CarmelKnits, etc.

With a massive deadline... I WANT to deliver them by tomorrow. At the latest they need to be delivered by Sunday morning. You know Sunday When the Seahawks are playing in the SuperBowl 48! These are for my friends son. He wanted a pair to match his sisters. Minus the pink to of course... So I'm frantically knitting to finish them We're so close! Thank goodness there is a hockey game tonight and I can probably get them cracked out!

I grew up gobbling down my moms homemade chicken and dumplings. homemade chicken stock with celery and onions salt pepper and then flour dumplings dropped in by spoonfuls or if mom had extra time and was feeling fancy she rolled it out and we had flat dumplings. Moms dumplings are wonderful. They have a solid bite to them. They aren't fluffy like the ones you get with bisquick or the ones that have milk and butter and such added to them... these are more pasta like and definitely satisfy if you love to have something in your soup that you can sink your teeth into. So, we all grew up on homemade chicken and dumplings. A fresh clear broth, lots of celery and onions and chicken and never enough dumplings to satisfy. To this day I almost triple the dumpling recipe but don't change the soup recipe. The pot practically explodes with the number of dumplings I add into it. It's perfection. I've never altered the recipe until this past monday night. But, this girl h...

When ordering yarn for my friends baby blanket I tossed in a couple balls of Sweetheart Felici and Stroll Glimmer to bump me up to free shipping.. it was a win win I immediately cast on a pair of baby socks for Beans, my hockey buddy. I got them finished last Sunday and we slapped them on her feet over her onsie before the game. Seriously... it doesn't get cuter than baby socks on a baby. Beans is almost eight months old now and I can't believe how fast the time has gone! I try to take a picture of us at every Silvertips game and looking back you can see her personality grow every time. She has the biggest eyes I've seen on a baby and she's simply adorable. Pattern is the So Much Yarn basic fingering weight baby sock by Lauren Lindeman. You'll have to call the shop for the pattern. Yarn is Felici self striping in Sweetheart The toe is Stroll Glimmer in Runway and it has a bit of sparkle in it. both yarns are from knitpicks I used ...

Of mine and Mary's visit to Allyn Knit Shop & Spinning Supply is live on the America's Knitting website. As you all know I accepted the opening as moderator for Mary over on her Ravelry group and I'm having a ton of fun with it. If you haven't joined you definitely should! America's knitting also has a Facebook page, so if you aren't a Raveler but are a Facebooker, pop on over and check us out. America's knitting is a website designed to give spotlights to yarn shops as well as a way for knitters every where to find a yarn shop whether it be in their area or when they travel. It's wonderful sight and I'm thrilled to be part of the America's Knitting team. Please check out Mary's coverage on the new space for Allyn Knit Shop & Spinning supply as well as many other features. http://americasknitting.com/index.htm Know of a yarn shop that's not listed but should be in your area? Let us know and we'll be happy to che...

Here I am in line for the ferry loading sporting Beast and my psychobarbie hat! Started by me catching the 8:50 a.m. ferry to Kingston to meet up with Mary from America's Knitting. Our plan was to hit the Allyn Knitting and Spinning Supply's Grand Opening in their new space and then head further south to Fancy Image Yarns in Shelton Washington. Allyn is about an hour away from Mary and Shelton was another hour from Allyn. We had so much fun! I love going over to that side of the sound and seeing the small towns and the country side. It's not as densely populated as my side of the water, and it's absolutely stunning. Like I said our first stop was Allyn and I'm not going to post a bunch about the shop because Mary is going to do a write up on our visit for America's Knitting and you should go and check it out. I'll give a shout here when it's posted www.americasknitting.com You can also find our group on Ravelry. I'm the group...

Their birthday party. From Left to Right Gabby, Lucy Girl, Sable, Mr. Brown and Nellie. Mr. Brown was turning three and Gabby had turned one. My dogs are getting old.  A fact that saddens me greatly.  Even more so this week.   Mr. Browns bloodwork came back with a blip on it. Not a huge blip but a 'we need to change his diet kind of blip and hope that in six months there isn't a blip or worse' So I'm on the hunt for a low-fat lamb and rice dry kibble for them to switch to... Gabby refused to eat this morning. Why? Is it a blockage? Her kidneys? Her liver? Upset tummy?  Had it been her liver or kidneys there wouldn't have been much for us to do. Blockage? We've been thru that before. Upset tummy? That would be best case scenario.  and...  that's exactly what it turned out to be. We had some yard work done last weekend and they now have free access to the pond again and I think she may have had a few sips from it... i kno...

 I did some corner cleaning yesterday and found these baby socks that I started while we were sailing in Maine... seeing as how the baby is due on Saturday I need to get cracking on the second one and pop that bad boy in the mail. They live in Colorado so this baby is going to need some warm wooly socks! Aren't they adorable? They obviously got tossed aside during the unpacking phase of that trip and the repacking for a camping trip.  They are seriously the tiniest stitches I've ever knit. I'm smitten with them... Below is the begining of a baby blanket for my friend and 3Day walking and tent partner Alyssa. Her and her husband are expecting baby boy number 2 and she's in love with chevron striping so I am doing the Walt Painted Chevron Baby Blanket... more about that in a later post but for now here is a sneak peek...  I had to buy another trunk size tote for the stash and could probably use two more. This is the closet in my guest room. Top two...

It happens right? You bust your buns getting the shopping done. Planning the meals you're going to serve. Meals because not everyone can get together at one time in one place for various reasons, divorce, time, family squabbles, etc. So you plan meals. Add into the mix dogs who are sick and need to go to the vet multiple times. They are aging so you are constantly on alert to their comfort or weird behavior lest it be something serious. You clean your house. You check to make sure there are no dietary restrictions for any of the planned meals. What do you forget? You. You forget to recharge You. Others forget You too. Not intentionally. It's never intentional It just happens It becomes expected. We need a little sign of appreciation in order to feel like we aren't doing it just because everyone assumes we will anyway. By the end of the Christmas holiday season along with busting my butt with year end at the office I was drained and I myself couldn't...

To bold & brash Pretty much sums up my personality. I know how to use my manners Act like a lady Cross my ankles Speak in a soft voice. And at those times my pale pink, white and grey shawl will be perfect. But then there are times (these happen at a much higher frequency) I curse like a dirty sailor Chug beer from the bottle Cheer during hockey fights Walk out of the house looking like I dressed in the dark. Delicately burp out loud... And greet fellow drivers with my middle finger (I rarely hold it up past the window, but hold my hand low, if you see it you did something amazing to earn it) For those times my latest project, another Multnomah, will be perfect.

Here she is. Beast. Blocked yesterday. Dried overnight. 120x48 I'm pretty ecstatic about it!