BarknKnit

Happy Dogs on Thursday!!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Because she's so darn cute and I can't resist her face...this is what I see more often than not as I lay in bed. If it's not her...it's the other pup. :)Jackjack has become so silly! He has become this dog who asks for loving. He never was like that when I first got him...but when you come close to him now or get up he either starts wagging his tail which neither of us can resist and we pet him or he turns over on his back for you to rub his belly. I can't help but want to love on him then. :)
Ok...yes. I know I've neglected this blog a lot! I still have information to add to the last post and I rarely post anymore. So...I've been thinking how to get this straight again....that's when I saw a post from a friend about blog365. You post every day for a year. I'm thinking of starting it either Dec 1st or January 1st. It's still an idea. ;) I'm not sure I want to do photo365 along with it yet...that's my last deciding factor before we officially start blog365. Anyone else interested in starting too...I could use the support! :)

Ok...well...as usual don't forget to check out this week's DOT post! HAPPY Dogs on Thursday!!

SAFF loot! Loads of pictures!!!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:47:00 +0000

First I just wanted to say, SAFF was a blast!!! We drove up on Thursday and arrived to a nice dinner with my friends Judi and Caroline from my weavers guild. We then went out for a beer at this brewery that has a small bar in it with live music. We missed the music but the beer was YUMMY!! The brewery was called Pisgah Brewery. (if I'm wrong I'll correct later)

Friday we woke up and after some yummy breakfast headed down to the Fair. We shopped a bit, then volunteered at the Fleece Show and Sale, where I purchased half a gorgeous black Corriedale fleece. Pictures to come of that. Then after we got some lunch we shopped some more! Friday night was the Fiber in at the Holiday Inn near Asheville and it was so much fun to meet loads of ravelry people! I also won a prize. You can check out a quick video of it on my youtube.
Saturday, was the Barknknit meet n greet where I met lots of lovely fiber people that listen to the podcast or read the blog! That was FUN! It was so great meeting everyone and handing out the goodie bags. :) Hope you enjoyed them. We then shopped some more and headed home for a lovely evening of wine, knitting, and spinning. I managed to finish my Corona sweater that night too! I love it! What do you think?
I got to wear it on Sunday and I got lots of compliments of how great it turned out! You can see my barknknit shirt peaking out. :)

Sunday was another day full of shopping! We started the day by going to brunch downtown Asheville and ended the day at dinner downtown at an indian restraunt. It was yummy food.

So...I've talked about shopping but now the pictures and details of it. :) Ok...here we start with a picture that makes me very happy. :) It's a group picture but it is missing some things like the fleece, gifts, and other fiber. But it's this pretty!

Not really sure where to start but this first one is from Shelby B's Designs and it's the Lilly Potter colorway in her sock yarn base that is Superwash Merino, Cashmere, nylon blend. (There will be an interview with Shelby posted in the next podcast)
Next up a Unique Sheep's Verve sock yarn in their Gradience series. This yarn series is awesome and all their colorways are great Can't remember the color way but I'll update when I have the yarn near me. (You will be hearing more about them in the podcast as they are one of our new sponsors and I got an interview with Laura!)
Next, we have my Knit witch purchases...no I didn't spring for a yarn bowl but it was REALLY hard not to get one! ;) First we have her Celestial Sock series in Sagitarious. I'm a Gemina/Taurus but I loved this colorway.
Then we have I think this is Michealangelo colorway fiber. Yummy!
Next we have my Miss Babs purchases. First here is some Superwash Merino/Nylon pencil roving....love these colors.
And some yummy sock yarn in Falling Leaves colorway. This is totally the represenation of the weekend! The leaves were this color!
Then I had to pick up some Gale's Art in her new BFL twist series. It's a black and white roving that is overdyed. It's awesome! I can't wait to spin this up!
Then I met this lovely lady from Ozark Carding Mill, LLC from Oklahoma and I got some GREAT video that I'm going to post the podcast soon! But I want to send her some fleece to process but figured I should try out some of their fiber to see how I like it! This is some pin drafted Romaldale. Very soft and pretty!I also met some lovely people at this Cormo booth...will have to post their info later as I dont' have it on hand. I also confinced them to enter some fleeces in the Fleece Show!
On sunday I met the owner of The Soap Shed who was so nice and informative...this one in the picture is the Dirty Dawg Shampoo Bar! It smells great!! I got an interview with him that should be in the podcast next week! Also on Sunday, when shopping with H3dakota, I found the buttons! I could have bought so many but I settled on these...which was really funny because it totally matched the fabric of the chair I had loved sitting in at Judi's place. :)
The owner of the Clay Cat also graciously gave me this shawl pin as a thank you for mentioning her on the podcast. If you want buttons or shawl pins made I will post her email soon but she will custom make buttons for you if you want. Well...i hoped you enjoyed the run down of most my purchases. Some are missing as I said because they have already been gifted. :) I'll post pictures of my fleece soon too. I'll also update the missing information tomorrow when I get a chance to pull out the loot again.

Also...if you contact any of these wonderful stores or people please let me know I sent you their way.

Happy Spinning, and Knitting!

PS...I missed my hubby and puppies so much! They were all So happy to see me when I got home!

Heading to SAFF on Thursday!!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:49:00 +0000

Sorry for the lack of posts but I have been preparing for my SAFF (Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair) trip this weekend. Monica, Angela, and I are leaving as early as we can on Thursday...let's just say I plan to leave my house at 6am. :) We are all very excited! I can't wait to inhale all those fibery fumes and meet new people!

Friday I will be wandering around all day looking at fun stuff. I am volunteering at the Fleece Show and Sale for a couple hours around lunch but otherwise my plan is to check out all the vendors! Friday night there is a Fiber In at the Holiday Inn across from the airport from 8pm-10pm...there are door prizes including some donated by me. I am donating a set of Barknknit stitch markers and a Dog Tag.

Saturday, Barknknit Podcast will be having a meet n greet. It will be held at 11am near the Sheep to Shawl event. Please come by and say Hi! I'd love to meet you all! There will also be goodie bags! Check out this video for a preview of the fun stuff.

Sunday, my goal is to pick up anything that I had not been able to purchase yet and see more vendors. Please feel free at anytime to stop me and say hello! I will have either my Barknknit T-shirt on or if I finish my red Corona! :)

I will be taking video and recording while at SAFF so go subscribe to the podcast to hear and see fun stuff!

Hope you have a great weekend...and please say a prayer and think good thoughts for a safe drive and fun weekend!

Yay Purls n Paws!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

My Dish Rag Tag team Purls n Paws' box made it to Emily at yarnmiracle.com! We came in 7th but I think that is a respectable finish! We did have to get a bigger box along the way but Emily got lots of lovely gifts. We sent magnets and post cards. You can read more about what she got in the box and see pictures over here.

Just keep Kntting...just keep knitting...

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:46:00 +0000

So, lately my knitting mojo has been very strong. I've been knitting whenever and where ever I can. I cast on my Corona sweater on Friday as I had said in the last post and I'm already pretty far on it.
I'm at the part where I'm starting the cable panels and it's not longer a mindless, during call knit. I have to pay attention and focus so the progress will slow a bit. I'm thinking of casting on the sleeves so I can still work on it during calls.

I'm using my favorite stitch markers, which are my doggie stitch markers from Lapdogcreations.com! These are my special project stitch markers....because I cherish them so.
Since I can't knit on my Corona sweater during calls, I cast on a baby sweater for O-dog, aka my sister's baby who is due to join the world outside my sister's belly in Nov. I had some left over dream in color classy from my February Lady sweater so I'm using this and Jasmin is sending me some of her leftover DIC in Butter Peeps for the sleeves...works out perfect! I cast on today during a call and I've already got a good portion of the body done. This seems to be a fast knit. I guess this is kind of a test to see if this particular sister reads my blog. I haven't mentioned I was knitting this for her when I talked to her last. :) It's not the only things she's getting knit from me...so I don't really care if she finds out about this one.

I seem to be on a huge roll with knitting...I'm addicted to it even more right now. I am always knitting but this past week...I've been knitting even more. :) I think because I'm really enjoying the Malabrigo and the other projects I'm working on. Hopefully this keeps up because I hope to finish these projects soon. :)

Since tomorrow is Dogs on Thursday I figured I'd add some cute doggie pictures too! :) Happy DOT and please go over and check out the post tomorrow! Here is Jackjack in his chair. This started out as my knitting chair and I still love it but when I see how happy he is in this chair I know it was meant to be his. Since he hasn't really wanted to get up on the bed much lately with his legs hurting a bit, I decided to move this chair in the bedroom so he had a good place to sleep...because we know that his other beds are just not the same. :) Can you say SPOILED!!

and my girl is spoiled too because she can't just have one bone. She is just so cute!
Ok...well...I'm off to knit...go figure! I want to get a couple rows of the cable panels done tonight before I head to bed. I'm going to continued to work on the baby sweater and then maybe cast on the sleeves tomorrow so they are started.

Happy Knitting and Dogs on Thursday!!

I love boxes at my door!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:30:00 +0000

Can I say that one of my favorite things is to come home to this...
The first box was soap samples from Dawn for the SAFF goodie bags! They are so adorable!
The 2nd box was my Eat.Sleep.Knit order that I ordered on Tuesday I believe. It's my first order from them and I'm already a fan! First off I started their yarn marathon or yarnathon, which they track every yard of yarn that you purchase from them and you get prizes along your yarnathon! They also have Power and Sweater Boosts to help you reach mile markers. I got a sweater boost because I purchase 6 skeins of yarn. Look at this cute badge!
I hit my first mile marker with my purchase so I got my 1M badge and a Marathon Welcome Packet.
The packet contained 2 patterns, sample of yarns they carry and more!
I also got a pen, a button, and a Yarn Lotto where I won a $5 credit!My purchase was some LOVELY malabrigo in Burgundy for my Corona Sweater! I will admit I spent part of my lunch break winding a ball up so I could cast on during a training call! So, this is already cast on but I decided after consulting with Jasmin from the Knitmoregirls podcast that I probably should knit the ribbing on smaller needles so waited until I got home to start the ribbing. So, I have a little bit more time and then I'm heading to the Rays game tonight with Monica. We plan to knit, eat and watch some baseball!

Tomorrow, I have a spinning meet up for my guild and then plan to spend the afternoon recording a podcast, hanging with the pups, and catching up on shows!

Hope you have a great weekend!! Happy Knitting!!

Happy Birthday Abigail!!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:04:00 +0000

Today is the day that I say is Abby's Birthday. :) I got her from a person who didn't know so I picked a day in the month I knew was her birthday month. So, Happy Birthday Abigail! For her birthday post, I figured I would share Abby's loves with you in pictures.

She LOVES stuffed toys....especially these long dog ones...She loves loves loves balls...she also love when people throw them for her!She loves Kongs filled with peanut butter!She loves napping on people...
or pillows...
She loves people who will pet her or let her lay on them too.
She loves her brother Jackjack.
She loves the Steelers. :)She loves loves loves the water!! and i mean any water. :)
and most of all...she loves her daddy! :) He comforts her when she has to get shots at the vet.
and he helps her find squirrels when hiking near a stream.
and I guess she loves me...I feed her, give her love and take her swimming and for walks.
Well...I hope you enjoyed her birthday post! She is a wonderful sweet and loving dog and I'm so glad she found us and joined my pack. Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Today is also Dogs on Thursday and I posted today!

Carding Alpaca...

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:02:00 +0000

Remind me not to do that again!! First off, I didn't clean it before hand because it's pretty much just sandy...ugh! My allergies are now killing me from all the dust that carding up dirty Alpaca caused...also just want to say this now. I, Gnat, am not a fan of processing Alpaca..if I say that I plan to do this again...please send me an email or message and direct me back here. I will not say that I don't like alpaca but I will say...not a fan of the processing or at least the carding of it!

I chose to blend it with some of my raw Corriedale/Merinolocks that I had dyed brown and I will admit that I LOVE the batts that came out of this process and can't wait to spin them up but I did not enjoy the process nor will I enjoy cleaning up the carder after this process...ugh!

Ok...so since I've complained enough...here is your reward. A picture of my LOVELY alpaca batts. They are fantastic but I will not repeat the process. Hopefully these 5 oz will get me some nice fingerless gloves because I plan to swap the rest of this beautiful fleece the next chance I get. I still have about 6 oz...so if you want to buy it off me or swap me some wooly goodness let me know!
I just checked...I have about 7 oz left of the 100% Suri Raw fleece from an alpaca named Sarletoni. :) It's a beautiful mahogany brown fleece.

Ok...well..it's already 11 and past my bedtime! I'm off to bed. Tomorrow is another day and hopefully after work I will get a chance to clean the carder and more of my raw Corriedale/Merino fleece so I can get started on that project.

Casting on, a swatch, a WIP and some blocking.

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:19:00 +0000

Tonight, I dropped of Special K at the airport so he can fly up to Ohio and help his mother move. I'm going to miss him dearly but he'll be back on Sunday so he won't be gone too long. After I dropped him off, I stopped by the book store and actually bought a knitting book. I try not to use up too much stash money on books but sometimes I just can't resist. I bought the Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together by Larissa Brown and Martin John Brown. I picked it up because I was looking for one pattern but then started reading some of it and had to buy it! It looks like it's going to be a great read. I'll give it a proper review once I finish reading it.

I picked it up because I've been looking for something to do with all my left over bits of sock yarn. I have small feet so most the time I end up with a ton of left over after knitting my socks up. So, I figured the perfect way to use it would be to make a sock yarn blanket. I've seen others making the Barn Raising Quilt and love how it looks. I was also inspired by Mary Catharine's squares. I cast on tonight at knit group and honestly was NOT happy with the dpns at first but once I got a couple rows in...I was having fun!!
This is my first blanket of any major commitment...so I may need some encouragement in finish it.

For the sweater yarn I'm working on, I knit up a swatch of my hand processed, handspun yarn and let me tell you I LOVE the finished swatch! I really can't wait to finish cleaning the fiber so I can start carding it up and then spinning it...then I get to knit it up!! And after all that I get to WEAR IT! Such a wonderful process. Please remind me I'm so excited about this when I'm spinning 1500 yards of yarn and then knitting it. Ok? Anyway...look at my pretty swatch. :)
I had people pet it and some smelt this at the knit night. Everyone thinks it's very soft and most thought it smelled great...that is thanks to Soak in the Celebration scent. :)

I also have been really trying to finish this Table Runner which is supposed to be a gift so I need it done and blocked soon! So far it's coming out lovely!
Manda came to the knit group and she brought me some blocking boards so as soon as I got home I soaked the shawl and scarf and pinned it up. I've never blocked this way so I'm curious to see how it all comes out.Well...I hope you enjoyed my round up of projects in different stages of the knitting process. :) I definitely have become a non-monogamous knitter. I'm all over the place and never have been more inspired in my life! I'm really enjoying my crafting lately. My spinning mojo is back and I have finishitis and castonitis. :)

Good night everyone and I hope you all have a great Dogs on Thursday tomorrow. I'm off to get some rows in before sleepy time.

Spinning, Knitting, Dogs, and Recovering from the Crud.

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:33:00 +0000

So, I've been out sick from work for the last day and a half. It started with a headache that wouldn't go away and then my throat got really sore. I'm feeling pretty good tonight after a day and a half of rest. I'm heading back to work tomorrow. I am a little disappointed that I didn't get a podcast out last week but life happens. I did get a lot of knitting done and got some stash enhancements.

Saturday, Manda, Monica, Angela, Shannon and I headed down to Sarasota, FL for the Florida Fiber In. It's a fun fiber event that has demos and vendors. We had a great time and I came home with some yummy fiber!

I bought this lovely Superwash Merino/Nylon roving from Rocket Yarn. She has LOVELY fibers and yarn. I saw her demo and got a chance to interview her. The interview should be up next week.
I already started spinning this up and let me tell you...it spins itself! I LOVE it!!
I also picked up this fiber from Long Dog Handspun. It's a Merino, Bamboo, and silk blend. I can't wait to try it as I have not spun any bamboo or silk yet.
Knitting:
I finished the Shawl for the September Shawl KAL. The pattern is the Traveling Woman Shawl and the yarn is Hazelknits. I still need to block it.
Been putting some work into Kenny's vest as well. I'm working on the ribbing in the body and it's a mindless easy knit which is a great stress releaver. :)
The pups are great and have been enjoying my company while I'm sick. Abby has been cuddly and Jackjack silly. :)

I'm off to get a good night sleep before going back to work tomorrow. Special K is flying up to help his mom move tomorrow night so I'll be sans husband for a couple days. I already miss him.

Have a great night! Happy Knitting, Spinning, and Dog loving!

New Logo!!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:13:00 +0000

Barknknit has a new logo! You will eventually see this blog get redesigned with it but so far I just haven't had time! If you want to go check out the new logo and design go to http://www.barknknit.com! Let me know what you think! I've also created a Zazzle store you can purchase apparel with this new logo on it!

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Life has been good. We've been keeping busy with work and my dad's visit. He's leaving on Saturday and I'm going to miss him. He's been running around a bunch and keep himself and my step mom really busy! We've also been eating a lot of great food!

I've also been knitting a LOT! I'm almost done with my Traveling Woman Shawl...will have pictures soon! And I've been working on my hubby's vest. I also have been planning out my knitting. :) That means I've been placing sweaters into my queue to hopefully purchase yarn for and knit soon! Keep you posted on those!

Hope you are all doing well! Happy Knitting!!

Gnat

Crazy, busy life...here's some catch up.

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:35:00 +0000

So, we'll start with the pups. They are doing really well. As you can see here that Abigail will make herself comfortable where ever she wants. :)
and Jackjack...well this picture says it all. :)
If you haven't please go check out the Video Episode of the Barknknit podcast posted last week. You can find it here.

I'm doing really good but so busy!! I've stayed late a lot at work lately and my dad is in town with my step mom so we've been keeping really busy!! I have been getting a lot of knitting done but not much spinning.

I cast on a Shawl for the Barknknit listener group on Ravely's Sept Shawl KAL. The pattern I chose is the Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante and using HazelKnits Artisan Yarn in Purple.
I also made a pattern for a car faub holder for Kenny's Step-mom. Hers broke so it wouldn't stay on her keys so I knit her something to help her out.
and here is another pic. :)
Today I also recorded another episode of the podcast and include a review of Namaste's Snap Bags.
and their new clutch!
Let's just say I'm a huge fan of both. The Snapbags are great for projects and you can see everything in them so it's easy to find what you are looking for when I grab something from inside my purse! The clutch is very stylish and I got compliments of it when I took it out with me to a wedding last weekend.

Well...I hope you enjoyed this drive by post. :) I'm off to get ready for some friends to come over for some games. It was impromptu. It all depended on whether Michigan won or not. JK! :)

Have a great weekend!!

Dish Rag Tag package sent...and start of the Shawl KAL

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:08:00 +0000

So, the dish cloth was completed late last night, the ends were weaved in today with an earring...don't ask...and the package was mailed during lunch! What do you think?

I really enjoyed the simple pattern and liked the yarn color. Hope my team mate likes her package!

After finishing up that...I cast on the Traveling Woman shawl during a call today. It was an especially stressful call so it was nice to have my knitting to calm me down! This is my progress so far...I do have one more call tonight at 7:30, which I'm about to get on so better get back to finishing up some work stuff before my call. I hope to at least get a couple more rows done too.

My dad's flight was delayed so they are getting in a bit later tonight. I hope to see him tonight but have a feeling I won't see him until maybe Thursday. He's going to the Rays game tomorrow night. Oh well...glad he's here!!

Have a Happy Tuesday! Happy knitting!

Dyeing update, Dish Rag Tag Begins, and the start of a KAL.

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:05:00 +0000

So, after some rinsing and drying I really like this fiber. :) It still pretty brown but it came out lovely!! What do you think? I need a name for the color too.
Today for lunch I came home and I had a package waiting for me!!
The Dish Rag Tag began! I am the team captain of the Purls n Paws so I got the box first. The box comes from Emily and she sent some really cute coasters and some candy!
I cast on the dishcloth on the way back to work at a stop light and am about half way done. I better get back to knitting...just have been a bit distracted! I have the box already packed and ready to go out in the morning. I just have to finish up the cloth!

Tomorrow is the first of September and since I've been eyeing this lovely shawl pattern and beautiful Hazel Knits yarn I have in my stash I decided to start a September Shawl KAL! So, here is my stuff all ready to cast on tomorrow!! I couldn't get the camera to work right so your getting two pictures of the same thing. :) The yarn color is better in the first but the rest is better in the 2nd. :)

If you want to join us come over to the Barknknit Podcast Ravelry group and join in the Sept Shawl KAL! You just have to cast on or have already cast on and promise to finish the shawl by Sept 30th!

ok..off to finish the dishcloth! Happy Knitting!

Sunday at Manda's...knitting, spinning, and dyeing oh my!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:26:00 +0000

This weekend has been nice. Saturday, I met up with two of my friends and their kids for breakfast at my favorite place. The food was yummy and the company was nice. The afternoon was spend with Special K. We cleaned the house mostly but we did watch Cobb together.

Today was another fun day. I went over to Manda's for another Fiber Fun day! We had a good time sitting around and spinning and knitting together. We also got some dyeing in. Here are some pictures from Monica's camera of the fibery fun day!

A new friend came to our knit group and joined our Fiber Fun day today. Her name is Shannon and she's from New Jersey. She had never spun before so here I'm trying to giver her a lesson. Bless her heart that she actually learned from me! By the end there she was doing great! I need to learn more how to teach spinning. I'm just glad she seemed like she was having a great time!
Later we dyed some. I brought some BFL to dye up. The colors didn't come out as I was hoping but I like it!! It's a bit camo but I'm thinking if I ply it up with a different color it might look really cool! Even plying it up on its self will be nice too! Here I am preparing the dye.
I did a hot pour dyeing style..which Manda taught me! It's a lot of fun. I picked three colors, olive, brown and something else I can't remember. I think I put to much brown and not enough of the other colors or the other colors were too muted along with the brown that the whole roving kind of looks brown with little spots of other colors. Here's me pouring the dye.Here is my lovely roving! I actually like it a lot more now that I've rinsed it and it's drying. At first I was a bit disappointed but not anymore! ;) I think dyeing is fun because you never know what you're gonna get! Like Chocolate! hahaha
Here's our new friend Shannon...with her two skeins of worsted weight yarn.and here she is dyeing up her yarn in blue, black and red. She did a different style of dying. It was fun too! This is closer to what I first learned.
Well..hope you enjoyed the pictures. This week is going to be a bit hectic but I'm looking forward to it! My dad and step mom get her on Tuesday!! I am very excited to see my dad!

Hope you have a great week!!
Happy Dyeing and Fiber Fun day!

Dogs on Thursday!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:54:00 +0000

For today's DOT post I wanted to share all the fun Swimming pictures and video I got of the pups this Sunday at Manda's Fiber Fun house!! Here are my crazy dogs in pictures! Yes, it is pouring down rain and neither one of them cared! Can I just say, when Jackjack first learned to swim he would never just jump in! He would only get in through the stairs. He's come a LONG way!! Enjoy!

So fun!! Here is the madness in video from my cellphone!

Hope you enjoyed the doggie swimming fun!! Don't forget to check out the other DOT posts!

Weekend Update! and some Fiber in the Mail! an FO and a WIP!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:40:00 +0000

This weekend was a whirlwind of activity! Friday night, my friend Carrie had her 30th birthday party at a local Bingo joint! Yes, Bingo! We all realized pretty fast that your money goes fast! I only managed to spend about $3 but others spent more. One friend of hers managed to win about $100...but he was the only one winning. :)

Here's me and Carrie with our Bingo cards! ahaha

Then here's Darci and Crystal with theirs. :)

Saturday, I had to wake up at about 4:30 to take Kenny to the airport. A very special woman, Grandma Pat passed away last week and he flew up for the funeral. It was a quick trip as he was back here by 5:30 on Sunday. It was good that he went though, because his sister ended up in the hospital on Friday through today with some stomach issues. She is finally home and hopefully better.

The rest of Saturday, I spent with my sisters and then that night my cousin Nathan and I went to the Rays game and Big n Rich played afterwords! It was tons of fun!! We met up with Carrie, a friend Kim and their boyfriends to watch the concert. They played until after midnight! I was exhausted the next day!

Sunday, the dogs and I headed over to Manda's Fiber Fun House and the pups swam even while it was raining! You'll have to wait until tomorrow for those pictures! We had a great day hanging out. Abby and her dog Nala had a bit of a riff, but they were both find after. It freaked me and Manda out more than the dogs.

This weekend was also a great mail weekend! I got some fiber that I had swapped for. In the Spin or Dye Swapping Group on Ravelry, I swapped some of my raw fiber for some others. :)

I claimed the following Romeldale from Sockpr0n. It's a beautiful oatmeal color!

Along with her package, she sent me some beautiful stitch markers! I love purple!I also did a side trade with another Ravelry from Ohio! Hoping to meet her when I'm up there sometime! She sent me some BEAUTIFUL Corriedale for some of my cormo. Can I tell you I just drooled over this stuff! It's a beautiful gray color and it's got very little VM in it! I want to get my hands on some combs for this! I think it would comb up so nicely!!
She also sent me some goodies along with my swap package! She was great to swap with! Here's a close up of the fiber! YUMMY!!
I finished my step-sister Luz's Morning Surf Scarf this weekend. It is not as long as I had hoped but I'm going to see if I can massively block it out to get a few extra inches. We'll see how that goes. The yarn is my handspun Ramboillet, which I LOVED working with and the pattern is Morning Surf Scarf by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer. I also loved this pattern. It's quick and easy and pretty!! Well...my model here is pretty lovely too so I how can it not be just perfect. :)
I also cast on for a gift for a friend. It kind of looks like a scarf but it's actually a lovely lace table runner! I made it longer than the pattern suggested and it's coming out beautifully. The pattern is Jenny’s Tansu Table Runner by Mel Clark Craft Knitting and the yarn is Arucania Ranco in color 105.

Hope you are having a great week!! I have lots going on but will catch you guys up one step at a time! :)

Happy Spinning, Knitting, and Dog walking!!

Dogs on Thursday!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Just a quick post with doggie pictures! Here are my two lazy dogs after a rainy day. :)

Jackjack
Abigail
They are in desperate need of baths but they are happy to be dirty! :) Hope everyone has a great DOT and don't forget to go check out all the other DOT posts!

FO alert!! and some Casting on!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:09:00 +0000

Hello! How is your week going? This past week has flown by. This weekend was packed with family fun, friend fun, and knitting!!

Saturday, after meeting my friends Kelly, Sheryl, and Sheryl's baby Levi at Panera's for some girl time, I cleaned the house and then spent time finishing Sarah's sock! Yes, I'm a week late but they are DONE! I'm going to put them in the mail soon along with some other goodies! They came out so great. I really like this pattern.FO #1
pattern: Spring Forward by Linda Welch
yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy in Spring Tickle colorway.
notes: Love this pattern. hehehe

Saturday night, I cast on the Ribbed Vest by Sarah Punderson in my handspun Romney. So far so good. Here's me holding it up at my sister's on Sunday while over there for a family dinner.
Sunday, I headed over to my friend Manda's for Fiber Fun day!! I didn't bring my wheel but brought two WIPs to finish, the ribbed shawl, and yarn to cast on a new project. I got there really early because I knew I had to leave early to be at a pizza party at my sister CZbrats. They all started work this week so they wanted to do a last dinner party before school starts. Not that we don't have them when school is in session too. ;)

So...I was over at Manda's early and I finished my dad's vest!! YEAH!! Just in time...he'll be up here the first couple week's of next month. Here's a picture but I'll get a picture of him wearing it when he's here.

FO#2
pattern: The Subtle Stripe by Lara Killian
yarn: Knit Picks Swish DK in Merlot Heather and Cobblestone Heather
notes: Really liked this pattern. It's easy to follow and worked up quickly. It's got just enough interest to keep you from getting bored but is easy enough to do while talking on phone or watching tv. I can't wait to see my dad in it. Everyone I've shown it to so far has said that looks like your dad! ;)

After finishing the vest, I put buttons of my sister's February Lady Sweater which I actually finished knitting back in January or Feb of this year. :) I had to sew in ends too. I don't have a picture and I already gave it to her but I'll go over tomorrow and snap one. :)

So. the last thing I did was cast on the Morning Surf Scarf for my sister Luz. It's out of some handspun Ramboillet. This pattern is easy and a quick knit. Not sure how long it will be because it's eating yarn but hopefully it will block out nicely

Ok...well..hope you enjoyed the Knitting filled post! It's a bit much in one post but what can I say...seems like lately I only get one post a week in...so might as well make the most of it!

On a personal note, we put in an offer on a house yesterday!! It's in our neighborhood and has been on the market for some time but it's a great house! I can't wait to hear back! I'll let you know when we do!

Off to get a shower and get to sleep!

Happy KNITTING!!

Crochet at Knit Night Wednesday and Softball Thursday!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:52:00 +0000

Last night was our weekly Fiber Fanatics meet up and I had a great time. I had not been in about a month and it was nice to see everyone. While I was there I worked on my friend's sweater some more and learned a new crochet stitch. The bottom is my single crochet practice and then the top next to the hook is my new skill...double crochet!
Sheryl brought my godson Levi and he was just so well behaved! He got a little fussy because he was hungry but for the most part he was a doll!
He's just TOO cute!! Look at that face!!
Sid brought me goodies!! She was at the bookstore and she saw these and since she knew I'm such a big fan she had to get me Edward and Jacob Skybars!! They are AWESOME! I think I laughed for about 5 minutes! She and Angela are not fans...they think Bella whines and Edward is a possessive stalker. :) They are half right but I STILL love him!!
Sid lent me this series about werewolves and it's awesome!! It's what I've been reading for a while. The series is written by Patricia Briggs. This particular series from her is called the Mercy Thompson novels and they are Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, and the book I'm reading now Bone Crossed. They are all really good! I've also read another one that Sid lent me called Cry Wolf and it's the first one in the Alpha and Omega series. It's with some of the characters from the other series in the same world. I love when writers do that! If you like werewolf/vampire books check out this series...even if you don't at least read Moon Called and give it a chance. She hooked me!

Well, tonight my family planned our second ever Family Softball Game. Everyone who wanted to and could played. We had a blast! My team won but mostly we all had good fun! Here's a pic of me up at bat!
Well...I hope you enjoyed this two post day! I'll try to come back sooner than I have been. I miss writing about my days and sharing pictures! I'm almost done with a couple projects so you'll get to see some FO pictures soon!

Happy Thursday! I'm off to bed to read and be glad tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!

Jackjack's Birthday week!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:27:00 +0000

Ok, so forgot to post about Jackjack turning 6 this past Saturday!! Happy Birthday JACKJACK!!! My boy is 6 years old...he still acts like he's a puppy most the time!

He joined my pack when he was already 18 months old in January of 2005 and he was a skinny skinny boy...so skinny you could see almost every rib bone. He found me when I was looking at our local SPCA...just looking. He was so skinny and in need of a healthy happy home that I just had to bring him home.
When I first got him, I lived by myself and worked nights. We would go on walks and to the dog park during the day and then when I got home late at night, we would go for another walk. He was somewhat protective on a leash but it was more his dominance that took a while to figure out. We have gone to many obedience classes and our relationship has change so much in the years we've been together.
He is the first dog that I ever was completely responsible for. He is my heart and sole and always excited when I get home or even when he sees my car coming. (So does abby) But after some love and play he is a lazy lump on a couch. Any couch! :)
Or bed...he loves sleeping in bed
After about 2 years of just us, Abby found us and joined our pack. At first they had a couple things to work out...her food aggression being one of them and his healing from his accident with a car was the other one. But after a while they figured it out and became the best of buds. They rarely like to be a part and get so excited when they see each other again!

They like to go to the park together and ride in the car.
They also like do to training together because that usually means LOTS of treats!Abby even taught him how to have fun swimming! Now he's an expert!
After Abby joined our Pack, Special K found us. Special K helped carry Jackjack down the stairs when he was hurt and then eventually moved in and joined our pack officially by giving us all a new last name. :) Jackjack has a special relationship with Special K and they are two peas in a pod. The look that Jackjack gives SK when SK gets any where near him is priceless.

Well, Happy Birthday my first baby! You are my best friend and I love you very much.

Love Mommy!

Stitch n Pitch 2009!!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:04:00 +0000

This year's Stitch n Pitch was this past Sunday. We played the Royals and even though we had won the 2 games before, the Royals won by scoring in the last 2 innings. Back to stitching, the bags were nothing compared to last year and there were no vendors and less people but I had fun either way. The crowd was friendly and nice as usual and I got a couple rounds of knitting done...and some crocheting as well!

Here's my group at the Rays game...and yes I wore a Cubs shirt. :) I had worn my Rays shirt to the game the day before with Kenny's family.
My shirt actually got me recognized by one of my podcast listeners and Mara came up and introduced herself! It was awesome! It was my first listener to come up and meet me!!

While at the game, I worked on the 2nd sock that I was hoping to finish before Sarah, my sister-in-law went home but failed that one. She did try on the first finished sock so at least I know she liked it and it fits! I'll hopefully have these in the mail soon, with some extra goodies!
I also worked on a dishcloth...a CROCHETED dishcloth! Yes, I learned to crochet! It's not as awesome as knitting but it's fun and I can't wait to learn more stitches. My friend Sid, Frankie's mommy, is helping me out. Here is my 2nd crocheted item ever! I'm getting better slowly. It takes a lot of concentration.
And since they are just too cute...Here are my pups. Abby following me around the house. :)and Jackjack making sure he gets a good resting spot. :)Ok...well...hope everyone is dong good!! Happy Monday!!

A Lazy haircut. :)

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:53:00 +0000

Sorry I've been MIA lately. A lot has been going on! We've been looking for a house and working a ton. Also this past week Kenny's sister Sarah, her son Logan, her boyfriend Ryan, and his son Dry were in town. It was great seeing them and we had a really good time. The weekend was JAM Packed though! I'll try to get some pictures to share from her.

So...for today's post I just wanted to share with you my haircut!

My hair went from this....

To this...
It felt great to chop off about 4-5 inches of thick hair! My head feels a lot lighter. I really like my new haircut. It's shorter than I was thinking I would go but once I got there I was like chop it all off! ;) Hope you like the mirror shot. :) I really should get a better picture to show. hahah

Also wanted to share my new Spinning toy!! It's an Ashford Precision Lazy Kate. For those of you who don't spin and don't know what a Lazy Kate is...it's a contraption that holds the bobbins in place so you can ply(which means to spin single strands of yarn together) from them. The one I got has a tension band that helps keep the bobbins from spinning back on themselves while I ply off of them.
So far, I've only used it with one bobbin while I navajo plied the single. This means to make a sort of chain that creates a solid yarn. :) Not sure that made sense but let me know if you are interested in more info.
I love the Lazy Kate!! If you go back to previous posts you will have seen my make shift one with the shoe box and needles...and that's ok to start out with when you don't want to invest a lot into spinning and well...learning but I have to agree with Jasmin from the knitmore girls. The Lazy kate is an awesome tool! It really did make plying a lot easier! I can't wait to use it to ply up the 3 ply sock yarn I'm working on. I still am only on the 2nd single. As I keep saying, I've just been a bit busy!

Happy Blogoversary Barknknit!

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:00:00 +0000

I almost missed my Blogoversary!! Barknknit Blog turns 2 today! I can't believe I've been knitting and blogging for two years now! I started knitting right around the time I started this blog and so much has happened since it's crazy!! I became a better knitter, I started spinning, I processed fleece! I also happened to get married and get a new job! Crazy how much can happen in 2 years!

I love looking back on the last two years and seeing all the pictures I've shared. I love all the cute doggie faces and all the pretty yarn and fiber and knitting!

Thank you my readers for hanging around and reading my craziness! I appreciate you all!

Well..to catch you up from my weekend...Thursday night at about 3am I woke up with the stomach flu...it was bad! I didn't end up being able to eat a meal until Sunday morning. Took me a while to feel back to normal. I'm better now and today at work was pretty good. I got a little nauceous a couple times but I just drank some water and breathed and it seemed to be better. My stomach is still getting used to food again. I am not a fan of the stomach flu!!!

Well...other than that I didn't do much this weekend. I really couldn't knit until saturday and even than it was very basic stuff. I missed a day of spinning for Tour de Fleece but I think I had a good excuse!

And since I can't resist...here are some fiber pictures!

I've started work on the 2nd 3 oz of the sock yarn that I'm making. This is my first single of the 3ply from Manda's stash! Thank you Manda!! :)
I also managed to get some dyeing in this weekend. I love the colors!And of course! I have to include my babies! Here's Abby on the couch with her bone!
And Jackjack resting up after a long day!
Hope you are doing well! I'm going to go back to trying to figure out a friend's sweater I've been ripping and re-knitting on and off for the last couple weeks! I feel bad because I need to get it back to her but it takes so much mental energy to work on it's driving me crazy! I'm almost done and am doing to try one more thing..pray that this works out!

Ok..hope everyone is good! Happy Blogging!!

More of my weekend...a wedding.

gnat@barknknit.com (Gnat) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:53:00 +0000

This weekend my childhood friend Lynley got married. I've known her since the first day of kindergarten. :) Let's just say it's been a VERY long time! She got married at the David Island Garden Club, which is a beautiful location.
The ceremony was on the water and it was nice but a bit hot. Glad some of the chairs were in the shade.
After the ceremony there was cocktail hour. My friend Viviana and her boyfriend Nathan were there and Special K had not met them yet. So it was a good time for them to get to know each other.
The reception had great Panamanian food and it was great to see so many familiar faces.

The really cool part was that her mom surprised her with hiring some Pollera dancers. They are native Panamanian dancers and it was pretty cool to see. Special K didn't know what they were but I had explained them before so it was great for him to finally see them. I took a couple videos of some of the dances.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the videos. I'm so sleepy. I am off to get ready for bed...and then read for a bit and hopefully be asleep in no time!