CarmelKnits, etc.

Ring Ring Ring: Calling mom's home number....... VoiceMail: Hello you've reached Patricia........*hang up* Me: Crap Ring Ring Ring: Calling mom's cell which is a bit like playing roullette, I should get 100 bucks if she answers... Cell Phone: The person you are attempting to reach is.....*hang up* Me: Crap, well I probably said something more colorful than crap but we'll go wtih that for now....while I try the cell phone again...... Ring Ring Ring Me: (before the phone is answered): Come on, Answer the %$&#ing Phone Mom: Hello Me: Hey Mom, are you at the aiport Mom: Yeah..... Me: did you remember your passport? Mom: Why? Me: so we can get into Canada? Mom: Crap Me (silently to myself): #$@! I have non-changeable tickets...... It's like Paris all over again............ Thankfully my brother is currently overnighting the passport and I was able to change the departure to later in the day. So we will make it to Canada, thank goodness D is comin...

Have you ever committed to a project for someone, something that is going to be special and personal, and you offered to knit it for the person because along with it being months ago, you really want to to give them something amazingly wonderful that they will cherish forever, especially the day they are going to wear it for everyone they love to see? I know I can't be the only one to do this......however I may be the only one who has worked herself into a complete lather over it, knitting on practice yarn and freaking myself out to the point that i am now sufficiently afraid of completely tanking the whole thing, straining family relations for years to come with the embarrassment that I will hoist upon the soon to be new member of our family with this horrid monstronsity that she feels obligated to wear because I made it for her and thus casting me into the black hole of knitting doom forever where I will be forced to knit garter stitch wash clothes and hot pads for all etern...

A few dozen butterscotch and chocolate chip cookies, 5 hours at the yarn shop today working, well really I knit that fantastically awesome baby rattle that I found on Ravelry. The bell is just loud enough to amuse a baby, and soft enough to not send mom and dad screaming over the brink, at least I think it's soft enough, not being a parent I have nothing to base that theory on except that it probably wouldn't send me over the brink after years of conditioning from boxers who love L-O-V-E squeaky toys. Also, please note the super soft construction of the toy so that when Baby Girl Peanut gets rocking with her rattle, should she crack herself in the nugget with it, no mark will be left causing passerby's to think unsavory thoughts....... on that pleasant little ending, I'm off to take the final batch of cookies from the oven, hoping not to burn myself again. It's my turn to bring the treat for the birthday of the month so these are for Chris. Happy Birthday Christo...

It's early Sunday morning, I know it's early because I am the only one awake in the house and my neighbor just returned from fishing which he does before dawn cracks and returns when all the lollygaggers come out and clog up the waterways. It's 7:15 a.m. I'm terrible at making maintenance appointments. By maintenance I mean, hair cut and color, pedicures and waxing. The last one is especially bad. It's not that I'm afraid, I'm not, I've had it done for years and Beth does amazing things with my eyebrows that no one else can do, the problem is calling to make the appointment as soon as I think to myself, 'wow you need to make an appointment', instead of thinking it and putting it off till later in the day. The problem is I usually remember at 10:00 o'clock at night. Have no fear though, I have found a pinch hitter that if I forget to call to make the appointment at 10:00 p.m. I can do it myself at home.......and here in lies the lesson...........

For how incredibly smitten I am with this sweater pattern........ Autumn Leaves Cardigan Green is for Baby Girl Savannah due in September Purple is for a 2 week old baby girl who, as far as I know received it today.....I am still waiting for an update and if you are a knitter and aren't there to see your knitterly gifts given, then you know that this is driving me nutty! Red is for Baby Girl Peanut who will arrive sometime in November. On the needles currently for Peanut (since she is my Yarn Bombing Project right now) is Big Bad Baby Blanket from Stitch 'n' Bitch knit in Berroco Comfort Chunky. It's wonderful, it's fast, and it's machine washable. The picture isn't doing the color any favors, it's really a dark brick red. P.S. between the time I typed this 2 days ago and now I have since finished BBB and am currently working on some more peanut size accesories along with a funny surprise for my friend Lori in Cloquet....... xoxo happy weekend. just thi...

I love to sit outside in the sun, enjoy a drink after work, crank out a few rows of knitting while listening to talk radio, and basically taking a big deep breath before moving forward for the afternoon. However, Gabby thinks that along with my having a drink, cranking out knitwear, and taking a deep breath should be coupled with the tossing of her grotty ball. She lets me know that this is her plan by dumping it, literally, in my lap haphazardly and with no regard to what I could possibly be doing. Throw the ball. That's all I need to do to make her happy. I also would like to put out there to the collective web universe that I have decided to enter a few things in the Evergreen State Fair this year........I'm typically not comfortable with this, I get nervous and then angry if I don't get any recognition, it's a crazy emotional cycle, however I am going to do it but I thought I would let everyone know that along with a Crochet, Lace, Knitting category they also have ...

Ever notice that sense of freedom that you feel when you step outside, slip on your sunglasses and it's like an invisibility cloak has been dropped over you.......maybe it's just me...but I doubt it. As soon as I don my sunglasses and start cruising down the street I take on an aloof persona, observing without it being obvious and having a confidence that is alarming to my un-sunglassed clad self. If eyes are the window to our soul, mine are the gateway to my uber persona. The one who gets behind the wheel of ghetto jepeto, cranks up the music and sings, really loud, with the windows down, what do I care, I have my sunglasses on, no one knows who I am and even if they did, I'm cool, I'm hip, I'm Uber-Carmel, knitter extraordinaire, strutting down the street dripping woolen lovelies as I go for the common horde to pick up and rave over, following me like a entourage hoping that more of the wonderfulness that is me will rub off on them or at least pass them more wooly...

You know what I'm talking about....that moment when everything is exactly right....the yard looks beautiful,  you don't cringe when you walk into the laundry room, you aren't afraid to use the bathroom after your spouse has been in there, the dogs are sleeping, dinner is all figured out, the knitting is cruising along at an alarming right of perfection and then all hell breaks loose.......... the dogs get fleas the yard apparenlty got its roots on some steroids and has made it's attack someone ordered the south of the border omlette at breakfast you haven't caught up on the laundry all week and have been dressing in the laundry room you make a minor mistake in your knitting 20 rows back and try to talk yourself into believing it's not noticeable and it'll be fine and just keep knitting more rows as it taunts you with its horridness and you finally scream, toss, and swear at the yarn as you rip it out and start over.............on a completely knew project. ...