Caron Yarn Giveaway!

Get Your FREE Skein of NaturallyCaron.com Country yarn!

Go directly to Caron’s site, here: http://www.caron.com/free_sample.html to find out how to get your free yarn.

Gotta go…. got knittin’ to do!

Turn a plain knit garment into a stylish garment, easily, quickly and with flair with 150 stitch patterns.

Do you take your inspiration from a berry bush? A picket fence? A river lazily crawling through a valley, a hedge maze? No matter where you find your ideas, Knit Edgings and Trims will help you finish them off.  Picots, appliques and braids. Fringe, tassels and eyelets. They’re all here. This is an indispensible resource, and… the best part is….I have a copy to giveaway. Or, you can get it straight from Interweave: http://www.interweavestore.com/Knitting/Books/Knit-Edgings-Trims.html

Let see, what would the criteria be. First of all, we’ll run this giveaway until the end of November. (by that time I’ll be off of the big boat and back at work). But, I also need your ideas. Recently I made a valiant effort. Valiant! Trust me, it was noble. I however did not succeed. You see, I have a collection. Gasp. Yes, a collection. I collect knitting needles and seem to have amassed a number of circular needles that when strung all together could stretch quite far. But, I have no way of storing them. How do you store your circs? What are your favorite ways of taming these unruly masses? (bonus points for handmade ideas).

Ready… set…. Go (oh, and don’t forget, this book comes from a NON pet-free home).

Join knitting expert Eunny Jang, crochet ace Kim Werker, spinning and weaving fiberista Liz Gipson, and favorite stitcher Shay Pendray on Knitting Daily Series 300, where yarn and fiber take center stage.

Featured Knitting Daily Season 300 guests include Halcyon Blake, Laura Bryant, Dawn Butler, Jil Eaton, Kathy Elkins, Abby Franquemont, Mary Scott Huff, Adina Klein, Barry Klein, Kelly Lealos, Beth Lutz, Kathy Merrick, Lisa Myers, Shirley Paden, Kristen Rengren, Iris Schreier, Penny Sitler, Becca Smith, Andrea Wong, and Kathy Zimmerman. Learn a variety of cast-on methods, the basics for managing your yarns in colorwork, how to knit jogless stripes in the round, tips on becoming a designer, and more.

4-DVD Set. Total run time is approximately 5 hours, 48 minutes. This DVD Set is for your private home viewing only. It is not authorized for other use. Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

Go here for more info on this DVD series: http://www.interweavestore.com/Knitting/Video/Knitting-Daily-TV-Series-300.html

But, if you want to win one free, you’re going to have to put on your knitting, I mean thinking caps!

I want to know this: What would you like to see more of in this blog? I try to give you lots of free patterns, book reviews and website ideas. What do you want more of? Let me know how to make this a better blog and maybe you’ll be the one to win this awesome series!

Entries will be accepted until Friday Nov 13th, 5PM EST.

You can get it from Interweave, here: http://www.interweavestore.com/Knitting/Books/Boutique-Knits.html

Or, leave me a comment telling me about your knitting blog (or your favorite blog if you don’t have your own) and maybe win this book free! As usual, I’ll try to get my puppy to wake up long enough to pick the winner!

Boutique Knits includes:

• Patterns that cover a variety of knitting techniques in varying degrees, including felting, intarsia, Fair Isle, lacework, and cables
• Advice on incorporating non-knitting tools and techniques to transform your knitting to achieve that one-of-a-kind boutique feel: pliers, hammers, a sewing machine, use of millinery techniques, and handsewing techniques.
• Unique adornment inspiration, such as buckles and bolts borrowed from leatherwork close an intricately cabled belt, a chain handle finishes a felted bag with circle pockets, leather lacing dresses up a knitted bag, and grommets finish a half-felted handbag.
• Inspiration from vintage lace, beads, ribbon, and fabric-covered buttons!
• Knitting and felting techniques to create effects like ruffles, shibori-style pleats, and clever shaping.
• And more!

This collection of modern, stylish patterns will inspire beginning and intermediate knitters with its uncommon techniques and materials. Transform your knitting with Boutique Knits!

Anyway, that’s the story of how my puppy picks these winners. Sometimes he’s asleep and I have to do all the work though.

Congrats, Turtle, you can read her blog, here:  http://turtleslakeknitting.blogspot.com/

• Understanding Fibers: Compare the rich historic traditions of plant and animal fibers with the fascinating scientific advances in synthesizing fibers.
• Managing Yarn Structure: step-by-step instructions and photographs demonstrate the range of possibilities in yarn, from sturdy plied yarns to playful novelty yarns.
• Practical Uses: learn how to make yarns that precisely match your needs with decision making and planning to create the exact project you want from the beginning.

The Intentional Spinner also includes four projects that demonstrate how handspun can be used in weaving and knitting. The projects explain how to choose material, techniques, and finish the processes.

Blending technical expertise and fascinating lore, The Intentional Spinner is a must-read for every spinner.

Who wants this book? I’ve got one copy to give away, leave a comment telling me why you wanted to start spinning!

Next giveaway coming up…….

Muhahahahah, my little robots…..

This book is awesome, classic. 19 innovative to traditional designs with simple knitting techniques.

16 renowned knitwear designers have contributed to this collection which features easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and material lists for all 19 patterns, ranging from pullovers, cardigans, vests, skirts, wraps and more.

And the best part yet, this copy is free, to the first person to guess what number I’m thinking….

Ready… Set…. Go!

Thanks for playing, and if you’ve missed it, we have another giveaway going on. Just go to the “Thinking Outside The…. Hat” post and answer the question asked in that post. And.. thanks for playing!

Here’s the deal. One of my daughters found a sweater she wanted me to knit for her in one of the recent Interweave magazines. She wants it a “bluey-charcoaley” (yes, her terms) color. I didn’t have enough of any blue, or charcoal in my stash but you know what I do have enough of? Off white 100% alpaca in a sport weight. Perfect. Not only do I not have to buy yarn for this project but I get to learn about dyeing yarn also. So.

Any advice on dyeing alpaca??? Leave me a comment, and then…

As a giveaway, I’ve come across a copy of Hat Heads, by Trond Anfinnsen, aka KnitKid. The subtitle of this book is 1 Man + 2 Knitting Needles = 50 Fun Hat Designs.

And these are fun. Colors, Solids and Patterns. Designs, motifs and words. Yes, words! Knitted into the hats. Too cool.  And, to top it off, you get tips for designing your own one-of-a-kind hat in case you don’t like any that are featured. But come on, there are 50 hats to choose from! Even green ones!

This book combines one knitter, one photographer, and 800 hours of knitting! `Trond also shares another sort of warmth, with stories of the family, friends, and neighbors who inspired these 50 favorite hats.

Need some quick gifts? Hats are quick, easy, fun and well, easy and fun! Give it a try, but don’t forget to help me out with my “Dyeing of the Alpaca” project!

Fair Isle, intarsia and slip stitch, or use a combination, this book will encourage you to create your own masterpieces. A Design Notebook chapter details the fundamental ways to incorporate color into knitting. Clear explanations and helpful tips for the most frequently used c0lorwork techniques.

Even if you’re a beginning knitter, this book shows easy ways to achieve colorful effects in your knitting.

Go here to order: http://www.interweavestore.com/Knitting/Books/Color-Style.html

What? You want it free? Ok! I can do that! I have one copy to give away. Let’s go with a randomly picked (by my puppy, of course) comment about your experiences with using color in your knitting!

Perfect for that one skein that has lost it’s mate.

Perfect for gift giving.

And now it can be yours! One Ball Knits – Purses by Fatema, Khadija, and Hajera Habibur-Rahman. This book features handbags, totes, clutches, satchels, and more, all from just one ball of yarn. Organized by season, you’ll find designs that complement all of your personal styles.

So, leave me a comment telling me what you’d do with just one skein or one ball of yarn!

Why aren’t I going? I’m a professed addicted sock knitter. Well, for one thing, I’m also a farmer. I also live in Michigan. You do the math. Even if the money were there, the critters demand to be fed twice a day. So, no sock summit for me, at least not this year.

So, I loved all of the horror stories about your socks, sure made me feel better about my “less than perfect” socks. Here’s my horror story: I knit a pair of socks out of Flat Foot Yarn by Conjoined Creations. Hated the colorway, loved the socks when they were done, however, I experimented. The first sock I used a pattern that I came  across, nothing special, just liked it, it was a toe up so what the heck. It came out ok, really, it looked good. Next sock, I found another toe up pattern (which has now become my default standard pattern) and knitted according to that. It fit. It was gorgeous, not just nice, but awesome. So where’s the horror in that? These 2 socks do not match. At all. I’m not talking color, or splotchiness, I’m talking about that sock 1 fit until I tried on sock 2. The the first sock became something more of the “green giant” variety. It was huge, and long and it fit fine until I tried on the other. So, there, now the whole world knows!

Tell me your horror stories, it might get you a book!

In your comment, tell me about your lace knitting!

Join the domino craze with Knit to Be Square! Vivian Høxbro shows you how to combine modular squares into blocks of varying sizes that become the base for a variety of eye-catching two- and three-dimensional projects. Combine these geometric patterns with felting and you get gorgeous results!

Now for the criteria…. you good knitters turned me on to a sock pattern that not only can I live with, but I actually really like! Yay! I’m a sock knitter now!

So, how about making me a lace knitter too! Tell me about your favorite lace patterns and why you like them!

Plus.. there will be a surprise in the box along with this book….