CarmelKnits, etc.

It's time to start training for the annual Seattle to Portland Bike ride , aka STP . I've done it once before, about 3 years ago. It is a 206 mile bike ride over 2 days. This year my family will be joining my husband and I on the adventure. Along with STP there is R.S.V.P., ride Seattle to Vancouver b.c. and Party, which is a 186 mile ride over 2 days. Day one is Seattle to Bellingham (100 miles) day 2 is Bellingham to Vancouver B.C. RSVP is certainly a more beautiful ride, with day one ending along Chuckanut Drive into Bellingham and riding along the waterfront in Vancouver is quite fabulous. It's also more difficult than STP and they open the ride to only 1,300 people total, whereas STP is opened to 9,000 riders! Riding is something that I truly enjoy. I love the peace when I am on my bicycle. I love the accomplishment I feel when I've climbed a big hill without walking. I'm a bigger rider, it's no secret, but there is a trick to riding up a hill. The tri...

I'm home. We had a fabulous time! I even made it back in time to see my mom before she headed back down south to the warm weather. But, since the title of this blog is Back and Buried it pretty much says it all. I have so much to get done this week that I probably won't post anything worth reading (which is funny because you are all reading this) till this weekend, which will also be my first bike ride of the season. So, bear with me, and keep faith. I have 2 new projects on needs a 3 skeins of gorgeous sock yarn that I just need to get the pictures uploaded to show off and brag about. Hope everyone has been well........ xoxo Carmel

This is what's left of Quintus' bunny. I called it BunBun. It was quite cute when it was a whole bunny......... When preparing for a vacation the common person will ask you what you are packing to wear, read, or generally bring with you. If you are a knitter and you know the person going on vacation is a knitter you ask them what project(s) they are bringing. Clothes are typically an after thought. You definitely want to make sure you have some, especially a change of underwear, but i know some knitters that will spend more time planning what project(s) to bring rather than clothes. Not to mention finding yarn shops at their final destination for a little wool therapy. So here it goes. I'm limiting myself because I do have a reasonable expectation that I'll be tired at the end of each day. We're going to DisneyWorld. Back to packing. What I've finally narrowed it down to are 4 projects. 1. February Lady , I'm on a roll with this, as are 4,058 ravelry memb...

Gabby, adopted from Washington Boxer Rescue in 2005 I haven't touched my Linen Stitch Scarf since Christmas. I don't know why. I just became disenchanted with it. Well that all changed today. I stayed home today because Gabby, my lovely little rescue boxer who showers us with love and vet bills, woke up at 1:30 a.m. and looked like Rocky Balboa after a fight with a Russian. Both eyes puffed up, swollen, goopy and almost sealed shut. Well I don't have to be a vet to know that this isn't a good thing. However she seemed okay at the time so I thought I'd wait and see how she was when I woke up for work. Not any better. Sent a message to our friend Lillian , she called at 7:00 we went down there....long story short, she has conjunctivitis......Excellent. She's doing fine now but has some stuff to take to help. So I stayed home from work today to take care of all of this. Well I'm at a point in February Lady where I need to make another button hole and I forgot h...

I did it. I finished my first pattern that I made up myself, with a lot of inspiration from Half-Assed knits . I love her headband but I wasn't happy with the way I was knitting it so I made up my own style. Thank you randomcyn . IT turned out pretty great to. I'm excited for Megan to get it and see what she thinks. I'm going to make another one because once I got moving on this one I stopped writing down what I was doing. Megan, I'll put it in the mail tomorrow so you should have it by Wednesday :) It's your duty to take a picture and send it to me. :) It has to be on your head too..... Second new thing? I finally bought the new Nickelback cd, Dark Horse . I love Nickelback. The disturbing kind of 'if I was younger and had less morals i'd be a super groupie kind of love'. I know, disturbing......I feel much the same way about Simple Plan . (my husband is probably reading this and shaking his head) The third? The third is the money-back guarantee. I ha...

Fiona, taking a nap on the blanket made for my husband. Happy Friday! I first need to thank Marcy for fixing the sock for me. Who knows what I was thinking and the fact of the matter remains that once I pulled the needle out I knew I was screwed. I am terrible at picking up stitches and I hate, HATE having to rip anything back. Thank goodness for Marcy. I sent her a text last night and she fixed it this morning. Back on track and almost done with the toe. I've decided that these will be a gift. The recipient is still up in the air but they will be put in the mail probably when I return from the Magic Kingdom . I am working out in my head the basic design for Meglettes Kerchief. I hope to have it started and finished before I leave town but of course I've started another project on top of every thing else. So should we list what I am currently working on? I think not. We'll stick with what I've talked about and as each one gets crossed off we'll have a celebration. ...

That's the excuse today. I know I explained why I didn't post on Tuesday, knitting class and all, but yesterday, that was just plain busy and I really didn't have much to say...well that's not completely true, I always have something to say, just ask my husband, what I had to say wasn't appropriate for a blog posting, because it had little to do with knitting and much to do about well..........we'll leave it at that.....anyway. On the upside yesterday I was able to finally stop in to R&E Cycle . Simply the best bike shop in Seattle. They are having a HUGE show coming up you should check out their website. I own 2.5 of their bikes. I say 2.5 because my husband and I also own a tandem. So I have a road bike, a touring bike and half a tandem. I'm what they call a stoker in the biking world. We'll leave it at that. I expect the jokes to fly. However the best nickname I've been given since I started cycling is by Eric and Chris at work. They call me s...

News..... 1.The Super Simple Short Nasturtium sock in Berrocco comfort is moving along quite well. Just working on the decreases. 2. I frogged (ripped out) February Lady for me, Clearly after 2o rows I was doing the increases all wrong because I had no decorative increase what I had looked like.....complete crap....so I'll take it to class tomorrow and see what I'm doing wrong. 3. Mom went to a hot spring in Arizona with some friends of hers, this is what I pictured when they told me about it, this is what it actually is...Well i can't find pictures but those of you who remember bugs bunny and friends, picture yosemite sam cooking 'rabbit soup' and as far as what a hot spring is, well I found some really nice ones and based on what I was told by mom this morning, they might as well have gone to Mexico and drank 8 glasses of water and sat on toilet seats. :) Happy Birthday! 4. Moms Birthday was yesterday 5. Marcy, oh Marcy. I think the nasturtium pattern was wrong fo...

See Below? That is the finished pair of Nasturtium socks. I posted on my Facebook page that I had finished and was asked whether I actually wear the socks I knit. Absolutely. Not only do I spend a lot of money on the sock yarn, $21.84 for this pair, I spend a lot of time knitting them up. I believe i've given 3 pairs aways. The Stose Socklettes, Megan's comfort socks, as she has come to call them, and I knit a pair for my husband while we were in Minnesota for Christmas. Some people love to wear them, some people don't. I know people who would prefer to knit them than wear them. There are many different methods to making them as well. Magic Loop, 2 circulars, and the method I prefer, double point needles. Looks like you're knitting with super long toothpicks but it's traditional, it's comfortable and easy to transport. I almost always have a sock on needles while I'm doing other projects. That being said, I typically have 5 or more projects going at the same...