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Join Me for a Giveaway of Olympic Proportions!

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olympic giveaway craft gossipI’ve been hinting at something special happening in conjunction with the Olympics, and now that the opening ceremonies are just a day away I can share with you what I’m planning. I really wanted to do something special to celebrate joining the Craft Gossip team as well as celebrating the Olympics.

The Games are such a fun event, bringing people from around the world to their television sets to watch great feats of sport (and, let’s hope, sportsmanship) and enjoy a moment of togetherness and commonality it’s rare to feel these days.

Odds are good, despite the recent unpleasantness, that a lot of knitters around the world will be watching the Games, and many of us will be knitting while we do. I know I’m going to be working on a bunch of projects for my book, and I hope the dedicated TV time will keep me on track (grin) to finish a few things.

So, on to the fun stuff: the giveaways! Starting tomorrow, and continuing each day through the Olympics (that’s through August 12) I’ll be giving something away — a book, magazine, yarn, I don’t know what all yet.

What I do know is they’ll be one giveaway a day and it will last a day. You’ll enter by posing a comment on that day’s post; the winner will be chosen at random. You’ll have to comment on each giveaway to be entered, so come back every day to see what’s on offer. And winning one giveaway won’t make you ineligible to win future giveaways, so keep coming back and enter as many as you like.

Because of that I’ll wait until the Olympics are over and all the winners have been notified to mail the goodies.

I’m really excited both to clean out some of my stash and to share some knitting goodies with you. Who’s ready to win some free stuff? I’ll see you tomorrow with the first giveaway!

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Comments

  1. Hooray for the US and all the families, friends and fans that encourage the players. Woot woot. I’m in!

Have you read?

Knit a Spiky Balaclava

Not too long ago my daughter and I had a discussion about what a chestnut really looks like. The nut itself is small and brown, of course, but on the tree they’re covered with this weird kind of spiky, kind of fuzzy shell. It’s a wonder anyone ever figured out they were edible.

If you didn’t know that, you might wonder why this project is call Chestnut balaclava, but now you know.

This fun design from Yevheniia Pyroh is covered with spikes just like a chestnut shell, and is even the same color, though of course you can make yours whatever color you like. It uses two strands of fingering weight yarn held together (which it says is fingering weight but you could try a light/DK yarn and see if you get gauge with it if you’d rather).

There are two different design options in the pattern. One is a more fitted balaclava style hat (it doesn’t cover the face but does go around the neck) and a looser fit hood.

It’s worked primarily in garter stitch, with shaping done by knitting and purling in the same stitch and through various decreases (including a knit 3 together).

The pattern is charted but also explained in words. It’s worked flat to the size you want, and then joined into a hood shape with ribbing at the neck. The opening for the face is finished with I-cord.

This hood/balaclava would definitely be a conversation starter and in different colors it might read more dinosaur than chestnut, which could also be fun. The sizing is totally custom so you can make it fit whatever head you’re stitching for.

If you want to try it for yourself (and I’d love to hear about it if you do!) you can download the free pattern from Ravelry.

[Photo: Yevheniia Pyroh]

Balaclava Knitting Patterns

Colorwork Balaclava Knitting Pattern [Knitting]