Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Well, no chicken dinner really, but I'd like to announce the random winner of November Knits! Kimber says, "Besides loving being able to bundle up in cozy knits and sweatshirts November has all the best stuff going on. We get to spend time with family, we focus on each other and making the holidays a fun time. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved when the days get dark early because its and excuse to have the fireplace going, and it makes and ordinary trip out for the most mundane Magical with twinkling lights and all the bustling people in the shops. living in New England I get to feel like I’m stepping into a Rockwell painting just going out to the town store for milk. So, it certainly is wonderful to do my part by knitting comfy and gorgeous things to wear- being a knitter is the best of both the crafty and the fashion worlds."

As soon as this giant storm passes over, I'll pop over to the Post Office with your book!

Congratulations and thanks to all who entered...

Stay tuned for another new free pattern on the blog Thursday, November 1st and lots more yarn and book giveaways coming soon.

Stay safe and dry everyone!

November Knits & Giveaway!

I'm a big fan of Kelbourne Woolens. While I adore all their yarns (and used their yummy Savannah in my first book, Knit Local with Kate's hat design on the cover), I think what I like about them most is Kate and Courtney, the two wonderful and charismatic ladies who run the company. I was lucky enough to get to work with them during my time at Vogue Knitting as the Yarn Editor where I got to know them. I always made a point to stop by and say hello at TNNA and other yarny events  because I genuinely enjoy their company. When they come to the DC area for events at Fibre Space, I try to run down and see them, the same when we visit Philly. What can I say? Two good eggs, those two, both fantastic moms and wonderful knitters.

I was super excited when Vintage Modern Knits came out and hightailed it to my LYS to get a copy. When Courtney and Kate decided to do another book, November Knits, I was tickled when they asked me to be part of it. I knew without question that it would be another great read with good patterns. I was in.

Let me introduce you to the Market Jacket. You've heard it from me a million times before... I love a good 3/4 sleeved, top-down raglan cardi. I love cables and lace and I love good American yarn. I was happy to receive Green Mountain Spinnery's (also used in Knit Local) Mountain Mohair, a nice blend of 70% wool and 30% mohair in a beautiful golden color that screamed autumn. My description of the cardi reads: "This cardigan brings back memories of cold autumn and early winter afternoons spent hiking in the White Mountains of New England while I was growing up. I pushed my sleeves so I could grab interesting leaves, rocks, and berries to show my dad. The three-quarter-length sleeves in this coat leave your arms and hands free to explore, while the wool/ mohair blend provides warmth. The cable-and-lace pattern reminds me of the vegetation on the forest floor, and the heathered yarn, with its golds, reds, and oranges, evokes the colors of changing leaves." I found some awesome wooden buttons on Etsy made from small tree branches from a farm that only harvests from fallen trees to complete the look.

You can find the book on Interweave's website here or on Amazon here. You'll no doubt be able to find it at your LYS (local yarn shop) as well.

Now for the fun part! Kate and Courtney sent an extra copy of the book to give away here on the blog. Leave a comment here on this post about what you love most about November. Make sure your Ravelry name is there or your email address. A winner will be chosen on Monday, the 29th.

Happy autumn!

We Have A Winner + (Another) Contest!

Congratulations to random winner Kathleen who won the sock book giveaway! Kathleen said,

I would love to win this book, as I have oodles of sock yarn and haven’t felt like knitting socks in about 2 years!

Perfect! I'm not a huge fan of knitting socks either but I do love sock yarn!

There's another book giveaway coming Thursday, dear readers, so be sure to check back. It's a good one!

Sock Yarn Studio Book Giveaway!

I love a good book giveaway, don't you, dear readers?

A while back, Carol Sulcoski asked me to be part of her upcoming book, Sock Yarn Studio. I loved the concept... A book using all sock yarn but with no actual sock patterns. I, like many knitters, have an impressive sock yarn stash, but here's a deep, dark knitting secret... I'm not a huge fan of sock knitting. I only knit them for my mom and even then I'm not super thrilled about it. However, I LOVE sock yarn! Most of my shawls are knit in sock yarn and many of my accessories. I also find a beautiful hank of hand dyed sock yarn to be an ideal gift for a fellow knitter.

I worked with Carol when I worked at Vogue Knitting and always loved her designs and spunk. Carol is an attorney turned fiber artist and has a great blog here and dyes insanely gorgeous yarn under the name Black Bunny Fibers.

Without hesitation I agreed to be part of Carol's book and was thrilled  a couple of weeks ago when the finished book landed in my mailbox. The book is organized by 1, 2 or multi-hank projects, all in sock yarn but no socks. There's some interesting tips on how to avoid pooling, how to knit "faux isle" (more about that in a second) and features an impressive cast of designers.

I knew immediately that I wanted to do a project showcasing faux isle. Faux isle is a great trick, especially if you have a crazy hank of sock yarn and you're not sure what to do with it. Mix it with a solid (black or white is always a good option) and it always looks like you used many more colors than you actually did. The end result? My Fair Isle Peacock Hat knit with 1 hank of Louet Gems Fingering (black) and 1 ball of Skacel's Zauerball (the pinks and reds). On a side note, I love, love, love Zauerball. If you've never heard of it or knit with it, get a ball and have a blast. It's like a party in a ball.

See what I mean? I nice pink and red variegated combined with a solid black looks like I used way more yarn than I actually did. Genius! As always, this projects has many things I love in my knitting, corrugated ribbing, birds, fair isle and bright, popping colors.

This book has 26 great sock yarn patterns (no socks!) and lots of helpful and interesting info on sock yarn. If you're like me and have an impressive sock yarn stash and knit very few pairs of actual socks, this is a book for you. And good news! I'm giving away a free copy! Leave a comment here on the blog about what your favorite non-sock pattern to knit with sock yarn is and a winner will be chosen at random on Thursday evening, October 18. Make sure you leave your Ravelry name or email so I can contact you.

Happy non-sock knitting with sock yarn!