What's going on at Blog de Fluffy?

Hi everyone, Pumpkin here...

Mom asked me to come on her blog today to let you know that she's been really sick for the last week. So sick that she missed her own Blogiversary on April 10 and still so sick that she's gonna miss World Grits Day tomorrow and the Great Grits -n- Sticks Contest :(

She's even stopped doing that thing she usually does all the time with those shiny connected sticks and pretty string, can you believe it?

Anyway, she said to tell you she'll be back as soon as she feels human better and she told me I could show you how I amuse myself for hours when I'm not taking care of her....

It's better watching than American Idol, I tell ya!

See ya!

G is for .......

Good knits gone bad... but I'll get to that...

I hope you all enjoyed the movie quotes...that last one was a stumper but Melanie finally got it! If you haven't already, visit my last post for all the answers - thanks for playing!

Now back to the good knits gone bad...

Remember this?
That's Mom and Dad in their His n Hers Ribby Cardis taken in 2005, just about a year before my Dad passed away.

They both wore their sweaters very often and my Mom still wore hers a lot.

Despite having donated all my Dad's clothes to Goodwill she saved his sweater and it was the only thing left in his "side" of the armoire.

Prior to this, my Mom brought the sweaters over here for me to wash when they needed it. They are not superwash but I washed them in cold water in the gentle cycle and blocked them on my blocking board with no problem.

This time around my Mom decided that she could wash it just as easily ::::cue scary impending doom music:::: so she put it in her washer on the delicate cycle and this is what she pulled out....(smallish 7 pound kitty for scale)

as always, click to embiggen if you can stand it :)

Yep, it's an unwearable felted dickie! Even if she could get it on, it is barely long enough to cover Mom's bust now.

Turns out her machine agitates a lot more than mine plus we figured out now (d'oh!) that her "cold cycle" groundwater is probably a lot warmer then mine since mine has to come up to the fifth floor and she lives in a one story home.

Mom was just devastated and upset that all my hard work had been ruined but....there is some good news even when good knits go bad....

As bittersweet as it is, my Mom is glad to have a reason to wear my Dad's sweater. She's glad that it won't just be sitting in the closet looking lonely anymore and it gives her some comfort to "feel" my Dad's sweater giving her a hug.

Plus a certain someone seems to have found a new object of his affection......

From the minute I put it down to take a picture, Pumpkin's interest was most definitely piqued!

He kneads it constantly while purring like a motorboat and he bunny kicks it when he wants to play and he's even made it his new bed...

And even when he's not sleeping on it, he's defending his turf!
So in the end, good knits gone bad aint so bad afterall -- Mom's happy, the P-Man is happy and I have great blog fodder even tho it cost me a sweater! :)


On to the knits that survived the carnage, heh.

Annetrelac Socks!

The Sock Knitters Anonymous Challenge for March was entrelac and despite having knit entrelac a few times before I couldn't think of a pattern to show of this gorgeous Bearfoot yarn any better!

Specs:

Annetrelac socks by Sandy Beadle, Interweave Knits, Holiday 2007

1 skein Mountain Colors Bearfoot, Goldrush colorway

Mods: Bearfoot is a "beefy" fingering weight yarn with little memory because of the mohair content. I cast on 64 stitches (instead of 72) with a 2.5 mm 32” circ. Because entrelac is knit on the bias it often swatches out with a much higher gauge than regular circular knitting. To compensate for that I switched to a 2.0 mm when I started the entrelac and decreased to 36 stitches so I had six “squares” in each round rather than the 8 the pattern had.

After 9 rounds of the entrelac I returned to the 2.5mm needle and increased back 64 stitches.

I added a mini flap of 8 garter rows and then worked a garter stitch short row heel over 32 stitches.

I then decreased the gusset down to 60 total stitches for the foot. (32 for the instep/28 for the sole)

I also added a 6x2 rib to the instep for a snug fit.

I knit for a size 10.5 mens shoe and I had a tiny bit of yarn left over.

Here's a close up of the wonderful heel

As an aside, this was my second garter stitch short row heel and I totally ♥ it!! It's a great fit, looks sharp and despite having to double wrap the short rows, you don't have to pick up the wraps because of the texture of the garter stitch hides them and best of all - NO HOLES!! :)

All in all, an easy knit with a jazzy end product - I give the yarn and pattern two thumbs up!

Speaking of thumbs....and the rest of my knails, yuk yuk yuk...

Here's my latest sock with my latest knails...

The sock is called "Pink Blossom" and I'm test knitting it so no links (but it's WAY cute!) the yarn is Panda Cotton in the Ember Glow colorway, and the knails are OPI Brights Collection in "Color Me Blue"....I've been noticing a lack of blue in my color palate of late so I thought I'd rectify that in a big way :)

Also please note what the sock is leaning on....yep, it's baaaaaack!!!

Keep your fingers crossed that she keeps working and the P-Man and I will be back soon. Have a great weekend and knit lots!

Still waiting.....

I still await my computer's return to it's usual spot so when all else fails, meme right? Plus I have an important announcement to make at the end of this post :)

I've seen this meme on lots of blogs but it appears not many bloggers love the movies I do so I thought I'd give you the Chez FKD version....

The rules:

• Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
• Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
• Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
• Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
• Looking them up is cheating. Please don’t.

1- I won't love you for the rest of your life, I'll love you for the rest of mine - Phenomenon - Katy delurks to answer this one

2- If you don't tell me what's on your mind, I'm afraid I'll have to smother you with a pillow - The Green Mile - good job, Stephanie

3- What do we do now? It'll come to us - Meet Joe Black - spot on danagirl

4- Something's happened to me since I met you that I wasn't expecting... And I wasn't... expecting -- heh, repetition of 'expecting' I must buy a thesaurus-- anyway... - Sliding Doors - Jana got this one and I'm totally impressed :)

5- Do you believe in pre-marital sax? - St. Elmo's Fire - way to go becky c

6- Yo Osama. Plan the Jihad on your own time. - Crash - yay! Kelley got it!

7- Miguel....I'm ready... - Philadelphia - Jana got this one too!

8- The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return - Moulin Rouge - icesk8ie knows her musicals! (mmm Ewan!)

9- You once wrote, there comes a time when all the cosmic tumblers have clicked into place and the universe opens it’s self up for a few seconds to show you what’s possible - from Field of Dreams - Desert Rat got it!

10- Don't bark at me! I didn't name you! - As Good As It Gets - I can't believe this one took so long but Melanie finally got it!

Have fun!!

Y'all yelled at me last year for not alerting you in advance so this year I'm giving y'all two weeks notice.....

April 14 is once again WORLD GRITS DAY!!!
So get you some butter, some cheese, some salt and pepper, a bit of tabasco (I like mine green!), even some red eye gravy if you're so inclined and have yourself a big, yummy bowl of grits!

And once again Kris of The Knitting Wannabe and Sonny and Shear is sponsoring her annual Sticks -n- Grits event! Woo Hoo!!!

Just whip up a bowl of the good stuff, let it pose with your sticks and whatever WIP you've got on em, take a pic and post it to your blog....then let Kris know by leaving a comment on her blog and you could win some groovy prizes!


Pumpkin says, you've been officially notified!

I'll be back in a few days with a finished pair of socks that are really wonderful, vest progress and whatever new socks I start and a fixed computer, I hope!....see ya soon!

Better late than never!

Did you know that tomorrow night at 8pm is

EARTH HOUR?

The P-Man and I will be doing our part, won't you join us please?

F is for Friendship v2

Sometimes you find special, forever friends when you least expect it. The ones that, if given our "usual" parameters of what draws us to another, are completely off the radar. And aren't those the ones we cherish all the more for the unexpected windfall their friendship brings?

Something else I often ponder is the paradox of the knitting "community". I mean, here is a hobby that many of us execute in the evening, in front of the TV or computer, silent or with the occasional remark from the S.O. thats often met with, "shhhh, I'm counting!" Yet all we want to do is share our hobby!

We seek out other knitters wherever we go. We form groups, and clubs and social networks. We look for our fellow knitters at festivals. We glance at shoppers at the mall and wonder if that stunning shell is from the new IK and we might approach this fellow knitter to share our craft for even a few passing moments. We plan our vacations to coincide with the local knitting group's schedule and we make stops at local yarn shops part of the itinerary. We blog because it let's us "talk" to other knitters and share what we've wrought with our sticks and string. Hell, we go to movies cause we've heard Matt Damon is wearing some dishy knitware!

Yes, despite the fact that knitting can be a very solitary, self contained craft, all we want to do is share with other knitters and be part of that community.

Six years ago when I returned to knitting after an almost 15 year hiatus, I too was hungry for companionship for the hobby I could (and did) so easily perform alone. Unfortunately, Florida isn't the most knitter friendly state....sure we knit wool for relatives "up north" but it's kinda hard to get jazzed about kntting a wool sweater when it's 97 degrees with 100% humidity and it's May!

Ever vigilant for that elusive companionship, I got my "fix" from reading blogs. After all, virtual meet-ups were better than no meet-ups at all. Plus when reading the comments, there was the occasional Florida reader and I held out hope someday one would be from South Florida!

I know "that" day should be infamous but it was a day like any other. I was perusing the comments of a very popular blog and I noticed a comment from a fellow Floridian, woot!

I sent an email and we got to chatting and had so much in common....different knitting styles but we both had much we could learn from the other. There was such a strong connection, it didn't matter that my new friend was in northern Florida, we could be on line friends for now and maybe meet someday soon.

We chatted for hours, day after day...got to know each other but really only in a knitterly way...it didn't matter which of us was blond or brunette, tall or short, what education we had, our a/s/l (remember that annoyance!)....it mattered what cast- on we liked best and where the cheapest source for addi turbos was to be found :)

But that's the thing about stereotypes, no matter how evolved and enlightened you think yourself to be, they can sneak up on ya....cause my new friend had the kind of name that could be feminine or masculine and because I met my wonderful new knitting friend on a knitting blog and because "she" was such an avid and talented teacher and pupil I just assumed I had been chatting with another woman. But you my readers can guess the punchline here....I had been chatting for well over a month with a man....well actually even that's kind of a stretch cause despite his being wise and talented far beyond his years, I had been chatting with a FOURTEEN YEAR OLD BOY. Yeah, I was as shocked as you are now!

I told him we couldn't chat any more, it just wasn't seemly for a 30 something year old woman to be chatting with a 14 year old boy even if it was about something as benign as how to do the German Twisted Cast on.

Well my sweet,YOUNG friend made a very good argument - we did have a lot of knitting in common, we both longed for a "local" knitting buddy, we did enjoy each other's company, why should his gender or age matter -- um, good arguments all but IT MATTERED... but then he asked if I spoke with his parents and it was ok with them, could we still be friends?

And reluctantly, I agreed. I spoke with both his Mom and Dad and they realized their son was quite precocious and much more comfortable with people much older than himself. They told me they felt I was good for their son and they gave their blessing to our friendship....altho had we lived any closer together than a 6-7 hour drive I'm quite sure our friendship would have become just a memory :)

But as astounding as it seemed to me, both then and now, our friendship bloomed. Of course our primary interest was that ole knitting community but we got to know each other as so much more than knitters.

We've shared lots of laughs, almost as many tears and been thru some hairy times together and finally, after six somewhat interesting and volatile years, last week we met.

Meet the man who I'm proud to call my friend......meet my Austin

My favorite pic of the visit, so spontaneous and so Austin :)

One Dude knits, one Dude sleeps

We knit ginormous slippers together

He also cooked a fabulous dinner for us and brought me too many boxes of the first Girl Scout cookies I've had in years! The man so knows how to be a guest, doesn't he?

Mugging for the camera - bonus points if you can name the movie that's on the TV!

Gangsta Austin from the block, hee!

Look at those strong, expressive knitting hands! Knitter doesn't play, he's knitting Bayerische folks - now that's serious knitting ! I'm so very proud, my grasshoppa :)

He's also an extremely talented musician, playing the oboe, french horn and piano. In the next few months he'll either be attending a prestigious musical conservatory or going to culinary school in New York and Italy - ah youth (and talent!)

I leave you with a pic of my two best boys.....

I never expected a boy who became a man to be so very special to me but you've made my life so much richer cause you're in it, knitting dude...thanks for always loving me, warts and all, and letting me love you back even tho you're such a brat! I'm proud to call you friend, APC, and always will be!

Sweet Swap Success!

Before I get to the swag, there's some good news and bad news....the good news is the Gateway Dude showed up. The bad news is the motherboard is "DOA" and a new one is being sent, scheduled to be installed next week. I can't wait. The good news is I still have my much loved old laptop with the bouncing cursor. The bad news is it only takes me about four hours to type and retype and retype and retype yet again each post :)

So don't expect lots of posts but I'm trying - I know the P-Man fans need an occasional fix!

On to the knitting and the swag!!

My longtime readers know I haven't had much success with swaps and secret pals and such - either I got a box full of re-gifted dreck or I got nothing at all. And of course who can forget the world's most expensive skein of sock yarn? So I was a bit reluctant to join any more swaps as you might imagine.

About a year ago I met Kimberly - somehow I linked to her blog or she to mine but we had a lot in common, hit it off and became friends.

Kim's an ex-pat living in Berlin, teaching Spanish (the irony of that never fails to crack me up!) and so we got to chatting about her missing some American goodies and me wanting to be introduced to some German goodies, especially of the Wollmeise kind! Plus her experiences with swaps weren't so hot either.

So we decided a swap with someone we already knew (and liked a lot!) couldn't fail and boy were we right! That Kim sure does know her swag.....have a peek.....

(as always, click to embiggen)

The bag in the back is a typical Berlin "tourist" bag and has pics of the city's sights on it. Inside were an adorable green zippered bag Kim made for me (she's a sewing goddess!) a wooden shawl pin with a kitty carved on top, a lavender sachet, a sheep cookie cutter, a vintage German crochet mag (so cool!!) some adorable stitch markers she and her sweet daughter Alida made for me (there's a beer stein and a hamburger in there, hee!), a sheepy game, a postcard of a typical Berlin curry shop (what is it with Europeans and curry??) 2 beautiful skeins of Trekking that a special visitor snatched immediately and last but surely not least, a beautiful skein of Wollmeise!

You can see what I sent to Kim here

Thank you so much Kimberly, you have restored my faith in swaps, at least with you :)

Now if that wasn't enough, look what else came in the mail.....

I've never been to any type of yarn, sheep or wool festival but lucky for me, my knitting friends got my back!

My sweet buddy Agnes always thinks of me when she goes to Stitches West. Look what goodies just arrived....

Yep, those are Cookie A's brilliant new sock patterns!! They are all stunning but Stricken (right) is calling my name very loudly! (the new patterns aren't on her site yet but should be soon) Plus she sent that oh so soft and beautiful skein of Lisa Souza Merino in the Goldilocks colorway because she said it reminded her of Pumpkin! It's a huge skein so rather than socks, I'm thinking shawl...oh the possibilities - I am such a lucky woman! Thank you again Agnes, you're the best knitting "connection" a girl could have :)

For some actual knitting, I finished my *best sock yarn* socks (snark)

Specs:

pattern: Pretty Comfy Sock by Debbi Young

2 skeins Cascade Fixation, Burgundy

Magic Loop, 32" addi turbo size US #3 (3.25 mm)

Mods: I changed the wrapped short row heel as specified in the pattern to my usual yo short row heel but because of the stretch in the yarn, I omitted the mini flap and gusset.

Cascade is hardly the "it" yarn for socks as my cousin was led to believe but it does have it's place. The socks are very soft and stretchy and they knit up into a very cute sock that i'm sure my cousin will love.

Y'all know me, one sock finished, another one begun....the March SKA challenge is an Ann Budd sock or entrelac. Guess which I chose :)

This is the Annetrelac sock from IK in some delicious Bearfoot.

Also note the perfectly coordinated knails! The mani is done with OPI "Red-y to Help", a lacquer developed to help the American Red Cross with a percentage of the sales going to support this very worthy charity. Now that's my kinda mani - beautiful knails and doing a good deed too! :)

I didn't touch my Mom's vest since my last post - I was busy with a very special visitor last week but I'll tell you all about that next time.

Til then the P-Man will keep you smiling....

Doesn't he look like he just heard a really funny joke?

Keep on knitting lots and I'll be back when I can, Gateway willing!

Excuses, excuses, E is for EXCUSES

Hi everyone, remember me? I'm the girl from Florida with the really cute cat who used to post regularly.....does it ring a bell? :)

I really do have a good excuse tho.

As tired as I am of dancing this dance yet again I'm still having those pesky lil computer problems....it's no biggie really, I'm just awaiting the third motherboard replacement in a 15 month old computer!!! Good old Gateway - I guess I was lucky to have a 9 month reprieve from their shenanigans.

So my beloved old Bessie (my 8 year old laptop) and I are limping along but she has this little flaw that makes typing up a post a long and arduous task......her cursor jumps all over without warning and deletes entire sentences paragraphs posts just as fast as I can type them! It's a nightmare!

So that's my Excuse and I'm stickin' to it!

I have been knitting so I'll muddle thru to fill you in on what's doing here at Chez Fluffy...

First up.....Socks - shocking, I know :)

I call these my Remembering Gigi socks

Some of you might know that the knitting community lost one of it's own a few weeks ago. Gigi Silva, aka Momma Monkey sadly lost her battle with Lupus.

Gigi was a generous, talented and prolific sock knitter and shared many beautiful sock patterns thru her Socktopia site. As a tribute to this wonderful women the Sock Knitters Anonymous Group on Ravelry added her patterns for our February Sockdown Challenge.

I chose to honor Gigi's memory by knitting her Fawkes pattern in her favorite color, orange.

Specs:

pattern: Fawkes by Gigi Silva

yarn: 2 skeins Claudia's Handpainted in Blue Terra Cotta

Magic Loop, 32" Harmony Circ, US#1.5 (2.5 mm)

Mods: The February Sockdown Challenge was to knit a heel that was "new to me". This sock had a band heel which was new to me but in addition I carried the pattern down the heel flap so the sock will look extra snazzy with clogs!

These were a fun yet bittersweet knit. I highly recommend any of Gigi's patterns but haven't linked to them because while her family grieves for their enormous loss, they have shut down her website. They are working with some of Gigi's friends to make all her patterns available at no cost to the knitters Gigi loved so look for that in the future...and knit an orange (or purple, the color for Lupus support) sock and raise a needle for Gigi.

And now for something completely different - orange socks!!

Posh Monkeys with Garter Stitch Heel


A few years back, this amazing yarn was a gift all the way from England from my sweet friend Emma. My Mom happened to be visiting when the package arrived and claimed this stunning yarn for her own! Who could blame her? It's a rich, juicy coral, orange and red with a touch of violet and it's cashmere!

Specs:

pattern: Monkeys by Cookie A.

yarn: Posh Lucia in the Enchanting colorway

Magic Loop, 32" US #0 (2.0mm) nickel circ

mods: The cashmere in the yarn made for less stretch and memory than plain merino so I opted for a 2x2 rib rather than the twisted rib suggested in the pattern. I had always wanted to try a garter stitch heel and the time finally arrived. Here's the close-up complete with previously unnoticed giant Pumpkin hair!


I added my standard mini-flap and gusset and the heel was so fun to do. Plus it makes a very cushy fabric. The yarn bloomed wonderfully when washed and is so so soft.

In truth, I gave these to my Mom yesterday cause she's off to visit the bro in chilly San Francisco and she says these are the best fitting socks she's ever had - woot!

I've been working on the Teal Lindissima Vest and it's coming out really pretty but I'll save that for next time, plus I need y'all to help me choose some buttons!

I of course, started some new socks....

The tried and true, old standby Pretty Comfy Socks


My non-knitter cousin went into her LYS and asked for "sock yarn" as a gift for me and the owner handed her 2 balls of Cascade Fixation and told her "this is the most popular sock yarn, everyone is using it!" Um, really?? So I'm knitting my cousin some socks from this most popular sock yarn*snark* They are kinda cute tho :)

Speaking of cute, how's this....


Is that the look of pure bliss or what? :)

Now I'm not making Excuses but I have an appt. for the mother board installation next Wednesday so I'll be back as soon as I can.

Til then, knit on!

D is for Destiny and....

I was beyond sad and I thought my tears would never stop but three years ago today this krusty, easygoing, lovable lil guy came into my life....

It was Destiny and I fell hard. Thanks for always being Delightful my Darling Kitty Man...and thanks for filling my life with a million smiles when I thought there were none! Happy Anniversary my sweet little Bubba!!

Chips, Cast-ons, Completions and Cardigans

The astute among you will guess today's post is all about the letter C

First I give you CHIPS...COLOR CHIPS that is. Guess what we
are planning here at Chez Blog de Fluffy?

Yup, we're painting the cave as soon as we can decide on what color. So many choices! Plus it's truly amazing how different the colors look in different light - what looks green in daylight looks brown under fluorescents! But the P-Man and I are having fun thinking about the possibilities!

I finally tamed the fractious beast that is the Lindissama Lace Vest.

A while back FKMom asked me for a vest "with holes like a shawl but with buttons". So I searched for the perfect lace vest and found the Lindissima. I believe it's just what Mom is looking for!

I CAST ON and then I CAST ON and then I CAST ON some more. Finally after the fifth CAST ON success was mine! You see, it's knit all in one piece so casting on 200 odd stitches and working 6 - 8 rows was no bowl of cherries...I couldn't get the gauge/fabric I preferred to coincide with a wearable size without enough math to make my brain fall out but eventually the stars aligned and the moon was in the seventh house and all is well! Have a gander....

ooo pretty!
It's a fussy pattern in that the lace is on every row for the border so there is a ton of centered double decreases thru the back loops! Oh my aching wrists (x SIX, ack!) Thank goodness for addi lace needles!

I'm using Louet Sport in Teal, a colorway Mom has drooled over admired many times before and a yarn I love knitting with. I'm really loving how it looks, I even picked out stunning silver buttons for it already :)

Now y'all know about me and socks...besides always having a sock on the needles I'm pretty adventurous and varied in what I like to knit and have knit many different patterns, both my own and others' designs.

I've got well over 100 pairs of socks under my belt but this week's COMPLETION has helped me realize MY. FAVORITE. SOCKS. EVER.

I give you the CARDIGAN Socks...

Handsome, yes?

Will ya look at that gorgeous heel? (and ignore the long overdue mani!)

Striking in any pose!

Specs:

Pattern: Cardigan Socks by Anne Hanson

Yarn: 2 skeins Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Harvest

Size US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Knitpicks Harmony Wood needles

Mods: NOT A SINGLE ONE, WHY MESS WITH PERFECTION? :)

I loved every single stitch of knitting these socks! The menage a trois of the perfect pattern with the perfect yarn (I ♥ ♥ ♥ LL shepherd sport!!) with those amazing needles made for a heavenly knit!

The sock is so cleverly designed, the charts are immaculate, the pattern is easy yet has lots of visual punch...can you tell I'm having separation anxiety?

If you want great sock, here it is my friends!

I leave you with this pic of my lil guy...

P-Man feigns disinterest but he's really jazzed about Mellow Meadow and Shady Grove :)

Have a great week!

Who're you calling a Blimp?

As you might have guessed, today's post is brought to you by the letter B!

One of my very favorite things is knowing that, depending where it's headed or returning from, I live directly in the flight path of the celebrated Goodyear Blimp!

This is the sight I see off my Back Balcony just at nightfall many an evening...This is what I saw last Friday at about 6:15 pm...

There are only three Blimps in the fleet these days and this is the Spirit of Innovation that's based in Pompano Beach, Florida, a town about 15 minutes north of me.

I'm not sure why but no matter how many times I've seen it, it still gives me a little thrill every time I do :)

You can read all about the history of the Goodyear Blimps here


Now for some Beauty--

Knitting and Knails!
Here's my latest sock and my latest mani...

Aren't they Both Beautemous? The sock is the Cardigan Sock by Ann Hanson and the knails are Kinky in Helsinki by OPI, of course. It was really hard to capture this rich, decadent color - it's a deep shimmering magenta and so so so pretty!

I am absolutely LOVING every stitch of this sock! I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in the Harvest colorway and it's knitting up like a dream! The Shepherd Sport is one of my very favorite yarns anyway but combined with this clever, stunning pattern it's knitting perfection, I tell ya!

The astute among you will also notice the amazing needles I'm using...yep, those are some Knitpicks Harmony fixed circs and I am completely ♥ smitten ♥. I'm not a die hard knitpicks fan, in fact I really don't care for their yarns very much and I find their other products just ok.

I purchased my Options fixed circ cause addi doesn't make a 2.25 mm which is my "go to" needle for socks and while I'll never give up my addi's, it do like the Options for magic loop. But I had a gift certificate for KP and I figured I'd give the Harmony a try, also for magic loop and I'm so glad I did! They are smooth and strong with just the right amount of grab, have a soft, malleable cable perfect for ML and they're beautiful. What's not to love? I have no plans to purchase sizes other than for socks but having them sure makes my sock knitting even more enjoyable - imagine that! :)

I know I promised a new non-sock project but that's just gonna have to wait til next time cause I didn't think Bullocks was an appropriate B post, heh... It's a beautiful vest for my Mom but I'm having lots of gauge issues and I've frogged the bloody thing five times now. It's a really fussy pattern as well and it's getting on my last nerve! So next time, I hope.

Here's my last B....but as they say, I've saved the best for last!

Bubba sleeps
But why a B you ask? Well, I confess I've taken to calling my boy Bubba!
I'm not sure why but it's true, I've nicknamed him Bubba and I think it's kinda cute. Well we do live in SOUTH Florida after all :)

See ya next week, happy weekend!

Mystery - Revealed!

Apropos of the symbolic newness a New Year brings knitting the January Mystery Sock was a new and very rewarding experience for me!

When I joined the Sock Knitters Anonymous Group on Ravelry, to further expand my knitting horizons I volunteered to be a test knitter for one of the months with a Mystery Sock.

Now anyone who's read this here Blog de Fluffy for more than about 3 minutes knows I've got a bit of an *ahem* controlling compulsive personality :)

Knitting a sock blindly without knowing what the final product would be was definitely a step outside my knitting comfort zone plus said sock included the dreaded intarsia!! EEK!!

But I joined the SKA to spread my sock knitting wings and I am so glad I did!!

Sara, aka Fyberduck, designer extraordinaire and Grand Poobah ( founder and administrator) of the SKA group chose a Valentine-ish theme and came up with a really clever and adorable sock. Every week during the month of January a new clue was released....

Here's clue #1

This was my first experience with Shibui and I totally ♥ this yarn! It's super soft with a nice firm twist and delicious, rich color!

Next, clues # 2 and #3

Despite my fear of the dreaded intarsia, I ADORE this part of the sock!! I got myself all bunched up needlessly cause intarsia is easy!!! Yep, I said it, it's easy! :)

I don't think there will be tons of intarsia in my knitting future cause it does interrupt the "flow" of the knitting but I definitely see some argyles down the road in juicy bright colors!

What I love best about the design is that the pair isn't complete unless it's together. Now if that isn't all mushy and valentine-y, I don't know what is!

Finally the last clue brings this charming design together...

Aren't they adorable?

Mine will be a gift for a special friend, I hope she likes them as much as I do!

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to knit these wonderful socks despite my unfounded fears and to work with Sara...it's also been beyond cool to see the other members of SKA knit the very same sock but interpret it in their own way and make it their own.

Plus there's still a bit of Mystery to come...since January has five weeks, Sara won't be revealing the design name and significance until next Tuesday and it will be a surprise, even to me!

There's plenty of room in the SKA for those that want to join us and even plenty of time to knit a January sock, whether you choose your own Mystery or our other January option, a Cookie A design. Come on, you know you wanna...we have so much fun! :)

Of course it no mystery that a certain someone is a bit of a ham...

Here he is doing his "Aren't I beyond cute?" interpretive wiggle dance which actually means Happy Tuesday, see ya soon! (he told me to tell y'all that!)

Joined again!

The human race that is! Thanks for all the well wishes, this crud that's going around is brutal!! Achy, feverish, sore throat and the worst dizziness I've ever experienced! And I actually got a flu shot!! Oh well, at least it's in the past and the P-Man was the perfect, attentive nurse :)

I'm not that much of a joiner but I did have fun with the ABC-along of 2006. So I thought about joining the 2008 version but I wasn't sure I had another 26 interesting tidbits to share.

Then my feverish brain came up with what I think could be a cool idea...
I had such a great response to my Favorite Things post when I thought about what I wanted to say over the next year, I thought y'all might enjoy a year long "favorite things". So join I did!

To start things off, A is for Apple.....

Not just any apple here at Chez Blog de Fluffy, oh no! I give you the HONEY CRISP apple!


Developed as a hybrid between the Macoun and the Honeygold apples at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this delectable treat has only been available since 1991.

It is a slightly tart, deliciously sweet, firm apple and frankly I think it's the perfect apple! It's so crispy and wonderful to eat even people who aren't apple lovers are converted forever.

Look for Honey Crisps in your local markets or ask your green grocer to get them in next fall, you won't be sorry!

Since I'm just back from a icky flu bug interlude blog hiatus, I'll start back slowly but next week I'll reveal the Mystery Socks, show off some amazing new socks, some new knails and in an unprecedented departure from the usual, some actual non-sock knitting - imagine that! I mean, even the Queen of Socks needs a little variety, right?

Now for all of you who are suffering from P-Man withdrawal, I give you the world's best nurse...


Poor little guy's exhausted from taking care of his Mom!

Have a great weekend, see ya next week!
ETA: Drats! I forgot to measure his bunny thumper when I had the chance :(

EATA:(edited again to add) 4.75 inches! What a he man :)

Down for the count....

The P-Man is taking good care of me and I'll be back when I feel human again! Til then try to miss us :)

It's all a mystery

So my friends, another year comes to an end.

It's been a year for healing and changes, both good and bad....but a new tomorrow is on the horizon and I'm excited!

For every new beginning something must end and I thought this beautiful picture I took tonight was a fitting last sky of 2007.....It's the last few minutes of tonight's sundown, a glorious last hurrah....symbolism, anyone? :)


Now I'd like to invite you to an exciting new beginning - I've been really enjoying participating in the monthly Sockdown over at the Sock Knitters Anonymous Group over on Ravelry.

Every month we have a different sock "challenge" to help us learn new skills and expand our sock knitting horizons. We now number over 2600 members (!!) and every month we all knit a variation on two different themes. It's been really amazing to see how differently each knitter interprets the challenge yet makes customizations to make the finished sock their own.

We have 2 months to complete each challenge and all that do are entered into a drawing for some really juicy prizes!

January's Sockdown challenge is a "Mystery Sock- Intarsia" or any pattern by Cookie A, brilliant designer of Monkey Sock fame!

Well, yours truly was asked to test knit the Mystery sock! Never having attempted intarsia, I accepted with much trepidation (and the caveat that if it looked like ass, I was cutting and running! LOL) But I wanted a challenge when I signed on so I plunged in.....and I'm really glad I did!!

Now I can't give away the mystery but I can give you a tiny peek in the guise of showing off my latest mani and some spiffy new knails! Have a peek......

Just look at those pretty stitches knails!

Here's another view
This is OPI Brights, "Bright Lights, Big Color" - it's a really pretty, bright coral with a subtle golden shimmer. It's so bright and happy, just right for those grey winter days!

Now about the sock, it's a wonderful design by our SKA administrator Sara, aka Fyberduck. It has a February 14 theme but it's not really a "holiday" sock ie: it can be worn at any time and not look odd or out of place. As you can see there is a bit of beautiful lace and a very clever (and very small!) intarsia design that I actually executed without invoking Armageddon! It's also a design that would look very cool in a plethora of colors......black and red for you gothy types or juicy brights like hot pink with lime or tangerine and turquoise come to mind.

So why not make 2008 the year you accept the challenge and join us over at Ravelry?

This is not a new pic but it's one of my favorites of my Best Boy, my P-Man....

He kinda looks like he's peepin' out in excitement wondering what new experiences 2008 will bring....more chicken and organic salmon perhaps? :)

No matter what 2008 brings here at Chez Blog de Fluffy we hope it brings you, all my wonderful readers along with it! Y'all have given Pumpkin and I so very much and we are very grateful!

The P-Man and I wish you a happy, healthy New Year with lots of love! See ya in 2008!!