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Giveaway: Knitting on Top of the World

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Win a paperback copy of Nicky Epstein's Knitting on top of the world.

Congratulations to winner Debby!

Nicky Epstein’s Knitting on Top of the World is a really fun book, chock full of 50 designs inspired by knitwear and other traditions from around the world.

For example (opening to some pages randomly) an entrelac wrap inspired by strolls in Paris, a Fair Isle and diamond brocade cardigan, a super fancy Aran sweater (that’s it there on the newly designed cover for the paperback edition), a capelet that looks like giant versions of tams sewn together, a flower-covered pullover inspired by Spain, and a lace scarf fir for a Shanghai garden.

I started knitting the dragon from this book a long time ago. Never finished it, but maybe I will now that I’m thinking about it again.

This week I have a copy of the paperback version of this book to give away. One winner will be chosen at random from the people who leave comments on the post before the end of the day Sunday, October 19.

Why don’t you tell me where your dream vacation would take you? I would love to go to the Mediterranean!

Thanks for visiting, sharing and commenting and good luck!

Looking for knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Looking for pullover and sweater patterns? Check these books out.

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Comments

  2. I want to go to the U.K. I want to see the broad northlands, Dartmoor ponies, Exmoor, the ancient Roman roads, so many places!

  7. I would love to revisit Australia, I visited quite a few years ago when my sister lived there, and I think i may have left a part of me behind. And not just the blood that the mosquitoes had out of me either!

  8. Well so many places to go but I think Peru. Visit the ancient ruins, and get some beautiful yarn!

  9. I would love to go to Provence in France..and the Alps.. and Italy…Switzerland; it’s a big world!

  13. I would love to see Egypt or India. And I love Nicky Epstein’s designs. Maybe I could talk her into going with me so we could get inspired together. 🙂

  14. My dream vacation would be Great Britain. I’d love to see all of the castles, historic sites, and the Harry Potter studio.

  23. It’s Scotland for me! It doesn’t matter what season, what time of year, I’d like to spend weeks (or months) there seeing absolutely everything.

    This looks like a fun book — thanks so much for the chance to win. 🙂

  25. I would love to go to Italy, and specifically to Rome. Thanks for the question, and for the great giveaway. I would love to win this book- Nicky Epstein is awesome! Thanks

  26. My dream vacation would be to go to the Galapagos Islands to see all the different wildlife there. I bet I could come home with fabulous photos. And I could probably do some fantastic scuba diving there.

  29. Have to say my dream vacation would take me many places – on a cruise ship to Tahiti , Fiji , all around Polynesia .

  31. I would love to go to Spain. We hosted a student from there so I would love to go see her and meet her family. I would also like to check out their yarn, she gave me a book with really interesting knitting patterns.

  33. Do I have to just pick one? Hmmm….I love going to Hawaii, so that’s always up there. Europe, the UK, and South America would be great too.

  38. My dream vacation would be to Ireland where I could visit all the yarn shops and talk with all the local knitters who knit the beautiful fishermens knit sweaters. I would see all the awesome castles and fantastic green countryside dotted with herds of sheep!

  39. Definitely the Mediterranean, it has always been on my bucket list! I’d like to start in Spain and end up in Greece or Turkey, maybe even make my way over to Israel. 🙂

  42. Glacier Bay, Alaska has always fascinated me. And it will be a great place to wear my handknits! Thanks for another generous giveaway.

  44. I would love to go on a yarn tour type of vacation. Explore new places and enjoy all sorts of yarn as I go along. Heaven!

  46. My dream vacation is an Ireland/Scotland road trip where I get to stay in rustic lodgings and pretend I’m in a historical romance novel 😉 Thank you for the giveaway!

  47. I have a good friend who lives in Germany and has traveled to the US to visit me a few times already. My dream would be to visit her in Germany and explore the countryside!

Have you read?

Yarn Cozy Knitting Patterns

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a yarn cozy or yarn ball holder on the circular knitting machine, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. In the meantime, here are some yarn cozy knitting patterns you can make with knitting needles. Use yarn to hold you yarn!

In its simplest form, a yarn cozy is just a sleeve or a little basket that holds your yarn when you’re working with a center-pull ball so it doesn’t fall apart when you knit. The easiest ones I could find are from Love in Stitches KN, which has a regular size and a mini size. They’re worked with sock yarn and there are options for making them with ribbing, faux cables and with self-striping yarn.

For bigger cakes there’s a project called We call it the “bail holder” from Nicole LeBlanc. This pattern is available on Ravelry and you can use any yarn and make it any size you like. It features an I-cord edging that has a loop in it so you can thread they yarn through the loop to keep it extra contained as you knit.

Another large one that has a slightly fancier pattern is this one by Mareike Meye. You can use any yarn and any gauge, and slip stitch pattern worked in different colors on the sides makes it a little more fun and uses a bit more stash. A strap buttons across the top to hold the ball in place and you can add a buttonhole to the middle of the strap to thread the yarn through. Check this one out on Ravelry.

Adding lace to a yarn cozy makes it fit a wider variety of balls and expand or shrink a bit as needed. Jennifer Sugarman’s Ball Sack uses sock yarn and is made to hold sock yarn. It has the option of making I-cord or using ribbon or cord you already have to make a drawstring at the top. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

Another lacy option is the yarn ball holder from Frugal Knitting Haus. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has an easy mesh lace pattern and an I-cord drawstring that’s sewn together at the ends so you could loop it over your wrist while you knit if you like. This pattern is also on Ravelry.

Speaking of wrist yarn holders, I also found this one form Knituition. This one uses sport weight yarn and has a spiral rib pattern on the body. The strap is attached to the bag with D-rings, or you could make it a little longer and just sew it into the bag.