Where to begin...we'll start with 10.

Where do you being when you have been on a 6 month hiatus from your blog?  How do you get back to posting on your blog when there is just so much to say?  These are the questions that have gone through my mind over and over again the last couple months.  I haven't forgotten this space I've called home for OVER 7 years!  I've often thought about moving on and starting a new blog or finding a new theme or or or...but I keep coming back to I've been blogging here at Barknknit since I started blogging and I just can't let it go yet.

For my first post back since January, I'm going to just recap the past 6 months.  So, here are 10 important things that have happened in the Barknknit family the last 6 months:

1. My girls are both 6 months older and when it comes to little kids that is a LONG time!  Both are now going to the same preschool and are learning new things so quickly.  I feel if you look at them long enough, you can actually see them growing before your very eyes! hehe! JK.

2. Special K and I went on our first weekend away without the kids!...I may actually write an entire post about this one but for now I'll just share that it was so good for everyone.  I'm glad that Special K and I got to spend some quality time being a couple and enjoying what makes us us.  This was also the first vacation in 6 years that did not involve visiting family so there is that...

3.  Maria learned to walk(at 10 months just like her sister)...this changes the game but it's so exciting!  Again...she's just growing up too quickly!

4. My father came to visit from Panama...He spent 3 weeks with my family here and we spent most this time celebrating his 80th birthday!  The girls enjoyed every minute with him here and we miss him so much.  Looking forward to his visit this winter.

5. Carmen had her 2nd ballet recital...this one was tap and while she had a little bit of a meltdown when she saw us watching her, she did great!

6. Maria turned 1!  I can't believe the year went by so fast!  She is such a smart, happy, and loving toddler.  She talks a lot and is always trying to do what her sister is doing.  She's also my climber but I know this and do what I can to prevent major falls.  She is such a blessing.

7. Grandma Shari came to visit...Special K's mom came for a weekend visit and we had so much fun!  The girls enjoyed having her here and we all went to a Rays game...along with so much more!

8. Promotion at work into management...I was promoted earlier this year at work into a  management role.  This has been exciting/stressful and my first time managing a team of at first 20+ but thankfully now my team is 9-10 people.  I've learned so much already and learning more every day!

9. Podcasting again...yes, I've starting podcasting again!  I'm so so excited about this.  My friend Alicia and I started a new podcast Mastering the Knits!  We talk about our journey through the Master Knitter Program, beginning with the Hand Knitting Level 1.  We also talk about our life, crafting, and more.  It's been so fun and we are so happy we've had such great feedback from our listeners!

10. There has been knitting and spinning...oh has there been so much knitting in the last 6 months!  I'll have to dedicate a couple posts to update you all on all that I've finished!  Here is a snapshot of one of my finished objects...a hat for my dad modeled by Carmen.

Hope you enjoyed this list!  I look forward to talking to you all more!

Happy Catching up!

What have you all been up to in the past 6 months?  Please comment and say hello!

Baby Coma...and the birth of Mama Barknknit

I've talked a little about what I now call my baby coma before but when Carmen was born, I swear it took all my brain power to just take care of her and heal that I feel now that I was in a daze most of those first couple weeks.  We were nursing around the clock, changing diapers I felt every hour but I'm sure it wasn't, rarely getting more than 15-30 mins of sleep at a stretch an hour or two were amazing times and also getting to know this little girl who had joined our life...as well as letting others get to know her.  This took up a lot of time and mental energy.  I look back on this time, which was most of my maternity leave and was like why wasn't I doing this or this...but in the end I just know I was learning to be a mom and that was the most important thing I could have been doing with my time. 

Now, almost 7 months later, I've been regaining my identity and it has also forever changed as well.  Sadly, I have lost friends in my journey to motherhood and I've come to grips with that.  I realized that I am who I am and I happen to like myself.  I know not everyone will like me and life is too short to worry about those who just don't get me.  There are plenty of people out there for them to be friends with as well as plenty of others for me to be friends with as well.   I've said sorry for anything I did that was unintentionally mean and slowly working on righting my "wrongs" but I not going to say sorry for being me and for putting myself and my family first and why should I.  They are not saying sorry for being intentionally or unintentionally mean to me.  If they can be who they want to be and be rude, mean, sneaky, and just plan unfriendly, then why should I have to say sorry for being myself.  Anyway...I'm getting WAY off topic here. I didn't plan this post to go into this but anyway...it's there and I'm not deleting it.  This is my space...if you don't like it as I say about my podcast...there are other blogs you can read.

So...as I've been getting back to: Knitting: which I've managed to do a lot of lately; Podcasting, which I've gotten 3 episodes up in the month of June! Dog training/walking: which I never really stopped doing but have started trying to run with Abby and generally doing the things that I enjoy.  I haven't given my wheel Pilar much love lately but hoping that the Tour de Fleece fixes that.  You can also join me and other podcasters and podcast listeners in the Team Sasquatch group on Raverly for Tour de Fleece!  My goal this year is to spin a min of 5 mins a day during the Tour.  Wish me luck!  I just hope I can finish some of the project on the needles before the start of it.

Back to the topic at hand, as I begin to plan out this blog and my podcast and figure out what I want to do, I realize that Barknknit doesn't really cover everything anymore.  I used to be all dogs and knitting.  Then I started spinning but that still fits and now I'm a mom.  A mom who just wants to be the best mom I can be.  I also want to be more of a natural momma than I thought I would be.  I am into breastfeeding, babywearing, and I'm not against co-sleeping and now I'm diving into the cloth diapering world.  As I learn more, I want to share more and so where does that fit in.  I'm really not sure who all reads the blog, I know tons of people listen to the podcast and I've gotten good feedback about adding the Carmen's Corner, but I think I need to add more.  I haven't decided exactly what that will look like but you will find out when I figure it out.  In the meanwhile, my name went from just plain ole Barknknit to Mama Barknknit as being a mom is a huge part of who I am now.  I was always a mom to my furbabies but that role has grown and I'm very excited about what life still has in store for me.

Hope you enjoy my thoughts as I really do plan to use this blog space for more than just pictures and incorporate more of my thoughts and ramblings that exist in my head, which is a bit crazy and I'm ok with that!  I love who I am.  I hope that you love who you are!  How can you expect others to like you when you don't like yourself?

Happy Day!

Maryland Sheep and Wool here I come!!

So, this weekend was full of spending time with my family and my dad and planning my upcoming fiber adventure!!!

I decided last week that I wanted to go to Maryland Sheep n Wool...the next step was making it happen. In the end, it all just seems to be working out! My plan is I'll be flying up to NC on the Friday before the Festival and my friend will pick me up from the airport, then we'll drive up and meet another friend up in the Baltimore area and stay at a hotel for Friday and Saturday night! During those two days, we'll have plenty of meeting new people and fiber fumes!! I can't wait!

Saturday, I'll be joining a couple other podcasters, when I get the final details I'll let you know, for a meet n greet at the festival from 11-1pm! It should be tons of fun...and I'm sure I'll be just as big a fan girl with the other podcasters as the people coming to meet them! :)

Sunday after shopping a bit, we plan to head back to NC and then I'll be staying there for a couple days as I spend time with my best friend from high school!

I'm looking forward to the whole weekend! If you are going to be at the Festival please let me know!! I look forward to meeting everyone! I'll be wearing my barknknit shirt on Saturday so other than my latiness..hehe..that will be a way to recognize me. If you want to pick up some barknknit apparel you can to at www.zazzle.com/barknknit.

This is a picture of me in my shirt chatting away at SAFF.
Other than planning this weekend, we did manage to get our whole house spring cleaned! It took us several hours and lots of sneezing on my part but it's done! My MIL will be arriving LATE saturday night for a weekend of fun!! I can't wait for a five day weekend and enjoying family time!

Heading to SAFF on Thursday!!

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!

I love boxes at my door!

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!!

Doggie Pics, Spinning, new podcast feed and more!

I've been a bit busy with messing with my podcast, which I'll talk about in a second. First off, I wanted to share pictures of my lazy dogs! Check them out! I was playing on the computer and SK was watching tv. They decided that it was bedtime. heheeh
Then SK joined Jackjack and it was just too adorable! :)
So, we are doing well. My allergies are getting slightly better but I've been avoiding the outside as much as possible. Abby's Obedience class was great and we start Agility I hope Monday! I'm excited! Our last Obedience class is next week so we'll see how our graduation goes!! I'm hoping to get Sk or someone to come record us. She's such a smarty pants!

Well, craftwise I'm almost done with the first Entrelac sock. Literally, all I have to do is do the sew off bind off and then I can cast on the 2nd one, which I plan to do tonight. I've also started spinning up some of my hand dyed domestic wool. This was the roving braided up.Then here it is in my nice yard sale find! I split it up about 8 times. I still have the other half to split up.

I'm spinning this in a Worsted style and as thin as I can get it. So far so good. It's taken me a long time but that's ok. Tomorrow is my first Spinning meet-up with my spinning guild so I'm excited to bring this and get to know people better. We have our next meeting next week.

Ok..well...new feed. So, mypodcast.com is having loads of trouble and so I decided to jump ship and get a libsyn feed. The Knitmore Girls Podcast were very gracious and they are sponsoring my first months hosting fees! Did I mention their podcast is awesome too! GO check them out. Well..with their help I started up with Libsyn and my feed is now moving. If you search for me in Itunes, I show up twice right now. I'm hoping to fix that. The new one is the Barknknit Podcast. To check out the new show notes page and to subscribe to the new feed go to Barknknit Podcast. There are some exciting new developments coming soon with my podcast so I'll let you know when they go live! :)

Well..hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm hoping to get lots of knitting, spinning, dog training, and rest! Also hope to record a podcast this weekend!

Happy Friday!!

Fair fun, a cast on, cute clean pups, and a new episode!

Yesterday, my friend Chris and I headed to the Florida State Fair! We both were going for the animals and the fair food. We first started by heading to the 4H dog contest and I saw a girl from our Obedience class. We then headed over and saw the Prue Breed Dog tent but decided to head back when they were doing the agility course which was fun to watch. We then headed over to the Sheep and Goat Tent...which turned out to be all goats! But they were so cute!!


The goats were my favorite other than the spinning demos! We also saw a lot of Cows, rabbits, and chickens and roosters. :) We had corn dogs and split a funnel cake! Let's just say we had a great time! Well, when I saw the spinning demos, one had weaving too and I met the president of the Pinellas Spinners and Weavers Guild and decided to join. I'm planning on going to a meeting this month. I'm excited because I should have my wheel soon!

Like next weekend!! YEAH!! Special K and I are driving up to Uncommon Threads in Palm Harbor and paying it off and picking it up for Valentine's day! I'm so excited I could scream!! WAHOOOO!!!

Ok...well..back to knitting to calm myself. I had casted on the Entrelac Socks by Eunny Jang this weekend. It's my first entrelac pattern and I'm really enjoying it so far! I love how they are looking. Red and pink for V day. :)

And since I have all this cute pictures of my dogs...Let's see them!! Ok...here is Jackjack keeping me company while I knit away on the couch.
Here's Jackjack hoping Kenny will share some of his snacks.And again Jackjack...I know...it's all jackjack. :) But look how cute he is here. I wrapped him up because he was shivering from his bath in the cold. He's so darn cute!
Ok...and now here's Abigail...oh with Jackjack. Ok..I'll get some Abby pics for another post later this week! :) but look how cute they are on the love seat. :) They aren't spoiled are they?
Ok...well, I hope you enjoyed the picture filled post! I'm off to finish off the dishes that Special K didn't get to and pull out the brownies I've made. Special K cooked dinner while I podcasted(New Episode up now) and then I baked dessert! Ok...gots to go!! bye.

New Podcast!! I'm Back!!

Just wanted to let you know I posted a new episode of the Barknknit podcast.

I mention two books in it and I couldn't get the links to work on the podcast notes so here they are. Check these out!! Both great books!!

Well...we are off to the NFL experience with Skater Boy(my nephew) and his buddy. We got tickets and they wanted to come along. :) I'll try to take some pictures and share them!

Have a great sunday!!

Gnat

A little taste of dye.

So, today was a busy one. We woke up and went to church. Then came home and cleaned house and I got a chance to dye fiber. I tried a couple different techniques that I have tried before and one new one. :) This is inspired by Violet from Lime n Violets inspiration line. I figured how could I go wrong with Love. :) I'm not sure I'm going to sell this one because one it came out great but 2 it's one of the left over fibers that Abby kind of got into and it's not completely whole. All the ones that are up for sale have never been touched by Abby. Only the ones I've kept to learn new techniques. So...what do you think??

I'll take a picture of it in a braid tomorrow in the light because it's very pretty...as well as the other ones. :)

This one is fall inspired...I LOVE IT!!! It's 8oz..my first time dyeing fiber in 8 oz batches.TH

This next one was my first winter inspired one but came out really bright. I love it though. It was done in a pot. I used a stick to prop it up to dye the variegationTh.
Next is the one that Special K inspired. It's winter but it's a little grayer and I think it came out great. This is another 8oz batch. :)
I had so much fun, however, Special K said the house was hot and smelled like a farm animal so he plans to stay away next fiber dyeing session. :) I had so much fun. I can't wait to get some yarn to try. I should be getting some in next month or I may have to wait until after the wedding but we'll see what happens. Most of these will be up for sale at barknknit.etsy.com. I have some of the previously dyed fibers up there now.

Hope you guys enjoyed the fibery fun. I got a chance to podcast tonight. It's a longer one that normal and i did NO editing so bare with me. :) It's rendering right now. I hope it sounds ok. :) I'll have to listen as soon as it's done! :)

Have a great night and Happy Knitting and Spinning! Don't forget to love on your pups!!

New Episode!!

I just uploaded a new episode of Barknknit Podcast. If you ever wondered what Special K sounded like or how he feels about my knitting and dogs, I'd recommend you listen to the new episode. I sit him down and interview him. We both had a great time. Check it out.

PS....I'm knitting away on my Bellatrix socks but need to be knitting my test knit. :)

Happy Knitting!!

Catching up!!

This past week has been interesting and I can't believe I haven't written a post in over a week. I think my longest stretch with no post. Well, just to let you know I'm alive and well. I tried to stay away from my computer while on break so I would get out and do more. I spent time at the beach and the pool and enjoyed myself. I knit but not as much as I thought I would.

I did work on my Sock Madness 2 Round 2 socks but didn't make it into round 3. Here's my progress as of the weekend. I've finished both heels and am on the foot. I plan to finish these socks by the end of April. I love the pattern but it's a lot of work. The pattern is called Reversai and it's a reversible sock. The problem with that is there is a TON of purling going on. :) I am enjoying working with the Lorna Laces.
I don't plan to work on anymore of the Sock Madness patterns for now. My next month sock will be the Bellatrix sock from Gigi Silva for the Sock knitters Anonymous group on Ravlery May Sockdown. I already have the yarn picked out and have been waiting to start this pattern. Gigi Silva was the sock designer that passed away in February and she was a wonderful sock designer and started the Socktopia group. She designed the pattern Fawkes that I knit back in November December.

More sock news...I got some sock yarn. My sister Fleas and her family flew out to San Diego to visit my other sister Cris and her husband. I took them to the airport last Tuesday at 4:10 and picked them up late Sunday so she brought me back some gifts. First off was some pretty pretty sock yarn. It's Lana Grossa in this lovely purple. It's soft and beautiful. The other gift not pictured was some wonderful coffee from Panakin. It's one of my favorite coffee places in Encinitas, CA. It's in this old railroad station and they have lovely coffee, tea, and breakfast food. I had my first cup of it this morning and it was delightful.

During my spring break, I spent a lot of time relaxing and doing nothing that I needed to do. I started cleaning one day but only got around to reorganizing my stash. :) I had more yarn that needed to be stashed away so I went to the dollar store and bought more bins and ziploc bagged the yarn. I organized all the bins into sock yarn, scrap yarn, misc yarn, discloth yarn, and fiber. Yes, I have a fiber stash!! Special K thinks it's funny that I call it my stash...he claims it sounds like my drug stash. I have no valid response so if anyone can help me with that one that would be great. hehehe. Here's a picture of my stash....it's not that big....yet. :)
So....my week back at work started and I am tired and not happy I'm back. The only saving grace is that in two weeks I'll be in DC with the 8th graders. I'm excited to go back. Will be my third trip in a year. I went with the class last year and with Special K the week after that. I love the city and all the culture and history we see. I need to plan my travel knitting and make sure what buildings will allow me to bring it and which ones won't.

Well....Monday I got home from work and I was tired and Jack and Abigail were very excited that I was finally home. I went to put my purse and things that were in my hands down...I forgot I had my cup of coffee from the morning that had a little bit of coffee still at the bottom in my hands. I tipped it into my purse and got coffee on everything. It wasn't much but my purse was wet and smelled like coffee. My ipod sock got some on it too so I decided to wash it. Well since I was washing one handmade I figured why not wash all my socks too. So, I got them all out and it was sock washing day! Here's a pictures of them all laid to dry.I still can't believe I've already knit this many socks since I started knitting them last September. My first two pair took me forever. The first pair are for show because the toe didn't hold up and I haven't fixed them. They are all so pretty laying there.

Last night Special K and I went to the home opener at Tropicana...the home of the Rays. I know that they are still the Devil Rays but I swear if you don't notice the Devil Ray on the arm they kind of look like the Sun Rays. :) We had a good time and it was nice to get back to watching some baseball, eating hot dogs, peanuts, and having a cold beer. The Cubbies aren't doing that bad this year. They need to pick it up but they are 4 and 3. We need them to go all the way this year!! Lets go CUBBIES!!

Tonight is knitting night and the plan is to cast on for the Dog Bone Blanket, which I'm doing as a baby blanket for my friend Kelly. There is also a KAL on the Barknknit Podcast Group on Raverly. If you want to join us, please go over and let us know. If you'd like to participate but are not on ravelry, feel free to email me and let me know. :)

Well...hope everyone is well. I'm back and plan to post more and keep you all up to date.

Happy Knitting!!

PS...regular scheduled posts will resume next week.

New and Notable!!

My podcast made it on the New and Notable list on Itunes!! How exciting!! Thank you for those readers who also listen to my podcast. I know that I do repeat things but I am trying to keep things fresh on both. It's been fun.

While talking about my podcast I wanted to mention that I added a donate button on my podcast page. This has been a tough decision. I really don't want people to feel they have to donate but I would like to give the opportunity to those who would like to donate to my podcast. I plan to use any of the money for podcasting supplies. Any donated money will go to buying yarn, needles, pet supplies, or books that I plan to talk about on the podcast. We'll see how it goes.

Well...hope you are having a great day. I'm catching up on all the post that have been waiting around to be shared.

Happy Monday!!!

Thankful Tuesday

Today's Thankful Tuesday is about charities. I think being thankful of life and your opportunities in life makes you want to give and be a part of something that helps others. I wanted to share a couple charity ideas that I'm participating in.

First off there is the Dogs on Thursday Snuggle Project. For the Snuggle Project: Each person who chooses to participate will knit a doggie Snuggle, or blanket and donate it to a local charity of their choice. This project will run from March 6th to the end of April. I had already cast on a snuggle a while ago but never finished it so I am bringing it out of hibernation and plan to finish it before the end of April.

The second charity is Stitch-It Podcast's Charity Blanket. Meghan, the host of Stitch-It is organizing a charity blanket. Each participant will knit 3 inches of the blanket and write their experience, hopes, or a story in a journal and send it to the next participant. In the end the baby blanket will be donated to a charity. I think this is a wonderful idea and am very excited to participate. Her podcast is great and very inspiring for me so please check it out if you haven't.

I hope you enjoy those charities and if you want to join you still can.

I'm also planning on exploring a new Stitch n Bitch tonight at a local yarn store a bit north of where I live. I'm still on the hunt to fondle yarn for my wedding shawl so my friend Sheryl and I are meeting up there and plan to hang out and search for yarn and knit. I think it sounds wonderful. I will let you know in tomorrow's Wedding post if I get something or not.

I'm still waiting for my knitpicks order.

Hope you all are having a wonderful Thankful day!!

Happy Knitting.

Chores, Podcasting, contests, and some knitting!!

I had a pretty good weekend. Saturday was spent doing the chores I've mentioned. It was fun...ummm...yeah fun. :) The dogs and house are clean and laundry is still being done. So it was a productive weekend. We went bowling saturday night. Well, Special K went bowling and I sat and knit while talking to his friends. I actually had a great time.

Today was a great day. I woke up and spent the morning podcasting. There's a new episode up by the way. I talk all about Jackjack's accident and I get really emotional. I realized after I finished there isn't much knitting in the episode but oh well. Hope you guys enjoy it.

The afternoon was spent at Panera knitting with some friends from the SnB. I had a wonderful time and I actually taught someone else how to do something. Big moment for me!! I still feel like such a new knitter that when I can help people it makes my day. We ended up staying for 4 hours. We talked a lot and hatched big plans. hehehe.

Since I got home I've spent some time with Special K because he's not feeling that great today. I cooked dinner and we sat on the porch for a bit in the nice weather. I'm off to get ready for bed and knit a little more. We have standardized testing this week so I'm bringing my knitting with me and plan to knit all morning long.

Hope you guys have a great week.

There's a contest over at NH Knitting Mama's blog. I mentioned her in my last podcast but she has a wonderful etsy site that you should check out and tell her I sent you.

Warmth in the North is also having a contest. Go over and let her know where you would like to visit in Canada and say I sent you.

Dogs on Thursday!!

So, I've had kind of a crazy day that I don't want to talk about but I did want to post up something for Dogs on Thursday. We are having a doggie swap soon so stay tuned.

This week I figured that I'd promote myself and say if you get a chance check out my podcast because I really do talk all about Abby's skin. She's doing pretty good this week. I just haven't had time to record some new video or get some good shots but I'll work on it for next week and I promise I won't self promote again on Dogs on Thursday. :)

Another thing I wanted to mention is that I started a Dogster group for my podcast. If you're on Dogster please join us. If you don't know what dogster.com is...listen to episode 2 of my podcast. hehe.

I'm also making a group in Ravelry. Courtney convinced me to just make one and people will come. If you build it, they will come!! Right?? So, head over and join in. I'm hoping to have some discussions there. :)

Well...I'm off to rest my toe which hurts. I got my stitches out today and when they pulled off the bandage it was black and blue from the whole "stepped on" incident yesterday. I'm also having to have a blood test for my uric acid levels. I might have to go on medication. UGH. We'll see. Well...hope everyone is having a great day!!

Knitting catch up and extra!

I've been doing a lot of knitting this weekend. I actually organized an extra SnB on Sunday because I missed last Wed. due to my foot. Which by the way I got to wear my pedicure sock a bunch because it looked great and kept my foot warm. :) Check it out.
I had a doctor's apt on Friday and he said my toe is heeling really well. We talked a bit about the gout and he said I need to get my uric acid levels tested next time I get a blood test. I got to actually see the toe and let me tell you it was black and blue. I only have 6 stitches which come out this coming Thursday. Go ME!! I already have big plans to start up walking every day with my dogs as soon as I get an ok from the doc. I miss taking them on walks as much as they miss going with me. :) So that's the plan!

As I said in the 2nd episode of my podcast that I had a couple things to finish that were on my needles...well guess what?? I finished them. The first one I finished was my fingerless gloves in the Symmetrical Braided Gauntlet pattern and I used Dream in Color Classy, which is LOVELY!! I'm a big fan of Dream in Color. I had started these as my travel knitting for Thanksgiving and I'm glad they are done. When I was finishing them I realized that it was my sister, Cris' birthday coming up..well..it was last week...and I decided that I should send them to her. She lives in Encinitas, CA and gets cold a lot and I already sent her the hat that I made in this yarn. So...I gave it to my other sister to include in her package. :) So...off they went and hopefully she will like them. Next time I knit this patter which I plan to, I think I will make them longer on both ends. These were my first cable pattern and it was surprisingly easier than I though.

The 2nd thing I finished was Surfer Girls hat and I don't really want to talk about it because again I knit a hat that is too small!! ARG. I showed it to her and she said she is going to give it to her cousin and promise to knit her another one. I have to find a pattern that is for adults and not children. I'm hoping to get on that soon.

Other than that I've been knitting my Rainbow Socks, which have been knitting up great and will take a picture of the first finished one soon and post.

I've also trying to rest my toe more than I have but I am restless and just want to be up and about. I'm paying dearly for it though. My toe gets very sore quickly.

You may also notice there are quite a few new things on the blog lately. Such as a feed for my podcast, more ads and now including ones from Google, and there is a little more info at the end of my posts. ;) I'm testing things out and seeing what I like. Let me know what you think if you get a chance. The ads are there because I'm really just trying to get some more extra money especially some yarn funds. So..we'll see how it goes. Thank you so much for all your support!! You readers and my family and friends are so wonderful and thanks for sticking around and reading and commenting little ole me.

Ok..well, off to put my foot up finally and relax.

Happy Knitting!!

PS...finishing the two on the needles projects means that I can podcast and I have plenty to talk about because we got Abby's skin test back but you'll have to listen to the 3rd episode to hear about it. Ooh I'm bad. :)

Recovery Update!! Thankful Tuesday and Wedding Wednesday!

So, yes I've been a bit quiet for the last couple days. After my toe surgery Friday, that lasted 2 and a half hours longer that originally projected, the recovery process has been interesting. The first two days, while the anesthetic was still in my toe I felt great. We had my sister and nephew over on Saturday for dinner and I was walking around great. Then that night the pain started. It hurt pretty bad. Special K blamed it on my walking around all day. I called the doctor and he said that I had gout in my toe that they removed during surgery and the pain is probably from the inflammation from that. He called in some major anti-inflammatory and I started that. Sunday was rough with my toe. Monday came along and it got even worse. I woke up with a horrible migraine and was puking most the morning which didn't allow me to keep the medication down which made my toe hurt even worse. Special K came home from work and helped me get situated and called the doctor who said that I just had to get through the migraine and get back onto the medications. I pretty much slept all day and ended up taking Tuesday off work as well. Originally I hadn't taken any day off this week but since it was so bad I did.

I'm back at work today, and trying very hard not to walk much and figured I'd throw up a post.

I'm late on the Thankful Tuesday and kind of on time for my Wedding Wednesday post. This week they are going to be one. Special K has been a blessing during this time of recovery. He has taken care of me hand and "toe." He has left work for me and been there for me when I needed him. I'm thankful that he is in my life and excited that he will be my husband. Since my recovery we haven't really done any wedding planning and will get back to it soon.

I watched a lot of We channel this weekend and saw a bunch of wedding shows. I realized what I like and what I think it unnecessary for my wedding. I know this is kind of lame post for two of my weekly posts but will all that has been going on it's what it is.

Last but not least. THANK YOU to all those who have entered my Valentine's Day contest. It has been so wonderful. I have loved reading all the stories and surprised at the response. There are over 70 people so far who have entered!! Amazing!! Thank you again. I will be picking a winner...maybe two since there was such a response, on Thursday. Sorry I haven't posted pictures of the prizes yet. Honestly today is the first day I've driven since Thursday so I haven't made it to buy anything yet.

Hope you are all doing great. Thank you also for those who listened to my second podcast. :)

Happy Knitting

My Big Announcement!!

My secret project that I've been working on is a podcast!! I'm pretty excited to start this. It's going to be very conversational, with stories, technique, reviews and hopefully some interviews. BarknKnit podcast is going to be about doggies and knitting!! I hope you all go check it out. I know listening to podcasts isn't for everyone but if you get a chance go listen. The first episode is kind of rough but I had so much fun doing it!!



Go check it out and let me know what you think!! Any suggestions would be great. I also created a basic web site to link everything together. So please check out www.barknknit.com too. :)

Hope everyone is doing good. I'm off to do after care and then I have my friend's father's memorial. I'll check back later tonight.

Happy Listening and Knitting!!