Random Friday

Thanks for all the compliments on La Dolce Vita!

I'm hoping my SIL likes it as much as everyone here! I'll try to get some modeling pics once it's gifted so you can see it on a real body cause it sure is pretty and will look stunning with her olive-toned beauty!

Regarding my Veteran's Day post...I know lots of us have seen the familiar poppy boutonniere but I'm guessing many of us didn't know the origin of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance, me included.

The poem I posted In Flander's Fields, written by Canadian field doctor John McCrae during World War I is the inspiration for using poppies for remembering and honoring our veterans. He wrote it after presiding, in lieu of having no Chaplain, over the funeral of a close friend and comrade and was touched by the poppies growing amid the headstones in a small cemetery in Belgium. I think the poem is just as touching and important 93 years later...sadly.

Now for some less sobering randomness, look what I got in the mail.....

How cool is this??
Anyone who's ever gotten an email from me knows my address is CherryRipeGirl@comcast.net. Altho many of the online losers are sure that has some deviant meaning, the origin of the name is simply that an ex-boyfriend who was an Aussie ex-pat from Perth gave it to me. Cherry Ripes are a very popular candy Down Under and it was his Aussie way of calling me his sweetie (awwww!)

Donna, knitter extraordinaire and owner of the cutest whisk broom lovin' bunny ever was sweet enough to think that I should taste my namesake and so she sent me a bag of Cherry Ripes straight from Oz!! So YUMMY!! And that purple-y black something else peeking from behind the candy is a really yummy, gorgeous skein of cashmere sock yarn from The Knittery in the colorway, Midnight! (no Beth, you can't have it!) Thank you so much Donna, both your gifts were totally wonderful!

Because I had a few requests I've added new pattern to my side bar - my
Extra Warm Kureyon Wristers in two sizes! Enjoy!

One last bit of random before I go, heh...

On Ravelry, I belong to the Sock Knitters Anonymous Group (as an aside, a very fun, active group with a cool Sockdown Challenge every month - come and join us!)

I posted this to the group and the subject still intrigues me so I'm posting it again here....

In one of the Ravelry forums there is thread titled "Not feeling the sock love?" or something to that affect...

It was a thread for people who don't knit socks and don't get sock knitting (Imagine that???? Hehe)

Some of the comments really surprised me tho -- many posters responded that they don't knit socks because "they don't wear socks" or they "don't wear handknit socks".

This indicated to me that unless the knitter is wearing the socks herself, she's not knitting them! This concept really surprised me cause here at Chez Fluffy, 90% of the socks I knit are for someone else. I would also say that at least 50% of the other items I knit are for someone else too.

So what do you all think, are most knitters "selfish"? ***

***I used the word selfish in quotes because I don't think knitting for one's self is a bad thing, it was just a surprising observation as a reason not to knit socks.

Lastly, a random pic of my favorite kitty man

Getting a random and much appreciated head scratch!

Have a wonderful week, see you before Turkey Day!!

Busy, busy, busy!!

Why is it, despite planning and executing holiday knitting year round, I always feel sorta *crunched* this time of year?

The good news is I've been a busy knitter and that puts me in the homestretch for meeting holiday knitting goals!

I don't mean to imply that I don't love holiday knitting, I do!! And my recipients love my handknits just as enthusiastically which thrills me to no end! There is nothing better than seeing someone truly happy to receive a handknit and love it so much that they put it on immediately and wear it with a huge smile on their face!

I do however confess I have weeded out the less than enthusiastic from my list, I wouldn't want you to think it's all knitting Utopia here at blog de fluffy :)

I have so much to show you so I'll jump right in!

Here's a pair of Kureyon Wristers I whipped up...

I'm not the biggest Kureyon fan cause despite it's glorious color I find it horribly scratchy and I hate pulling extraneous crap out of my yarn! But I had this pretty colorway in my stash and I wanted some really warm wristers - and believe me, Kureyon knit at 7 sts/inch makes for a dense, toasty wrister!

Specs:

Exactly one skein of Kureyon, colorway #150

My own pattern

Magic loop, US#4 (3.5mm)

I literally used every inch of the skein for these. Once knit I washed them in baby shampoo and then while still wet massaged some Redken "Soft" hair conditioner into them and rinsed very well. Now they are super soft and super cuddly!

Next up, I give you La Dolce Vita!

Here she is lying down after a bath...

(The color is kinda off here, it's not quite so orange)

And the money shot...

This color is spot on on my monitor - it's a vibrant, sunny coral

Specs:

La Dolce Vita Tank by Dipsy Doodle

9 skeins Knitpicks Shine Worsted in Coral

US# 3 (3.25mm) Addi Lace needle

I totally LOVE how this tank came out!! I think it is truly lovely!

It's an original design by Angela of Dipsy Doodle and as soon as I saw it I knew it would be perfect for the person I plan to give it to. The pattern is not for the feint of heart tho!

Altho the lace isn't really difficult, there is no guidance for maintaining the decreases in pattern so a knitter has to "knit on her feet" - not at all mindless but not terribly difficult if you pay attention.

Mods: I felt the armscythe as written was too deep and the V-Neck, too shallow, so I redesigned both to suit my needs. I added an extra inch to the body length. I did short row shoulders and used a 3 needle bind off for the shoulder seams. The pattern calls for a crochet edging to the neck and armscythe but I wanted a more finished look so after sewing the tank together I picked up stitches around the neck and arms and did 3 row garter stitch neck and arm bands to match the garter ridges in the pattern.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this top and despite all the mods I think it's a wonderful design (thanks Angela!) and will probably knit it again, albeit not too soon!

Wait, there's even more - I told you I was busy, busy, busy! I'm still working on my Caramel Apple Twisted Flower socks but since that was my only WIP, I cast on for a new pair of socks - check off another holiday gift, woot!

Here's my Marigold Sock...

I'm using Opal Petticoat #1290 which I think is *perfect* for this pattern! Isn't it pretty?

I'm loving this pattern cause it's really cute yet super easy! It's become my "mindless" sock when I need a respite from teenie cables and because it's such an easy pattern it's infinitely more portable than the Caramel Apples! BTW, this would be a GREAT pattern for those toe-up sock virgins out there - if you're looking for the perfect pattern to get your feet wet with, imo, this is the one! I subbed the Turkish Cast-on (of course!) for the short row toe as written so that makes it even easier.

Whew, that was a busy post! I leave you with this cute pic of the P-man...I love it because it appears as if you are looking directly into his eyes, especially if you click to embiggen...

You're getting sleepy...you're being hypnotized...send organic wild salmon treats...hehehe...

Have a great weekend/week and don't stress about holiday knitting too much - it's still early :)

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!

Ask and ye shall receive

I usually don't post all the specs/info on a project until it's an FO but I had so many compliments on my cabled wristers in my email and comments, ALL clamoring for the pattern!

So I hurried up and have a FO just for your viewing pleasure :)

with flash
sans flash - the actual color is somewhere in the middle

Specs:

Fingerless Mitts (thanks Petra!)

Just over 1 skein of RYC Cashsoft DK in Clementine (uber yummy yarn, thanks Rowan!)

US #2 (2.75 mm) Aero Teflon DPNs

Mods: I had this pattern in my files but I really took notice when I saw them in all their tweedy goodness over at Dave's In fact, I liked em so much I *borrowed* his mods and modified them even more! (thanks Dave!)

The original pattern has the cabled motif over the wrist but I preferred Dave's idea of having the cables on the back of the hand instead. Instead of starting the thumb gusset 15 rows into the motif, I knit an additional 10 rows of the 2x2 rib (40 total) then worked the thumb gusset as written when I began the cables

When the cable motif was complete I knit an additional 15 rows in 2x2 rib and then one additional decrease row where I k2tog 8 times evenly spaced to prevent flaring of the bind off. I then bound off in knit which I prefer to binding off in ribbing.

I picked up 2 additional stitches for the thumb (19 stitches total) and knit 14 rows of stockinette before binding off.

I also slightly upsized the wristers for fluffy hands by using DK weight yarn rather than the sportweight the pattern suggests.

Clearly, it takes a village to knit *perfect* wristers! :)

F to the O and new beginnings

Sorry to have stayed away so long, did ya miss me? I've been down with the bug that seems to be going around. Never fear, even tho activities other than sleeping and taking Nyquil have been minimal, there has been knitting!

Add to sickness the omnipresent cloudy, gray skies we've been having and photo ops have been few but we persevere here at Casa de FKD.

Without further ado, my first finished sock of 2007!

Specs:

Oblique Openwork from Sentsational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch

Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Evergreen, US #1 (2.25mm) Aero DPNs

Mini-gusset yo short row heel

Bearfoot is one of my very favorite sock yarns! It's supersoft, the colors are glorious and it makes some of the warmest socks you'll ever wear! Plus it's superwash! I love the slightly beefier heft of Bearfoot too, the only drawback being the mohair content doesn't give the fabric much sproing...but a nice rib like the Oblique Openwork saves the day! I hope these socks like their new home in a much chillier climate!

ETA: Speaking of socks, if anyone has unsuccessfully tried to obtain my free sock patterns, the links are now fixed, help yourself!

February heralded the start of the Forest Path Stole-a-Long and here are my humble beginnings...

I've never knit with pure silk before and this Handmaiden Lace Silk is just dreamy! It's a challenge to knit because it is very slippery but the color, soft smoothness and drape are pure heaven, no crunchy silk here! I'm using Aero Teflon circs, size 3.0mm (a US 2.5) which I found the easiest to tame the slick factor after swatching with Crystal Palace bamboo, Bryspuns, Addi's turbos and Addi naturas - thank god for needle obsessivness, right ? :)

I love how this is starting out I can't wait to get to the actual entrelac!

The FPS has absolutely NO portability at the moment (will it ever? hee!) so the on-the-go project is of course, wristers! (bet you thought I was gonna say socks!)

I'm using RYC Cashsoft DK in Clementine and US #2 (2.75mm) DPNs. OMG, if I ever entertain the notion to knit underwear, THIS is the stuff I'm doing it with! Don't worry I'll spare you that FO but this yarn is so so soft with such fabulous stitch definition it's hard to resist! YUM!! A most hearty thumbs up!

I leave you with a "sort of" action shot of the P-Man enjoying one of his favorite activities....our roof is finally being repaired a mere 16 months post Wilma (you know we don't say the H word around here. Ever.) and the construction has disrupted what is apparently an entire pigeon village! Pumpkin loves to watch the pigeons land on my balcony and window sills all day. When he spots one his tail swishes furiously and he runs to the window, leaps straight up almost 5 feet to the sill and paces back and forth wishing he could join in the pigeon fun.

I took this pic just as he was about to leap for the sill -- P-Man the flying wonder cat!

Hope your week is full of comparable fun! :)

It's the little things...

Wow!! We have 20 participants for the Forest Path Stole Along! I'm totally tickled!

I think it's gonna be a great KAL because so many knitter's have had this project in the queue since the pattern came out in the Summer 2003 issue of IK and you know they say misery loves company :)

For anyone else considering joining, first let me say entrelac LOOKS much harder than it is! If you can pick up stitches, entrelac is easy!! The FPS is a perfect intro to entrelac as well because you have fairly large blocks and so don't have to worry about the constant flipping, flipping, flipping (because the knitting is directional) that can be a tad annoying when you're doing entrelac with smaller blocks.

The stole looks impressive and "complicated" as a whole but in reality there are only three lace patterns throughout and they are pretty basic, easy lace patterns. These three patterns also have the benefit of being really intuitive which makes the occasional screw up easy to recognize and fix before you've knit another 100 rows!

So if you are still on the fence about joining, be like Nike and "just do it"! It will stretch your knitting horizons and be lots of fun!

I finally wound my ginormous hank of yarn, it took me 90 minutes to do and that was with a ball winder and swift! It is a full pound of yarn so it's about 3000 yards but still...But here is the fruits of my labor - I swatched!!

The color on my monitor is a little bright but it's pretty close and I LOVE it!! It's just what I wanted for my FPS stole!

I swatched with #3 (3.25 mm) in both a Crystal Palace bamboo DPN and a Bryspun DPN. I like the feel of both so I'll decide which I prefer as February 1 draws closer. I washed and blocked my swatch and I'm very happy with the fabric and the openness of the lace....I can't wait to get started!!

Now for the part everyone's been waiting for....the contest!

Of course the quote is from Dirty Dancing...I really thought the movie quote was an obscure one - apparently not for those hard core Patrick Swayze lovers and brilliant residents of Knitbloglandia! Alas there can be but one winner to whom go the spoils so :::drumroll please::: the winner selected by random number generator is Kristyn of Crazy Knitting Fool!! Your crimson laceweight merino will be on it's way this week with a couple of extra surprises too -- -- congrats grrlfriend!

Since I'm eagerly awaiting the start of the FPS KAL I've been working on assorted little things and short term projects. My first FO of 2007 were my two scarves for the Red Scarf Project but alas I sent them off with no pictures.

Then I jumped back on the wristers frenzy for these Koigu cuties...

About 2/3 of a skein of Koigu PPPM #450, size #1 (2.25mm) DPNs, my own basic pattern.

And these...

More beaded wristers from Regia Silk 6 ply, size #1 (2.25mm) DPNs, about 50 amethyst rainbow 6/0 seed beads per wrister, #11 crochet hook same basic pattern, less stitches. I just love making these - they're so easy and so cute and everyone in my family wants a pair so more will be coming :)

On the needles now is a pair of extra large felted clogs. Sashquatch my brother liked the clogs I had made for my Dad but they were too small for him so my tiny footed sis-in-law appropriated those and I'm making a giant pair for FKBro -- in dark aubergine, bless him - at least he didn't choose black :)

Anyone who's visited FKD for more than a minute knows I love green!! I can't wear it near my face (I look ill when I do) but I love to look at it! I also love to knit with it for those that can wear it, like the recipient of Ruben (who was blown away I might add - woot!!) But it's my opinion EVERYONE can wear green on their feet!

Now, I love green and I love to knit socks so when I saw this button, I had to have it! Isn't it the cutest button? It's not a KAL** so there is no link, it's just for folks who love green, love to knit socks and love to knit green socks!

So yoink this cute button (on your own server please!) and knit up some pretty green socks too! **I cannot for the life of me remember where I found this button so if you are or know the artist please leave a comment so I can give you credit!!
ETA: the artiste is Maritza of Knotty Bits...well done Maritza!

I leave you with the face of absolute innocence....




Would you buy some used catnip from that face? I know I would :)
Happy Monday!!