Everything is beautiful, wish you were here!

Since Ruben and I are vacationing on Sleeve Island I thought I'd send you guys a virtual postcard!

Both the front and back are completed and I have about 1/4 of both sleeves finished (I'm knitting both at the same time!) so this gorgeous sweater should be drying on my blocking board by next weekend. Then a bit-o-mattress stitch and he's off to a rendezvous with Santa for a special place under a special tree :) Don't ya just love the holidays?

I did manage to finish another gift....I give you A Step Above!

Specs:

A Step Above entrelac socks from Knitter's Magazine Summer 2004

Just over 1 skein (for a size 7.5 - 8 woman's foot and 6 inch cuff!!) of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, colorway Seaside

US #1 (2.25mm) metal DPNs for ribbing and US #0 (2.0mm) for the rest of the sock

Mods: Because entrelac tends to bias the knitted fabric, it's hard to get gauge. When I first made these socks in 2004 I was in a group with the designer who knits TONS of entrelac and she suggests going down 1-2 needle sizes from your "usual" needles size to get gauge. The pattern as written was too large for my recipient so I knit it on less stitches and eliminated 2 of the cuff "tiers" for a 6 vs. 8 inch cuff.

These sock are made with an afterthought heel. As much fun as the socks are to knit, picking up the stitches for the heel is heinous! Bogie of Knit Flix made very similar mods to mine as well as suggestions for making the heel a bit easier...and she was smart enough to write em down, hehe...(link above)

I LOVE how these socks turned out! I think they are really unique and very stylish and I hope the recipient loves them as much as I do! Go ahead, make a pair - entrelac is fun!!

Since I do much of my knitting for family/friends/body parts that are far away you guys never get to see the "action" shots.

My brother and his family were here for Thanksgiving (sadly sans my niece who has a new job -- miss you Nicodemus!) and my beautiful sis-in-law was kind enough to do a little modeling....

Hedera with the recipient's actual feet in them! Imagine that! And my niece's beaded wristers....

My beautiful SIL the feet and hands belong to!

Last but surely not least, here's what I see 99% of the time when I'm sitting on my couch watching TV and knitting away...


My knitting supervisor hard at work....notice the silky wool and the addi turbo in the pic....the P-Man is taking inventory to facilitate Ruben's completion! Wouldn't you just kill to be that relaxed? :) Have a great week everyone!

Even if your bird is bilingual, have a......

Happy, Healthy
Thanksgiving!

Reminders, memes and sky, oh my!

Today is the kick off for the wonderful

So let's all get out there and make a difference for people who need us!!


Since everyone is doing it, here's my latest meme....


1. FIRST NAME? I know this is a shocker - Debi

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My Dad's uncles David and Joe (my middle name is Joy)

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? What time is it?

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? When I'm careful, very much - when I rush, not so much

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Buffalo chicken breast or Olive loaf

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS
WITH YOU? I think so, I'm a good and loyal friend

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? You're reading it but I also keep a written knitting journal with notes, planned future projects and stash inventory (excluding sock yarn!)

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope, had em out when I was 25

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Now wouldn't that be the loudest splat heard round the world, lol! Fluffy girls don't bungee jump!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Oatmeal or Kashi Blueberry Heart to Heart

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Headstrong, you bet! Pretty strong personailty too, I often find people around me picking up my mannerisms

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Sadly discontinued Ben and Jerry's Southern Pecan Pie and Hagen Daz Vanilla Swiss Almond

14. SHOE SIZE? 9 W.I.D.E!!!!

15. RED OR PINK? I like em both equally

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I procrastinate WAY too much and too often and my temper

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Jaxon and Mickie and Nicole

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Nah but I love reading them across Knitbloglandia

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Pants? No pants today...a blue flowered cotton sundress

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? some onion rings

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My a/c running and "Something's Gotta Give" on the TV

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Since it's a fantasy anyway I'll change with my mood....today's color? BLACK!

23. FAVORITE SMELL? Vanilla, freshly squeezed lime and Polo by Ralph Lauren on a hot guy (well any guy truth be told!)

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Mom

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Strong manly hands......delicate, effemminate hands are a total turn off! Also eyes, lips and dimples!

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? I'm sure I do but I don't remember who it was :)

27. FAVORITE DRINK? Diet Coke is my addiction!

28. FAVORITE SPORT? I love watching baseball in person

29. EYE COLOR? Hazel green

30. HAT SIZE? huh?

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope, glasses just for reading

32. FAVORITE FOOD? pasta, thai and sushi

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings.

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? winter in Florida is perfection...I love the snow but don't think I could handle it anymore for more than a day!

36. HUGS OR KISSES? mmmm kisses!

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Creme Brulee or Apple crumb pie

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille

l41. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? got a laptop here

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? 20/20, the Barbara Walter's special and my *favorite* show How It's Made!

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? The P-Man chirrrrp especially my "good morning mom" chirp

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? The Stones baybee!!

45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? California and Canada

46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I'm very intuitive and a great diagnostician

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Hialeah, Florida

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I nicked it off someone's blog, don't remember who

The weather today is glorious, everything weather should be! Cool and clear, no humidity - blue skies and soft fluffy clouds abound!

I love the lone puff of cloud in the forefront seemingly scooting along under the watchful canopy of "real clouds"!

Hopefully your weather is equally spectcular and your weekend full of knitting onto others! Enjoy!

Make some noise from the front to the back

A little bit o lyric borrowed from Fatboy Slim :) Ooodles of bonus points if you can name the flick it was featured in.....

I've been trying to post for days but the weather has been gray, gray and more gray with cloudy, dark skies not very conducive to photo ops. Luckily today I managed to squeeze in some pics during a lull in the deluge!

Here's my progress on Ruben making some noise from the back to the front.....

I havent been knitting as much as I'd like cause this rain is wreaking havoc with my wrists and achy wrists = pain = less knitting but I've finished the back and am just past the ribbing on the front. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how this is shaping up and I enjoy every minute of knitting with the amazing Silky Wool. That Elsebeth Lavold knows her yarn and her cables, that's for sure!

I've also made lots of progress on the entrelac socks, see?

As you can see I've completed sock #1 and I'm about to begin tier #5 (last tier before I add the waste yarn for the afterthought heel)

What's really surprising to me is all this sock knitting has been done with ONE skein of Lorna's Laces!! And I still have yarn from the first skein left to use! These socks are average size....my standard woman's six inch leg and the foot is 9 inches for a woman's size 7.5 - 8 shoe! I've knit this pattern twice before but I never realized how "economical" entrelac socks can be!

Here's my favorite guy acting like a 'fraidy cat....

In reality, the P-Man is really friendly and outgoing but I think he might have gotten wind that today is nail clipping day and as easygoing as he is, he's not real fond of having his nails clipped :)

Hope your day is brighter and dryer than ours and filled with lots of great knitting! See ya!

W is for Worthy Causes

In my life, one constant that brings me peace (most of the time, hehe) is knitting...

Knitting soothes me when I'm frazzled, keeps my brain occupied and keeps me learning new skills, all very good things.

It brings, by way of Knitbloglandia, companionship of like minded friends from all walks of life and all parts of the globe.

Knitting gives me so much that it seems only natural to give something back via knitting. Luckily Carole and Margene are two of those like minded friends!

Once again, these lovely ladies are hosting....

(click here for more info)November 18 - December 2
Here's a quote from the Knit Unto Others website:

This KAL was started as a way to stay grounded at this time of over-consumption and excessive giving. It is sad to see children, adults, students and others around the world suffering for lack of warmth or basic needs. The basics of life are very hard for some people, right here in this country to come by. A warm hat, scarf or mittens can do more than warm fingers and ears, it can lift someone up and show that someone cares. Do what you can from November 18-December 2 and join our Knit Unto Others campaign.

Take a minute to surf over and look around for more info including charities that need our help...you won't be sorry!

A worthy cause that particularly resonates with my heartstrings is

(this button links to orphan.org - you know what to do!)

Our very own Norma, owner of one of the biggest hearts (and the sauciest vocabularies!) in Knitbloglandia has championed this cause since last year and kindly set up a website with lots of info, scarf patterns, prizes!, and pics of completed scarves here: Red Scarf Project Blog

Why knit a Red Scarf? Here's a quote from the website:

The Red Scarf Project, a project of the Orphan Foundation of America, or Orphan.org, collects red (and other unisex-colored) scarves to send in Valentine's Day care packages to college students who have aged out of foster care. These brave young people are going it on their own and trying to improve their lives and the community by attending college. The care packages are welcome tokens of encouragement to young people who otherwise receive little to no mail.

Just to make it even easier I've gathered a few of my favorite scarf patterns off the net.

I'm partial to seaman's style scarves for warmth without the bulk so I'll be knitting this scarf: Matthew's Scarf

Here's a few more I like alot:

Rainy Day Scarf

Irish Hiking Scarf

And a plethora of scarfy patterns sure to please any chilly neck:

Scarf Pattern Resources

So consider doing a little charity knitting for those who have little to cheer them, it's the feel good WIP of the season!

The P-Man thinks orange is a much better color but red is his second favorite!
So knit something for others, you'll be so glad you did and so will they!

V is for Voting, Voices and Verdigris

I try not to be terribly political here at Chez FKD but please get out today and VOTE! It's a priveledge many nations don't have, a right we are lucky enough to be afforded and a responsibility we have to ourselves and each other.

If we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem. Use your voices today and VOTE!

On a lighter note, I give you Ruben....he's the new man in my life!

He comes to me from Sweden on a Sentimental Journey, isn't he dreamy?

Ok, ok I confess, he's my new WIP....

Ruben designed by Elsebeth Lavold in Designer's Choice, The Sentimental Journey Colllection, Book Two.

I'm making Ruben as a Christmas gift for my old friend Augie. Remember him?

The pattern calls for cotton but I wanted something warmer and a bit less casual so I decided to use Silky Wool. This is my first experience with Silky Wool and WOW is it nice! It's a very smooth knit and I love the tweedy depth and almost felted feel of the yarn....yummy stuff! And the colorway I chose? VERDIGRIS!

Here's my knitting supervisor to show you my progress so far....

Isn't the Verdigris lovely? Look at that stitch definition (and that handsome P-Man!)

As much as I loved knitting the Thistle Flower tank (thank you for all the lovely compliments, btw!) I missed knitting with wool so I'm thrilled to be back! I'm really enjoying this new WIP, can you tell? I'm gushing :)

I've added 2 new buttons to my sidebar that I'll post about next time and I'll show you the progress on the entrelac socks too....til then go raise your voices and VOTE!

A little rant and a lotta knit

/begin rant.....Altho I blog for myself, as a record for my knitting, I am blessed to have readers who enjoy my musings as well. I'm thrilled that I'm part of a community of like minded friends who come here to visit and share this little piece of my world and I love having y'all here.

Now I'm amenable to sharing any tips or knowledge I have because that's one of the best things about this community as I see it, a shared online resource. However, if you, my dear reader, comment anonymously, I cannot respond! I don't want to turn off anonymous commenting but some of the "questions" are not really applicable to a post. For example: "where do I find your tutorials?" Um well, if you're seeing my blog (the actual blog, not thru Bloglines or Newsgator, ect.), look over on my side bar and you'll find them, I promise :) Another frequent "comment"...."how do I find your patterns?" Um, same place...sidebar, click on links, go to free file hosting site, look around, brave the pop-ups (it is FREE after all!) find the file! Easy Peasy!

I have my email posted over there on the side bar too....if you ever have a problem or question, dear reader, just email me and I'll do my best to help, but please comment with a contact so I can help/answer or email me, mmmmkay? /end rant

On to the knitting!

Finally after much ado I bring you the Lotus Blossom Thistle Flower Tank!

First a close up to show off the pretty colors

Thistle flowers, right?

A peek at the back and the pretty striping in outdoor light

The view from the front*

The glamour shot

Specs:

Pattern: Lotus Blossom Tank, Interweave Knits Summer 2006

#6 (4 mm) and #5 (3.75 mm) addi turbos

12 skeins of Kelly yarn, a cotton/microfiber blend, color #100

Mods: I knit the large size to achieve a 48" finished measurement with my gauge. I knit six pattern repeats rather than the five suggested by the pattern. I also added 3 inches of stockinette to the bodice before the armhole shaping.

I added an eyelet row under the bodice with a threaded twisted cord (to make sure the "girls" stay where they belong!) I chose not to add short row shaping for the bust because I felt it wasn't needed with the length I added to the bodice and I felt the short rows at the bustline would be too conspicuous because of the stripes.

One very cool thing is that the pattern is written with short row shaping for the shoulders/ back neck using Japanese short rows! This was my first experience with the Japanese short rows and I'm now a total convert! I think they look much smoother than wrapped short rows and they are much easier to do! No digging around to find the wrap! There are some good tutorials on the net and if you've never tried Japanese short rows, you should! I can't wait to try them on a sock heel myself!

I really love how this tank turned out! The patten is well written and a pretty easy lace so it would make a good first lace garment. The fit is great, the sweetheart neckline very flattering. The yarn is very soft and drapey but light as a feather and the color is subtle but lovely! I see this getting lots of wear for years to come - wearing it makes me feel all girly :)

*you might notice the long "ends" not woven in on the tank. With cottons, I leave long tails on the private side and I find they never poke thru to the front like they can do when they are shorter!

And now knitting present and future....I started the ubiquitous pair of socks.....


I'm revisiting my favorite socks, gotta love that entrelac! This is Lorna's Laces shepherd sock in the Seaside colorway. I love the unique way this is striping!

I also started a gorgeous new sweater but I'll save that for next week.

I leave you with the P-Man and more backscratcher fun.....

An action shot - don't you love the tongue of concentration?
Ah ha, evil backscratcher, you're mine now!!

Enjoy your weekend!

Just under the wire....

Where did October go? It seems like Socktoberfest just started and here we are at the end...didn't October just fly by?

I only knit one pair for Socktoberfest 2006 but they turned out to be one of my favorites so just under the wire on the last day of October I give you....

Hedera!

Specs:

Pattern: Hedera by Cookie for Knitty
US #1 (2.25 mm) Aero double pointed needles
Fleece Artist Merino sock yarn, colorway Melon
Mods: Switched from flap heel as written to yo short row heel with mini flap and gusset

I love this pattern - easy but interesting and I think the subtle colorway of the Fleece Artist really worked well with the lace! I highly recommend this well written pattern for beginner lace knitters and I can't say enough about this super soft, beautifully colored yarn!

The Lotus Blossom Thistle Flower Tank is finished (woot, finally!) and is blocking even as I type so she won't make her debut for another few days....she is a real beauty tho!

These aren't socks but I used sock yarn so do they count for Socktoberfest?....hehe...

In all my years of knitting pre and post 15 year hiatus, I've never knit any sort of hand covering, I'm not sure why! I'm so glad I changed that cause they are almost as fun as socks!

Here are some beaded wristers for my neice....


And a close up of the beads which I added using the crochet method


Specs:

Pattern: my own cobbed together from a few different free internet patterns
US #1 (2.25mm) Crystal Palace bamboo DPNs
Regia Silk, 6 fadig (sportweight) in Black (I know this is a shocker, lol!)
About 200 6/0 seed beads, size #13 steel crochet hook
Totally fun and totally cute!

My neice is 17 and I think she's gonna go crazy for these....and they were so much fun to make I want to knit her a whole wrister wardrobe! I've seen so many bloggers knitting some variation on the fingerless mitt and now I know why! Another reason to love Knitbloglandia!

Here's the P-Man playing with one of his favorite toys.....a backscratcher from the dollar store a friend bought me as a joke!

He just loves to bite and "bunny kick" this thing, better than any of the assortment of genuine cat toys he has! Whatever the P-Man wants, the P-Man gets, what can I say?

My "Great Pumpkin" and I wish everyone a Happy Halloween with lots of treats and no tricks! See ya soon!

U is for UNBELIEVABLE!

So I got my laptop back from being serviced 2 weeks ago and the manifest said they reinstalled the memory....WTF?? There was nothing wrong with the memory, all 1000 megs of it!

I turned on the newly serviced machine with hope and anticipation just to be disappointedly staring at a black screen and a flashing cursor, nothing more....sigh.....Apparently none of the knuckleheads over at Gateway bothered to turn on the machine after they replaced the memory which clearly was the reason I've gone thru 4 hard drives since June......UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!

The good news is Mohammed, Gateway on-site tech extraordinaire, came to Chez FKD today and installed a new motherboard, new hard drive and new processor so here's hoping this is the last installment in a wholly unbelievable and seriously frustrating saga! See? Here's Mohammed the Wonderful, hard at work....YAY Mohammed!! (and he thought my pic taking for blog fodder was totally fun, hehe!)

Here's hoping my stay in the Computa Triangle is over and the saga of The Computer Woes of a Fluffy Knitter can reach it's much awaited conclusion! And on that note, to all the new subscribers to FKD, let me say thanks for showing me the love and still subscribing even tho I haven't been posting much and to all my staid and steadfast "longtime" readers that have hung in there, thanx guys, YOU ROCK!!! So...... let's get this party started!!

Here's another interesting and beautiful Saturday Florida sky....


Looks likes a sky full of cottonballs!
I finished the Soctoberfest Hedera/Fleece Artist socks as well as 2 pairs of wristers plus I'm just a neckband away from finishing the Lotus Blossom Thistle Flower Tank. I didn't want to push my computer luck so quickly after Mohammed's visit so I'll be back next week with a bevy of FO's and some new projects!
Til then the P-Man says have a great weekend!!

Saturday Sky and a good snooze

My knitting looks pretty much status quo....another repeat on the Lotus Blossom Tank Thistle Flower Tank and a heel turned on the Fleece Artist Hedera sock. Both lovely, yes but nothing really exciting to see.

So instead I bring you spectaular Saturday sky!

All these were taken from my fifth and top floor catwalk at about 4 pm.

This is the sky to the south towards Miami

And looking straight up

And eastward towards the beach

Isn't it amazing how different the sky looks which ever way you look? Like I said before Florida isn't very verdant and it's really flat so the scenery isn't very beautiful but we do have some breathtaking sky!

And what did the P-Man do while I was surveying the sky?


He had a nice little snooze!

Enjoy your weekend!

Is it Groundhog day?

Remember the movie with Bill Murray where he relives the same day over and over again? Well I feel like I'm living that movie! Guess why....

As tired as I am of whinging about my computers I feel the need to continue my documentation because frankly if I wasn't living it I would never believe it myself! Not one but BOTH computers bit the dust in the last 10 days!! I shudder to think what bad karma I'm working off from a past life to deserve all this! :)

The six year old laptop had a brand new hard drive that died one month and one day after purchase. Turns out good old Gateway sold me a hard drive that was incompatible with this older laptop so it worked for a while then crashed. The replacement they sent was so incompatible the motherboard couldn't even read it at all! I know this now because a wonderful NON-GATEWAY computer genius came over yesterday to figure this out! He popped in the right hard drive and voila, FKD returns to the fold! Luckily it was NOT the $700 motherboard repair the geniuses at Gateway claimed was needed! Do you know how a technician earns the status of "senior technician" at Gateway? He finishes his new-hire probationary month!!! Sheesh!

As for computer #2, that one just died completely yet again! It's back to Gateway for yet another "complete diagnostic overhaul" since it has been a mere 50 days since it's last one! I've come to find out that Gateway won't completely replace my system until they've attempted to repair it three times....unfortunately this small fact was withheld from me until now because altho this system has crashed four times already, two of those times I allowed them to send me a new hard drive which I then installed myself so technically this is only the "second" repair. Actually Gateway has already replaced my whole system twice...yes, this is my third "new" computer since January 2005! Unbelievable, isn't it? I can't wait to see what they discover this time!

On to less upsetting topics...my annual gyn exam! Just kidding, hehe....bring on the knitting content!

Here's the first four pattern repeats of the Lotus Blossom tank

Personally I think the motifs look more like thistle than lotus blossoms but I'm loving how this is coming along! I love the way the yarn works with the pattern and it is so soft and drapey! The pattern calls for 5 pattern repeats but I'm doing at least 6, possibly 7 so I have a way to go. Luckily it's still hotter than Hades here in sunny SoFla so I'm sure I'll be able to wear it this season. Considering I was a this point before I frogged the first incarnation, I'm eager to finish and start something new!

Speaking of something new, unfortunately the green cashmere of my last post met an untimely demise! The yarn was a gift so I don't know much about it but it turned out to be far too fragile to knit with! The yarn kept breaking as I knit with it and I finally had enough! Even cashmere isn't worth it if it makes you miserable, right!

I did however, start a new sock for Socktoberfest and I am completely THRILLED with my new sock....I give you Hedera from Knitty

I'm using Fleece Artist merino sock yarn (my first experience!) and let me tell you this is YARN!! Sooo soft, perfect stitch definition and such gorgeous color! This is the Melon colorway and it just gleams with soft yellows, pinks and oranges! What a splendid yarn and a fun pattern, everything a socknitter wants! Now if I could just find a computer to make me as happy...at least I have the P-Man to cheer me!

What a stud muffin, right?

No matter how frustrating life can get, how could anyone resist that face?

T is for TMI

Well maybe not too much info but since the "10 knitterly things" meme is making the rounds and Lolly has put out the call for us to share our sock knitting histories I thought I'd use this post to fill in some of the potholes in the FKD information highway!

10 Knitterly Things about Me
1- I’m a 2 project knitter – a sock and a larger project are my WIP’s ONLY, no exceptions. More and I get very anxious and it’s just not worth it.

2- I have been a knitting instructor on a few different occasions so I can throw and knit left handed but my method of choice is continental, right hand dominant knitting.

3- I never purchase yarn “just because”… all the yarn in my stash is earmarked for specific projects although I reserve the right to change my project queue if I so choose by subbing said yarn for a new project.

4- I knit every single day even if it’s just a row or two. I feel like something’s “not right” if I don’t.

5- I have no desire to own a LYS unless I were wealthy enough to hire someone to run it for me and I could just be there, hang out and knit. I think turning my hobby into a job would completely kill it for me.

6- I think have a genetic defect in I that I absolutely DO NOT get the whole spinning thing. The process leaves me cold and quite frankly very little of the handspun yarn I see has any personal appeal for me at all! It’s just too rustic for my taste.

7- The only pattern I ever knit without making one single change was my Pomatomus sock. Mostly I see patterns as my palette to customize as it pleases me but Pomatomus was perfect right out of the gate! (well done Cookie!)

8- I almost never knit for babies. I just think my knitting time is better spent on a garment that can be worn indefinitely and I’ll gladly purchase a store bought baby gift instead.

9- Sometimes I intentionally close my eyes and knit…I have a (irrational) fear of losing my sight and sometimes I’ll knit “blindly” just to make sure I can if I ever had to!

10- When I first came back to knitting after a 15 year hiatus, I was so eager for knitting companionship I purchased only “see thru” knitting bags in the hope someone one would notice and say “is that your knitting, I knit too!” It worked a few times too :)

Now, in honor of Socktoberfest, here's the FKD sock saga :)

I learned to crochet and knit when I was eight but honestly I did more crocheting than knitting. I did the occasional sweater but mostly I was the lime green crochet poncho queen! After all it was the 70's!

When I was about 12 I found a booklet on sock knitting at a yard sale and I thought "wow, I didn't know you could knit socks too!".

The next week my Mom took me to Woolworth's to get the supplies that the sock booklet described. This included a few sizes of Marcia Lynn double pointed needles ...these came in sets of four, were shiny pastel aluminium and the "bargain" line put out by Susan Bates. (I still have them, 30 years later!) Unfortunately there was a very poor selection of fingering weight yarn so I came home with six skeins (2 each) of white, hunter orange and electric pink ACRYLIC yarn.

I came home and followed all the steps in the booklet and taught myself how to use DPN's...I was quite the fearless knitter in my youth! I whipped up three pairs of socks for my Mom that she actually loved and wore forever! She made them her bedsocks and believe me they came in handy for cold New York winter nights!

Surprisingly tho, after I knit those three pair, altho I kept knitting, I didn't knit socks again until 2002. I was about to purchase my first home and the process was stressing me out big time! I hadn't picked up a knitting needle in 15 years because once I moved to Florida there were NO LYS and I wasn't into the Big Box store offerings because if you think it's bad now, you can imagine what was available before knitting became "hip"....yikes!!

Of course in my 15 year knitting absence, the Internet had been born! I was sitting in my living room thinking I HAD to find something to keep my mind occupied while I was coping with home loans, inspections, ect. So I typed "hobby" into my browser and one of the hobbies that popped up was "knitting"!! I got this really warm feeling remembering how much I had loved to knit 15 years earlier and I thought it would be the perfect diversionary activity!! So I typed in "knitting" and my laptop practically exploded!! So many knitting sites, so many choices!!!

I clicked on site after site and I noticed a common thread, they were all promoting SOCK KNITTING!! This was around the time the first self striping sock yarns were being released so sock knitting had come into vogue! And so many gorgeous yarns...a far cry from my electric pink acrylic! Oh I thought, I could get into this in a big way {big foreshadowing moment!} So I placed an order for some lovely autumn colored DK weight wool, dug out my old trusty Marcia Lynn DPNs and the rest is history. My first socks in 30 years are still in play, keeping a friends toes warm in th UK.

Now, 4 years, many needles of all types and many many skeins of gorgeous sock yarn later, here I am celebrating another Socktoberfest and the companionship of sock knitters from every corner of the world and every walk of life :)

Now more of Lolly's Socktoberfest survey ....

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?

There are so many stunning sock yarns available that I love. The short list would include Lorna's Laces, both Shepherd Sock and Sport because the colors are rich and glorious and the yarn is soooo soft as well as Trekking, Fleece Artist and Cherry Tree Hill! In fact it would be easier to document the ONLY (to date) sock yarn I hate and will NEVER use again.....Brown Sheep WILDFOOTE! It's splitty, twisty and just nasty in general and life's too short to knit with miserable yarn! Now the Wildfoote handpaint isn't so bad and I would use it altho I wish whatever is done to the handpaint to make it worth knitting with would carry over to the "luxury {ha!!} sock yarn" line! And "inexpensive" doesnt mean crap yarn to me because Paton's Kroy is super cheap and one of my favorites as is Plymouth Sockotta! And let me just say right here, to me, there is no such thing as bad pooling!! I love love love handpainted sock yarns and love it when the colors flash and pool! Isn't it great that there's something for every knitter!

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?

I've never crocheted socks, in fact I thought they would look horrible and feel all bumpy BUT to my surprise, done well, they are quite beautiful! My knitting group coordinator, Kim, is an expert crocheter and she crochets socks that will knock your...well, socks off! I might even try it myself someday under Kim's expert guidance!

I tried 2 circs briefly and LOATHED it! I use magic loop when it suits the yarn I'm using (the 2.5 mm vs a true US #1 that is 2.25mm) but honestly I hate the dragging of the cables around and feel like I spend more time dragging than knitting so gimme my DPN's every time! I love the flow of using them and they just feel so good in my hands. I personally own the following brands of DPN is sock knitting sizes .....Brittany Birch, Pony Pearl, Bryspun, Comfort Needles (hate these, too bendy) Skacel bamboo, Plymouth bamboo, Skacel metal, Regia metal, Clover bamboo and my two favorites...Cryrstal Palace bamboo and Aero teflon coated metal!

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)

I was a diehard heel flap girl cause I hated the fit of short rows....too short in the heel cup and kept slipping into the shoes even tho I love the look and the less bulky heel. Flap heels are usually 2 -3 inches "tall" where short rows are usually less than 2! So I thought, "how do I make a short row heel tall enough to cup my heel like a flap heel?" and the mini-flap with gusset heel was born! It's the best of both types of heels and provides a perfect fit every time! There is a tutorial on this on my side bar and the Lizzie's Lacy Ribs pattern utilizes this method as well for those that are interested. Now the mini flap and gusset combined with the Priscilla Gibson-Roberts yarn over short row heel is now my default heel for all socks!

How many pairs have you made?

In the last 4 years I've knit about 100 pairs for friends, family and charity, I've also knit 2 pair for myself. Wanna see my favorite?

I knit these for Mom a few years ago and she loves em! Yes La, they are entreLACK but they were so fun to do and I think this is the perfect marriage of yarn and pattern (Lorna's Laces shepherd sock in daffodil and A Step Above Socks from Knitter's magazine)

So thanks for listening to the Fluffy Knitter Tales! The P-Man says have a good weekend, see ya next week!

S is for socks, slippers, and so far so good among other things

So far so good on the computer/broadband front! Even tho I still await the replacement hard drive there's just too much stuff to catch up on (like the ABC Along for one) so I'm forging ahead! Thanks for all the support and empathy for the fact that I live in the Computa Triangle (hee!) Best comment from the last entry? Dorothy who asked if I had seen Jimmy Hoffa! Thanks for the best giggle in a long time D!

I've been meaning to ask this for a long time and in my many absences it's fallen by the wayside for too long so here goes...

Why don't bloggers make pictures able to embiggen?

Now my eyesight is pretty good but often when I surf around Knitbloglandia I see such pretty sights that I want to take a closer look. I click on the picture and nothing happens and I gotta wonder WHY? Is it hard with some blogging services to do? More expensive for those that don't use free blogging services? My plea to fellow knit bloggers, please enable embiggen capabilities cause isn't seeing all the juicy stuff on everyone else's blog one of the reasons we visit? Aside from the humor, companionship, friendship of course :)

Now for some long awaited knitting content!

First up we have Rob's Twined Rib Redux with a lil sprout to donate to CIC

Specs:

Adult sock: Rob's Twined Rib (free pattern on side bar >>) using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Cedar and Camouflage, size #2 (2.75 mm) Crystal Palace bamboo DPN

Mods to pattern: changed from flap heel to yo short row heel with mini flap and gusset and used a standard wedge toe instead of the star toe used in the original pattern.

Child's sock: 2 x 2 rib, toe up, using the Turkish Cast-On. YO short row heel.

I adore this soft, richly colored yarn cause it makes the coziest, quick, handsome socks and the pattern is fun and easy!

Next, the Lotus Blossom tank makes her actual debut:


This is one and a half pattern repeats post frog pond visit. As many of you complimented when I posted her as the mystery birthday contest project, I LOVE how this yarn is working up in this pattern! It's Needful Yarn's Kelly in colorway #100. It's a soft, cabled cotton acrylic blend that knits up beautifully with fabulous stitch definition, comes in lovely colorways (and in solids too, called Kim) stands up well to frogging *blush* and is totally cheap with good yardage!!

I'm very happy with this pattern so far altho I'm planning lots of mods but I'll share those when I have more progress to show!

Now I bring you the felted slipper parade! First we have FK Dad's in Admiral and Turquoise Elann Peruvian Highland wool:


The over felted pair that became Brittany's on the left and FK Mom's on the right, both in Grape Harvest and Antique Violet Elann Peruvian Highland wool. (I ran out for Mom's soles)


And here's the bottom of Dad's showing of the Fiber Trend Suede Slipper bottoms which are on all three pairs:


I like how these slippers came out altho I found the felting a bit tricky. It was very hard to get just the right size and work out all the unwanted lumps and bumps which matter much more in a slipper than a felted bag.

The construction of these clogs is completely brilliant and a quick, fun knit that makes up a sturdy attractive slipper. My only complaint was that the suede bottoms were VERY hard to sew on and made me feel like my hands were bleeding while I did it! I'm not kidding, it was so painful to do I almost cried! If I ever make these again, I will get the paint on stuff for slipper bottoms and give the sew on ones a miss! Otherwise I heartily recommend this pattern!

Here it is, October so what does that mean here at Chez FKD? Why it's


of course!!
Lolly has been kind enough to coordinate this fabulous event again this year!

Here's my first entry:


It's a cashmere merino blend sport/DK weight footie of my own design. I figure it was only proper for cashmere to kick off the Socktoberfest festivities and this is some very nice yarn! It's supposed to be a gift but it's so soft and such a lovely green, it's gonna be hard to give away, especially since Pumpkin's already in love with it!

Whew! What a post, so much catching up! One last note....I've mentioned that I have no LYS so I do all my shopping thru Internet vendors. My favorites have a special place on my side bar and when I find a vendor that makes me happy I want to share it with my fellow knitters!

If you want amazing, exemplary customer service, a real attention to detail, a great selection and prices, fast service and a professional who does everything with a vitual smile on her face head over to The Loopy Ewe and give Sherri a shout and you wont be sorry! She's simply GREAT!! She offers discounts, free shipping over $50 and lovely little gifts in appreciation of her customers and makes you feel like your business is her #1 priority unlike some other Net vendors! Plus she's got Claudia's Handpaint, woot! Go on, show Sherri the love!

It's cooling off, the humidity is down, (AND NO "H"'s, WOO HOO!!) the sun is shining and the P-Man can't get enough of the glorious Florida weather!

He's glad to be back and hope your week is full of sunshine and lots of knitting!

Here we go again!!

So I haven't posted since the birthday contest winner....bet you can't guess why?
Believe it or not, I had yet another hard drive bite the dust!! I purchased it on August 20, it died on Sept. 21!!! The good news is, it's the hard drive I purchased for my old "backup" laptop because of all the trouble I've been having SINCE JUNE 2005 with my "new" Gateways.

And why didn't I use the hard drive intact, new Gateway (that finally is working, praise all things holy!!) to do a little posting you ask? Because of course, my broadband connection is a complete dud! I drop the signal every few minutes and I can't get anything done, including blog posts! The computer finally works and the connection sucks, I can't win! Apparently I live in the Bermuda Triangle for computers! Look there goes Big Foot, he's got Nessie in tow and I buried Paul....sheesh!

I've had four service men out here and so far the broadband seems to be working. They discovered the coding had mistakes in it for my modem and router. At this point I'm thinking 2 cans and a string might be more productive!

I'm not gonna post my knitting updates cause I don't wanna push my luck til I'm sure the fix is working but I will share this beautiful Saturday Sky I took this evening just at twilight....

That's a wicked rain shower off in the distance with the last of the sundown above it. Florida isn't particularly scenic. In fact it's flat and brown for the most part but we do have us some awesome skies!

Of course I can't post without a P-Man pic for his adoring fans....

I'll be back early next week to post lots of knitting stuff so til then enjoy your weekend and knit on!