Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Giveaway: Menorca Crochet Bag Kit from We Are Knitters

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we are knitters giveawayWe’re all about multi-crafting here at Craft Gossip, and though their name is We Are Knitters, this yarn and pattern company is all about knitting and crochet.

They recently launched a collection of crocheted bags for summer, and offered a kit as a giveaway.

The Menorca Bag is worked in a solid color of their fabric yarn and is rated easy. It’s a perfect beach (or market) bag and a great way to build your crochet skills if you don’t already have them.

And don’t worry, exclusive knitters, we’ll have a giveaway just for you soon, too.

To enter this contest, instead of leaving a comment here, please enter on this page. The contest runs through June 1, and there will be one winner.

I’d love to know if you enter, though, so come leave a comment here, too, if you like.

Thanks for visiting and good luck! Looking for more patterns? Check these market bag patterns out on Etsy.

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Comments

  2. the link doesn’t work in Google Chrome… fill in the information and the screen turns black.. no entry confirmation. I notice there are only two people entered, so it is probably not working for others too.

  3. It looks like it’s Facebook only giveaway. you have to sign in there first then enter using the form.

  5. You should state that it is a facebook only giveaway. I am not on facebook so I can not access the entry form. When I first clicked the link, the entry form appears and is quickly covered up by the facebook login form. Guess us regular people are out of luck.

  6. This is a case where the company doing the giveaway picked how they wanted it to be conducted, so I don’t really have any control over how they collect entries. So sorry it’s been difficult/impossible for some!

  8. what a shame it is FB only – and doesn’t say so on the entry form… well I guess I will opt out of getting all of their emails too, since my business doesn’t matter to them!

Have you read?

Book Review: No Fear Sock Knitting

I feel like when it comes to things that people are afraid to knit, socks probably top the list. I’ve heard people say they would never knit socks because they look too hard, but really you just need to know a few basic things (and trust the pattern even though it sounds wrong the first time you do it) to master socks. 

Denise DeSantis aims to take the worry out of knitting socks with No Fear Sock Knitting. Based on a class on her YouTube channel, it includes all the basic information you need to make sock knitting feel easier, along with eight patterns for both top down and toe up socks. 

The book generally covers types of needles and yarn you might use to knit socks, as well as other supplies you will need. It looks at the parts of the sock, different knitting needle configurations used to knit socks, how to read a pattern (including abbreviations and terms you might find in sock patterns), discussion of ease, how to measure your foot and choosing the correct size to knit.

It includes two options each for casting on cuff down and toe up socks, as well as four options for cuff treatment. It explores the heel flap and turn method for top down and toe up socks, as well as short row heels using a shadow wrap (worked with a leg from the stitch below) and a square heel. There’s a discussion of avoiding holes and fixing other problems in heels.

Likewise with toes there are several options, including a wedge toe, round toe and anatomical toe (different on each foot) for both cuff down and toe up socks. There are also tutorials for grafting and Jeny’s surprisingly stretchy bind off, depending on which direction you’re going. There’s also a tips section that covers things like avoiding ladders, changing colors. matching stripes and more. 

After all that preparation, there are eight patterns to choose from: short socks worked from the top down that are a perfect first-sock sock, a basic ankle-length toe-up sock, a DK weight sock worked from the top down with different length options, a “vanilla” sock with a short row heel worked top down, an ankle sock with a garter stitch cuff, one with a leg worked in alternating colors with a contrasting heel and toe, a sock worked in a helical stripe pattern and a striped sock with a garter stitch heel. 

Three of the patterns are rated at skill level two on a scale of three, while the rest are level one. They’re all pretty straightforward, they just use different techniques you might not have tried before. Since only one is made to be toe up, there are also tips for converting the other patterns to toe up if you’d rather work that way. Each pattern includes three size options. 

This book is a nice introduction to sock knitting, with lots of techniques to reference and simple patterns to take the fear out of the process. I’m not sure these are patterns you’ll come back to time and again but they are a good place to start if you’ve never knit socks before. 

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 8 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.