Prairie Home Companion Live at the Chateau!

We had SO. MUCH. FUN!

We talked the whole way home about how much fun it was!

The ampitheater is built at the bottom of a sloping hill and all the concert goers are set up all around.

We packed up my picnic backpack and a messenger bag cooler full of fruit, chicken, chips, salsa and some water.

We bought wine when we arrived.

One of the funnest things was seeing the set ups that other people had.

They have a low chair section and a high chair section we were in the front of the high chair section.

People spread out blankets, set up small folding tables and lay out spread of picnic goodies. Not to mention the food options available at the tents!

I don't think I saw anyone carrying less that 3 bottls of wine at a time moving among all the people.
We met up with some friends who had relatives visiting from out of town, and that just added to the fun!

The wine poured freely

The singing and jokes were wonderful

The sun was shining

It was a glorious afternoon!
I can't wait to go again, which is happening in a few weeks!

The staging area before heading into the ampitheater



everyone filing in and staking out their claim




the white line marks the walk-way. I'm sitting right on the opposite line




See that dashing man in a suit and red tie? That would Mr. Keillor himself!




snack central and that wine was all mine...





There were about 3,000 people in attendance, I believe half of them were standing in this line for Ben & Jerry's...
Hey mom, remember when I called you Saturday evening, I was standing right here!



who knew a stinky shoe could serve as a glass holder...

 It was a fun day!

Sunday we had a list of chores to do most of which involved washing the boat inside and out and putting the new license sticker on it for the year... I got the inside washed and as I was getting ready to wash the hull I stepped back to see what was what, slipped out of my flip flop and blammo! my heel landed on a nail in a board on the side of the house...
Luckily I had my last tetanus shot in 2011 it was combined with my whooping cough vaccine... phew
After that we headed up to my brother-in-laws to check out their new home and they had just installed a basketball hoop for the dude and well it's a blast to play ball on a warm sunny day. Especially when your husband doesn't realize that you used to play basketball and was fairly respectable at the game...

the best part though was at the end... Just playing around, I was trying to toss the ball in the hoop without looking, so an overhead granny toss... the first two shots were just lining it up, then D said we had to go and I said 'just hold on I want to make this shot'
He starts making some smart comment as I wind up and let it fly...

Swish!

D had to eat his words about breaking out a chair and pillow to settle in...

His brother thought it was glorious... and something about Aunt Carmel's got game was said...

It's true.
Ha!

I am however sore in places that haven't been sore for about 22...

Live!!!

I'm giddy!!!!

Cool Mornings...

There are a lot of great things that go along with being a knitter.
1. Yarn: There is so much yarn out there. So many different fibers and blended fibers to play with that is it any wonder a knitter guards her stash like Fort Knox... at least I do.

2. Patterns: The quantity of patterns available in books, pamphlets, pdf. downloads, knitting blogs, magazines, fiber companies, and inside yarn labels is mind bogling... Ravelry is my number one source for pattern hunting, designer hunting, and yarn information. I have a library of pdf's that I've bought over the years that I covet as much as I do the yarn I'm going to knit them with.

3. Notions: I can't get enough of pretty stitch markers, cable needles, crochet hooks for fixing mistakes, tape measures, pattern holders, project bags, gift tags, note pads, it goes on and on. My favorite right now, and I haven't gotten my hands on them but I'm working on it, is the Karbonz double point needle set from Webs. Along with the interchangeable needle set they have as well...
http://www.yarn.com/webs-knitters-pride-karbonz-knitting-needles/

They are a little out of my price range... $75.00 for a set of dpns. $124.00 for a the interchangeable set but I bet they are amazing and I will collapse in a fit of giggles when I get my first set or pair or just one measly circular...

4. Endless supply of knitwear: Now this is what prompted this post. I woke up this morning, way earlier than I had planned for a Saturday and my day off but those dogs belly's are on a tight schedule and had to be filled at 4:30 a.m. They were nice enough to let me go back to sleep till 6:30 but then the gig was up... They are currently sound asleep in the sun pouring into the living room while I am now wide awake... back to the point. It's a little chilly this morning and seeing as how I just wear light cotton pants and a tee to bed I was cold walking thru the house to let the dogs out. Never fear knitwear is here! I reached for my pile of shawls that I have draped about because I find it aesthetically pleasing and wrapped it around my neck. I love it. I grabbed my Color Affection and I still love it. I love it so much... I'm pretty sure it ranks at the top of my list of favorite things...

I have some works in progress... My neighbors are expecting their first baby, it's going to be a boy and they are so excited. I'm excited for them thus I ordered the yarn to knit another Big Bad Baby Blanket... I went with Knit Picks Swish Bulky in Silver and Planetarium. I am actually following the pattern in full this time which means a seed stitch border. I didn't think I'd like seed stitch in stripes but I have to admit it's turning out lovely.

 

The fact that they are both police officers is totally unrelated to the colors chose but they are appropriate. 

Have a great Saturday!! I have to go rustle the husband out of bed so he can be gallant and take me out for breakfast and get me home to fry up our picnic chicken!

xoxo
Carmel

Finished Object: Ivy Trellis Hat

When Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting announced that she was releasing another pattern book I was excited.
Her collaboration with Hannah Fettig from Knitbot with Coastal Knits was beautifully done and the patterns wonderful.

Botanical Knits is just as wonderful, the patterns are stunning, and in true Alana style so well written it could make a knitter weep with joy as she knits every stitch..

I've been a huge fan of hers from the moment I cast on the Autumn Vines hat April 5, 2011.

Since then I've knit 17 things designed by Alana, some of them more than once!
Her designs gave me a love for knitting accessories using finer gauges and created in me a love of texture that sings to my heart. I love to touch my knitting. To feel it under my finger tips, to trace the stitch patterns. Watching them come alive after a good soak and stretch. The pattern practically blooms before your eyes.

So, when the new book was announced I was giddy.
When the time came to preorder, I was ready.

Everyone who preordered received a bonus pattern when their copy of Botanical Knits arrived.
Enter, Ivy Trellis Hat.

After I finished my DK weight Cream & Sugar cowl I immediately wound up another skein of yarn and cast on for the hat.

I'm smitten. I've been wearing it all afternoon since it came off the drying rack.

Here are the details:
Pattern: Ivy Trellis Hat
Designer: Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend
Needle Size: US 5 and US 6
Difficulty: light to medium. If you are beginner intermediate, have a link to Google and YouTube you can knit your way thru this. I only had to watch videos for 3 stitch patterns.
A T4B and T4F
A Dec5
and a T3B and T3F
the rest was easy peasy.

If you haven't already, order a copy or two of Botanical Knits.
I've already ordered yarn to knit the Ivy Trellis Socks and I plan on knitting the matching mittens come fall.

On a completely unrelated note I picked up a bottle of sparkling water at Whole Foods today that boasts the flavor of wild raspberries infused along with fresh lemons...
It tastes exactly like my favorite room freshener.

Tomorrow we are off on our first picnic of the summer to the Chateau Ste. Michelle for a live concert of Prairie Home Companion. I already made a batch of my homemade potato salad, cut up some fresh fruit, and tomorrow morning I'll make Alton Browns Buttermilk Fried chicken. I highly recommend it. It's good the first night hot, but the next day, cold from the fridge, it's amazing. You can find the recipe here.

My picnic backpack is all shined up and ready to load with goodies. We'll pick up the wine at the Chateau wine shop and get settled in our spot on the lawn! We have two more events this summer out there so I'm excited to see how it works! I'll try and take pictures and of course I'll pack my knitting to work on between gobbling delicious chicken, grapes, watermelon, and a crisp split of Chateau Ste. Michelle Pinot Gris!

Happy Friday everyone!!
xoxox
Carmel

Finished Object: Simple Beret in DK Weight

It's nothing new that I like berets. I like to wear them and I like to knit them which is handy especially since in the past year I've accumulated quite a collection of them.
This one is special.
Why is it special?
The yarn is special. That's why.
This colorway was created by Yarnista of Three Irish Girls to honor the victims and their families of the tragedy that occurred in Newtown Connecticut December 14, 2012. You can read her post here.

The name is Love Wins.
As soon as it was open for ordering I ordered a skein in the Kells Sport 100% merino wool.

It was a limited edition dye lot.

 

A percentage of every skein went towards helping those affected in the Newtown shootings.

No one will forget what happened that day.
No one will forget where they were when they heard what happened that day.

I've had the skein for a few months and hadn't decided what to do with it till last Sunday. Then it clicked. It needed to be made into a hat.
With all the colors in it I knew it couldn't be a fussy hat.
Thus I went to my old reliable Simple Beret by Hannah Fettig.

Every time I wear it I'll think of Newtown and say a little prayer for the victims and their families that they are healing, and that there will be light and laughter in their lives in the midst of tragedy.

 

Oh, it's happening.

But before the judging starts I did finish the beret I was knitting and I'll do a proper post on that later... Right now though I'm working on the ribbing for this and will probably be working this all day...

My Favorite Kind of Rabbit Hole.

Delicious yarn matched up with the perfect pattern.

Any surprise that both patterns are by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting?

Probably not since she tops my list of favorite designers.

I'm trying to finish a Simple Beret (Hannah Fettig design) before winding the yarn for either of these but I think the longer I sit in front of them the worse my case of startitis will be...

Happy Friday!

Finished Object: Cream & Sugar Cowl

The original pattern calls for fingering weight but this time I went a bit bigger and chose Manos Silk Blend. It's 20% silk and 80% merino wool.
It's soft.
It's squishy.
It's perfect.
All that's left is to weave in my tails and give it a bath!

Details:
Designer: Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend 3-4 skeins.
Needle Size: 9 US

I love it.
I love it.
I love it.
I think it accentuates my short neck.
It might be gifted if I know what's good for me...

randomly on a wednesday morning...

It's just pictures today really... some knitting, some not. I'll have a finished object post tomorrow or the next day...

My Clematis is blooming. I love this plant so much... mostly because it was such a surprise when it creeped onto the deck and then bloomed the first time



this skein has been staring at me from my yarn bowl for months now. It's from Three Irish Girls out of Duluth, MN. The colorway is 'Love Wins' and it was a special limited colorway to raise money for victims and families of the Newtown CT tragedy last December. I'm mentally kicking myself for not ordering more of it at the time....




So I wound it up even though I wasn't done yet with my dk/lightworsted Cream and Sugar....




and then started knitting with it...



and continued knitting with it, smitten with the way the colors pooled on the ribbing and then randomly broke up in the stockinette portion...



but I did get back to Cream and Sugar and started the final ribbing...




then this happened Monday morning at the staff meeting... It was a surprise and I am so honored that I was chosen.



Then this dude got sick again and we went to L for a dose of medicine and while we were there we worked in a pedicure... He's feeling better but now D is down with the flu so they are all at home feeling miserable together...

still knitting...



with everyone home sick yesterday except me, I dragged my new lounder outside after making sure medicine, 7-Up, soup, and oatmeal (Mr. Brown) was distributed... Fixed myself a drink and tipped back for 45 minutes of Vitamin D therapy... it was 80+ on the back deck last night and Gabby and I enjoyed every minute of it.





and being hot, having a flu victim in the house means having Popsicles in the house... the ones with the cheesy jokes that I adore...
my favorite flavor is the orange, i'll take a grape, and cherry can take a hike.



 Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Visit Day Three: A Train and a Game...

M's husband is a huge Minnesota Twins fan.
Huge.
Therefore Z is following in his dad's footsteps and is also a Twins fan.

Well, it worked out that the Seattle Mariners were playing at home the weekend they came to visit, not against the Twins, but a ball game is a ball game and they are always fun. Especially at Safeco Field.

What's not fun is getting into town for a game and paying $40.00 to park.
That's not fun at all and really cuts into souvenir food and beer money.
Lucky for us the Sounder Train (usually a weekday commuter train)  makes special runs to sporting events on the weekends and they were running the Sunday of the game.

We woke up, gobbled up some warm, fresh from the oven monkey bread and then made our way down to the Mukilteo Train Station.

The coolest thing about this train is that the route is along the water pretty much the whole way till you hit Seattle so there was a ton of cool stuff to look at like a shipwreck, low tide, and dogs playing at the beachside dog park in Edmonds.

40 minutes later we were in the parking lot of Century Link Field where the Seahawks play which is right next door to Safeco where the Mariners play.

Z was cold so we ducked into a team store and M found him a Sounders sweater (Seattle's Soccer Team) and we were on our way to grab a hot dog on the street then make our way up to the third deck at Safeco.

We were playing the Texas Rangers.
Let me note here... The Mariners are really playing horrible this year... but it's still fun to hang out at the field.

Z seemed to enjoy himself and get into all the fun stuff they do between innings.
We made a run to the souvenir shop and I bought him a Felix Hernandez shirt that he wore the rest of the day over his sweatshirt.

The game looked like it was going to be a blowout in favor of the Rangers...
Then the Mariners woke up and the game was close.
Then it was tied.
It went on for a full 13 innings.
I started to cave after eight innings.
Z held strong till the bottom of the 13th.
The Mariners won and we booked it back to the train.

It was a full day of baseball and Z had a blast! His mom surprised him with a souvenir bat that really made his day...

The rest of the day was low key seeing as how we didn't get home till 6:30, we grabbed pizza out in town and then all hit the hay early as we had to get up early to deliver Z & M to the airport for their trip home...

13 innings.
amazing.
I never would have stayed if we had driven.

ready to go!

checking out the low tide all the way to Seattle...



Checking out the pre-game activity while munching his pretzel and pointing out the Mariner Moose!

tricked out Seattle Style!

ready to be done... I know how you feel dude I felt the same way...

 

 

We had such a good weekend with M & Z visiting! I hope they come back soon and for a longer visit, we still have a lot to see!

xoxo

happy Saturday!

 

Today D and I are attending a Liquid Arts Festival which is spotlighting all local distilleries, breweries, and wineries... thank goodness the ticket includes appetizers

 

Also, our friends granddaughter arrived Thursday evening and I got a peek at her yesterday... Mom and Baby are fine and she is the most beautiful little girl! 7lbs, 3oz 18 inches and a full head of curly black hair. I can't wait to cuddle and play with her more once she's home!

Welcome to the world Baby B! I promise to finish your boots asap!