CarmelKnits, etc.

just keep knitting just keep knitting just keep knitting, knitting, knitting what do we like to do we like to knit KNIT KNIIIIiiiiIIIIIiiiiiIIIIIt I'm almost halfway done with baby blanket number three... so I'll keep singing and knitting. happy monday 

I was at Seattle Center with 1,100 other men and women warming up and getting ready to head out onto the 2013 route for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day. Our route that day took us thru downtown Seattle, across the I-90 floating bridge, downtown Bellevue and finally into Marymoore Park in Redmond. It was an amazing weekend. We walked with survivors, family members, friends, and women currently going thru treatment. We walked with a woman who was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, brain cancer and liver cancer. One can't describe the emotion that you feel when you are a part of this event. Its something you need to experience. Amazing. That about sums it up. Reconnecting with my friends was one of the best parts. We met because of the 3-Day six years ago and we've stayed friends. I love them. We're already talking about doing it next year. I hesitate because I think my feet just aren't made for this type of walki...

Till the start of the Seattle 3-Day At 6:30 a.m. Tomorrow we begin the 60 mile journey to end breast cancer. We walk with survivors. We walk with husbands who lost their wives. Daughters who lost their mothers. Mothers who lost their daughters. We walk so that you'll never have to say goodbye to a loved one because of breast cancer. It rips people from our lives to soon. We are making a difference. Every walk in every city, every year brings us closer to a cure. Thank you to everyone for supporting me and my team and people every where who are walking this weekend. Everyone deserves a lifetime and we walk so they will.

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day is only two days away. Two days I'll be picking up my teammates at 4:30 a.m. and heading to the start line. 6:30 a.m. we'll begin our walk thru downtown Seattle and make our way to the eastside. I'm getting nervous. I'm excited also. I'm excited to spend the weekend with my friends. Big crowd gatherings make me nervous. The chaos of them make me nervous. Once we are on our way I'll be fine. I'll settle down and have fun, but right now my nerves are making me nauseous. Day One is the longest day of walking. Day Two is long but not as long as Day One. Day Three is the shortest. I'm getting my gear together. Hoping I don't forget something important. Hoping I pack some fun stuff as well. I found my rain ponchos from the last time I did the walk. I didn't need them then, I will need them this time. It's supposed to rain all weekend long. My camera is charged. My blister kit is packed (this is very ...

deserves a homemade cake today. it was rough yesterday before and after the Seahawks game. you know the game where we trounced the SF 49er's. there was some miscommunication/late communication/lack of communication and it caused for some snarky, snappy, accusatory moments. It's the perfect time for this... I've been saving it for a day like yesterday. picture found on pinterest That being said. I only got 3.5 hours of sleep last night... someone might be getting two cakes.

Five days from now I will arrive at Memorial Stadium in downtown Seattle to embark on a 60 mile journey to end breast cancer. I'm nervous but stoked at the same time! I'm breaking out my old lanyard from 2007 This weekend had been about preparing my gear, staging the packing, and running around Target like a woman possessed to get the blister kit refreshed.  All the necessities for a successful walk: Camelback, Blister Kit, Shower Kit, Advil, socks, x-large Ziploc bags, duct tape, and leis Things in my pack: The camelback for water and to hold on the route essentials. Extra layers, snacks, camera and first aid/blister kit. Duct Tape: It's not what you think it's for, duct tape is amazing at holding your feet together when they are ready to just abandon your body. X-large Ziploc Bags: pack each days clothes in them that way you won't have to dig, everything is in one place AND you have a bag to put the dirty ones in at the end of the day. Face Cloth...

Hockey Season is literally a week away! I'm so excited! I love hockey! However I will be missing the opening game as I'll be passed out in my 3-Day tent with teammate Alyssa after walking 20 miles that day! Side note: it's not to late to make a donation and I still need about $300.00! If you're interested in donating to my walk just click the button at the top right of this page! Back to hockey... Goalies are my favorite, and Lotz is my favorite goalie! He's also the cover photo for our season tickets this year. Being painfully shy and awkward among people I'm a fan of my friend Ardy stepped up and had my book signed. She's a great friend! The other part of hockey season is spending time with Ardy and her family. We meet up for dinner before almost every game. They're our hockey family and we love them. :) Happy Friday! I'll probably have another finished object post for you later today!

Is why I'm posting a rambling rather than an actual post... of course most of my posts could be considered rambling. Something caught my eye today and kind of freaked me out so I had to remedy it immediately. I'm superstitious to the point that; - If I don't line my tavel mug lid up with the writing it'll spill all over and I'll get burned...(not true but that's what I think) - I don't believe that hooey about black cats, and broken mirrors, and walking under ladders. However I don't walk under ladders, it seems dangerous, and I try to avoid breaking mirrors because it's messy. - I believe in monsters under the bed, even now when I'm super tired I'm convinced they are down there, especially if I've watched a scary movie. - I don't travel anywhere without my St. Christopher Medal(s). One time we went to Victoria and I had forgotten to put the necklace on... I didn't relax the whole time on the Clipper there and back. It wa...

10/6 will mark a decade married to D. As a preamble to our anniversary I like to find out what the 'traditional' and 'modern' gifts are for each year we are married. This year the 'Traditional' is Tin or Aluminum The 'Modern' is Diamonds D said, looks like you're getting a case of beer and a disposable turkey pan. Wrong! My friend states that Tin and Aluminum mean a trip on an airplane. I liked her answer better. __________________________________________________________________________________ After work yesterday I had an appointment with the oral surgeon to discuss the implant to replace the broken tooth they took out back in May. Looks like there will be some bone grafting in addition to screwing the titanium implant into my jaw. FYI if you aren't aware, oral surgery isn't covered under your medical insurance it's covered under your dental. My dental coverage for these types of procedures is less t...

That's right, another baby blanket. That's two done, two to go. One due December 19. One due January 25th. One we know is a boy. One is a surprise. This blanket is for a little boy due in October. Bonus, he lives across the street from me! So here we go: Big Bad Baby Blanket from the Stitch n' Bitch Book Knit Picks Swish Bulky Superwash Merino Wool Colors: Planetarium and Silver It's so wonderul. It's the perfect cuddle size and perfect for covering in your carrier. The colors are awesome. It's soft and squishy and just heavy enough to make baby feel secure when sleeping.

Well I won't be lazy the whole day but I'm going to be for right now... I really really want to finish the border on this blanket so I'm going to work on that. Sip on some coffee and my green monster smoothie. Oh and this big lug sharing my bed. Apparently he scratched his cornea last night so that means, eye drops and Benadryl today and hope it heals up quickly... Happy Sunday!

Last week I was approached by the owner of America's Knitting asking if I would like to be a moderator of her Ravelry group. At first I hesitated because I've never really involved myself with the groups I belong to on Ravelry and the little I did ended when I was scolded by someone for, god forbid, sharing a project not by the designer that said group worshipped. However, I am friends with Mary, and I love America's Knitting. She's posted many of my finished projects and is the nicest lady I've talked with, so today I began the adventure of moderator. I hope all of you will come over and join the group and try and keep me on my toes! I ran the So Much Yarn Facebook page before I left 3 years ago and I really enjoyed that so I think this will be a similar outlet. Now, I'm of to cover this grey hair that's creeping out of my skull... Have a great day and come find me on the America's Knitting Raverly Group! I'll also try not to cross post ...

Not to the blog or knitting. This is a little more personal... I've had some tummy trouble the past few months. I've always had issues with dairy but it wasn't bad. Recently it's become bad. I've done a little digging and read on a few sites that having an allergy to gluten can exacerbate lactose intolerance. So before seeing the doctor I'm going to to change my diet for the next week. No gluten, no dairy, meat only in small amounts probably once a day... Now the 'trouble' I'm having is really more discomfort and an upset bloated tummy feeling... The website I'm gathering recipe ideas from and inspiration is Oh She Glows by Angela Lidden. She's a vegan blogger and recipe creator. I've made quite a few of her dishes and they are wonderful. I'm looking forward to this experiment, mostly so I feel better :) Tomorrows lunch is a quinoa brown rice black bean salad with a spicy fresh jalapeño lime dressing that I whi...

My yarn stash isn't hidden. It's not squirrelled away where no one can see it. It's not tastefully displayed in a dedicated craft room (yet) It is in my living room It's too large to hide It's too large to display tastefully without covering every available surface and selling all my books. My book shelf isn't large enough anyway. I've gone thru it multiple times. I've gone thru it and brutally culled out yarn that I would never knit with Yarn that was great when I was first learning but as with all learning experiences your tastes refine and where you thought that acrylic glitter fun fur blend was amazing early on you shudder at the fact that it now is sharing space with a merino silk blend in the most lovely colorway. I may have knit with an acrylic blend okay it was 100% acrylic but what did I know 13 years ago? I never knit with fun fur. That stuff freaks me out. My stash generates a lot of comments from friends who come visiting ...

Actually I think I have a few that I need to catch up on but it's been crazy around here... When the weather is good in the Pacific Northwest you feel an obligation to be outside enjoying it... You've all heard of the famous Catholic Guilt? Well here in Washington we have 'Good Weather Guilt'. By gosh don't waste that nice day doing chores inside, watching TV, knitting, or taking a lazy loungey day... We save those for winter which is probably why my house is a lot less hectic looking in the winter than it is in the summer. Things get a little loose around the house in the summer, but then we aren't really home to see it so... Back on track. I have a finished object for you. It's a baby blanket that I cracked out in five days for a friend of mine who is expecting her third child. I love it so much. It's the Chevron Baby Blanket I got the pattern here from the Purl SoHo Blog, the Purl Bee. http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2012/11/3...

Saying that sounds so final but in essence the best of summer is over and fall is within spitting distance, right? This week is the start of school for many kids. The nights are getting shorter, and cooler. Pinterest Boards are awash in Holiday decor ideas... Gone are the summer knitting patterns and a slew of new fall/winter/holiday knitting patterns are littering Ravelry like a plague of locust. It's time to break out the soup, stew, and comfort food recipes. It's fair to say that as much as I love the fall and winter seasons for the long stormy days of knitting, cooking, and baking, I'm not ready for the summer to be ending. This last weekend we took our annual trip to Banks Lake with all our friends and it never really hit me till the long drive home Monday that August ended and September began while we were all out there soaking up as much sun, swimming, wakeboarding, and skiing as we could... I woke up to come to work this morning and it's...