CarmelKnits, etc.

This post has been a long two weeks coming.  My love for Monarch Knitting in Pacific Grove California is no secret.  It's a yarn shop that sings to my knitterly soul.  It's open, airy, and full of beautiful natural light so you can see the true colors of the yarns.  Don't get me started on the yarns.  Okay.  Twist my arm.   Their yarn selection is HUGE people. HUGE.  They literally have something for every knitters taste and budget.  Not to mention pattern ideas for all of it.  I think you all know, I hit that basket of Madelinetosh hard.  Hard I tell you.  I raided it at least twice, maybe four times.  Okay five.  My current shawl project is utilizing that skein of vibrant blue in the front and another skein that I ferreted out like little gopher. What makes Monarch the best though are the women who work there and Anne the owner.  They are friendly...

That feeling you get when you realize you may have potentially made an epic failure. It could be just a rookie mistake but when combined with another possible mistake it becomes epic. I'm a competent knitter. I'm well schooled in calculating necessary yardage down to the last inch. I'm a savvy online shopper. I sometimes play it fast and loose with pattern reading. I've never ever done anything like this though. I'm knitting a baby blanket. It's beautiful and bright and cheerful. It's all things a baby blanket for a little girl should be. It has varied texture for little fingers to touch and love. Saturday night I got a niggling feeling that I had quite possibly miscalculated the necessary yardage needed for the contrast colors. In fact I'm sure I did. Not a huge deal. You can always buy another skein and no one will know but you.  So I log in to my shopping account, look at my order to figure out exactly what colors I ordered so I c...

Dear Mr. Brown,  Today you turn 13 years old.  In human years that makes you 91.  Tonight we'll have cake, champagne and a regular hootenanny.  You don't hear well anymore. Sometimes you get confused with where you are, who you are, and who are those two weirdos standing in the kitchen?... I like to remind you every day 'I'm your mommy and this is where you live' and you give me a little wag. It's okay.  You're an old man.  You still have your playful crazy spirit.  Your love of food knows no bounds as proven by the three bags of hamburger buns you ate last July.  Three. Whole. Bags.  Bag included.  You still bite my fingers in the morning going down the hall to breakfast.  You still cuddle with me in bed before D kicks you out.  You hate having your picture taken.  You love sneaking slurps of D's whiskey.  You're like a bull in a china shop whe...

Desperately hope this works! http://flipagram.com/f/Xc3S7GABUx ---- Made with Flipagram Download for Free! (on iOS or Android) Carmel Creager

After returning from Pacific Grove Saturday the 13th (I want to return immediately) I feel as though my week has rocket launched. We boated all day Sunday. Had a wee bit of dog drama Monday that carried into Tuesday and has gotten much better... Think Quentin Terentino and a bloody dog toenail and why I'll be scrubbing rugs this weekend. side note: Senior dogs are not for the faint of heart. They test the hearts strength and resiliance every single day. Wednesday was a birthday party with friends followed by most of them going kart racing Thursday was Happy Hour with D's cousin (super fun) excellent food, wine, and company. Today is Friday and honestly I can't wait to get home and slap my pajama-pants on and just veg the f out. So here are a few shots from my last day on the Monterey Penninsula followed by a few of day of boating... Seeing this furry little guy excited me more than I can explain. You should've have heard him rip the muscle off ...

I decided a few months back that I'm going to knit for myself for a while. Knit things that make me happy. I picked out a bunch of patterns. Cardigans mostly because I wear a lot of them. I earmarked a lot of yarn. I even started one of the projects and swatched for another... Then a friend announces she's pregnant and before I can blink I've ordered a slew of hot pink yarn, bought some light pale pink yarn, and cast on a wee itty bitty pair of socks, a cradle cardigan and a new blanket. So I am amending my declaration: I am only knitting things for me and Baby Girl H. I can't wait to show you more of her blanket!

I can't really describe the beauty of this place. To be here and to feel it is the best way. I did however try to capture it in the photos I have been taken and that I can share with you... We have two more full days and we intend to soak up as much as possible to get us thru to next year. the posted out of order but basically we are at the farmers market in PG, Asilomar State Beach, and the Wharf at Monterey. All seal and surfer pictures were taken in the wild.