CarmelKnits, etc.

There is always a lot that you can do when you visit a place that is chock-a-block full of sunshine and warm weather, especially when you are coming from someplace cold, rainy, grey, and where the misery of winter has gone on one month too long. I love the desert. There are probably a lot of reasons why I love it but here are the top few... 1. My mom lives there half of the year...Mom could live in Antarctica and I would love it, so it's possible that I'm biased on this point. 2. It's not lush and green...don't get me wrong, Washington is beautiful and it is the EVERgreen state...but one can look at green for so long and it needs a breal, well this one can. I find the desert and it's bare earth, knarly looking cactus plants and desert flowers delightful. The fact that they live in such a harsh environment is inspiring for you to just keep going. 3. I love cactus. All kinds of cactus, even the Choya that sent mom to the Urgent care last year a few...

Remember that big ball of wool that was on your bakers rack? In your office in Scottsdale... and on the rack below was a couple balls of Noro in neutral colors... Don't they look nice together? I'll be shipping this out to you next week... since it's currently taking me 15 minutes to knit across a row. xoxo carmel p.s for those of you wanting to know more this is the pattern 'multnomah' by Kate Ray

Last week was wonderful... D and I traveled to Scottsdale, AZ to spend time with Mom and G as well as attend some Cactus League Spring Training Baseball. The weather was amazing (after Sunday and Monday's rain storms) High 80's the rest of the week, and sun sun sun and more sun... Waking up in the morning and being able to lounge on the patio with my coffee. Wearing shorts for a week... and finally... Finally I got to see a cactus bloom! We always come to early in the season for it and it bums me out, but not this time...Nope, this time I got to see it. And it was wonderful more pictures to come as well as a 'Favorite Things' post on what I love to do when I am there...

I love you! Thanks for a great week! I'll miss you!! Xoxo

I am loving slouchy beret's right now and we all know my love for any pattern by Alana Dakos...I'll stop talking about it so much just in case there is a restraining order in the works...  Well this is another one of her patterns. It's called Molly. The beauty of this pattern is that it goes from baby all the way to adult. I love bang for my buck and a pattern that I can knit in multiple ranges always delivers.  This one went incredibly fast. I knit it up for my new niece Annika and can't wait to hear how she likes it! (she's shy of 3 months but I'm thinking her mom is going to love it)  It has a simple lacey brim and then a nice swirl detail created by decreases at the top.  Perfect for an unpredictable spring in the midwest.  Details Pattern: Molly by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting  Yarn: Blue Moon Fibers Arts Socks that Rock Medium weight from the 2009 Rockin' Sock Club in colorway 'Happy Go Lucky'  Needles: Size 1 and 3  Completely in love...

A couple cute finished object photos...Just waiting for the sun to return so I can take them outside by the fountain.  p.s.  mom told me I have to wear sandals in case I step on a scorpion...

It's done! It's done! Another Rustling Leaves by Alana Dakos is done! It's not blocked though and I know there are some of you out there who would tell me it's not done till it's blocked. It's on my head and I consider that done...I'll block it later when I have more time. I was up till 11:00 last night finishing this and getting the next hat on the needles. The next had is for my niece Miss A. It'll be a perfect spring beret for her sweet little head. I know I know Minnesota is having a very warm past couple of days but I have faith in the weather system back there and believe that they will get another flurry of snow and some maybe a couple more cold days so a hat will be on it's way to the little one. I only have 3 rows of it done so I won't show you that... Instead I'll show you this... Details: Pattern: Rustling Leaves by Alana Dakos found in the book Coastal Knits Yarn: Dream in Color Starry in Black Parade Needles: Size 2 (brim)...

That's right. I knit another Smocked Slouch. I can't help it. I'm on a hat kick right now. Maybe it's because spring is being so nasty to us here in the Northwest. Nasty cold winds whipping around, snow, downpours of rain, hail, and every once in a while a warm breeze that teases us into believing that winter will end and spring will come. Well, in the interim, I will knit hats to get as many of us through as possible...So here is Lisa's Smocked Slouch. It matches her Nacho Getters that I made for her... Details: Pattern: Smocked Slouch by Jill Zillenski. Check her block here , she also does graphic design work for knitters so if you are looking for a logo you couldn't do better than Jill. Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted (no idea what colorway i lost the label) Needles: Size 7 in circular and dpn's Love this pattern! I think Lisa is going to love it as well! Speaking of teases... here is MY next Rustling Leaves Beret designed by Alana Dakos... stay t...

It wasn't a bad week but it was a busy week... Between my car getting repaired for a third time in a month, three hockey games, and bowling league on Friday night followed by one of the three games (the third one is tonight) I just haven't had much knitting time. I get a little bit each day at work but the evenings were just crazy! So instead of having a finished slouch to give my friend today I have an 'almost finished' slouch to show her. Today is going to be just as busy as the week has been, which is why I'm brewing a second pot of coffee! A Lacrosse game that my friends son is playing in (i've never seen a lacrosse game so I'm  pretty excited about this) A trip to Pacific Fabrics for some pre-ruffled fabric to make myself a skirt to wear to Scottsdale The usual trip to the grocery store followed by the Silvertips hockey game tonight! Plus I want to put together some St. Patrick's Day treats for all my nephews and nieces! So, here is what Lisa...

If you haven't guessed by the title I'm in a Lord of the Rings phase right now. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I watched the trilogy...aren't those the best... of course they go faster for me because I fast forward a lot of the parts with Gollum...he freaks me out and I put him on the fear level of the flying monkeys from Wizard of Oz. I love my Rustling Leaves Beret. LOVE IT. I've worn it 3 out of 4 times this week...I leave it on long after I've arrived at work, and put it on at least a half hour before I leave. So this morning, would it surprise you, I had a notion to knit another one (or six) most will be gifts for others and 3 for sure will be for me...what's lovely about this is that you only need half a skein of most sock yarns so you easily get two hats p/skein! Bang for your knitterly buck! Well, instead of heading out the door to work in a timely fashion I pulled out my hoard of sock yarn (the unwound bin) and right off the bat found the 3 4 that I w...

“I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it.” ― Mae West I've said this a lot to myself in the past few weeks. When I'm tired and don't want to do what I'm supposed to do, when it would be easier to order a pizza rather than cook something healthy at home, walking on the treadmill instead of sitting on the couch... They aren't daily struggles but they do get me sometimes...but when I push thru and cook dinner at home, walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes simultaneously kicking the ball Gabby drops on it, my night goes better, I feel great, and I still get a couple hours of guilt free knitting in before I crash to sleep.   Happy Wednesday.

I might have mentioned (I know I did) that I was taking a beginning adult sewing... well, TA-DA! I completed the 6 hour course (3 Sunday's in a row) and I was the only one who left with a completed bag (i'm not counting the people who chose to make the pillowcase instead). The stitches aren't straight and the measurements could be a little iffy but I figure that I'll approach sewing much the way I approach parts of my life, with reckless abandon... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but at the end of the day you sometimes have an amazing story to tell. Well here is my finished bag...I'm pretty ecstatic about it...so much so that I carried it around the office all day yesterday showing it off to people. It's supposed be a grocery tote but I don't have that much faith in my sewing yet to trust putting groceries in it.

Not only did I weigh in today 3.4 pounds lighter...my hat dried enough in time to wear to sewing class making me feel less like a failure in the sewing arena...

OH My GRILLED CHEEZUS! I cannot CANNOT begin to tell you how excited I am about this hat. I'm not happy that it's not dry all the way yet but great things come to those who wait and this great thing can decorate my noggin tomorrow! First: I need to thank Marcy who very generously gave me this yarn as a gift! Thank You Thank You THANK YOU from the bottom of my knitterly heart! Second: I need to raise up my hands in praise of Alana Dakos who's designs make me ridiculously happy every time I knit one. Every. Single. Time. This one caused me to almost fall off the bed in delight last night as I did the final ten rounds... Third: If you haven't done it yet you need to do it now...Go buy Coastal Knits by Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig. All the patterns are amazing. This is where this hat pattern is found as well. So here goes... Pattern: Rustling Leaves by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting, you can find her blog here   The book is Coastal Knits and it's websit...

Blocking now...more details to come tomorrow.

Saturday is technically chore day around my house which means  the dog hair gets swept up in force instead of the sad little attempts I make during the week.  The grocery shopping is supposed to be done and an ungodly hour because I hate shopping when everyone else does.  All the stuff that gets pulled out in the bathroom during the week gets put away and at least 2 loads of laundry are supposed to get done.  However... las night was bowling league night (i still suck by the way) followed immediately by a Silvertips Hockey game against our biggest rival the Seattle Thunderbirds. We whooped em', whooped em' to the tune of 4-0.  On top of that we met D's brother and wife afterwards for a beer. I stuck with water since I was the DD for the night.  Needless to say I didn't get home and in bed till 12:30....The dogs woke up at 5:00 a.m. and I bribed them with a cookie to let me sleep a little bit longer. That lasted till 7:00 when all bets were off and I was goi...

Rustling Leaves Beret by Alana Dakos...I'm a bit further along than when this was taken but I love the texture.... Details will come in the FO post (a day or two from now) Happy Friday