CarmelKnits, etc.

It seems as though I haven't posted much about knitting this holiday season...looking back I've knit a lot of hats but stopped right before Christmas. I started the 'Girlfriends Swing Coat' for my friend Lindsays daughter Miss B. it's a lot of stockinette but I'm starting the increases for the flare at the hips probably tonight. It's coming along well. The buttons arrived yesterday for Bumps striped Coffee Bean cardigan! As soon as they are on I'll post a photo. They are super cute! Right now my travel project is a sock. Marcy almost fell over when I told her I was knitting a sock. Apparently I haven't knit a pair in a while, and to be quite honest I remember why...they take forever when you only work on them for an hour a day! Happy New Years Eve... Stay safe tonight and enjoy the people you are with!

I think that during the holiday season my absolute favorite thing is the glow from the Christmas tree in our darkened living room as I come down the stairs...it makes me sad that I'm going to have to take it down this weekend for another year. Plus taking it down interferes with my knitting time this weekend... Stay tuned...January 1, 2012 is day 1 of the stash busting challenge given to me by my friend Kelly of Creating a Family Home... Happy New Year

My very favorite Christmas gift from D this year...a Singer Curvy Sewing Machine. I took sewing in the fourth grade and made a hideous skirt that I proudly wore to our family Christmas Party. Then of course the required sewing during home-ec in junior high...did not do so well then either. However there has been a rash of seeing tutorials around the net lately that have sparked my desire to learn again. I signed up tonight for adult beginning sewing. Of course I was giddy with excitement which made me nervous and fumbling so what I actually said was... 'I'm here to sign up for adult beginning knitting' Happy Tuesday night everyone!

Merry Christmas all my blogger friends and followers! May these days find you safe, warm and surrounded by all your loved ones! Love, Carmel, D, Mr. Brown and Gabby Sioux!

Is it just me or has the Christmas Season been sneaking up on everyone? Not so much sneaking I guess but come barrelling at us like a freight train and me without the wherewithal to figure out if I should feint left, right, or just try to outrun the thing altogether. I'm ready, but I'm not. I'm looking forward to it, but then again I'm not. I don't know what my astrological lunar cycle is right now but it feels wonky and completely off course...and it's driving not only myself nuts but I think D is ready to pull bits of his hair out... It's a week before Christmas and I know this much; 1. all my gifts for my family in Minnesota have arrived 2. I'm having ham for Christmas Eve (not sure what else with it but there will be ham) 3. D and I are going to make a day of it Friday and do all our Christmas shopping for the Washington Contingent in one fell swoop. We had our annual Christmas Bash last night and it was just that, a blast. I hope everyone ha

In my attempt to prepare for the 2012 stash busting challenge I have felt the need to pad my stash with some yarn...you know, just in case I don't have enough. I do have enough, even if it was a 2012 sock stash busting I have enough, but just in case... I bought 2 skeins of socks that rock lightweight (Thank you again Marcy for picking that up for me!) 6 balls of wool-ease in azalea pink for a little girls swing coat And tonight I am replenishing my super bulky stash to make more hats... God forbid that I actually empty a tote and use it for something else like craft supplies or race track cooking supplies...nope! Better off keeping those full of yarn lest there is a shortage like the butter shortage in Norway right now! I've returned to the land of the living after a nasty wrestling match with a nasty virus. He had the upper hand in me yesterday morning but I finally pinned him down last evening and plan on doing a happy dance on it this evening...while buying yarn. Happy Tues

just waiting to warm cold nuggets...this is just the beginning, I plan on making a bunch more, in fact as soon as I finish addressing Christmas cards I'm going to start another skein! super bulky wool Pattern is Erich's AF Knockoff Hat Free download on Ravelry The top one of course is the Finished object from last night it's recipient arrived this morning! welcome to the world Mr. P! Can't wait to meet you soon! As soon as what is rapidly turning into a cold goes away! Congratulations Alyssa and Ben with the new addition to your family! Happy Saturday! Xoxo C

In the nick of time to! Baby K is on his way (well he could be here by now) I have been so busy with knitting for Bump & Miss A that I hadn't even started for BK! Truthfully though he was supposed to wait till his due date on the 30 but he is on his way/here tonight! Pattern: Cabled Baby Hat There ate options for a ten or five cable hat, I went with five for the first. Needle: size 8 DPN's the whole way! Yarn: Debbie Bliss cashmerino Aran. Super soft for new nuggets! Can't wait to meet you BK! p.s. I'm making him a pair of matching baby feeties!

A Challenge for 2012 has been thrown down by my friend Kelly of Creating a Family Home. The Challenge: To Knit and Craft only from what we have stashed. We can buy new yarn but can't use it...Well I found a loop hole (sorry Kelly) I'm buying new yarn before the end of the year so it will be in my stash on New Years Day! First project? The Girlfriend Swing Coat for my friend Lindsay's daughter in a hot Azaela pink You can purchase your own copy of the pattern here It's designed by one of my top favorites, Wendy Bernard. Wendy's all about seamless knitting as much as possible...kindred spirit? definitley. I hate seaming I hate it so much that when I do a really nice one I actually photograph it to prove that i'm not horrible at it. So the challenge is on and lucky for me I have a whole trunk of patterns with their yarn all ready to go for next year because really this was supposed to be my challenge for 2011 and clearly that didn't happen. The

That's what I had at the suggestion that we cook another turkey for Christmas Eve. I cooked three turkeys during November and have come to one solid conclusion. I love everything about cooking a turkey dinner. The mashed potatos The stuffing The baby peas The dinner rolls The sweet potatoes The Jell-O salad that my mom makes  Except I can't stand to eat turkey So when it was suggested very nicely by my husband that we cook a Turkey for Christmas Eve (the turkey sitting frozen hard as a rock in our freezer) I felt so much rage toward that little fowl that I flat out refused to do it. Short of laying on the ground and kicking and stomping my feet. (it's possible I did that but I won't confirm) Nope Not gonna do it Want nothing to do with it Nope Nope NOPE No. I pick up the Honey Baked Ham on the December 23rd Bring on Festivus!

If all I gave for Christmas were Knit hats one day is all I would need to get them all done... However I don't give just hats and it's coming on Christmas, if any of you have a whole day to knit the rest of us are jealous... So there This hat is awesome. My latest count I think I've made at least 2 dozen. It's Erich's AF knockoff hat on Ravelry. It's free (bonus) It's fast (another bonus) People love them (double bonus) Plus...they are super warm! I use Burly Spun by Brown Sheep and a size 13 circular needle... You get about 2 hats per skein and with all the left over bits I use them all at the end of the season to make a hat for me...one that has a little of everyone in it...they turn out bright and crazy and fun just like me!! Woot woot Happy Monday Xoxo C.

I'm not one for killing myself knitting Christmas gifts for people...nor am I one to plan ahead like my friend Marcy, who I believe was done with her Christmas knitting by December first... Not my style... However, every year I get the itch to crack out a few projects for my loved ones... They all consist of super bulky yarn and big needles... If I can knit more than one per day the better... I like to sit by my tree listening to the Christmas Music on the radio, Mr. Brown snoring in the chair and Gabby dropping her stinky ball in my lap next to my yarn every thirty seconds... That's what we are all doing now. Dinner is done and put away... Christmas on the radio And Burly Spun on the needles... So here it goes. Wish me luck... I might just wrap these as I finish them.

In my 3 hour heels... Let the season begin

I'm so behind the 8 ball on this it's ridiculous. I usually have them by Thanksgiving in which I spend one whole day over Thanksgiving weekend putting them together ready to drop in the mail on December 1. I don't even have a picture to use yet Last year I used 5 pictures This year we have zip. I have a couple cute ones of the dogs but not of the two of them together I'm not nearly as worked up as I feel I should be either. and it's entirely possible that I'll choose this and be done with it.... Because really, who doesn't want to see a picture of my tree, slippers and ruffled bottom pajamas? Ho Ho Ho

He had asked that I turn the porch light off before I left but it was still really dark... So he sends me this picture followed by this text; D: hmmmm Me: It was too dark & I heard a rustling in the bushes...obviously a serial killer who didn't come after me because the light was on...had the light been turned off it would have been curtains for me... Pretty sure. D: Good use of 'curtains'.