CarmelKnits, etc.

We're pretty lucky in the Pacific Northwest. Not only do we have an abundance of yarn shops. We have three yarn crawls alone (that I am aware of) in Washington. The PNW Yarn Crawl does a Spring and Fall event Then there is the annual LYS Tour which is happening this week.* The PNW Yarn Crawl covers a smaller number of stores. Which I love because it's totally doable in one day if you are willing to put in the drive.This is best done with company. The LYS Tour covers a lot of ground and a lot of shops and honestly I believe takes at least three days as it not only involves some serious mileage but you have ferry crossings to negotiate. Mary and I did the PNW Crawl on May 4. I caught the 7:00 a.m. Ferry to Kingston and we hit the road. Hit all the shops. Had lunch in Chehalis. Finished the day in Allyn at Allyn Knitting and Spinning Supply where my friend Myra had a pop up shop of all her hand-dyed yarn. This is what I was holding out for, I wanted to buy more of ...

Pardon my absence these past weeks. It's been a bit crazy round these parts. A trip to Europe that was amazing. Time with family. Catching up at work. Catching up at home. Another weekend getaway to Lopez Island. More catching up. *Rental 1 is preparing for her next adventure so there were some happy good-byes. Planning **Rental 2's bridal shower that is going to be amazing thanks to help from R1 and friends. The knitting is happening. While in London I cast on Neep Heid by Kate Davies. I'm really getting a feel for her patterns and working the decreases when the time comes. Trust me when I say, if there is something tricky in her patterns her website will have a tutorial on it. I made this for the owner of the Scotmans Bistro's wife. I can't wait to give it to her. I love the way it turned out and the colors are so lovely vibrant and springy! Next on and off the needles was Alaska by Camille Descoteaux. Rental 1 is moving to Alaska with h...

stretched and drying over a dinner plate balanced on a can of stewed tomatoes I spent a good portion of my Saturday morning knocking this out. I posted a lot of that progress on social media. It was a real roller coaster to say the least. I thought I could write it all out here but I the pictures with their descriptions really say it all...  At this point I was pretty stoked with my progress and how the hat was shaping up... Then this happened: It's done. It's off the needles. It's ready for my friend nugget and her trip to Scotland. Phew Happy Monday

 NOTE: This post is out of order from one posted earlier today. So I knit one more Boston Flip . It's the current KAL For America's Knitting for the month of March.  I have to say it again. If you are new to Fair-Isle knitting and want to get used to colorwork I highly recommend this pattern. The repeat is easy. You don't have to worry too much about securing your floats* It's super cute on any head you slap it onto. Now onto my latest and greatest Fair-Isle project. It feels like a doozy. It's Dollheid I have wanted to knit this tam for quite a while. My 2018 Fair-Isle challenge seemed like a perfect excuse. More to the point I have wanted to knit Paper Dolls  long before I even knew how to knit Fair-Isle. However, the idea of a fingering weight stranded yoke pullover has been a little intimidating. The good news though is the more I knit these Fair-isle hats the more confident I am getting that a yoked pullover will be a ...

When I attended my first knitting retreat a friend gave me some sage advice on what projects to pack. Alone Time Project : This is a project that requires your full attention. Typically knit alone in your hotel room. Maybe the tv on for some background noise but no one in the room to distract you with conversation. These would be your Fair-Isles, Laces, or any knit project that requires counting, measuring and full attention. Rule of thumb. If you have a life line* in it, knit alone. Chit Chat Project : Something possibly with some interesting details but easy enough that you can knit with your friends and carry on a conversation with little or no risk of making a mistake. Happy Hour Project : This could also be your Chit Chat project if you are planning on just a glass of the happy hour wine. If you are like our group, not only do we enjoy the wine provided, we all bring out our own. At this point you need to set down your Chit Chat project and move on to a simpler project. ...

In the Muk where I reside is the cutest Scottish Bistro . D and I eat there a couple times a month. Great wine list. Excellent menu. Huge selection of Scotch which someday I will try... I am a big fan of their Black & White Pudding pizza and their half bleu cheese wedge made with romaine lettuce. He does offer haggis on his menu. I haven't tried the haggis yet. Honestly I'm afraid that I will love it and I just don't know if I'm ready to go down that road.  I usually enjoy a glass or more of the Chateau la Freynelle white. The owner is Scottish. His adorable wife is from Texas. Young George So last night we wandered in there for dinner and drinks and I was sporting my Peerie Flooers . After a glass of wine I started chatting up George about Fair-Isle knitting. Every Scottish word I said he corrected. Schooled me on Fair-isle knitting that his grandmother used to do. Showed us a picture of him wearing a Fair-isle jumper his Gran k...

Earlier this year while languishing in the sun in Hawaii I was thinking about how I want this year to play out. What do I want to do? Small goals and intentions that are easily achievable and fun. All of this to be done of course with D. I wanted to do more local adventures. Day trips, weekend getaways, and keep it all local. Well a couple weeks ago we had an adventure. We decided to have a date night.  We hopped the ferry to Whidbey Island and headed to my favorite little town of Langley.   We found a parking spot and wandered over to Saltwater Fish House and Oyster Bar right there on First Street downtown.   Side Note: D eats oysters. I up until last October would not eat oysters. Last October while in Langley with friends, I ate a slew of oysters and fell in love with the mollusk. Back to date night. We hit the ferry on our side, timing it just right so that we didn't have to wait to board for more than a few minutes. We made it to Langley ...