CarmelKnits, etc.

I knit a sweater.....a sweater I love. I love it so much I wear it once a week. I even threw caution to the wind and tossed it in the washer so that I wouldn't have to risk the dry cleaner doing a number on it and I really wasn't in the mood to do a handwash....it turned out okay, you know why? Because that sweater loves me back. It makes me look good, it makes me feel good. Lots of people have made it and it makes them look good too, but I have an issue that's been stuck in my arse like a thorn for the past few months since I finished my beautiful sweater........... While the designer is someone whose patterns I love, she has marked every sweater on Ravelry as a 'favorite' of hers, everyones that is but mine........... and I have to say I'm a little bugged by this.....more so than I probably should be......but annoyed I am. I even emailed her and told her how much I loved knitting the sweater, how much I love the sweater....Nothing....not even a 'thank yo...

Years ago D and I started our Day After Thanksgiving Party so that we could celebrate with Family and Friends that we don't see on the actual day, or if we are going to be out of town for the holiday we celebrate the weekend before........Today is the day and we basically repeat the whole Thanksgiving dinner so as you can imagine I'm in a spin trying to get things ready.....actually, I should be in a spin to get things ready instead I am sitting here blogging, wondering where I put my swift and winder, and painting my toenails.....and thinking that based on all the things that I am currently doing/thinking I should probably double up my dose of medication today...........

Congratulations to my friend Kim who I would never have met were it not for knitting and her wonderful patterns that she has asked me to test......she now has a published pattern in the Spring LookBook for Three Irish Girls you can see that here . Her pattern is on page 4-5 and it's lovely! Congratulations Kim, you are a fabulous designer!!! Happy Thanksgiving! Carmel This is my Virginia Shawl in Beaune France

There is a lot that I am thankful for and to list them all would take a lot of time and I would for sure leave something out that would leave me wracked with guilt for eternity so instead know that I am thankful for my friends, my family, my dogs and life. Nothing is more wonderful than all of these things together and life would be so much less with out them in my life. Speaking of dogs, excuse me I have to go stop Mr. Brown from jumping on the bed and eating out of my Kleenex box............okay, I'm back....he's such a stinker and the Puffs with Vicks in them are his favorite, don't ask me why...Today we are off to D's mom's house, weather permitting, to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner, tomorrow is when I cook for our friends and family and I am looking forward to that very much, especially since it appears that our tradition is to buy a huge turkey and not have it thaw in time and I am up at 3:00 a.m. trying to make it happen. So you all can enjoy black friday, st...

That being said, I did venture in to the office today and have already told Dale that should I get stuck not to worry....... I have plenty of yarn.

Last night while I was in the kitchen doing the dishes Gabby came rushing in all tizzed up about something.....and so we had a conversation. If you've met Gabby you know she is quite the conversationalist. Gabby: whine whine whine Me: what's wrong Pickle? (i call her pickle its my pet name for my pet) Gabby: *turns in a circle and simultaneously dashes toward the living room and looking back at me* whiiiiiiiine whiiiiiiiiiiiiine whine Me: Show me the problem..... Gabby: *heavy on the whine and full run to the living room* this is the problem.......and she is the one who caused it.

I caught a Cold. I didn't really want a Cold. I think he was lonely and I apparently looked like a sucker......anyway, He's with me for a while. Thankfully they're a flighty sort and move on quickly......... That being said, the Knitting retreat ended Sunday and I finished a few things, made some progress on others, and overall had a blast. So, since the Cold is sucking my creativity and witty way with words today, I am offering photos of the retreat.......Enjoy

I checked my horoscope today and this is what it said..... You're bound to be feeling a little restless early in the day, and you may be worrying about or dwelling on a variety of different problems. You'll be eager to express everything you're thinking today ( how is this different from any other day ) . But if you're not willing to take the time to listen to other people's concerns, then there could be some disagreements to have to deal with. You’ll be longing for a little relaxation by the end of the day, and you’ll definitely be looking forward to unwinding a bit later tonight ( hence the 2 bottles of wine plus a case of beer in the trunk of my car for the knitting retreat ). You should be able to get along very well with most people today( Thank goodness because there will be a lot of pointy objects at the Inn ). And you ought to spend a little time trying to sort out some important issues while you can. Mantra: Integrity. ( Depending on how much wine and b...

My friend Carrie emails me and says...................... Carrie: Can you make this for me? Me: Make what? Carrie: A Snood ........ Me: Of course Carrie: good, I want it to look like this......... Me: That's a cowl Carrie: They call it a snood Me: They are silly a snood is totally different Carrie: But can you make it? Me: No problem....... Carrie: Cool. I want it fast......so I'm going to put some pressure on you for it......... Me: Okie Dokie ...........(totally horrified because I have Post Traumatic Knitting Disorder when it comes to items for Carrie, aka PTKD) and Voila The Knitting Sweatshops first Pattern.............. The Carrie Cowl inspired by some over priced machine knit seam showing piece......... The written piece is coming soon. I know a ton of people who come in to So Much Yarn are looking for just this so I'm going to write it up as a freebie for the shop and also to post on Ravelry ! On another note, this is the week...

I had this dream last night that involved people I didn't recognize but in the dream they were friends of D's. I had this strong feeling that I didn't like them, they just weren't my type of people, which if you know me well it's hard to find someone who's not my 'type of people' because I truly like everyone with some exceptions, but that's neither here nor there, back to the dream........So we're hanging out with D's friends who I find unsavory and we're at this store that is a cross between Ikea and Home Depot, and we're taking a break in our shopping to have something to eat and D's friend takes off his socks and slaps them on the table because his feet are too warm.......I'm horrified on two levels; 1. the dirty socks on the table, and 2. they were my monkey socks..... Me: Dude, those are my socks, WTF are you doing? Dude: Oh, I know but I saw them on the back of your dryer and I just love thick wool socks.....Love them,...

except............. 1. Gabby lost her ball under the shed, a story many of you have heard already this week but none-the-less was an event unto it's own this week. It resulted in us cancelling our oringal plans and loading Gabby into the car to go to the pet store for a brand new ball and a stop for a cheeseburger on the way home........I won't tell you about the phone call to Lillian and the embarrasment following that. 2. Quintus had a yearly check up today complete with shots and the news that he is now a Senior Dog.....He seems okay with it of course seeing as how he has been trying to climb on top of me all afternoon while I knit and surf the net. 3. My new sister-in-law, Margie, had a birthday this past week, of course I just started working on her present.......sorry :) It'll be there soon....... 4. Next week is the knitting retreat and I'm already trying to figure out what to bring and not over do it.....I think the fact that the suitcase is packed and ready...