adam.....


Now I realize Esperanza is STILL a Gateway so I'm saving my $$ and looking around and mostly waiting til Windows 7 is released so I can decide if I want a window based OS or go with a Mac Book...but for now, life is sweet :)

Even the P-Man is calm and relaxed, see?


Be back soon with the Lace Tee....off to play with my lovely computers! :)

Hi There!

Howdy Everybody!!



I've been lying here working on my kitteh tan when I realized it's been SOOOO LONG since any of you have heard a peep out of the P-Man!

I'm here to tell you Mom is fine, just really busy with life and her GINORMOUS group on Ravelry (altho I still don't get the whole sock thing!)

She says she promised herself she wouldn't blog again until she had something to show you besides socks and she's *this close* to showing you her pretty lace tee (and another eleventy million socks!) so she says she'll be back soon!

Of course, I'm as studly and gorgeous as ever!

See ya soon!! :)

Time to tie up the loose ends,...

Now that 2009 has arrived I have a few loose ends to weave into 2008 :) Just a couple of FO's I never shared but are definitely share worthy! First up, Basket Check Socks:

AS ALWAYS, CLICK ANY PIC TO EMBIGGEN

This was such a fun sock to knit!

The pattern is from The Little Box Of Socks by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott

To an experienced sock knitter like me I didn't think these "simple" patterns would have a place in my sock library but the patterns are lovely, fun, interesting and like eating potato chips, you can't stop at knitting just one!

This was also my first experience with Emily Parson's Sophie's Toes sock yarn - total LOVE!!

This yarn is so soft and the colors so vibrant! This colorway is called Vintage Kitchen - who couldn't love a colorway named after Fiestaware and avocado appliances? Hehe...

Complete info and deets here.

Next up more socks....shocking, innit?

One of the Sockdown! October challenges for my Sock Knitters Anonymous group was a designer named Stephanie van de Linden.

Steffi is a very talented and prolific designer so choosing which sock to knit was really hard but anyone who's visited Chez FKD knows we loves us some beaded knitting around here so of course we chose the pattern with some pretty beadwork!

I give you Glamour Socks.....

Aren't these lovely?
The yarn is the much missed Cider Moon Blizzard in the Banana Cabana colorway.

These were a gift for my doctor who is Indian so I thought the much maligned yellow would look gorgeous with her dark skin and hair.....nevermind the fact that in the 2 years she's been my doc I've only ever seen her wear khaki slacks, black loafers and a black button down shirt! When I gave them to her I told her it was time she got a little color in her life and boy did she!

Complete info and deets here.

And thus ends the knitting for 2008.

Now to ring in the new -- the first FO of 2009!

Allow me to introduce you to my Ready for Spring Firestarters!


Marjan, aka Yarnissima was the SKA featured designer for December.

I've had these beautiful socks on my "To Do" list for forever and I'm so glad I finally took the plunge!

The yarn is Yarn Pirate Bamboo/Merino/Nylon - it is a pure delight to knit with and the color just shimmers and glows!

The sock design is so unique, and while I admit I had a few hair raising moments I really enjoyed every single stitch and am completely in love with the finished object!

Complete info and deets here.

Now I have, as promised, cast on a "big project" but I'll save that for next time....it's not one of the choices I listed in my last post but it's a real winner so far! (and in fact I will be knitting Eastlake in the near future too!)

I do want to leave you with one more thing I love before I end this novel of a post (compared to my recent proclivity here at Chez FKD, hehehe)

I want to share my latest favorite thing...

CLICK PIC FOR LINK TO THINKSPORT SITE

I've been troubled by the carbon footprint the use of disposable water bottles causes to our one and only Planet Earth so I've searched and searched for something that was reusable, HEALTHY (no PVC, or leaching of chemicals) durable, practical and KEPT MY WATER DRINKABLE ie: not bathwater warm, YUCK!!

Well let me say that my ThinkSport bottle is THE ONE! This thing costs about $20, is indestructible and I have left it for TWENTY FOUR HOURS and still the water inside was cold and refreshing!! I can't sing the praises of this product highly enough!

Give yourself (and your planet!) a healthy 2009 present and go get yourself one!

Ever the P-Man agrees...


See ya!