CarmelKnits, etc.

There is a lot of excitement that goes into a 2 year olds birthday party. The planning The invites The food The gift buying and making. The expectation that your gift will be the one that makes her forget all the rest. Except you forget, the recipient is 2 and is having gobs of gifts and sugar thrown at her and trying to process it all at once. I was in charge of pictures. I took a lot of pictures. I also made sure my gift was last. She dug her hands right into that box of PomPoms with a sweet little grin on her face. Perfect. It was all I expected and more. I also gave her her sweater, a seuss book about sharks, her cowl and her baby shark earrings. She opened those before everyone came over and she loved the baby shark earrings. Wanted them put in immediately and wanted to show everyone. It was a great day. I'm so lucky that little peanut and I get to be apart of each others lives. Rock on Bean PomPom fight at Nana & Papa's next time...

Finished just in time! The party is at 3:30! Pattern: Lottie Cardigan by Carrie Bostick-Hoge http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lottie-set Happy Birthday Bean!

With a pinch of work thrown in for good measure. Mr. Brown is healthy healthy, just a little conjunctivitis. Barry Manilow was Barry. His shows are always amazing. Dave Koz the opening act was great too! I'm fried already. Check back-atcha tomorrow.

Beans turns 2 photo shoot. My top 8 favorites.

Is complete. PomPom goal: 50 Total Number of PomPoms: 75 Variety of yarn: Range between merino, silk, acrylic, wool, and merino. It's the happiest looking box full of PomPoms ever. Now to finish those darn sleeves on her birthday sweater!

This little Peanut is turning two in 8 days. A fact that I know is troubling for her Nana and Mom. This is my hockey date during the season and recently we've started having tuesday night dinner dates when she spends the night at Nana & Papa's. We eat dinner and watch a movie and play. I'm so sad this one was blurry but you get the picture. Facts I know about her. 1. she loves frozen blueberries. 2. she loves hockey 3. she loves her Papa. yells for him constantly 4. she loves knit things. Trust me. If I am wearing something knit, or knitting she always wants to touch it. 5. she loves the pom poms I make her, hence she is getting a big box of them for her birthday. This past Tuesday we had dinner with her, Nana, and Papa. After dinner we went outside and I took about a gazillion (139) pictures of her. These are my top three faves from Tuesday. They capture a lot of her personality in one millisecond.

A PomPom making party up here in the PNW... Shark is here as protection.

Swatching is an important tool in the knitters arsenal. It's not terribly difficult. I mean, you already know how to knit so you're good there. It gives us a ton of information before we start a project, such as; 1. Gauge: You'll know immediately if your gauge is too loose (project will be way to big), too tight (project will be too small) or spot on (perfect fit = happy knitter) 2. You get a chance to play with the yarn for your project. You know if it feels good to knit with, does it split? Does it glide over the needles or stick like Aunt May's toffee to the roof of your mouth. 3. It takes a minimal amount of yarn from your project to crack out a 4x4 swatch. If you run out of yarn at the end of your project then any number of things happened.      a. Your swatch is too big.      b. You thought you were spot on with your gauge but probably shouldn't have checked it after that third glass of wine.      c. You mis...

Beans birthday sweater is down to just the sleeves and the buttons. The buttons that I've had in my possession for weeks now and have held off sewing them onto the sweater. Like I said. I'm on to the sleeves. Never. Ending. Long. Sleeves. In garter stitch. Knit on DPN's meh. However. The sweater is so cute. The buttons are little pieces of perfection. The color is the color that Beans picked out. The cowl to go with it is a perfect contrast. It's possible I'll have enough to make a hat or just more PomPoms with the remaining yarn. Garter stitch. You are so wonderful in your simplicity and squishyness. (I'm sure I've blathered about that before) I actually have a shot of getting this done in time for her birthday party next week. If the sleeve knitting doesn't throw me into a tantrum fit for 2 year old. Body slamming the ground with a fierceness to knock the wind out of you so you silent cry. If you hadn't guessed, sle...

I'm at about 35-40, I need to give it a quick count and ultimately think 50 will he the final number. Questions I get: 1. Why are you making so many PomPoms. Answer: because my Bean loves them and her birthday is coming. 2. What are you going to do with them when you are done? Answer: seal the box and wrap it up. 3. But why so many? Answer: she's turning two. Simple things in excess are mind blowing to two year olds. 4. You know you could make a wreath, a garland, flowers... Well yeah, I suppose I could and if I ever travel this PomPom road again I might... (There is a PomPom rug in my future FYI) 5. That's all you're giving her? Answer: she's two. She'll love it way more than the sweater I'm knitting her. I once gave a one year a box of Tupperware and lids... Winning gift. Mr. Brown is showing some concern regarding the pompoms.

It was my birthday yesterday. I'd love to tell you that I didn't do my usually birthday post because I was partying all day, and by party I mean knitting and getting pampered all day. It was much more anticlimactic than that. I had to work all day long at a coding conference. All. Day. Long. Topped off by take out for one from a local thai restaurant and going to bed by 8:30. Since I had to work all day D went spent the day at the race track. Plus since I did have to work, we celebrated last Wednesday with my favorite people at my favorite Irish Pub... 41 How the F' did that happen.

Last weekend I had some photos done of D, myself and the Hoofers. Ludwigs Photography did an amazing job, if you are in the Western Washington area and need some photos done, this is who I highly recommend. Happy Friday

Day off's in the middle of the week are not like a weekend. It's not even really luxurious unless it's a Monday or Friday. I slept till 8:30 after a 6:00 a.m. phone call from mom. That was pretty sweet. but now... I have a slew of stuff to do that can only be done during the week because of business hours. All I want to do is lunch with my dad, knit Beans sweater, and make a ridiculous amount of pompoms Oh and maybe find the pattern for my Shaken or Stirred Sweater for the KAL I'm running. It had all my increase notes on it and I'm not sure where it's landed in the yarn pile... In the mean time, mom is getting ready to head back to the Minneapolis Burbs for the summer and I'm dreaming of our planned visit at the end of summer... but first mom and I are meeting up in San Francisco in 3 weeks and I can't wait! peace out. I should probably shower for the day but it's in protest.

It's coming together people. All the shoulder, back, and front increases on done. The sleeves are on their waste yarn holders and I am cruising right along on the body. Ahhh garter stitch your simplicity and squishiness make for a happy knitter. This is going to be Bean's birthday sweater, although she's turning 2 and I'm making a size 4. She picked the color all by herself. She picked her buttons all by herself. They are at home waiting to be sewn on. I even ordered a pair of earrings from Buttons By Robin to match the buttons on her sweater. People, please buy your buttons from Robin. She has an Etsy store chock-a-block full of them and she does special request that are amazing! Back to Bean's sweater, her 2nd birthday, and oooh... guess who else has a birthday in three days?? hint: its me Bean's yarn is Wool of the Andes superwash by Knit Picks color Solstice Heather It's a really beautiful purple and sapphire all blended up tog...

Maybe a little crushing as well but I just can't hold this back from ya'll anymore. If you aren't following Pinch of Yum then you are missing out. Missing. OUT! I've been following POY for about a year now and have to say it's my number 1 favorite food blog followed closely by the Pioneer Woman. With our move to eating a more healthy, clean, less processed diet this website has been perfect. While we aren't full on vegetarian, I did devour part of a delicious steak Sunday night, more and more of our meals are heading that way. POY has made that transition easy and delicious. and truth be told, I had a stomachache all night after I ate about a quarter of the steak.  In the past month I've made some of the Lindsay's recipes and have been over the moon! My dinner menu for the week is predominantly POY recipes.  The top faves right now: 1. 5 Minute Magic Green Sauce: Recipe here This sauce is amazing on everything. D doesn't think s...

Is now in effect. A massive undertaking to be sure. Multiple sizes, yarn weights, colors, and textures abound. It started yesterday and will progress thru May 29th when they will be boxed up and ready for delivery. When an almost two year old loves PomPoms you make PomPoms for her birthday...

It's Mothers Day tomorrow but I'm posting this today because I know my mom only checks her email once a day, maybe, and it's always in the morning. We're already way past her email time and tomorrow even if I wake up at 6:00, shudder the thought, I'll be outside the window... For my Mom on Mothers Day. A few things to remember. 1. You picked Me. That's something to remember next time I go off the rails... 2. You are the best mom I could have ever hoped for and I feel lucky every single day that I get to wake up and know you are my mom. 3. I love you to the moon and back times infinity 4. I never got addicted to cocaine. 5. Through all the years, the ups, the downs, the way downs, the way ups, the even keels, you were always there. 6. To quote a song, 'There is you in everything I do' So, lets trip the light fantastic down memory lane and remember why you love me, should I go off the rails again and you forget... ...