Pictoral Essay: One Happy Cat

Intent

Desire

Strategy

Persistence

Success!

PS - My Bonita is a bit bigger as is my sock but pic worthiness remains status quo here at Blog de Fluffy so no knitting pics til next week :)

PPS - The P-Man had no idea how truly fascinating a pull tab from a priority mail box could be until his pal, the Meezer told him about it!

PPPS - Does anyone have a sure fire remedy for tear stains? My poor P-Man gets his little face cleaned all the time yet his nickname remains "Krusty"! Any suggestions are much appreciated!

Have a great weekend, see ya next week!

Old socks, new socks, pink socks, blue socks

Best chuckle of the day....

I was checking my blog stats and I saw a lot of visitors from a particular site so I clicked on the link to see what was making FKD so popular. It was a blog from a woman in France and the link on her sidebar was for my beading tutorial .....It was listed as "Blog de Fluffy" :)

Yesterday was the first day of summer so of course that means it's

Summer of Socks 2007!!
Here's my first sock of summer.....

It's the "new" pink sock - Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn in the Ruby River colorway and it's totally luscious!! Really soft and look at that color!

It's a toe up sock using the Turkish cast on and Scroll Lace from More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch, another great sock book BTW.


Now here's the "old" blue sock...a finished Thelonious!

Specs:

Thelonious designed by Cookie A.

2 skeins Gems Pearl, colorway Neptune. Size US#1 (2.25mm) Aero DPNs

ETA: The pattern states that the "sock is not as stretchy as regular rib because of the traveling stitches". Because of this I used a US #1.5 (2.5 mm) for the leg and switched to the smaller needle for the rest of the sock.

Mods: NONE!! because Cookie is such an amazing designer I knit every stitch as the pattern suggested and loved every one!

It's a great pattern and a really great looking sock - the chart may look overwhelming but it's very intuitive and once you get into it, it's a really fun and interesting knit! I can't recommend Cookie's patterns highly enough but I know that's preaching to the choir cause almost everyone is already knitting her Monkey pattern :)

My other WIP is Bonita, here's her progress....

I'm absolutely LOVING this tank! I just wish I could capture the true grassy spring green of the yarn and the beautiful beads.

I leave you with my favorite guy hanging out in one of his favorite spots......

whatever pattern I'm working on (and trying to read!) Maybe if he does it enough he'll let me teach HIM to knit :)

Have a great first weekend of summer from all of us here at Blog de Fluffy!

Come join me for some summer fun!

I'm not much of a joiner or swapper these days, having been burned a few times too many. That kinda takes the joy out of it, ya know? Plus we won't even discuss the fact that I just quit MY OWN KAL* now will we? (I feel guilty, completely relieved but a little guilty - I'm Jewish, I can't help it, it's genetic! heh!)

But I saw this on Beth's blog


and I thought, "now this is a swap/competition I can get into"!

The "Cliff Notes" version is you have a team, you buy 2 skeins of the kitchen cotton of your choice. Your team member sends you the "relay" box containing 2 skeins of cotton and a little treat, you knit a dishrag with one skein in the pattern of your choice and you keep the little treat, the second skein AND the dishrag that came in the box for yourself. Then you send the 2 skeins you bought, a new little treat and the dishrag you knit to the next member of your team. The first team that finishes wins!!

Cool, right? Plus cheap and even if you get the world's fugliest yarn/dishrag (which I am sure you won't!) IT'S ONLY A DISHRAG! so who cares? So for less than a day of knitting and around $10 doesn't this sound like fun?

If you click on the button, you can get the full version and sign up too!**

** Sorry folks the Dish Rag Tag swap is closed**
Even the P-Man is excited, see?

Why yes, this is his "bursting with excitement" expression, can't you see his raised left eyebrow? :)

Have a great weekend!

* I'm still co-hosting, I'm just not knitting!

One knitter's nightmare is another knitter's dream

And the new owner of the FPS nightmare DREAM is.....Cheryl!!

The best news is, she really wants to continue what I've already started so it's win/win for both of us! YAY!!

Can you believe it, Cheryl just FINISHED a gorgeous FPS and she actually really wants to knit another one!! Here's another lil secret: our Cheryl has a pattern in the new Knitty!! Now clearly this is one of those Knitting Goddesses I previously made reference to :)

Cheryl, if you would please contact me with your mailing info, your SECOND FPS will be winging it's way to your doorstep faster than you can say laceweight sucks rocks! :)

Congrats you crazy woman Cheryl and thanks again for everyone else who bared their souls and their knitting disasters!

Moving forward, here's the cute little FO I mentioned....

It's the Dolly Bag from Rowan

Isn't she adorable?

This was this season's thank you gift for renewing my status as a Rowanette. She's knit with 2 skeins of Handknit Cotton in the Celery colorway and as size 4 US (3.5 mm) Addi Lace needle. The pattern called for a size 6 but I alway have loose tension with cottons and I wanted a very firm fabric because the bag isn't lined.

This was a totally fun knit. I cabled without a cable needle and even the bobbles/nupps weren't heinous cause they are the knit in the front and back of the stitch x5 then slip the 4 stitches over the 5th kind NOT the purl a zillion stitches together on the purl row kind! (::::cough FPS cough::::)

I think the FK Mom has her eye on this cause it is fairly sturdy and not as "Dolly" as the name implies as it is about 8 inches wide at the bottom and 6 inches tall without the handles. If you have the kit I highly recommend this bag for a quick summer knit!

Unfortunately, I didn't make it out for WWKIP day because I had the headache of the century! All the rain and barometric changes completely did me in (altho I did knit in front of my two neighbors so that kinda counts, right?)

I was down for the count but I did manage to start Bonita later in the evening. Then I started her again on Sunday cause as we all know, swatches LIE!!

The pattern calls for a US #5 for a gauge of 5.5 sts/inch. I was a hair under at 5.75 sts/inch so I went down to #4 and 6 sts/ inch, did the math and picked the larger size. Of course when I knit the first full pattern repeat and pulled her off the needles she was ginormous! So now I'm knitting the smaller size with a US #3! It's that pesky tension and cotton thing again! Good thing I happen to have made a recent acquisition of a full set of Addi Lace needles so I had my feathers numbered for just such an emergency! (bonus points if you get that reference - my brother used to do the most hilarious impression of the speaker of that phrase when we were kids and still does on request, heh!)

So even tho this is less knitting than I hoped to accomplish by now, here she is......

Isn't she pretty?
I ADORE the Nostalgia yarn I'm using, it's so sproingy and soft! Plus I love the subtle variegation and how it looks with the beads and the lace! See? I never waxed this poetic about the FPS :)

This is a WIP I'm *really* enjoying!

Of course I can't let that picture slide by without a mention of my current manicure - this is another of OPI's "Brights Collection" called "Call My Cell-ery" . How could you not love that name?? I admit the color is a bit Shrek meets Slime but I'm getting a kick out of matching my manicure to my knits! Plus it's a fun summery color so why not? I must admit however, if I don't knit something red or pink soon everyone I know is gonna think of me as "the weird knitting lady with the funky nails and the handsome and studly cat" Oh wait, they already do :)

Speaking of handsome and studly cats, will this one do?

I think so :)

How can you mend a broken heart?

Altho I'm sad to leave my Forest Path Stole to the knitting of my past I take comfort in the fact that some lucky FKD fan will knit her and give her the love she deserves!

I must say that the stories y'all have shared have been hilarious as well as painful but it's good to know we're all human and we're all in good company :)

Don't forget you still have til Sunday if you're interested in making her your own, just keep the tales of knitted woe coming.... it's so entertaining freeing, isn't it?

So how does a knitter mend a broken heart? Why she begins a new project of course!

What has won my heart in place of the FPS? Well....

I'll be using this:

Berroco Nostalgia, color #6672 - "Gecko" (fitting for a Floridan, huh?) which is actually much more spring/grass green than the color on my monitor but since it's been raining like Armageddon for the last 3 days, this is the best I could do. It's a soft, light cotton/microfiber blend with a hint of a shiny nylon - it's a dream to knit with and so pretty! In fact I knit the Retro Redux Shrug with it a few weeks ago.

To knit this:

Bonita from Rowan #41
Who's neckline I will be embellishing with these:

BTW, these beads ARE the perfect color for the yarn, I have no clue why their color is so true while the yarn is not. I plan on wearing Bonita "backwards" which is why it will be perfect for some knitted beading but I'll explain more once I start her.

I'm really excited about this new WIP. I'll be starting Bonita on Saturday which is WORLD WIDE KNIT IN PUBLIC DAY and I think it will work wonders in helping me get over my recent breakup :)

What will y'all be knitting on WWKIP Day?

I'm still working on my Thelonious socks which are quite beautiful but I'll save that for next week along with another cute lil FO I completed today. I'm such a tease I know but I gotta pace myself :)

I will, however share a wonderful gift I got this week....

I know I'm doing the KFYS '07 (HAR.) and I know I said sock yarn, for me, counts but a friend wanted to buy me something special for a favor I did and she just happened to know exactly what I wanted. After all I did say any and all GIFTS anyone felt the need to bestow upon me did NOT count! So how about a little yarn pr0n baybee.....

That's Dream in Color sock yarn from Kris at Sonny and Shear

Four glorious skeins of Smooshy Sock in Happy Forest, Beach Fog, Ruby River, and Giant Peach.

It's uber soft and the depth of color is amazing! Plus Kris is a good friend of mine and I had to support in her endeavor of her new online yarn shop, now didn't I?

I can't wait to start a new sock in this yummy yarn!

Go pay Kris a visit, she's a real sweetie with great products and fabulous customer service! She even includes nice little surprises in each order (FK Mom loved the raspberry tea!), has a great free shipping deal and rewards for her loyal customers! Come on you know you wanna have a peek!

Now to close with some manly kitty pr0n. Seems kitty tummies are all the rage around Knitbloglandia these days - here's the P-Man's contribution!

Have a great weekend and get out there and Knit in Public!!

There's both good news and bad news....

Y'all are so funny! Your guesses on the reason for my exuberance were hilarious but my favorite goes to Madge who wrote:

"Hmm, I'm guessing your parole has ended and you don't have to wear that pesky ankle bracelet any longer. :D"

Cute Madge, very cute!

I wish many of your guesses were correct (new computer, lottery win and world knitting tour with the P-Man all sound great to me!) There were a few of you who got the right answer so let's unravel the tale, shall we?

Here we have my Forest Path Stole. Isn't she lovely?

And a close up...

I love her color and the pattern is much easier than it looks....the kind of pattern that has the world thinking you're a Knitting Goddess when you're really just a warshcloth knittin' chick :)

The bad news is, this fluffy knitter wont be knitting even ONE MORE STITCH on her! Actually that is both good and bad news, heh.

Here's the story....

I learned to knit when I was 8 and knit pretty steadily until I moved to Florida in 1989 (no LYS, knitting was passe and it's HOT here!) That hiatus lasted until about 5 years ago when I was surfing the net looking a hobby for "stress management" (HAR.)

In those 15 years the Internet had been born and knitting had a PRESENCE!! So I came back to knitting with a vengeance but also with quite a bit of experience under my belt, or so I thought.

After getting my feet wet I jumped in with cockiness gusto and chose a lovely stole in laceweight yarn. Wait a minute! SSK? What's that? I'm a PSSO girl...charts??? we don't do no stinkin' charts...I don't remember knitting being this complicated!! (now, btw, I wouldn't knit anything without a chart!)

Bottom line? I tossed the mess across the room and almost gave up knitting for another 15 years! I picked other projects and things went much better, my skills improving with each new FO. I chalked up that failure to my 15 year lapsed muscle memory and once I got my chops back, I evolved into the semi-goddess knitter I am today :)

What I didn't realize, until this February, is the problem with that long ago stole wasn't so much with my knitting sabbatical and atrophied knitting skills but that I LOATHE KNITTING WITH LACEWEIGHT YARN! Yes, there, I said it! Whew! Do I have to hand in my Knitter's Secret Decoder Ring now? hehe!

Gimme some fingering weight yarn and a set of size 0 DPNs and I'll knit you the Brooklyn Bridge but me and laceweight, not so much!

Yes I've knit shawls since that fubar fiasco 5 years ago but always in fingering weight or above. Either it was what the pattern called for or I was upsizing for fluffy me by subbing a heavier yarn for laceweight.

So.....I blithely sign up as co-hostess of the FPS KAL, not realizing that knitting with laceweight yarn makes me want to poke my own eyes out with my Addi Lace needles :) And I get to loathe all 2700 yards of it!! YIKES!!

So me and the FPS, I'm just not into her.....

Now for the good news! I'm giving her away!!! YAY! A contest!!

I'm giving my FPS away as is, so if you've always wanted to knit the Forest Path Stole, think of this as your way of getting a six tier head start! It's such a shame to waste all that pretty knitting and I would love for someone who isn't adverse to knitting with laceweight yarn to complete the stole and give it the love it deserves.

If you want to knit the FPS, but would rather every stitch be your own, or if you just want about 2000 yards of Juniper colored Zephyr wool/silk yarn after you *snip snip* what I've already knit , the yarn will be yours, do with it what you will....just DON'T tell me, please! I'm sad enough already. (I would be thrilled to know if you do knit the stole with my "head start" however!)

As I said, the pattern is easier than it looks but it is a BIG project! The lace is quite easy and the finished product is stunning....just head over to the KAL blog** and see for yourself! And as I said in my last FPS post, the Addi Lace needles are so fabulous with this yarn, they almost made me reconsider my decision to part company with the FPS! (but even they are not that good!)

So how can you make the FPS (and/or the yarn) your own, you ask?

Why a contest of course!! It's simple, all you have to do is leave a comment sharing your biggest knitting disaster disappointment! Come on, we've all got em! You can share em even if you don't want the FPS, it's cathartic!

You have until this Sunday, June 10th and then I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner. So dish up your juiciest stories and win yourself a Forest Path Stole of your very own! Even Pumpkin says you should....

See? He's doing quality control so the winner wont be disappointed :)

Good Luck!

** I will still be co-hosting the KAL with my buddy Agnes but I'll be cheering the participants on instead of knitting.

Just a little teaser.....

FREE AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll be back to tell you why and reveal a juicy contest next week!

Continue to enjoy the P-Man Live til then!

Have a great weekend!

We have a button and a debut!

Not much knitting to show here, I'm working on my Thelonious and shockingly I've done a bit on my Forest Path Stole altho I'm not sharing it cause I'm really trying to decide if I am gonna continue to knit it or "know when to fold em"! So pics next time....maybe, heh!

But....

I wanted to share a few things at least.

Here's a button for World Wide Knit In Public Day if anyone is interested. This is the same button from last year and the year before so if some generous soul with photoshop skillz was inclined to make a new one, I'm sure no one would object! Click on the button for a link to the WWKIP Day page....

And now to make up for the lack of knitting, I give you the world wide premiere of the fabulous....the glamorous....the ever adorable....

P-Man LIVE!!


Hope you enjoy it (despite the crap video skills and the FKD voice of silliness!) Be back with some actual knitting soon! Gotta go see if Steven Speilberg is ready to take a meeting....

Blue Wednesday

Nah, I'm not sad, it's just that blue seems to be the color of the moment :)

Case in point, meet Audrey....

She's periwinkle blue and ain't she sweet?
(As always, click to embiggen and note kitty with ever present tongue sticking out, stage left)

Here's a detail shot of her ribbing and lace
(kitty still hamming it up in the background)

The lace is ready for it's close up, Mr. De Mille!

Specs:

Audrey from Elsebeth Lavold Designer's Choice, Book Four The Sophisticated Lady Collection

Size Small (33 1/2 inches) - I'll try to get a modeled shot once it's gifted

Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in color # 27, Periwinkle - Just under 3 skeins - I LOVE this yarn!!

Addi Turbos US #4 and #6

Mods: The only mods I made was to shorten the body by one inch (I thought it would be a bit more youthful in the slightly shorter length.)

This was a fast, fun knit with lots of va-va-va- voom! I just think it's so pretty and feminine!

As with most Lavold patterns, it's pretty organic...kinda the bare minimum as patterns go. For example, altho the lace is easy enough for a beginner, it never says in the pattern to reverse the charts so the left and right patterns mirror each other. Obvious to most experienced knitters but not to a newbie. Personally I think guidance like that should be in every book, some knitters can be very literal when following a pattern! In addition, I was unable to find an errata page but there is an error in the chart - it was an easy fix, and pretty obvious once you're into the pattern.

I also wish Ms. Lavold would learn to do schematics! There's nary a one in any of the books I've looked at and altho they are not necessary I find they are very nice to refer to when blocking.

Despite those minor whinges, it's a lovely knit and I'm very happy with the finished product.

I also started some new socks....guess what color?


Why, blue of course!
This is some Louet Gems Pearl in the color Neptune and the beginnings of Thelonius by Cookie A.

The astute among you will also note that this week's manicure is brought to you by the color blue! This is another by OPI, the Brights Collection called Can't You Sea? I don't often knit with blue but I've had the colorway and pattern for these socks dancing in my head for a few weeks and I guess that fact subconsciously influenced my manicure color choice. I never even noticed til I started the socks today, d'oh!! :)

The pattern calls for a gauge of 8 inches/inch on 1.5 US (2.5 mm) so I decided to try my Knitpicks DPNs for the first time. I'm spot on for gauge but may I say...MEH! I don't get all the hoopla - they are very slick and pointy but they are HEAVY and too short for me! They may be cheap but so are my beloved Aeros
and my Aeros aren't too slippery, are also nice and pointy and a much better length. I do like many of the Knitpicks products but I'm not jumping on the "I heart options needles!" bandwagon! Gimme my Aeros or addi turbos any day!

Speaking of which, you may wonder what has become of the Forest Path Stole....
Well, I'm just not feeling the love. Yes, I'm co-hosting the KAL but knitting should be fun and never a chore. The truth is I LOATHE knitting with laceweight yarn!! I have used bamboo, addi turbos, teflon and nothing makes the knitting more fun but.....:::drumroll::: enter the new Addi Lace Needles. Now this is a needle I could fall in love with and marry, heh! Seriously, these are the BEST. NEEDLES. EVER! I used a pair to knit one lace unit of the FPS (I'm just finishing tier 5). They are super light, nice grab without any drag and oh so pointy!

Now I won't say that they worked miracles and made me have a burning desire to start knitting the FPS again but they sure did help! I have a new project all picked out for WWKIP Day (I always like to start something new) so from now until June 9th I am gonna use my addi lace needles and try to find that FPS feeling again. At least I'll have my blue socks to keep me from going crazy because yes Alison, I really am a 2 project knitter :)

Lastly, as blog mascot and knitting supervisor (see the where's Waldo Pumpkin pics above) the P-Man wants to remind you, if you ask a question in the comments, please leave an address where I can respond OR check back and I'll respond in the comments! Neither the P-Man or I ever want to ignore our fans :)


Happy Wednesday whatever color yours may be!

Didnae turn owt a wee stoater?

That's Scottish slang for didn't they turn out really attractive?

Dead brilliant, they sure did!! :)

I give you the Clan Tartan Socks!

Heel-n-toe
pretty sharp, huh?
so manly!


can you hear the pipes and smell the heather?

Specs:

Clan Tartan Socks

Pattern: my own, top down mistake stitch rib on 72 stitches, reduced to 68 for the foot

YO short row heel with mini flap and gusset

US #1 (2.25mm) Aero teflon DPNs

Custom dyed superwash merino in Tartan from Cherry Blossom Fibers

I totally love how these turned out. The color is rich, warm and saturated and the yarn nice and soft. My only complaint is the yarn "tore" in a few places....it just sort of fell apart. This was my first experience with this vendor and I'm not sure what the base yarn is but I admit with the added ends to weave in because of the contrasting ribbing, heels and toes I was NOT at all thrilled to have an additional eight ends to weave in (the yarn broke 4 times!)

In the end, I love them and they are winging their way to Glasgow even as I write this!

I've finished the Lavold tank and it's blocking so I'll have a FO to show off next week and some new projects on the drawing board!

Now I leave you with the P-Man doing a Highland Fling! :)

Have a great weekend!!

A personal knitting history and it's baaaaaack!!!

Hello my cheeky monkeys :)

I totally nicked this from Sallee by way of Margene and if the other kewl kids are doing it, who am I to argue?

Actually, it was pretty eye-opening to see all the different aspects of knitting I've done, will do and those few "not unless hell freezes over" techniques, heh.

Consider yourself tagged if you so desire.

Bold for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do eventually and normal for stuff you don't intend to do (this is the category those "frozen hades" techniques fall under too!)

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn - nah, I think not :)
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn - does K1C2 Secondtime Cotton count?
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with bananafiber yarn - hey, I could grow my own source!
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with Bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/Doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn - um, see category 3 above :)
Slippers
Graffitti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental Knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book - why not? everybody else is :::snark:::
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with Alpaca
Fair Isle Knitting - again, category 3, remember I live in a place where it's HOT!
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding - maybe :)
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies...)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items)on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn - maybe redux :)
Knitting with dpns - yay for DPNs!!!!
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks - I would but I don't see steeking my kinda knits, really
Knitting art
Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously - I can and have but ICK! I'd much rather magic loop
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured Knitting
Kitchener Bind Off
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and Purling Backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with selfpatterning/selfstriping/variegating yarn
Stuffed Toys
Baby items - but rarely, I'd rather buy a gift and knit for adults
Knitting with Cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn - shocking, isn't it? heh!
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia - this too is a category 3 as in, no thanks!
Knitting with Linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting - about as useful as tits on a bull here in the Sunshine State
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/Bolero/Poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public - OH YEAH!!!!

Speaking of KIPing, it's that time of year again!! June 9th is WORLD WIDE KNIT IN PUBLIC DAY!!!!

If you check the link, there are lots of WWKIP Day groups from all around the globe getting their needles ready to knit in public! One thing I haven't seen is a button for this year's WWKIP Day so maybe some photoshop owning, talented knitter would be willing to volunteer their button making skills and come up with a cool button we can all put on our blogs?

Let's all get those needles ready and mark your calendars for June 9th and let's ALL KIP from every corner of the globe!!

I'll leave you with a favorite Pumpkin pic....

Don't ya just love that lil P-Man tongue sticking out?

Plans for the summer and other bits and pieces

I can't believe it's already May and thoughts of summer are foremost in my head....wasn't it *just* Christmas?? Sheesh!

Of course my summer plans include knitting and for me, knitting always includes socknitting so fittingly I joined....

Summer of Socks 2007
I love knitting with people of like minds and this is a pretty low key KAL with lots of return - vendor discounts, prizes, lots of cool socks to see and good company to hang with so what could be bad? Click on the button and come on down and join us, won't you? :)

Speaking of socks, here are my latest -

A Scottish** friend of mine loves knitting and I thought some socks in the colors of his Clan Tartan would make him happy. When I googled "tartan yarn" I found this superwash merino called Tartan (what else) in his exact Clan Tartan colors (navy, green, red with a touch of white.)

I thought adding the green for the ribbing, heels and toes would really make a sharp looking pair of socks and make the Tartan colorway pop. I love how these socks are coming along, don't you?

Now you may ask why I took two separate pics with my very bright orange manicure prominently featured. Well, I have always been fascinated with Koi and all things Koi. I always dreamed of a home with a Koi pond in the back yard, unfortunately my condo association doesn't share my dream, heh.

I found this polish by a company called OPI that I just had to have because it is the exact color of Koi! (and I love funky manicures!) Anyone that knows OPI, knows that they have the greatest punny names for all of their colors. Names like Cha-ching Cherry, Toron-toes, Teal the Cows Come Home and I'm Not Really a Waitress Red. This polish is called Going Ape-ricot but I think they should have called it Don't Be Koi :) These bits are for you, Karen!!

I'm still ignoring my FPS but I'm getting pretty close to finishing the Lavold tank Audrey so I should have that on the blocking board shortly.

I managed to catch another tongue pic of the P-Man!

He's really a pretty small kitty man but the way he licks his chops all time you would think he's a 100 pound cat! I guess he dreams of chicken like his Mom dreams of Koi.
Have a dreamy, knitty week!

** no, I'm not mailing them to my boyfriend Craig altho of course I would knit anything he asked for..... anything :::sigh:::

I got ya knittin', right here I got ya knittin'

Thanks for all the computer woe commiseration, your empathy is much appreciated!

Just a brief update and then hopefully no more computer talk for a great while....I'm coming to you via my "vintage" (I try not to hurt her feelings with ageist remarks, heh) 8 year old Gateway laptop - a FABULOUS piece of equipment and I'm not just buttering her up! As an aside, it astounds me that this laptop was made wireless ready in the days when you were state of the art if you had a 56K modem! Unfortunately, Gateway lost that kind of forward thinking and commitment to being the benchmark for quality shortly thereafter.

The "new" Gateway has another appointment for a "house call" to have a new video card, new hard drive and new mother board installed. That makes hard drive #6, video card #3, processor #2, memory #2 and mother board #2 in 18 months! basically the only original equipment is the on/off button.....so well see what happens this time!

On to some knitting!

First up, here's the FO I promised. Those of you that guessed that I was knitting a shrug were kee-rekt! Here's the front....

And because for every action there is and equal and opposite reaction - the back!

Specs:

Pattern: Retro Redux Shrug from INTERWEAVE KNITS LACE STYLE

Yarn: just over 3 skeins of Berroco Nostalgia, color #6634 for the smallest (38") size

Addi turbo circs size US 8, 9, 10 and 10 1/2

Mods: Except for subbing the yarn, not a single mod!! Imagine that? I'm shocked myself :)

This was a very quick and very fun knit! The pattern was very easy lace and instead of messing with incorporating increases/decreases into the brioche lace pattern, you simply increase needle size as you knit the first half of the shrug, and decrease on the second half - super easy peasy! The only downside is, if you don't love picking up stitches this may not be the project for you cause I had to pick up about 200 stitches for the edging on the smallest size. There is also a very interesting use of short rows to form the shawl collar.

I absolutely LOVE the yarn I used! The Nostalgia is a cotton/microfiber blend that is a pure joy to knit with! It has amazing stitch definition, is very soft and easy on the hands while being light and airy for year round wear - and if you follow the link, it's on sale til the end of May, woot!

All in all, I heartily recommend both the yarn and this pattern for a quick knit with lots of pizazz!

Currently on the needles, meet Audrey.....

She's a pretty tank from Elsebeth Lavold's Designer's Choice, Book Four

I'm using Silky Wool in color #27, Periwinkle.

Here's a close up of her beautiful leafy lace straps...

The pattern is easy but quite striking - in person i think it's one of the prettiest garments I've ever knit! Silky Wool is one of my favorite yarns, I love the color and the pattern has the right balance of soothing stockinette with the interesting rib and lace. I'm really enjoying this knit and the FO will be a winner! I'm about six inches into the front so I should have an FO to show off very soon.

I also have a new sock OTN but I'll save that for next time!

I leave you with a pic of my knitting supervisor hard at work...

You can see the P-Man loves Silky Wool too! And all your compliments on how cute he looked in his last pic plain wore the kitty man out!

Have a great week full of even stitches and MDS&W dreams - don't forget those of us that don't go live vicariously thru those that do :)

Planned Obsolescence...

Is my new nickname :(

Did ya miss me, wondered where I've been? Well guess what? BOTH my computers crashed yet again!!! ACKKKKKKK!

I'm back and the good news is I have found a local computer guy who is a complete genius (love you Eric, you ROCK!!) albeit a spendy one...but worth his weight in gold!

I'm coming to you via my much beloved 7.5 year old Gateway Solo that needed a new hard drive which I installed last Monday and which died last Tuesday! Eric tells me that nowadays most of the computer companies put crap hard drives in their products that you have to have to replace within 6 - 12 months cause that's how they make their $$! Hence the planned obsolescence - Splendid! When did shoddy American "craftsmanship" become an acceptable standard? Ok, that's a whole different rant :)

And what of my other computer, you say? You mean the very expensive, still under warranty, been serviced at the evil mother ship (Gateway) and in my home five times and been thru the same # of hard drives in 18 months as well as having the processor and memory replaced twice computer? Well aside from the fact that all the Media Center software components are missing, the screen is completely black altho the lights flash, nothing comes up on the screen and the freakin thing turns itself on at off at will! Eric is sure it's the motherboard, the ONLY component that hasn't been replaced! And so the battle royale # 667 with Gateway begins only this time if I don't get a brand new computer I am filing a complaint with the South Dakota Atty. General (last time I only threatened) OK, OK this is a knitting blog so moving on....

The other good news is no computer = lots of knitting so I have 1 new FO and 1 new WIP to show you but since I only got back on line late yesterday I think I'll hold off a day or so before posting new pics.... I hope y'all understand!

I will post a pic of my studly P-Man cause at least that will make y'all smile til I'm back, right?


Aside from chicken, this is probably the P-Man's favorite thing...he loves to snuggle up next to me and have me scratch his head and nose really hard - then he opens his mouth and makes a snorgle-snuffle noise of pure pleasure. It's really cute but very hard to capture but capture it I did! Isn't he cute? :)

Ok wish me luck, I'll be back with actual knitting in a day or too! Tah!

So much love!

I never realized how many grit lovers there are in Knitbloglandia :)

So now that you all know that there actually IS a World Grits Day, make sure y'all mark your calendars for next year and join Kris for Grits n' Sticks next April 14th!

Thanks for the Blogiversary love too, your comments were all great, heartwarming and quite a giggle! I know, I know, enough small talk....you want to know who won the second annual FKD blogiversary prize!

The winner of the Knit Socks! book and STR yarn, chosen by random number generator, is Suzanne of Knitzanity! Yay Suzanne, the prize is actually winging it's way to your door step already. Hope you enjoy it!

Now for proof of the serendipity that exsists in this wonderful knitblog community, Suzanne was my Sockee for Sockapalooza 2! That's how I knew her address before I even announced the winner -- I'm not stalkin' you Suz, I promise :)

On the knitting front, I finished my "Blackberry Waffle" socks.


Aren't they pretty?

Specs:

Upsized version of Bluberry Waffle Socks

One ENTIRE skein Trekking XXL, colorway #78

US #1(2.25mm) Aero DPNs

Mods: Upsized for fluffy feet, original pattern changed to my standard yo short row heel with mini flap and gusset

These socks came out exactly as I hoped! I think the pattern is well suited to the random striping/marl of the Trekking without either competing in a garish way. The pattern was very easy to upsize. They are VERY stretchy to accomodate the fluffiest of feet as well as anyone who might have special needs because of swelling, diabetes, ect. If they were made in a manly color, they could be equally handsome for the male feet in your life.

I didn't carry the waffle pattern down the instep because I didn't want the "bumps" to cause any potential irritation inside a shoe. I did add a 5x2 rib over the instep for a more forgiving yet snug fit. All in all, I heartily recommend both the pattern and the yarn for any feet you may want to knit for of ANY size!

My Forest Path Stole and I are taking a time out. I've made it to tier 5 but I'm just not feeling the FPS love right now. Agnes, my KAL cohost finished hers (lucky girl!!) and it's stunning -- go have a peek!

I'll definately go back to my FPS soon and I know once I finish I will have a stunning stole of heirloom quality but or right now we need some time apart. Sooo.....

Still being a two project only knitter and having finished my socks, I started a new WIP while I muster up the FPS love again. Here's a lil glimpse...

I'm using a wonderful new to me yarn called Nostalgia by Berroco. It's a cable constructed, very soft, cushy cotton/microfiber blend with a very pretty and very subtle nylon filament running thru it. I'm really enjoying the yarn and this new WIP, any guesses what it is?

Here's a close up so you can see the shiny nylon filament.

I'll save the answer for my next post and I'll leave you with the mighty P-Man hanging out on his favorite window sill...kitty Tivo, dontcha know? :)

Have a great week knit buds!!