CarmelKnits, etc.

A pie was born!

The two really go hand in hand. In order to discover all you are thankful for you need to be mindful of all things around you. We could really get into the knitty  nitty-gritty of thanfulness and mindfulness and this post could go on for a year... Maybe that will be a resolution come January first, I have a pie to bake and I'll be using up all my mindfulness in a couple hours trying to crack that out... I digress. Again, to be thankful we must be mindful to recognize all things that we are thankful for... By the time I'm done here you'll be thankful that I showed some restraint... I'm going to tell you a lot of things that I am thankful for. Not in any particular order but what comes to mind first. - I'm thankful for my husband, because he understands me, even when I get a little crazy. He listens to me and we make each other laugh... a lot. - my dogs. All the dogs in my life I am thankful for but in particular my current two Mr. Brown and Gabby. I ...

It's the Wednesday before Thanksgiving... It's crunch time. It's also question time. Do I make the pie today or tomorrow when it'll be fresher. If I make it today and screw it up we have time to run out and buy a new pie. If I make it tomorrow and screw it up we're eating ice cream. We are in Florida so ice cream is appropriate Screwed up pies are not. However, since I have a wing-it, nonchalant attitude towards cooking and baking and I fancy myself a bit of a risk taker, Sally on the edge person, I'm going to bake the pie tomorrow and what will be will be... honestly. How bad can a jacked up chocolate pie be? it's chocolate if it doesn't set up we'll just pour it over the ice cream... The sweet potatoes are roasted and cooling on the stove. The celery and stuffing mix are ready to go... The bird is fresh and waiting to be roasted There's champagne in the fridge ready to be toasted... It's thanksgiving eve and we're...

Bump turns two today. I remember when he arrived two years ago. I remember flying to Minneapolis for his christening and holding him the first time. I remember every moment that c & m have shared with me. I remember being asked to serve as godmother alongside m's brother Will. I remember learning his new word this weekend wishing I could hear it in person... Happy Birthday dude We love you so much! Grandma & I are calling you later!!

you gotta love knitters if for only this reason... Catching Fire part II in the Hunger Games series has been in theaters for about a week now... Just this morning browsing thru ravelry I came across two patterns for the cowl that Katniss Everdeen apparently is wearing in the movie... Raise the roof to the knitters who watch the movie, go home, crack out a copy of whatever a character is knitting and then post it for the rest of us to love... Happy Tuesday... Carmel

It's upon us... There is no doubt. People are packing into Costco like its a grand opening The grocery stores are filled with people I am convinced are there for the firs time. I was described by my mom and D as a woman in a mission today as they saw me streak thru the store gathering stuff for the feast I'm about to foist upon them! I'm going to make a pie for thanksgiving and G's eyes lit up Tim I told him that he needs to lower his expectations, they're high for good reason, he's had pies made by my brother, I had to to tell him that I've never actually made a pie, unless you count the cool whip jello thing I made a couple summers ago and a few pudding pies. Those don't really count except they are delicious! Tomorrow mom and I are off to shop, explore, and wander about and hopefully locate the yarn shop down here... I hope its a good one. I have a bunch of finished stuff I need to photograph and I'm going to do it here at moms a...

It's the final Friday before the big feed next week and I am frantically, franctically trying to tie up loose ends before wrapping myself in family, food, and yarn (not necessarily in that order) It's like I'm waiting for the gunshot that signals 'GO!' A gunshot would definitely get me going. I'm taking all of next week off and I can't wait. I realized a couple days ago that the taking care of me part has fallen to the bottom of the turnip basket, underneath work, husband, dogs, dogs, dogs, dogs... I need some time to rejuvenate and refocus on me. I've put on about 10 pounds I'm breaking out in weird spots on my face. You could store potatoes in the bags under my eyes. I need my mama :) I always love making proclimations of getting healthy right before a day that's dedicated to feasting. I think it makes all the delicious dishes taste even more delicious. Turkey is turkey. I love the side dishes and if you follow me on ...

In progress... Pattern is Gather by TinCanKnits Do not feign surprise that I've already cast on a project in this yarn... A girl only has a certain power of resistance when faced with glowing hot pink fabulously twisted yarn. Plus said girl needs a new toque... So there. 😘

Psychobarbie...

Next one already on the needles. Happy Seahawk Sunday!

Here we go again. Back to the vet to see how well his eye is healing. If it's healed at all. I'm hoping it's healed enough that we can get this f*&^ing cone off his head. Seriously. I think at this point it bothers me way more that it bothers him... I think he likes it. Mostly because he's learned to use it as a weapon. I know Gabby wants it off... She's pretty sketchy about him right now and keeps a pretty wide birth when she can to avoid being knocked around by him. So, good thoughts for Mr. Brown and the next round of $$$ for his eye check up...

I love gussets on hand knit socks Love. Them. Especially when I knit them. To me they are perfection and look complicated and yet are so very simple. Amazing. This photo makes me happy. My gusset tickles my fancy bone. (That sounds a little dirty...) What's your favorite part of sock construction? Please say: Gusset.

Dancing Bamboo sock by Holly Daymude from the book Pints & Purls... I've made these twice before. I love them. I'm making these in a dk weight on a size 3 needle. The original pattern calls for fingering and a size 1. All I did was adjust the stitch pattern from 64 stitches to 48 and it all works. These are dense, squishy, and lovely. I can't wait to slap them on my feet!

This was Sunday morning during the Seahawks game. Post Murder Mystery Dinner Baby Shower. Post the not so hot pink but highly drinkable Barbie punch. Post cake that is not appropriate content for this blog. Post Friday night hockey. It was a fun weekend If you've never had a murder mystery party I highly recommend it. I had never done one and when we got rolling Saturday night I couldn't stop laughing. We had so much fun with mystery part and then we celebrated the new baby who will be here in December... The cake was awesome. I saw the picture and sent it to Lisa as a joke. Lisa's husband sent it to Clint as a joke. Kim and Clint were excited that the cake I sent, which was horrifying, was awesome and so glad it was going to be their cake! But like I said... Not appropriate for here. But use your imagination... It has to do with birthing... Vicki did an amazing job with it. It was delicious. Sunday I crashed. I knit and kept my feet ...

So as everyone knows I went on my annual retreat with So Much Yarn to Whidbey Island. I didn't take as many photos as I wanted but then again I was pretty busy knitting... So without a long dialoge, here are the photos from the weekend, we had a blast! view from the parking deck, looking at the Silver Cloud in Mukilteo... Mom likes to stay here. crossing paths Little knitting in the car on the ferry. the crossing to whidbey is sho short I rarely get out of the car and go up on deck. My room was ready when I arrived so I set up shop! Vodka, tonic, limes, ibuprofen, reeses and water...  looking out towards Saratoga Passage  Measuring the blanket to see just how much more I had to go... the conference room becomes the mobile yarn shop, optional knitting area, and my friend Terry used my laptop to watch a cast-on tutorial... These we're all over first street and I love them... I think I need a few in my front yard.  Friday...

The fourth baby blanket is done!  it's  done!  I'm so excited...  Not that I didn't love knitting it because I did.  Truly.  But it's the fourth one since August and that's a lot of baby blanket knitting.  a lot.  I finished it last night in my room at the Saratoga Inn on Whidbey Island.  This morning I started a newborn hat from the same series of patterns by tincanknits on Ravelry.  It's called the Simple Collection and it's wonderful.  Its for those learning to knit.  For me I found it relaxing and a wonderful back to basics set of projects. I plan on making more from the collection...   a lot more  So this morning and afternoon I started, knit, and finished Barley in a newborn size. All I did was go down to a 5 and 7 needle for the smallest hat size and started my decreases at 3.5 inches instead of four.  The blanket pattern is called Malt an...