advanced apology...

Is what I did last night. My friend Alyssa who I met on the Breast Cancer 3-Day and who was my tent mate is having a baby. (remember I told you that I'm surrounded by family and friends having babies right now) Well, with the wedding shawl, the knitters elbow, some WIP's, I just haven't gotten into the baby knitting groove again...It's coming I know it is, but knowing that Alyssa know's I knit, that I think she might follow my blog, she see's photos on Facebook, I had to email her last night and let her know that while I have many wonderful things planned for Baby K, they will not be at the baby shower. I felt like a forewarning was required based on all the posts and pictures of baby stuff I knit for Peanut, Damien, and Mr. Oliver...
What helps is that Alyssa and I are both on Pinterest so I see the stuff she is pinning for baby k in the knitwear department and I've collected a little file for him...Are you on Pinterest? If you aren't you should be because it's amazing! I have found many many wonderful things on there to do with the home, clothing, and recipes....

I know you are all waiting for the Nacho Getter pattern but I need to clarify the story first and finish writing out the pattern which I plan on doing tonight...I'll post it along with a better photo of the mitts tonight or tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow is Fatima's Wedding and we'll get to see the shawl in action! I can't wait...Then D has football, I have a baby shower, and then next week is our anniversary! Oh and Sunday night I'm making a very special treat for a work pot luck! If you were at Evergreen Speedway last Saturday you tried them...Mom you were horrified by them but I bet if they were on your counter you couldn't resist... Stay Tuned for that!
Happy Friday all

Just Another Night...

In Knitterville...First town past Crochet Corner...

Happy Wednesday Night

p.s. I'm writing out the pattern for the Nacho Getters and will try to have it posted in the morning!

Finished Object

Pattern Name: Nacho Getters (coming soon I'll write it up tonight)
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted merino
Needles: size 4 DPN's
So in love with these! I can't wait to give them to Lisa! When I post the pattern I'll explain the title of them it's a wonderful story...

another lunchtime...

another thumb hole...

p.s.

don't you just love m1 increases? I think they look so cool.

workin'...

I'm working on a pattern.

It's not super special in it's construction.

The yarn is special.

Who it's for is special.

If you like them let me know.

If you don't, please keep it to yourself.

.

Another Season...

Another jar of sprinkles.
The last night on Snob Hill
It's championship night everyone!
Be safe and have fun!

Travel Set...

Ready to go out into the world and be admired!

Finished Object

Pattern: Autumn Vines Beret
Designer: Alana Dakos
Yarn: Sublime cashmere merino silk dk
Needle: size 6
joy: massive!

I love this pattern so much! If you can read and knit you can make this...Alana does such an amazing job explaining every twist turn and slip that you'd be hard pressed to screw it up...use a solid color yarn that is luxurious to the touch and make this pattern. Trust me, whoever you make it for will love it and you will be tickled every time you see it!
I think my friend Shanna is going to be styling in Budapest and Prague in a couple weeks...don't you?

Happy Friday!
p.s.
I'm currently sitting in the parking lot of Costco typing this on my phone...isn't technology great? Now if only Costco would open I could keep moving with my day...no worries though I have my knitting with me!

Carmel

Proof

This is the view from my doctors office looking out towards West Seattle! Good thoughts people!

*K2 P2 T3B T3F C5B KUD* Repeat from Star....

Legend:

K2: Knit two
P2: Purl two
T3B: Twist three back
T3F: Twist three front
C5B: Cable five back
KUD: Knit Upside Down (not really part of the instructions just more of a feeling)


do all of this above with some simple slipping of stitches as we as some good old stabilizing rounds (knit all stitches in pattern without twisting, cabling, or downward dogging) you to can create this....

Autumn Vines Beret by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting

The link to purchase the pattern is here it's also the link to purchase all her patterns which I own most of now...so catch up!

and did you also know...She collaborated with Hannah Fettig and together they created this....

Coastal Knits

Alana lives on the west coast and Hannah is on the east coast



Photo from Never Not Knitting



You can order the book here

The patterns look amazing and why wouldn't they...the designers themselves are amazing!

That's it for now, I have to go clean the peanut butter off my sleeve!

p.s.

arm still damaged, calling the doctor today.

i promise

c.

Love Is....

When a pattern begins to take shape. It's what I love about this beret pattern. It gives so much after just a few rows....so much so that when you know you should put it down and go to sleep you instead push play for one more episode of Criminal Minds (yes I'm still on that kick) and crack out more rounds...Sadly I kept that up till about 11:00 p.m. last night and if I didn't have to be at the office in the morning I probably would have knit thru the night or at least until D ripped the yarn and needles from my cramped little hands.

I've had a minor major setback on the old Knitters Elbow...Just when I thought it was getting better, WHAMMO instant pain that hasn't gone away. Brace is back on, a few pain relievers have made their way down my hatch and the knitting keeps moving on. As long as I wear my brace while I'm knitting it doesn't hurt, stop knitting and try to pick something up like a pint glass of water it can't be done. So I'll probably have to make another Dr. appt and possibly get another shot, maybe have a release done which would mean a lot of shots, a small incision and the possibility that I will take up decoupage to fill in for knitting during recovery....lets not go down that route because I think we all know that once I learn decoupage everything will be decoupaged and right now I'm having too much fun just saying decoupage. Say it with me DE COU PAAAAGE! The art of taking something boring and making it awesome! (Mom, stop shaking your head at me and call you daughter...)

Happy Monday :)

wait...
it's not Monday

Crap

whatever

Happy Day in the Week that's not Monday!

P.S. the Pattern is the Autumn Vines Beret by Alana Dakos knit with Sublime DK on Size 6 needles....Shanna's going to swoon when she gets her hands on it!
C.

Finished Object

Pattern: Susies Reading Mitts
Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft Aran
Needles: size 6 DPN
Joy Meter: ecstatic!

This is a second pair of mitts for my friend Shanna...they are for her upcoming trip to Budapest in October.
Last night I also cast on my third Autumn Vines Beret by Alana Dakos in Sublime Merino Silk for her to take with as well!
Happy Monday!
C.

Progress

One stitch at a time...

It's Starting....

The fall weather is coming. There are signs of it every where and since summer just arrived a few weeks ago I don't think anyone is ready for it, except maybe the kids who are back in school, nice weather is such a tease when you are stuck in a classroom all day long.
I'm coming right along on my Cream and Sugar Cowl by Alana Dakos and yesterday I was complaining about how the pattern tells you to use a 16 inch circular needle...For 252 stitches? That's CRAZY I told Marcy, Do you know how bunched up it was on the needles? So I did what any amazingly intelligent knitter would do, I used a 24 inch circular needle. I thought I was brilliant and scoffed at the pattern line that said use a 16 inch. I should have known better. Once again the pattern proved me to be absolutely crazy...I did my first cable row and those cables sucked those stitches so tightly together on that circ you'd think I was trying to tear them apart instead of hold them together...So there I was last night after we returned from dinner on Camano Island with D's mom, our friend and her two daughters...10:30 at night watching Criminal Minds and transfering my stitches from a 24 inch circular to a 16 inch circular berating myself for being such an untrusting idiot and bragging about how smart I was before...
Of all the designers who's patterns I question why would I question Alana's? Her patterns are perfectl. They are beautifully written. If it said you had to run to the moon and back to make the pattern work right you can bet there's a reason for it so you better contact NASA and get that space program back up and running.....*note to Alana: please don't ever make that an instruction in your patterns, I'm afraid I won't be able to fulfill it being as claustrophobic as I tend to be a space shuttle would probably send me right into the throws of a hyperventilating panic attack*.

Lesson of the day: Never Question the needle length the designer tells you. There's a GD good reason for it and it will save you a lot of pain (tight stitches) in the end!
Happy Wednesday!
xoxo
C.

WIP.........

aka: Work In Progress

Cream & Sugar Cowl

Plucky Merino Fingering Weight

Color  Oz (can you guess why it's called Oz?)

I'm still working on the 1.5 inches of 2x2 ribbing for the base. I'm not knitting slow although I may be logging fewing knitting hours as of late but not by much. However 2x2 ribbing in a fingering weight yarn does not a fast project make and I just keep knitting and it slowly grows longer. Soon, I think, I'll start the cables. Maybe? Hopefully today....but probably tomorrow. I love the yarn, it's simply amazing and feels so nice to the touch, I'm pretty sure I'll wear the beegee's out of this thru the fall, winter, spring, and probably next summer if it's anything like June and July was this summer here in the Northwest.

After this I have to, HAVE to knit some baby stuff, finish some baby stuff, and wrap some baby stuff because they don't cook forever (thank goodness) and the way time is moving they will be here before I know it!

Happy Tuesday

xoxo

C.

Finished Object:

It's been a long time since I posted one of these 'Finished Objects'.
It's been a long time coming.
One trip to the doctor.
One fancy arm band.
A prescription of pain pills.
But I present to you.....

The Wedding Shawl.

Modeled by my friend C. Fatima received it last night...I don't think that until she got the tissue off did she realize what I had given her. I kept trying to throw her off by saying it would be done next week....ha! one big push on thursday night and I had that sucker bound off, blocked and it was dry by Friday morning. So I did what any self respecting knitter would do. I hauled it to work to show it off!

Here are the details.
Yarn: Knit Picks Lace Gloss, Merino and Silk
Pattern: Feather and Fan (cast on 96 stitches work four row repeat of feather and fan till you are sure you will die if you knit another row and then it should be long enough, if not you'll have a nice square doily for a table)
Needle Size: 9
Happiness: Pure Joy, not only to be done but also seeing it on Fatima last night at her bridal shower. It was everything I hoped it would be. It blocked so well I can't even find the row I screwed up on which is good :)

The wedding is in 3 weeks so I will post a photo of her in it then. For now I'm off to the races with mom's italian beef, Frosted Rice Krispy Treats and some veggies...
Have a wonderful Saturday!
xoxo
carmel



NEXT!

Isn't this green beautiful?
It's stunning?
If a child asks you what 'stunning' you obviously have a lot of choices but showing the child this picture should be explanation enough.

This will be my next project for me.
Sorry babies, y'all are still cooking so that's buying me some time.

The pattern: Cream & Sugar Cowl
Designer: The super talented Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting.
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Merino Fingering in the color...Oz
The Model: I am pointing this out because she is a blogger friend, meaning we read each others blogs, have exchanged a few emails, and quite honestly I just am delighted in her knitting life that also includes a husband, 2 cats and a hedgehog named...Bruce Quillis.
This is Julie Crawford of Knitted Bliss.

So I am off to start this cowl.
It is for me.
But first I'm off to a bridal shower tonight.
We are 3 weeks away from Fatima and Michaels wedding so the celebrating has begun.
Happy Friday
Xoxo
C.

and.......

EXHALE........

A better explanation will follow but for those of you in the know keep it to yourself for now.......

moment...

I took this photo this morning....the light was perfect in that I'm using my iPhone and there is no flash on it...natural light for photographing yarn and knit goods is always best but the best part is knowing I'll never create this same photo again and to me it's perfect....

in case you were curious...

I am knitting.
It's the wedding shawl.
There isn't much to report.
I keep knitting it.
It keeps getting longer.
So, I guess I can report that there is progress.
So that's it's for now.
I'm knitting
and
It's getting longer

At least I'm heading in the right direction.

Big Camera

A few years ago D bought me a Fancy Camera and I've used it a few times but for the last year I've left it in the cupboard. The other day I decided that it had been long enough and it's time for me to get used to using it and taking some really great photos...especially at the race track because the iPhone wasn't cutting it anymore...plus with the purchase of our new boat I'm thinking I'll have some great photo opportunities! Especially this fall...



a year of love taps as I call them...all the different paint transfer...




My menu board...Since it was the fair we weren't too elaborate!





The brothers during Practice...D leading Mark around the track.



click to embiggen...the best part of the photo is what I didn't see and that is the spider web...

All the people pictured are a group of the greatest friends we have....

The sense of community we've brought to the track makes it so much more than just a race day, it's like a family reunion each week full of laughter, fun and racing...

Next weeks menu is alread in the works. I've kept promising my Italian Beef and since I only have two races left I better step it up!

xoxo

Happy Labor Day!

Cherry Pie...

This is what I did tonight...they are for the track tomorrow but I couldn't resist trying one. They are delicious! Plus they are simple!

a favorite thing....

Every day I listen to the tbtl podcast. It's produced locally and the two host keep me fully entertained on a daily basis...It was while listening to this podcast that one of the hosts, Luke Burbank, told everyone his breakfast order one day. Fried Eggs on a mixed green salad with toast.
WHAT?
My ears perked up, mostly because I love eggs and toast for breakfast and the thought of adding a side salad intrigued me...but it's not a salad on the side it's so much more...so. much. more.
When I first heard about it I couldn't get it out of my head.....then I made it.

it's delicious

Fry up some eggs so the yokes are runny
Toast some really good bread
put some salad greens and baby spinach in a bowl and toss with a champagne vinagrette
(you bailed at the runny eggs but trust me fry the eggs how you like, i like my yokes runny)
put some tomato and chopped avocado in your salad
salt
pepper
Put fried eggs on top (it'll wilt a little or a lot depending on how you take to eat)
Serve with toast on the side
AMAZING
D is horrified by this breakfast.
I don't care
I eat it when he's not around....
sometimes I eat it for dinner

think about it for a while I'll be you get a craving for it soon too :)

And since D is not home tonight guess what I had for dinner?

i overcooked my eggs but it was still delicious...

camping in a tent...

Washington State is amazing to me for one simple fact...The Cascade Mountain Range that divides the western side from the eastern side, it's what gives the western side it's more rain forest like climate and the eastern side is more arid and desert like climate.

I love Eastern Washington.

Simply Love It.

Love it so much I could move to that side of the mountain and be perfectly happy for the rest of my life.

LOVE. IT.

So this past weekend along with some really great friends of ours and their kids, plus one we borrowed, we all headed east on highway 2 early Saturday morning and made our way to Banks Lake .

Kim and Clint brought their boat with them, Jeff and Lisa had made an arrangement to buy a boat from a seller nearby once we arrived, so on Sunday we had two boats for water fun!

Getting up early we had our camp breakfast but even still, this being WA State we didn't have far to go for a lattes, americanos, and fancy hot chocolate for Kyle...Don't shake your head saying 'you weren't really camping if you were able to get an americano' Have you been to the REI camping section? They have a campfire espresso maker among other fancy things...It was real camping, because anytime I'm sleeping in a tent on the ground with a sleeping bag, freaking myself out because of my current obsession with Criminal Minds, it's real camping... but I digress The best way to explain how much fun we had is to show you the pictures, most of them were taken by Kim (thank you) because my stupid arse left my camera's at home. Never again will I make that mistake!

So without further adieu I present to you

Banks Lake - Camping 2011



Our Cove for the day...Not too far from camp that we couldn't make runs back to camp (which we did when we ran out of stuff)



Someone found their Chi in our cove...and unlike what SOME PEOPLE SAID this has nothing to do with the Blair Witch Project or any other scary movie you cared to toss at me...



View of our afternoon from above plus the two boats...





The kids found some rocks they wanted to jump off...there was a lot of contention about doing it since the lake was being drained for damn repairs and the water level was so low...but I think they found a few they could jump safely from.





The Turtle...Kyle's Turtle that Lisa and I both lounged in the water with and fell off of.. a lot





Carter getting fancy on the knee board...Thanks to our friends Roger and Shanna for letting us bring him along!



  



Chopper...I believe he jumped off a cliff himself...waterdog extraordinaire!



 These next 3 shots are of the kids in the Sumo Suit which is pretty much an experience in being water boarded and if you get it going right you spin like a whirligig over the wake of the boat....

First up...Jordan



I believe this is Drew...



and Carter...



D getting ready to ride the knee board...



and Clint....final ride of the night on perfect water...

It was the best weekend with friends! Can't wait to do it again!

xoxox

Carmel

p.s.

Tomorrow is the last Saturday of the Evergreen State Fair, D is racing but we are going early to eat some fair food, and do a couple rides before we get busy with the cars... Stay tuned for a post all about the fair in Monroe and how it wouldn't be fair to compare to the Minnesota State Fair... However in honor of the Minnesota State Fair and all their food on a stick I will be making Cherry Pie on a Stick for the pits tomorrow!