I just couldn't wait for Mother's Day....

So I gifted FKMom with her new Lace and Ribs Tee last night!!


Isn't it a perfect fit and doesn't she look bee-yoo-tee-full in it?

SQUEEEEE!!!!!
Dontcha just love it when handknits come out *exactly* as planned, look fabulous and are super appreciated? :)

ETA: To all those that have asked, yes the sampler is also *my* handiwork!
I used to cross stitch all the time BK (before knitting, hehe) If you click on the pic to embiggen, you'll see my name on the sampler! Thanks for the extra compliments :)

Will Wonders Never Cease?

What wonder you ask?

Well here at Chez Blog de Fluffy, there is actually KNITTING to share....AND it's NOT SOCKS :)

(of course socks will always be near and dear to my ♥ and there are a few of those to share but that's for a *future* post - hey! there's another "wonder" - plans for a future post for uber lax blogger, FKD, hehe)

Anyways, yep it's true - finally a garment makes it's debut....

I give you the beautiful and lovely Lace and Ribs Tee!!

A close up of her pretty lace stitches


Her delicate picot edged neckline


Her lacy sleeves


The front, back and eleventy million pins/blocking wires (the #1 reason I knit SO MANY SOCKS.....minimal blocking, no pins and no contortions to get em to look pretty!)

And the money shot.....

Isn't she a beauty?

Deets:

Cast on: January 1, 2009

Completed: April 4, 2009

Lace and Ribs Tee by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer (Ravelry Link)

Yarn: 7 Skeins Schachenmayr Micro, color #73, Spring Green

Needles: Addi Turbo US #2 and #4

Notes/Mods: I have to say that this was hands down the most well written pattern I've EVER used! Jackie is so talented and professional every single step was spelled out and easy to follow without being fussy or overwritten!

The yarn is a silky, knits like buttah sportweight microfiber with fabulous stitch definition that just flowed across my needles. I think it will be cool and comfy to wear even here in Hot as Hades Florida.

My only mods were minimal - I did a "standard" picot edge for the neckline rather than the 2 row, sewn down picot the pattern called for (I picked up the purl bumps and knit my picot together to form the hem rather than sewing it)

I had to go down 1 needle size as the yarn acted like cotton (altho was MUCH easier on the wrists and had much more memory!) I also preferred the fabric with a smaller needle so I knit at a slightly tighter gauge and went with the 47" size to obtain a finished measurement of 44".

Because I used a microfiber rather than a natural fiber I was afraid (needlessly!) that the tee wouldn't block well so I crocheted the side seams and to set in the sleeve caps rather than mattress stitch them so the seams would have lots of stretch for blocking.

All in all I LOVED knitting this Tee and LOVE the finished product! If I loved it so much, what took me so long to knit it you ask? Well, I merrily cast on *thinking* I had 10 skeins when in truth, I *only* had SEVEN! I was so worried I would run out of yarn despite many calculations that I figured if I let it marinate for a while the yarn would magically multiply and all would be well, hehe....I worried for nothing and have about 1/2 of a skein left :)

I think the FK Mom is gonna LOVE her new Tee, at least I hope so! It's just her style and color so I'll follow up with some modeled shots in May after it's gifted in May.

I'll be casting on another sweater shortly (try not to faint!) as a special friend has a special birthday this year and she's allowed me the honor of knitting "her dream sweater" to celebrate what she means to me :)

Plus there will always be socks!

I leave you with this adorable pic of the P-Man who's equally shocked to not see the socks :)


Happy Knitting!

A Long and winding road...

Thanks for giving the P-Man such a warm reception after such a lengthy absence...boy time does fly when all you do is eat, sleep, chase the occasional catnip mouse, sit on sunny window sills and look amazingly cute :)

So while we wait for the Lace and Rib Tee to make it's debut I thought I would share a little long overdue, triumphant story with my long suffering standing readers at Chez FKD...

For the last three years I've had an ongoing battle with the evil Gateway to make good on the POS (piece of shit) computer that cost me major bucks and was nothing but a lemon from the minute it came out of the box...

To whit, in 3 years time the thing had nine hard drives, four mother boards, 4 processors, 4 video cards and the memory replaced 5 times...plus I had no less than 10 "experts" come to my home to try and remedy the problems (I purchased the in home/total replacement insurance plan) with other assorted remedies and doodads.

And the computer would work wonderfully for a few months and then bite the dust once again.

Luckily throughout all this I had a back up....My first laptop, purchased in 2000 when Gateway was still a reputable company with with quality product. I LOVED my Solo 9300 and never ceased to be amazed by the fact that a NINE YEAR OLD COMPUTER not only worked like a dream but with a wi-fi card became a WIRELESS LAPTOP. Imagine Gateway back then was so forward thinking that I could go wireless with a laptop that was built when wireless wasn't even a gleam in Bill Gate's eye, hehehe...

Well unfortunately, my well loved and well used Solo 9300 met her demise back in January :( I still miss her.

And my jury-rigged POS Gateway was still limping along. I could see the writing on the wall (finally!) and even tho my POS Gateway was under warranty until January 2010 I was tired of the fight....

Yes, I kept writing my letters to the CEO but knew in my heart of hearts it was time to let go, move on and buy a new and reliable computer. As a side note, in the interim, Gateway was purchased by Acer and no longer does ANY retail sales. Personally, I think that is a commentary on our present economic state....a reputable company sold out for the $$ and quality went out the window but that's for a whole different post/rant/blog ;)

So I started looking around but I was worried I would have to make a purchase "under pressure" because my POS Gateway was so unreliable...but that's a major purchase that I didn't want to make under duress. Then two really incredible things happened....

The first was I discovered the Netbook! It's like a Blackberry on steroids and is just the cutest little computer EVER! I figured I needed a back up just in case my POS gave up the ghost and at least I could maintain Net access with minimal $$ outlay (and maximal cuteness) and always use it for storage and total portability while I leisurely searched for my perfect new "main" computer! For those not familiar with a Netbook, it's a mini-computer with all the bells and whistles of a bigger computer except an optical drive (no CD/DVD player - but you can buy an external one, I did!) plus it runs on WINDOWS XP!! :)

I researched them thoroughly and went with the MSI Wind 120. It has a crystal clear 10 inch screen, an ergonomic keyboard (the largest on the market - gotta save those wrists for knitting!) a 160 Gig HD and it is fast as the wind...I ♥ my lil mini!

Then amazing occurrence #2...Gateway FINALLY came thru and sent me a brand new computer!!!! YAY!!!! It's a 16 inch screen media center, 320 gig HD, and it works like a charm....and the operating system is Vista which I heard all sorts of horror stories about but guess what....I LOVE IT! So after much ado (and anguish and persistence) I give you: Esperanza ( Hope in Spanish, heh ) and Adam.....


Now I realize Esperanza is STILL a Gateway so I'm saving my $$ and looking around and mostly waiting til Windows 7 is released so I can decide if I want a window based OS or go with a Mac Book...but for now, life is sweet :)

Even the P-Man is calm and relaxed, see?


Be back soon with the Lace Tee....off to play with my lovely computers! :)

Hi There!

Howdy Everybody!!



I've been lying here working on my kitteh tan when I realized it's been SOOOO LONG since any of you have heard a peep out of the P-Man!

I'm here to tell you Mom is fine, just really busy with life and her GINORMOUS group on Ravelry (altho I still don't get the whole sock thing!)

She says she promised herself she wouldn't blog again until she had something to show you besides socks and she's *this close* to showing you her pretty lace tee (and another eleventy million socks!) so she says she'll be back soon!

Of course, I'm as studly and gorgeous as ever!

See ya soon!! :)

Time to tie up the loose ends,...

Now that 2009 has arrived I have a few loose ends to weave into 2008 :) Just a couple of FO's I never shared but are definitely share worthy! First up, Basket Check Socks:

AS ALWAYS, CLICK ANY PIC TO EMBIGGEN

This was such a fun sock to knit!

The pattern is from The Little Box Of Socks by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott

To an experienced sock knitter like me I didn't think these "simple" patterns would have a place in my sock library but the patterns are lovely, fun, interesting and like eating potato chips, you can't stop at knitting just one!

This was also my first experience with Emily Parson's Sophie's Toes sock yarn - total LOVE!!

This yarn is so soft and the colors so vibrant! This colorway is called Vintage Kitchen - who couldn't love a colorway named after Fiestaware and avocado appliances? Hehe...

Complete info and deets here.

Next up more socks....shocking, innit?

One of the Sockdown! October challenges for my Sock Knitters Anonymous group was a designer named Stephanie van de Linden.

Steffi is a very talented and prolific designer so choosing which sock to knit was really hard but anyone who's visited Chez FKD knows we loves us some beaded knitting around here so of course we chose the pattern with some pretty beadwork!

I give you Glamour Socks.....

Aren't these lovely?
The yarn is the much missed Cider Moon Blizzard in the Banana Cabana colorway.

These were a gift for my doctor who is Indian so I thought the much maligned yellow would look gorgeous with her dark skin and hair.....nevermind the fact that in the 2 years she's been my doc I've only ever seen her wear khaki slacks, black loafers and a black button down shirt! When I gave them to her I told her it was time she got a little color in her life and boy did she!

Complete info and deets here.

And thus ends the knitting for 2008.

Now to ring in the new -- the first FO of 2009!

Allow me to introduce you to my Ready for Spring Firestarters!


Marjan, aka Yarnissima was the SKA featured designer for December.

I've had these beautiful socks on my "To Do" list for forever and I'm so glad I finally took the plunge!

The yarn is Yarn Pirate Bamboo/Merino/Nylon - it is a pure delight to knit with and the color just shimmers and glows!

The sock design is so unique, and while I admit I had a few hair raising moments I really enjoyed every single stitch and am completely in love with the finished object!

Complete info and deets here.

Now I have, as promised, cast on a "big project" but I'll save that for next time....it's not one of the choices I listed in my last post but it's a real winner so far! (and in fact I will be knitting Eastlake in the near future too!)

I do want to leave you with one more thing I love before I end this novel of a post (compared to my recent proclivity here at Chez FKD, hehehe)

I want to share my latest favorite thing...

CLICK PIC FOR LINK TO THINKSPORT SITE

I've been troubled by the carbon footprint the use of disposable water bottles causes to our one and only Planet Earth so I've searched and searched for something that was reusable, HEALTHY (no PVC, or leaching of chemicals) durable, practical and KEPT MY WATER DRINKABLE ie: not bathwater warm, YUCK!!

Well let me say that my ThinkSport bottle is THE ONE! This thing costs about $20, is indestructible and I have left it for TWENTY FOUR HOURS and still the water inside was cold and refreshing!! I can't sing the praises of this product highly enough!

Give yourself (and your planet!) a healthy 2009 present and go get yourself one!

Ever the P-Man agrees...


See ya!

As you can see, the P - Man (and the rest of the FKD household!) is more than ready to see 2008 come to a close but......

Pumpkin and I are wishing everyone a Happy Healthy Joyous 2009 and better days for all!!

Here's to change....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

On occasion.....

I do knit something other than socks around here. Shocking, innit? :)

I know it's been nothing but socks, socks and more socks around here for a while but I do have a couple of non-sock items to share.....

First of all, I confess I finally popped my Malabrigo cherry....what was I waiting for?? This stuff is heaven in a skein!

In my defense, I have no LYS and you can't really appreciate the splendor that is Malabrigo on a monitor!

I have a friend in very chilly Ohio who's been having a pretty rough year health wise so I wanted to knit her something very snuggly for Christmas/her birthday (both in December).

Enter the Dolores Park Cowl (Ravelry link) Super easy, super pretty and extra super quick!

Have a peek:


Isn't it beautiful?

Specs

Delores Park Cowl designed by Parikha Mehta
2 skeins Malabrigo Chunky in Stone Chat
24" size US 13 addi turbo

Notes: My friend is a fluffy gal and I know cowls are supposed to fit with lots of ease so to be safe I added an additional 2 inches to the width. I figured if I was wrong and it was too big she could pin it a little tighter with a pretty shawl pin but serendipity prevailed and it's PERFECT on her!

Because of the extra inches I needed 2 skeins altho some people who knit the cowl as written had to eliminate some rows to use only one skein so your mileage may vary even if you knit the pattern as written. I did alternate the 2 skeins every other row (what a PIA that was!) but it was worth it cause it's so lovely.

I also knit the reverse stockinette rows at the beginning and end as garter stitch because I wanted a more solid border.

I finished it a few weeks ago when Florida was having a record breaking November heat wave. I tried the cowl on and despite the 90 degree heat I couldn't take it OFF! This yarn is that yummy! (side note: I washed it before gifting, no sweaty handknits here at FKD, heheh)

And then to further feed my newly acquired Malabrigo jones, I knit Jessie some matching wristers....


As further proof of the lure of the Malabrigo, FKMom, yes Florida dwelling FKMom got a gander of these and demanded her own pair!

Specs:

Extra Warm Malabrigo Wristers (Ravelry Link)
1 skein Malabrigo Worsted in Stone Chat
32 inch size US #4 addi turbo, magic loop method

These are just an adaptation of my free Extra Warm Kureyon Wristers Pattern with the ribbing on the cuff and thumb changed to a twisted 1x1 rib to better suite the elegance of the Malabrigo. (info is on my Rav project page linked above) I was able to get 2 pair, one large size and one medium size, from one skein.

All have been gifted and all are well loved already, WOOT!

Now if that wasn't enough, I also finished my second Fugly Sock Yarn Blanket of Doom!


This one is a Christmas gift for my next door neighbors....and I'm hanging up my hook for a while!

Srsly, while I love these colorful blankets and use mine every day (plus it's such a gorgeous way to use up all those little leftover sock bits!) I am a knitter much more than a crocheter.

In fact, I'm just dying to knit a real honest to goodness sweater cause it's been far too long!

I usually cast on a new project on New Years Day so I'll be spending the next 2 weeks purveying the perfect sweater pattern, hehe....

So far Kingscot, Ginny, Eastlake and Olivia are the front runners....anyone want to voice an opinion? :)

The P-Man says as long as he can make biscuits on it and there's an ample supply of chicken, they're all the same to him!

Hope your holiday knitting is finished and your mistletoe and eggnog (and chicken!) are plentiful!

See y'all soon, there are socks to show, dontcha know! :)

Holiday Gift Eye Candy :)

In my last post, I mentioned I was going to be the designer of the November Mystery Sock for the Sock Knitters Anonymous Group on Ravelry.

Well the month is almost over and I'm happy to say the design was a great success! Have a look at all these gorgeous socks! (Ravelry link)

Now I couldn't forget my faithful blog readers, could I? (hello, is anyone out there, heheh)

So if you're not on Ravelry or Groups just aren't your thing, have a peek at these......

This pair was my "prototype". The name of the sock is Mad About Plaid which, when I considered taking on this challenge is what came to me before anything else....you see I've never even knit a mosaic/slipped stitch design before so designing one was a real challenge!

The name Mad About Plaid came to me so I set out to figure how I could replicate "plaid" in a sock. I think I came pretty close, huh? :)

It was also important to me that the sock have appeal for a man or a woman.

When I swatched the designs I actually purposely chose colors that I would never use together (try camo, pink/orange striped and a navy/green variegate - yuck!), yet they worked!

I discovered as long as the three colors have very different values and strong contrast, they worked! So I decided to test my theory with my "prototype socks" you see above. Not for the shy and retiring sock wearer, right? (as an aside, I was going to give them to my 20-something cousin until my hot and groovy WAY older than 20-something Mom decided these socks were HERS. PERIOD. In fact, she can't wait to show them off to her canasta group! hehe)

Next, I wanted to make sure they were appealing to the Y chromosome set too....

Mad About Plaid, Manly version

Hey, big boy....new in town?
Lastly, I wanted to try a "negative" version, reversing the light and dark values....

Nothing "negative" about these babies!
I'm really proud of these and the experience has been mostly wonderful! And while I recognize that, yes, I am far too thin-skinned to put myself out there as a "designer" full time, it's nice to reach for the stars every now and again!

So if you have a hankering for some plaid, there's a non-Ravelry link on my sidebar here or you can find my pattern on Ravelry here.

It's a simple pattern so don't fear the colorwork! If you can slip a stitch, you can knit these patterns - there is no stranding or floats so it's easy peasy and quite fun to knit!

Oh and in case you have a hankerin' for plaid but not into socks so much right now.....

I designed some matching Mad About Plaid Mitts too :)

Whether you knit em for yourself or someone on your holiday list, I hope y'all enjoy my gifts to you!

So many socks!!

Anyone who knows me even a little, knows I am a pretty monogamous knitter.

For me it's one "big" project and one smaller/portable project, usually socks. Any more than that and I get nervous and jerky - I'm just not a knitter who does well with multiple WIP's.

Since the Vest from Hades has been my "big" project since February (February!!! GAH that makes me shudder just to put in writing how long it took me to force myself to finally finish the heinous beast!) I've knit a lot of socks :)

I'm also almost finished with the Fugly Sock Yarn Blanket of Doom v2 but I'll save that for another post.

I've been holding out on my FKD fans and have not shown you all the socks cropping up around Chez Blog de Fluffy so I made y'all a little mosaic.....

1. Quilted Lava Socks, 2. SKA July Mystery Sock, 3. Little Pumpkin Socks,
4. Cheetos Redux, 5. Fluffy Fowards, 6. Blue Komets


All the Deets are here on my Rav project page if you're interested.

These were a fun group of socks.....the upper middle ones were a Microgauge Mystery Sock designed by Rebecca Hatcher for the Sock Knitters Anonymous Group. The microgauge (10 or more stitches per inch) almost killed my wrists but they have the coolest toe up heel construction ever! Plus they were a truly gorgeous sock!

The socks in the upper right corner were a prize I donated for Claudia's MS Ride last spring. Imagine my freak out chagrin when I found out said prize winner was none other than prolific sock designer, Anne Hanson! But I did my best and I think she really liked them cause she gave them a rave review!

Speaking of mosaics and Mystery socks....(smooth segue, huh?) you may not know that along with SKA's monthly technique and designer challenges (as well as being the fouth largest group on Ravelry!!) every other month we have a Mystery Sock that reflects the technique of that month's challenge.

November's challenge will be mosiac/slip stitch knitting and the Mystery Sock is being designed by an eager yet humble (and terrified!) designer....ME!!

I'm always encouraging the members to challenge themselves and grow as knitter's and I figured I needed to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. So despite never having ever knit a mosaic pattern, I designed one :)

i'm too thin skinned to be "a designer" but I am very proud of the pattern. It's a clean, classic design that in the right colors, could be for a woman or a man. Plus I had a really cool test knitter who gave the pattern two thumbs up! So if you want more info or care to join us :::quiver::: the more the merrier!



The P-Man says peek on in, you'll have a good time! See ya there!

Don't hate her because she's beautiful!

Last Thursday was FK Mom's birthday so y'all know what that means.......

The vest from Hades Mom's Vest was gifted!!!

Despite being a very reluctant supermodel (hence the bare half smile despite my hijinks to make her strike a pose, hehe) here's the money shot:

Doesn't she look dishy? It's a perfect fit, just the length she wanted, the cute little Star Trek cap sleeves she requested AND SHE LOVES IT!!

I know it's hard to see from the pic but the buttons I went with are these:

And I think they look beautiful! As usual, the P-Man contributed his honking big white hair that is in every pic despite close FKD scrutiny :::sigh:::
Because the pattern was completely heinous to knit, again there will be no linkage. If you're just dying to know, the info is on my Rav page.

This was a total surprise for Mom and I guesstimated her specs so I'm really happy to be done with this albatross with the fit and I'm so glad she loves it!

Happy Birthday Beautiful FK MOM! :)

I'm keeping that promise....

I promised I'd return when the vest from hell was finished so I buckled down and gotter done :)

Here she is blocking after a nice bath.....

(click to embiggen as always)

It is a beautiful vest when all is said and done and just what Mom requested. Plus the color is so yummy...she saw me knitting some socks with the same colorway of Louet Gems fingering so I used the sportweight for her vest.

Thanks to tons of redneck engineering I have a finished product I love and that I know Mom will adore but honestly, I made so many mods because of the truly godawful pattern I'm not even gonna link it :(

Now for the fun part....help me choose some buttons!!

Here are the choices:

Despite appearing slightly golden or bronze on my monitor, the center 3 are all silver.

The one on the right is vintage Czech glass, a light steel blue color with dark blue/teal accents

Lastly, the one on the left is also vintage, clear plastic with an iridescent coating.

So choose the button you like best cause I love them all and can't decide!


I asked this guy what he thought.....


But he just voted for chicken!
Can't wait to hear what y'all think!

Something REALLY worth blogging about!

Hi there! Remember me? Oh, come on it's just been a little over a month... :)

I promised myself I would return to Chez Blog de Fluffy as soon as I finished the oft procrastinated oft mentioned "Mom's Vest" cause I figured surely that would only be a week or two at most. Um, not so much....and Mom's October birthday looms closer and closer!

Well, as you may have guessed by my absence, I haven't touched the thing in weeks! In my defense, it is the most poorly written pattern I've EVER encountered! It's so bad it makes me loathe working on it but I persevere cause the vest will be gorgeous when it's done and I know Mom will love it! Plus I still need y'all to help me pick out the buttons....please?

Besides the lack of vestitude, it's been a busy summer. As I've mentioned before I'm very active in a wonderful group on Ravelry, Sock Knitter's Anonymous.
We just celebrated our first birthday and we've spent lots of time and effort for a fabulous new Sockdown! schedule for the coming year that begins September 1. Come on down and join us, you'll have a blast!

So as you might guess, I've been knitting socks instead of vests :)
I have 2 real beauties to show you....next time, and a few secret designs that you'll see in the future....yeah, I'm a tease like that sometimes.

Now all that's the fluff, let's get to the one thing that brought me back to blogging (besides all my great, forgiving, blog buds!) because it's so amazingly special....and it involves P-Man for those in withdrawl....

Just have a gander at what I got in the mail yesterday.....

Are these not the cutest stitch markers EVER? Teenie P-Man stitch markers, SQUEEEEEE!! Four different teenie P-Man stitch markers! Just look how teenie.....

These were a gift from my generous and talented friend Cathy! I have no idea how she did these but I was so blown away, I burst into tears upon opening the package!

What makes it even more precious is Cathy's had a pretty crappy shake this last year due to some personal stuff yet thru it all she remains loving, kind, and sweet. I'm not sure I'd be quite so magnanimous in her shoes!

Thank you, my friend. Altho, I'm not worthy, I am eternally grateful for your friendship and your mad crafting skillz :)

If you like, you can say hello to Cathy on Rav here: CathyTWLK

Or visit her blog here: Tightly Wound Loosely Knit

I know she'd love to meet you!

ETA: These stitch markers were gifted by Cathy but actually made by Knitted Kitty Creations who has an Etsy Shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5264370)

Now I'll try not to stay away so long cause like I said, I have some dishy socks to show you, the P-Man is demanding face time with his fans and I am seriously determined to finish Mom's freakin' lovely vest in the next two weeks!

For all our P-Man fans who have been missing the lil guy, I leave you with the original pic from my favorite stitch marker....I call it "Pumpkin hears a funny" :)

See ya soon!!!

Someone's turning 4 today!

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

Eye Candy Monday

A couple of weeks back when discussing my blogging ennui I mentioned subjecting y'all to yet another sock and you (wonderful, supportive!) guys all seemed never to tire of the endless sock parade here at Chez FKD :)

I haven't finished Mom's vest yet but soon I hope, altho I've kinda forgotten what it's like to knit on needles larger than a US #1, hehe....plus, I'm almost finished with a Fugly Sock Yarn Blanket of Doom v2 that I started on June 18 - yeah, I'm a crocheting maniac these days, hehe!

So anyway here's a collage of four pairs of socks I never posted about, hope you like em!

All specs and pattern info HERE (Ravelry link)

Thanks for all the compliments on my Crystals, 'Combs and Cables socks, I hope y'all enjoy knitting them....and have a great week!

Ok, ok...I didn't forget what y'all really want to see....


Who loves ya, baby?

A Present for my Readers Saturday :)

My latest sock pattern for anyone that wants it!

Meet my new Crystals, 'Combs and Cables Socks....

Crystals for the beads, ‘Combs because the medallions remind me of lacy honeycombs and Cables are for the flowing braided twists.


Beaded Cuff Close Up



Specs:

Magic Loop 32' nickel circ, US#1 (2.25mm)
Fleece Artist Merino, Seafoam colorway
steel crochet hook for beading size 12 (1.0mm)
approx. 200 amethyst AB 8/0 seed beads
Beaded Garter Stitch cuff and Garter stitch short row heel with my own mini flap and gusset
Cabled without a cable needle

More pics and info plus free pattern HERE (Ravelry link)

And for those that aren't on Ravelry...why not? :)

J/K, HERE'S a link to the file (plus it's on my sidebar>>)

And you thought I didn't love you guys any more.....Enjoy!


The P-Man told me to say he still loves ya too!

Wanna see some real eye candy?

And make a real difference?

My blog friend Kristi has designed the most beautiful and meaningful sock and I thought y'all would love it...plus the story behind it is quite amazing. Bring a tissue!

Guided by Love Sock (Ravelry Link)

100% of the sale will go to this very worthy cause so have a look and maybe purchase a great sock pattern that can make a real difference!

Eye Candy Sunday

This is Sammy, my 4 year old nephew...He flew in from California yesterday so he could participate in World Wide Knit in Public Day and the Socknitters Anonymous First Annual WWKIP Day Sock Scavenger Hunt



Ok, he really flew in with the rest of the Cali FluffyKnitterFamily to celebrate Father's Day but it's never to early to pique a future knitter's interest, right? :)


Hope everyone had a great KIP day and Happy Father's Day everyone !!

Eye Candy Sunday

A girl's gotta do something with all that leftover sock yarn :)

Specs and info on Ravelry HERE

Eye Candy Friday

Some serious yarn pr0n....
(as always, click to embiggen - you wont be sorry!)

Enjoy!and happy weekend!

Video killed the radio star....

And Ravelry killed the Blogger? hhhhhmmmm, maybe....

Well, hello FKD readers and concerned fans! Yes, I'm still alive and so is the P-Man.

We appreciate all your concerned email and posts so let me 'splain....

I have not been feeling too well, I'm on my second course of antibiotics for a sinus infection that just won't quit so I'm crabby and miserable and my new super heroine name is Yeast Woman!!! (just kidding, all the yogurt and acidophilis is doing it's job!)

I've been having a bit of an existential blog crisis - after three years, do I want to subject you, my much appreciated (and missed!) readers to another pair of socks? hehe... Have I said all I need to say?

Truth is, I don't know...I miss you guys A LOT and I miss all the great things blogging has brought to my life but I confess, blogging doesn't come easy right now and if blogging becomes a chore rather than a labor of love, is it time to go or just time for a long little blog vacay?

While I don't think Ravelry takes the place of blogging, it does vie for it's time.

Maybe it's true, absence does make the heart grow fonder cause now that I'm writing this, it feels like I never left....anyone else feeling the ambivalence? Got a cure for blogger's ennui?

I leave you with this very cute picture of my kitty man...

while I further contemplate my blogging life. Any and all tips for combating the ennui will be appreciated!

I'll be back cause I have so many finished socks to show you, I need your help picking out buttons for Mom's lace vest and I miss you all!

Knit lots, hugs to most and thanks for all the love ;)