FO alert: Brickless for Stash

St. Petersburg, FL recently got a new yarn shop Stash - A place for Yarn!  It's so very exciting because we haven't had an LYS for a while now.  The closest yarn shops were across bridges or at least a 30-45 min drive.  This new yarn store is only 10-15 mins from both my work and home...can't really beat that! 

Kristin, the shop owner, asked me to knit a sample for the shop as she was preparing to open.  I was more than eager to step up to the challenge.  She handed me this beautiful skein of Malabrigo Sock in the archangel colorway.  I had never used Malabrigo sock but have wanted to for sometime.  Picking the pattern was not hard as I have been wanting to knit a Martina Behm pattern and the sock yarn screamed that it needed to be a Brickless. So here it is all set up in the shop and looking so beautiful! 

Project details
Pattern: Brickless by Martina Behm
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Sock colorway Archangel
Cast on: July 1, 2014
Finished: July 14, 2014

Notes: The yarn knit up so nicely and the pattern is so well written.  I had several long drives when we went out of town for a weekend and some low key evening knitting time so this knit up very quickly.  Since it's a shop sample, I don't get to keep it so another one of these will be on my needles soon.

If you find yourself visiting St. Pete, FL anytime soon, check out our new LYS Stash - A place for yarn downtown and check this beauty out for yourself.  Let her know Barknknit sent you!

Happy Knitting!

What are you knitting?  What is your latest finished object?

Knitting: Pretty in Pink

I am SO very excited to share these pictures with you!  This weekend was the Fiber Arts Show at the gallery up in OH!  My friend was able to pick up the wedding shawl I knit for my SIL for the show!  While she had it, she took some amazing pictures for me of it!  I never got a chance to get good ones so I'm excited to share these with you! If you look at the close up shot, you can see the beads in the edging.  I love how subtle they are!

This shawl was knit using Juniper Moon Farm Findley in Pink and the pattern is the Haruni Shawl by Emily Ross.  I love this pattern and the yarn...can I just say the 50/50 merino/silk has a lovely ply and is delightful to knit with!!  I want more of this in my stash!! I really love how delicate this piece came out!  It's nice and light and flowy, which is exactly how I had envisioned it.  If only I was more confident of my skills for my wedding shawl, but my wedding shawl was the first lace item I ever knit!

The show this weekend went great!  I am so bummed I couldn't be there but glad it was a success! I didn't sell any of the items that were for sale but Lish said that I could have sold the wedding shawls and Spectra a couple times over. :)  I just couldn't part with them!  She also said that the Calligraphy Cardigan out of my hand spun was a topic of conversation on several occasions and several people asked how much it would sell for.  I couldn't even put a price on it as it's just my favorite item I have ever created!  I had Lish keep all the items I knit for sale in the shop and hope to knit up some more to send her before the holidays!  Here are some pictures of my stuff on display!

The shawls on the right are my SIL and my wedding shawls and then 2 of the items on the left are my handknits.

The Maroon Cardigan and scarf up front are my hand knits.

Hope you enjoyed the round up of all things knit.  I have some fun posts coming this week but I just haven't had time with all the unpacking and cleaning to get the pictures I want for them!  I will try tonight!

Happy Knitting!!!!

FO Friday: And they're off!

I may or may not have mentioned that I'm participating in a Fiber Arts Show up in OH.  Well, my hand knits are participating since we had to cancel our trip because of our move.

The Fiber Arts show is being held at the Main Street Gallery in Toronto, OH.  I was introduced to the shop by a fellow knitter friend, who's boyfriend owns the gallery.  Lish grew up with my husband and she found out through my MIL's husband that I am a knitter and the rest is history!  The last several times we've visited OH, I've planned a meet up with her.  We've gone to a yarn store and then last time we did a knit meet up at the gallery!  It was awesome!  She's amazingly creative and doesn't really give herself enough credit for her talent.  I've been pushing her to expand her comfort zone since I met her.  Wish we lived closer so we could hang out more.

When we first started planning this Fiber Art Show, I was planning to be up there for the opening party and the weekend.  As you all know, we found a house and are moving this weekend and need to be out of our house by next Saturday at the very latest.  We also need to be saving every penny for the down payment on the house and all renovations we have planned once we own it.  That meant that any and all unnecessary expenses had to be cancelled and stopped.  The trip was the first thing that got cancelled as much as we were looking forward to seeing family and being at the show.

Back to the topic of FOs, I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to send to display and what I wanted to knit to sell.  At first I was actually contemplating selling a couple of the finished objects I had already knit for myself but then I ended up having a hard time letting them go.  I did look through my stash of handspun and found some amazing things I've spun and decided that I would knit them up into things I could sell.  The picture below shows the items I'm sending to sell.  The top 2 are seed stitch infinity scarfs.  The bottom left is a drop-stitch infinity scarf that was inspired by one of Tinyants FOs.  The bottom left also inspired by tinyant is a buttoned cowl.  These four items will be for sale at the show.

The items that will be on display are the wedding shawl that I knit for my SIL.  I don't have any great pictures of it but here is what I do have.

Then I also sent my wedding shawl(bottom right), a pair of Bellatrix socks I recently finished, and my Spectra scarf(top right)!

My handspun, hand dyed, hand knit Calligraphy Cardigan...The most prized item that I'm sending is only being sent because Lish sort of pressured me into sending it. (She was right to do so) I think this was the hardest to let go even though I'll only be away from it for about a month or 2 it was still sad to put it in the box to ship.  I'm not sure if I have expressed how much I LOVE this thing!  It's the first large item that I have done start to finish!  Before I took it home to wash, block, and ship, I had been wearing it EVERY day at work with occasional trips home for a wash.  Didn't matter if it matched or not, I was wearing it. :)  Lish promised to guard it carefully and also to get it back to me safely.  What is so funny is that I asked her if she had tried it on and she said it was the first thing she did when she opened the box!  She asked me how did I know and I said it would have been the first thing I would have done! :) hehe!

 So, the box has already been shipped and arrived safely to Lish's house.  I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of how it all looks in the gallery and hearing how the show goes!  Hopefully this will be the first of many shows at the gallery and that I get to send more stuff to display.  Lish has also been hoping it inspires more people to learn to knit up there.

If you live near Toronto, OH, please stop by the gallery next weekend to check out my stuff and some of Lish's awesome knits as well!  I know there will be several other artists submitting items to display and sell.  Details of the show can be found on their facebook page.

Happy Knitting!! 

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

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.

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

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.

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!