CarmelKnits, etc.

Fiona using Angus Beefcake as a cushion I returned from Parma, Italy on April 10. What a whirlwind trip. While I do have all my pictures uploaded I have yet to print them to put together my photo album. I enjoy putting albums together it brings back the vacation memories. I suppose I could have bought lots of souvenirs for people in Parma, olive oil, compotes, balsalmic vinegar, parmesan cheese, it was a cooking school and tour of Parma. However the only souvenirs I bought was yarn. Mom bought yarn too, just putting that out there. We found the shop about 12 blocks from our hotel past a square on the left. It's called Zuccheri. They have some very beautiful yarns and they have the cotton out in front for the warming weather I assume. However I did buy 4 skeins of said cotton to give as gifts, along with a ball of cotton that has a nice sheen to it with 2 balls of kid mohair. I don't know what I'm going to do with them but have since been added to the yarn outlet shelves. My...

Looking out my office window towards my back fence I have 6 Japanese Cherry Trees that bloom pink every spring. Every day I look out. I see red leaves sprouting and what appears to be buds, and all I keep thinking is........... BLOOM ALREADY!!

Marcy and I are enablers. Yarn pushers. Dealers in wool and free patterns. We tease you with something elegant and fabulous and convince you that you too should learn to knit....Socks. It was a regular lunch day in the business office, Marcy and I quietly working on our lovely Twinkleberry socks in our fabulous Blue Moon yarns, when Joanne and then Paulette said, "we want to learn to knit socks". I'm pretty sure that they didn't know what was coming out of their mouth. As soon as it hit Marcy's ears and mine alike I think a symphony struck up playing something inspirational because we both began mentally going through our needle and yarn stashes trying to figure out what yarn to start their sock lessons. Marcy came up with some very nice blend from cascade, has a spilch of cashemere in it, and I came up with 100% wool cascade 220 for Joanne. All they said was, we want to learn to knit socks and then what do you know. They arrive at the office and sitting on their...

Sorry, nothing like two posts in one day, but I forgot to give updates. As of now I am done with the Super Simple Short Nasturtium socks and I believe, though it's not confirmed that Marcy is done with her BlackRose sock in Just Right Red from Blue Moon Fiber Arts . These are done as of yesterday and I will be giving them to my friend Jenny tomorrow at work. She is quite excited. Made out of Berrocco Comfort Sox 100% Nylon and feels like a dream. This is Muddy Bottom Breakdown , also by Blue Moon, Marcy is using it to knit Nutkin from Knitzi.com I am using KawKaw if i ever get the freaking thing untangled....Maybe this will help. This is the start of sock #2 in Meilenweit Fun and Stripes yarn gleaned from my mom's stash when she was cleaning house. http://www.lanagrossa.de/ made in italy 80% virgin wool 20% nylon. I copied this from the label and it says virgin wool on it. I wonder if I am wearing sweaters made from not so maiden wool? not the best picture but do you see the ...

And it starts with these guys here..........They grow the wool. After the sheep get a hair cut there is a whole process that I'm unfamiliar with but it starts with Roving and Carding, and then you spin it onto bobbins and then ply it, give it it's final twist, and I know somewhere in there you dye it or hand paint it which is really spectacular and you end up with this at the store. You see it, you touch it, you quickly pull out your wallet and voila, you have 5 new projects ready to go. (these are called hanks, and unless you want to be an angry knitter you don't want to try and knit with the yarn in this form)What do you do when you get it home? Well that's the next picture. you untwist it and then put it on your swift like so... connect one end to your ball-winderand then wind it up so it looks just like these balls here. this is a fine example of what you don't want to happen. I put it on the Swift wrong and I am now on day 4 of unraveling it. Once you have your...

This was not the plan.........See you tomorrow

http://www.angoravalley.com/ What a fantastic site to buy yarn online! I ordered some yarn yesterday to knit a pair of socks for my mother. The yarn arrived today. That's right, ordered yesterday after lunch, arrived today before I had toast (9:30 a.m. for those of you who don't work with me). It's beautiful. It's springy to the touch and supremely fabulous, but since I've committed to a sock right now and Marcy is finishing her blackrose sock I am going to wait to start this sock for mom. Probably not too long since Marcy is in the home stretch and my sock can always be put down in order to do this one, PLUS I'm leaving for Italy in 2.5 weeks and I'm not going to be silly enough to not pack enough socks to entertain myself with while I sit on an airplane or relax in the hotel in the evenings. So, are you wondering what pattern Marcy and I have decided on this time? It's called Nutkin and it's a free patter on Knitzi , Not to be confused with Knitt...