Someone's turning 4 today!

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

Can it really be November already?

Sheesh time sure does fly, doesn't it? Wasn't it just Independence Day?

At least it's gotten a bit cooler here and we managed not to meet Mr. Noel so a girl's gotta be grateful for the little things! (one more month to avoid the big "H", doo dah, doo dah!!)

I've been knitting A LOT or should I say re-knitting :(

I completed the first sock of the gorgeous Caramel Apple Twisted Flower sock past the gusset and once again I failed to heed that nagging little voice in my head telling me the socks were too snug! So of course the little voice bitch slapped me and I had to rip out all those annoying tedious pretty little cables! You would think she would speak up sooner, wouldn't you? heh...

But the Smooshy yarn is beyond stunning and sooo delightful to knit with I almost didn't mind a second take, almost! I switched to the #1.5 needles the pattern recommends (duh! but it *seemed* too big with a gauge of 8 sts/in on 72 sts cause the cables aren't all over the sock!!) and all is well!

So now I'm about an inch away from starting the toe decreases on the first sock but I wanted to show you this gorgeous heel...

Isn't that a thing of beauty?** You can really see the subtle nuances of color in this amazing yarn and the pattern is just breathtaking! It's about as far from "mindless knitting" as it gets and as I alluded to before the tiny cables are really tedious, even without using a cable needle but the end result will be so worth it! No more pics til a finished pair tho!

** the "beautiful" knails are shockingly NOT OPI, they are OPI's edgy little sister Nicole (the line is named after OPI's founder's daughter) I was sneaking in one last summery mani with the lovely shimmery pink called Provocative Pink

I got so embroiled in the Caramel Apple socks I neglected my Dolce Vita tank a bit but I'm on the home stretch now. I should finish the knitting this weekend and will give it a wash and a block and then seaming town, here I come! So in other words those pics will be coming soon too.

We may be low on the knitting pics here at Blog de Fluffy but I do have something spectacular to show you. Check these goodies out...

This is a slightly belated birthday gift all the way from England thanks to the kind and generous Emma! That's cashmere and silk bay-bee!!

The plump skeins on top are Posh Lucia sock yarn and the stunning purple shaded skeins are about 1200 yards of laceweight silk from Fyberspates - aren't I the luckiest knitter?? Thank you SO MUCH sweet Emma! I see some yummy socks and a killer shawl in my future thanks to you!

Look! Even the nosey P-Man is in love...

I guess he's just doing his job, he is my knitting supervisor after all!

On a side note, Michaela, a good friend of Emma, is raising some much needed funds for Emma's son Oliver. Oliver should be the poster child for making the most of every single day despite disability but unfortunately his winning "getter done" attitude doesn't pay for the VERY expensive adaptive equipment Oliver needs. Michaela is sewing together a cozy, colorful blanket that will be raffled off with the proceeds going to Oliver's Fund. If you can help either with a donation, a few knitted squares or buying a raffle ticket or two (a mere $2 each!) wont you go pay Michaela a visit and do what you can? You can even get an early start on Knit Unto Others 2007!

What we lack in knitting here at Blog de Fluffy, we make up for in handsome kitty man pics so here's another for the P-Man fans...

Kitty Dude is so photogentic, isn't he? :)

Enjoy your weekend and your extra hour of sleep! (YAY!)

I have so much to show (and tell) you!

The good thing about non-stop rain for over 3 weeks is when the heavens finally decide to shine a little light on this fluffy knitter's lowly existence, I have LOTS of FOs and other good stuff to share so get ready for a picture *fluffy* post, heh!

Since my birthday was 3 weeks ago it's about time I showed you two of my favorite knitting related pressies...

This was hand made for me by the talented and generous Sallee aka Nana Sadie Rose...

needle case front
needle case inside
Isn't this adorable? I LOVE the fabric! In fact, I told Sallee I wish I had jammie bottoms made out of it too cause it's warm cozy flannel!

Now we all know FKD is of the ahem, hoarder persuasion so thinking my DPNs will fit in this beautiful case is laughable BUT my crochet hook collection will fit perfectly and it will be a very welcome improvement over their current residence of a ziploc sandwich bag!

If you want a needle holder of your own or one of Sallee's gorgeous original bags, go click on the link and pay her a visit!

Thanks Sallee, I love my new kitty needle holder!

The reason I don't own one of Sallee's amazing bags is I'm not much of a bag person! Shocking, I know...the one obsession I don't have, right? :)

When I started back to knitting 5 years ago I was desperate to find other knitters so I found a clear vinyl knitting bag, thinking if people could see my knitting while I was out and about, they might ask me about it. And they did!

But despite all the amazing knitting bags out there, I've stuck with my clear vinyl...until now....

Look what I got for my birthday!!

Isn't this a hoot?

It's made by a company called Angry Little Girls and it was a gift from my good bud Laura!
It's such a fun bag in my favorite color! I especially love all the little pockets and compartments for every notion you can think of! I don't think I'll be wearing it to church but it is certainly a conversation piece! Thanks Auntie La!

Now for some knitting...I finally finished the albatross Esprit Tank!!

This project has been on my needles longer than any other since I learned to knit!! Miles and miles of sportweight garter stitch, I thought I'd never get thru it! In fact I came *this close* to abandoning it quite a few times but I'm glad I didn't! Have a look at why...

pretty collar

border close up

the money shot!

folded border

Specs:

Elann Esprit Tank (free pattern from Elann.com)

size #6 addi turbo 32" circular needle

size D crochet hook

10 skeins Elann Esprit cotton/elastic yarn, colorway Capri Blue

2 skeins Elann Sonata for trim, colorway Indigo Gold

Mods: The largest size this pattern was written for was 36". I upsized this to a 56". I continued the drop stitch pattern over the whole tank rather than over just the midriff as the pattern suggested. The crochet border as written was WAY too big and came out like a giant ruffle - not the look I was going for! - So I kinda redneck engineered (a phrase and action coined by Kris!) the crochet motifs and decreased half the stitches in between each motif to have the border lay flat. I also used a smaller crochet hook.

In the end, altho the knitting was quite a slog, I'm very happy with the final product. It's winging it's way to it's recipient as I write this and I think she'll love it too! At least I hope so!

It's an easy, easy knit with some very basic crochet added in and in a "regular" size it would be a fun and fast knit. I'm very glad I made it but I'm sticking to smaller projects for a while...

I took the tank outside to get a decent pic (it's hanging from my porch light in the "money shot" pic, heh) and Pumpkin was bereft that he couldn't join in the fun too!

what a sad, lonely face

But wait! there's more!

I finished my Vog On footies!

Specs:

'Vog On socks by Aleta Fera for Knitty

2 skeins Crystal Palace Panda Cotton, colorway Blueberries and Grapes

Size US#1 (2.25) Knitpicks 32" circular needle, magic loop

Toe up using a Turkish Cast-On

Tubular bind-off

Mods: I made these more of a footie than the anklet the pattern suggests. I changed the eye of partridge heel to a yo short row heel and I eliminated the picot bind off as I didn't think FK Mom would appreciate it so much.

My love of Panda Cotton is well documented, especially this delicious colorway! These socks are so soft plus the pattern is super easy and so pretty. I think FK Mom will love them!

Now you'll note those socks are blue. Guess what color my new socks are? PINK, what else? Sheesh, maybe I do need to knit some brown socks to break this color rut I'm in! Here's the new socks on the block with some Knails thrown in for good measure...

Just a simple toe-up, magic loop, garter rib sock in some pretty Lorna's Laces, another birthday pressie, this time from Jessica. The juicy nails are OPI Brights Collection, Goldilocks Rocks! I went for extreme contrast vs. matching this time - isn't it pretty? :)

As your reward for reading ALL of this, you get a second P-Man pic - cause there's never enough P-Man, right?

The handsome boy makes everything he sits on look comfy, doesn't he?

Have a good week...I'll be back soon with my new WIP, weather/pic taking permitting!

OOPS!! One more thing...I added a new free pattern on my sidebar if you're interested. Just a simple wrister pattern written for koigu or any sock yarn, enjoy!

After the party's over....

So another birthday's come and gone...good thing I'm perpetually 29! :)

Thank you one and all for all the wonderful birthday wishes, between here and Ravelry I've never gotten so many "happy birthdays" in my life!

But enough rambling on and on, I know what y'all *really* want...the answer to the mystery of the universe, just how many OPI lacquers does obsessive FKD have?

Well first, here are the birthday knails holding the current SIP, 'Vog On...

Virgin Island Velvet...and to the commenter(s) who asked, if you keep the caps on tightly and store the OPI in a cool, dark place (my closet, my dresser) they can last a LONG time. I have some that are well over 5 years old, maybe closer to 10! (Virgin Island Velvet being one!) and they are just like the day I opened them. Gotta love the OPI huh?

Isn't that a festive birthday color even tho I trimmed my knails a bit?

So now that you know I've been collecting OPI for more than 10 years, you know how some of your weenie guesses just cracked me right up, heh!

Now for some more birthday eye candy, here's a bouquet from the FK Mom...

Isn't she the best Mom?
Now where was I? Oh yes....birthday contest!!

OK, enough teasing...the total mumber of OPI lacquers I posess is....

~~TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY TWO ~~
That means if I was so inclined I could change my polish every week (I'm not) and have no repeats for FIVE YEARS!!

And the winners of the contest...the guess that came closest with their FIRST guesses was TRISH with 243 and the runner up was MEL with 275.

So ladies if you will email me with your addresses, and Trish you get to decide which gift you prefer, I'll get your FKD birthday gifts right off to you!

Now wasn't that fun? Thanks for playing, everyone!

There's been precious little actual knitting content here lately cause I am still slogging thru the Esprit tank but I am just about at the armscythe for the back so there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I so want to finish this thing, I won't even *allow* myself to knit on my socks until I do, which is making me a bit nuts, I admit!

I did get a little respite from the tank tho...I signed up for Dish Rag Tag a couple of months ago and despite the fact that I think my team is in last place, I finally got the box! Here's what I got from my upstream tagger...

Of course Mr. Nosey had to check every thing out! Thank you Karen, Pumpkin and I love our surprises and my dishy new dishrag! :)

I'm the last stop for my team so I get to send a dishrag to Emily, the coordinator of DRT. I wanted something different so here's my welcome respite from the Esprit tank...

Say what you will about "warshrag" knitting, but I think they are a fun way to try out different stitch patterns and they make splendid, extra soft and soapy washcloths!

So it's back to the albatross Esprit tank for me, and birthday week is almost over :::sigh:::

I hope to have a finished tank soon and then I promise to lay off the giant projects for a while cause they sure make for boring blogging! (btw, the tank is actually a gift but it's a secret, don't tell, k?)

I'll leave you with another lucky gift recipient and it wasn't even his birthday....

I decided the the P-Man needed a bed of his very own** so I got him one made for up to a 75 pound dog!! (He's about SEVEN pounds) He LOVES it...see?

Granted, it's a bit roomy but I can't get him out of it! I think he looks so cute kinda swimming in the thing :)

I'll share a couple of my most favorite birthday gifts with y'all next time and hopefully have a finished tank too! Til then, have fun and knit lots!

** he's rejected a kitty pi and his previous preferred place of slumber was in my closet on my shoes! Crazy kitty man!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Yes, the big day is here! So if you haven't made a guess (or wished me a happy birthday) you have til midnight to do so and maybe win those yummy prizes -- Good Luck!!

PS - No one has guessed yet :)

Let the celebration begin and other random stuff

As I've said many times, I try to keep FKD about the strings and sticks but occasionally there is a subject which isn't about the knitting that reminds me why I'm glad I have my blog where I CAN have my say even if it has nothing to do with yarn...so here's something that I feel compelled to discuss...

This may be a sad performance, this may be a poor wardrobe choice, this may be a cry for help, this may even be a whole lot of crazy but.....

THIS IS NOT FAT!!!!!!
I fear for the message the media continues to send to healthy sized, impressionable young girls who look at this and think, "If she's fat, I'm a whale!!!" Is it any wonder eating disorders are so prevalent? /end rant.

~~~~

Kristi, designer extraordinaire of Fiber Fool fame recently wrote an interesting post about color and how we choose color in our knitting lives. She's even developed a color meme. Here's mine...

1. What is your current favorite color? Green and orange to look at, pink to wear

2. Had your favorite color changed over the years? Orange has very dramatically leapt into my preferred spectrum where is had not been before

3. Is your current favorite color one that is currently trendy? (Do you see it in the fashion rags or on the clothes rack or in the linen aisle right now? How about 5 years ago?) Trendy schmendy - I wear what I like and what looks well on me (never brown or beige no matter how *chic*)

4. What is your favorite color combination? Black and pink or red, pink and green

5. Is that combination a popular one? (Is it use in prints you see in the stores and catalogs and magazines now? How about 5 years ago?) I don't know about popularity in stores now or 5 years ago but the black/brights combo is very popular in professional settings. There were many days in my office where every single one of us (more than 20) were wearing black and red or pink!

6. What is your favorite way of using color in your knitting? (Are you a stranded knitter? Do you prefer simple stripes? Do you prefer just accents at the hems/collars?) I haven't done stranded knitting since I moved to Florida - too hot! I love knitting with rich, bright saturated color and not just for socks! I'm not really big on stripes but once in a while they are fine - I usually prefer a more muted variegation tho. I think color accents in small touches on a knitted item look very sharp without being garish or gaudy

7. What colors look good on you? Any pink, any blue or any gray except the darkest values of each. I had my colors analyzed back in the early 90's and those colors became my mantra - and they work really well for me!

8. What colors look bad on you? Green, brown, beige

9. Do you wear colors that don’t look good on you just because you like them? Very, very rarely and only if they are not close to my face - people ask if I'm feeling sick when I wear colors I shouldn't :)

10. What is your favorite neutral color? black/white/ivory/tan/brown/gray – if brown or gray do you prefer cool or warm versions of those or does it matter? And, how dark? Black or gray - Not too dark on the gray - flannel, not charcoal

11. Is there a sweater pattern that uses more than one color that you’d like to make, but you wish to change the colors from what is published? If yes, which one? What do you not like about the published colors? Living in Florida and having most of my knitting recipients living in warmer climates I don't even think about knitting something like Oregon by Alice Starmore or a Dale of Norway sweater but if I did, I think there are enough patterns like those around that I could find a color palette that pleased me. If not, I wouldn't hesitate to change the colors.

Feel free to yoink this meme and post it on your blog (with a link back to Kristi!) cause I for one, am very interested to hear the color perspective of my blogging buds!

Now for the really important stuff...THE BIRTHDAY CONTEST!!!!!

Next Tuesday is my birthday so of course that means it's a perfect time for ME to give YOU, my faithful and supportive readers, a gift!!

As y'all have come to know, I have a bit of a *thing* when it comes to Knails! In fact, my OPI stash rivals my yarn stash....hey, I wonder if OPI will do "The Fiber Collection" - knitting themed colors!? Ok, I digress...

Anyway, I have 2 lovely prizes to give away...

A sock yarn grab bag with Lorna's Laces, Mountain Colors, Opal, Sockotta, ect.

And a shawl kit from Blackberry Ridge, The Legend of the Shetland Seas Stole.

Here's a close up of the lovely yarn - you could even dye it if you choose!

So how do you win one of these lovely prizes? Simple! Just guess the number of OPI Knail Lacquers I currently possess!! Easy Peasy!

Wish me a happy birthday and leave your best guess in the comments between now and midnight September 18th and you'll be eligible for one of these yummy prizes! I'll pick the two winners closet to the actual number and one closest will have their choice of sock yarn or stole! YAY, I love birthdays!! :)

Here's the P-Man primping for the upcoming festivities...

He says, "Good luck everyone and happy birthday Mom!!"

I don't 'poo, do you?

Got your attention, didn't I? :)

Yes, it's true but not in the way you think...

Thanks to Wendy, via Sandy I've gone shamPOO free!!

For the last few months Wendy has mentioned going 'poo free and how nice it was making her hair...I was intrigued! You see, since my hair is just shy of waist length and I have the MOST sensitive skin on the planet the thought of adding less chemicals to the equation sounded like a good thing so I went here to check it out!

No chemicals? No unnecessary foam? Gorgeous hair? I dunno, sounded too good to be true, plus it was pretty spendy!* I didn't want yet another disappointing product gathering dust in my linen closet. What sold me? Well, if skeptical L-B can do without the 'poo, so can I! :) Plus she has longer hair like me!

It's an odd feeling, not to have a head full of foam but my hair is GORGEOUS! Smooth, no frizz (remember I live in the humidity capitol of America!) super soft and silky and SHINY! Plus it did not irritate my skin at all! (Most shampoos do!)

By popular request, ETA.....

MY HAIR!! :)
I used the Cucumber Aloe Cleansing Conditioner and used 18 pumps (I am using less each time til I find what is right for me!) The only complaint? I *hate* the smell...it smells musty and old to me, not fresh like I hoped it would. I also bought the Tea Tree and I love that smell so I plan to alternate with every washing.

I heartily recommend these products, especially if you have sensitive skin issues. I got mine here and I'm really happy I did! Thanks L-B, Wendy, Sandy and Chaz :)

** It's not spendy if it works and doesn't make my scalp bleed! Plus it's a bit cheaper on QVC than from Chaz Dean directly.

On to the knitting! After all this is FluffyKnitterDeb, not FluffyShoweringDeb! (there's your scary visual for the week, heh!)

First we have...wait for it...PINK SOCKS....

Here's the finished "Everybody into the Pool" socks...

Aren't they great? They are just so juicy! I actually took this pic in my bathroom because it was the only place I could photograph even close to the true color including inside under an Ott light and outside...it's really a deep, saturated hot pink rather than a purple. This pic isn't perfect but very close - I love 'em!

Specs:

Tausendschon Sockenwolle, colorway Schlangengift (I tried to translate this and it kept coming up as queue poison, wtf? My kind reader Batty set me straight, it means Snake Poison! How cool is that?) I really like this yarn, it's so soft and nice to knit with!

Size #0 (2.0 mm) 32" circular needle, magic loop

Just simple stockinette and a yo short row heel with the yarn doing all the talking...I love em and I'm sure my niece will too!

Next up, new socks in....wait for it.....BLUE....

I was trying to get out of my green knitting rut and now I'm firmly ensconced in a pink and blue rut :::sigh::: maybe I need some brown and yellow yarn? ( j/k!!)

Here's a new footie I started for Mom

Toe up 'Vog On socks from Knitty in Panda Cotton, colorway Blueberries and Grapes.
I LOVE this colorway, the combo of blues and purples is very striking. Panda Cotton is one of my favorite sock yarns! It's so soft and squishy (ok, and a little splitty, just pay attention!) I just love the sproing it has too!

The pattern is very cool too but I'm not gonna do the picot bind off. It's just a bit too "cutesie" for the FKMom so I'll finish with a tubular bind off.


I got a lovely present in the mail, look....

why yes, it's some new knails too. OPI brights, "Do you need Sunglasses?" :)

It's another beautiful darning egg!! My very talented wood crafter friend Phil of Custom Wood Design sent it to me, isn't it lovely?

I use my darning eggs all the time, for grafting sock toes but it's also very handy for making any knitted fabric more visible for weaving in ends. Go pay Phil a visit and get yourself something lovely too! (he has breathtaking niddy noddies, spindles, wip tools and nostipinde too!)

ETA: If you go to Phil's website, ignore the "SOLD" signs. If there is something you especially like, Phil will make it for you as long as the wood is available - just email him to discuss it.

Speaking of presents, next week is the FKD birthday once again! So what does that mean to you? Why, it's time for a groovy contest of course! Yeah, I know it's weird to give presents away on MY birthday but I march to a different drummer like that :)

So the P-Man is chillaxin' this week, see?

Don't ya just love the little crossed feet? :)

He's says to come back soon for birthday festivities! Til then he hopes you can chillax some too! Have fun!