Contest Idea Contest Winner!!!!!

When I announced my "What Kind of Contest Should I Have" Contest you may have noticed I told you how to enter and what the prize would be.  But I didn't say how the winner would be chosen.  My first thought was that the person who left the best suggestion would win.  Would that work?  Would I be able to pick a Best Suggestion??

Nope.  There were so many great suggestions, how am I supposed to decide which one is best?  Well, I'm not.  I'm going take the easy way out and let the Random Number Generator pick a winner.  So, without further ado, the winner is . . . .

Kitten With A Whiplash!!!!

Congratulations, Kitten!!  Please e-mail me and let me know if you'd rather have the sock yarn or the gift card.

Don't worry, now that I have all of these great contest ideas, I just may be having a few more contests on this little old blog.  Stay tuned . . .

What were you doing four years ago today???

Can you remember?  I can.  I was writing my very first blog post!!  Wow!

Four years. 493 posts.  Over 120 finished projects.  30 pairs of socks.  Dozens and dozens of wonderful bloggy pals.  Lots and lots of comments, which I treasure more than you know.  And way too much yarn to count!!

It feels like we should have a contest, doesn't it?  What kind of contest should we have?  Hmmm, I don't know.  How about just that?  Okay, announcing the . . .

"WHAT KIND OF CONTEST SHOULD I HAVE" CONTEST!!!

To enter, leave me a comment with a great idea for a contest.  How would winners be chosen?  What would the prize be?  You have until midnight on Monday, August 17th to leave your contest idea in the comments.  The winner can choose either a skein of sock yarn from my LYS in the color family of your choice or a $20 gift card to your favorite yarny web-site.

Get those creative contest juices flowing!!

Contest Alert!!!!

We interrupt this blog silence (oh inspiration, why do you always leave me during the summer??) . . . ahem, anyway . . . We interrupt this blog silence to bring you this awesome contest alert!!

Marissa over at Living and Knitting on a Maine Island has put together a huge prize pack for her knitterly blogging friends.  And all knit bloggers are friends with each other, right?  So get on over to her contest post to drool over the yarny prizes and pick one, two or even all four easy ways to get yourself entered!

What's better than yarn in the mail?

FREE yarn in the mail, of course!! Last month I entered a little contest over that the KnitPicks blog. It was really quite easy. All I had to do was leave a comment telling them which of three patterns from the Winter Knitty I'd be most interested in knitting. I left my comment and forgot about it - until I received an e-mail informing me that I won!!

Last week, a free sweaters worth of Swish Superwash arrived in my mailbox. As per Heide's request for more pictures of K.C., she helped show off some of the new yarn.  (We didn't open the sealed bag of 10 that I also received.)

This is destined to become Amused by Jordana Paige.

"What are these things?"

"Ooooh, this stuff is soft."

"Please, paparazzi, no more photos today."

"Modeling is very hard work."

So yes, my stash is now even larger. But this addition comes along guilt free! Thanks, Knit Picks!!

Everyone loves a toy, and a winner . . .

It's about time to wrap up the Quick Christmas Knitting Gifts contest, and I'd like to end with a suggestion of my own.  If you have little ones to gift to, why not whip up a knitted toy.  They are quick, inexpensive and oh so fun to knit. In fact, I've been working on Sheldon for my best friends son.

And he's almost done!

I just need to sew on his little legs.

He's so cute, I think I may knit one for myself too.

And now, the moment you've been waiting for.  Thanks to everyone who left me some quick gift ideas.  The Random Number Generator has spoken, and the winner is . . . .

KATHY

Congratulations, Kathy. Please e-mail me your snail mail address, and I'll start getitng your prize together!

Don't over-think it . . .

Sometimes we get so caught up in gifting that we make things harder than they have to be.  We search endlessly for the most unique gift.  For the gift to top all gifts.  We lose the spirit of giving and the spirit of the season.

Don't put all that pressure on yourself.  Don't over-think it.  Don't overlook hats, scarves, gloves and mitts as quick and inexpensive gifts.  Boring?  Never!  I say they are classics.  Little treasures you've knit up to keep your loved ones warm.

Why not whip up a pair of Porphyria like Spincerely?
How about a Hat For a Boyfriend like Vicki?
Jenn suggests Fetchings and Calorimetrys.
And Julie points us to the Helping Hats pattern.
I might be working on a scarf myself, although I do need to update the picture.

Looks like I've got plenty of skeins in the stash that would keep the people I love warm on a cold day.  How about you?

Fun with cotton . . .

Okay, so I failed my "post every day this week" goal by missing yesterday. Blame it on a Turkey Hangover. But to make amends, today's post has two quick and inexpensive gift ideas in one! Bring on the cotton.

Melissa suggested making washrags for some spa-themed gifts. What a great idea. There are tons and tons of washcloth / dishcloth patterns on Ravelry. Pair them up with some fancy soaps and you've got a nice little gift. Or tuck them into a basket of home baked goodies for a kitchen inspired gift.

Peanut suggested tawashi. Okay, I didn't know what a tawashi was, so Wikipedia to the rescue. Ah ha, little Japanese inspired scrubbies. Perfect for the kitchen or the bath too. She recommends the Wishy Washy Fishy Tawashi as a fun knit. Tee hee, I want to knit it just so I can say the project name over and over.

Need more cotton inspiration? How about these adorable holiday themed balls of Sugar n' Cream?

I found them in the craft store the other day, and snapped them up as part of the Crafty Gift Idea Contest prize. If you've submitted a suggestion, these may be on their way to you soon!

In the round, around town, with one foot on the ground . . .

Can you knit in the round? Can you knit around town? Can you knit with only one foot on the ground? If so, my entertaining friend Kathy suggests cowls as the perfect quick Christmas knit.

Coincidentally, I've just finished up a cowl myself.  This one isn't a Christmas gift, but I may make a few more for Christmas gifting.

Birthday Cowl

Cast On: 12 November 2008

Completed: 20 November 2008

Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted - Intenso

Needles:  Addi Natura US8 (5mm)

So yes, I can knit in the round. I can (and did) knit this cowl around town.  I'm sure I could even knit with one foot on the ground.  But Kathy, here's what I want to know.  Can you knit while hanging upside-down???

Quick Socks

The first comment on my post yesterday was from Julie, with a few wonderful quick gift suggestions. My favorite was the Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays.  Julie makes hers into slippers by adding slipper bottoms to the soles.

I can attest to the fact that this pattern is quick, since I used some Cascade 220 Superwash to knit one up for myself during our trip to Louisiana.

I've also given it a name inspired by my trip - Le Petit Sockon Rouge. Once the services for  my uncle were over, we spent some time visiting with my aunt and cousins.  One day they took us on the Tabasco Factory tour.  We learned about a little red stick called Le Petit Baton Rouge.  The pepper pickers use it to make sure the peppers are just the right shade of red before they are picked.  Leave it to me and Pea to get silly and dub my red sock Le Petit Sockon Rouge.

The second sock probably won't be finished until after my Christmas knitting is done, but you never know.  However, I do have plans to knit a pair for someone else on my Christmas list.  I bet someone you love would be thrilled with a thick, warm pair of cabled socks this Christmas too!

Kicking it into high gear . . .

While other bloggers are posting daily as part of Nablopomo, I seem to be posting less often in November!  That sounds just like me.  So for my own small personal challenge, I'm going to post every day this week.  To both of my blogs.  It's time to kick my blogging into high gear.

With Christmas just 30 days away, it's also time to kick my Christmas knitting into high gear.

That's right.  A whole pile of barely knit stuff,  most of which I can't even blog about lest I spoil the surprise.  That should make for some great posting, huh?

Well, here's where you can help.  Melissa asked for some suggestions of quick and inexpensive knits for holiday gifting - and I'd like to ask the same.  Leave me your suggestions in the comments, and I'll share them in posts all week long.  And since I think I've finally gotten the hang of crochet, I'd love some easy crochet gift suggestions too.  Heck, any hand-made gift ideas at all would be great, regardless of the craft.

In fact, since the holidays are about giving, why don't we make this into a little contest.  At the end of the week, I'll randomly draw a suggestion for a little hand-made prize!  So get those suggestions rolling!

Destination Yarn

Jeanne over at Life in Cleveland made a very exciting announcement today. She's opened a new Etsy store with a very interesting spin. It combines her love of yarn and dying with her love of travel photography.

Destination Yarn

Her first five colorways are being revealed one at a time, over the course of this week. Not only do you get to ooohhh and ahhhh over each new beauty - but you also get to see the beautiful pictures that inspired it and hear what each color represents. It's quite fun.

Even more fun is the chance to win your own skein of one of these yarn postcards. Get the details on this post, and please remember to tell her I sent you!

Contest alert . . .

Gingersnaps With Tea is holding her first contest, and it's a fun one. From now until June 15th, go on over and suggest your favorite non-sock pattern that can be knit with sock yarn. Let her know what your favorite colors are, and if you win she will try to tailor your prize to your color tastes. What could be better than that?

So go on over and enter . . . and please let her know I sent you!!

Lucky me - part 2

So, as if my contest windfall from yesterday wasn't magnificent luck enough, also won a contest over at Adventures in Life and Knitting. I recently "met" Qutecowgirl through my blog (or was it Ravelry?) and around the time I started on the pump we began swapping e-mails about injections. Unfortunately, she has just started doing weekly injections, and I've been trying my best to offer any tips from my years with needles.

Anyway, she had a contest where we needed to guess what her big announcement would be. I took a wild stab (no injection-pun intended!!) and guessed correctly that she would be opening an Etsy shop! My prize was to pick any item from the shop, but I told her it would be more fun if she just surprised me with something. And look what came in the mail!!


Straight from the brand new Qutecowgirl's Barn Yarn - a beautiful skein of superwash DK yarn in a new spring flower inspired colorway called "Marigold". It's bright and cheerful and gorgeous, and I couldn't have wished for a prettier yarn! She also included a matching packet of Soak Wool Wash and a cute little stitch marker that's made "Just for Me".


My camera won't take a good picture of smaller things, but the little charm on the stitch marker says "Just for You". I feel so lucky to have won this gorgeous yarn from Qutecowgirl's new shop!! She's got many other pretty skeins available, and some roving for you spinners - so hop on over and take a look!!

As it turns out, luck smiled on Pea and I one more time last night. We were happily watching Dancing with the Stars, which this season combines both my love for Ballroom and my love for Figure Skating. (Go Kristi!!) We heard loud voices outside, but figured it was just the usual teenagers wandering up and down the street. When flashing lights began to shine through the window, we realized something was wrong. It was hard to get good pictures in the dark, but here's what we saw.

as always, click to enlarge

The street was blocked off and our next-door neighbor's car was on fire. Huge flames shooting from the hood and a scary wind blowing them around. The firemen sprayed it with foam, it died down, and then caught again. They finally got the hod extinguished, only to have the interior burst into flames too. Luckily, that was put out quickly and the fire never reached the gas tank. No other cars were damaged and our houses were fine. We aren't sure what happened to cause the fire, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

Pea and I are very thankful when we think about how much more dangerous the situation could have been. The car was parked out on the street, but what would have happened if it has been in their driveway? Our driveways meet and our separated by only a thin row of (flammable) bushes. And our houses are only about a foot away from our driveways. And the wind was whipping pretty good last night. I think if the car had been in their driveway, our houses may very well have ignited as well.

So yes, when things look sad and dim, the universe will show you how very luck you are. Not only with happy crafty prizes and wonderful blog-pals. But also with a guardian angel looking out for the things you love. I'd say I'm one lucky girl.

Lucky me - part 1

Often when things seem bad and you're feeling low and sorry for yourself, the universe will remind you just how good things are. And how many wonderful people you are lucky enough to call your friends. Including all the wonderful people who left supportive comments on my last (whiny) post.

On top of all those nice comments, I had some great luck in a couple of blog contests lately. First off, I won what was supposed to be a "little contest" over at my dear friend Ragan's blog. I was bowled over when I saw all of the wonderful things she sent me, all hand-made, while she is in the midst of packing up her house for a big move.

First, the beautiful packaging and hand-made card.


Inside was four cute packets, each with a card and gift inside. Wow!!


The first held the most unbelievable crocheted earrings! Did you know you could crochet earrings? The thought of crocheting something so tiny makes my head spin.


The next two packets had a gorgeous set of pearl stitch-markers and a matching pair of earrings! And yes, she made these too!


And the final packet had an unbelievable beaded strip with my name on it. I treasure this one most, because it was inspired by crafts Ragan's grandmother used to do for her.


Isn't it all just amazing? I am truly blown away by the love and generosity Ragan put into my prize - which she still tries to claim is "just something small". I have to disagree - I know these gifts are priceless.

And tomorrow, I'll be back with another contest prize to show you!

Sucess and Failure

While making the rounds through my favorite blogs this weekend, I came across this post by Cpurl, the dillydallyknitter. She's signed up for a 3-day, 60-mile walk against Breast Cancer. Her kitty, while adorable, seems to be under the impression our Cpurl won't be able to accomplish this task, but we all know better, right? Head on over to her blog and leave her heaps of encouragement . . . and while you are there, why not make a donation to her walk too! You might even win one of her wonderful prizes - the first of which is *gasp* Wollmeise.

In contrast to the raging success I know Cpurl will have with her walk, it's time now to turn to my own failure. Of the 2-At-A -Time variety.


I treated myself to this book last month, when I was on my mini-vacation to New Hampshire for girl time with my best friend. Since my fingers are still a bit too sore for pointy Knit Picks DPNs, I decided to pull out an Addi 2.75mm 40" circ. It seemed to be the perfect solution - allowing me to cast on without guilt because I knew the Addi's wouldn't hurt my fingers.

Unfortunately, perfect solutions are hard to come by. I wound my yarn, put each ball in a Ziploc, opened the book to the instructions, and cast on. Joined sock A in the round, knit the first row . . . good. Joined sock B in the round, knit the first row . . . jumbled, tangled mess of yarn, with the stitches not where they should be. I ripped it before I even remembered to take a picture - but just imagine a pile of sloppy stitches and yarn everywhere and you'll get the idea.

Maybe it's a sign to go finish the sweater I've been working on!

Lots of mail - part II, the prize portion

Remember the prize yarn I mentioned on Monday? Dyed in honor of another little kitty named Charlie who has gone over the Rainbow Bridge? It's already been delivered to me, and it's even more beautiful and so much softer than I could have imagined.

It came on a day when I was missing my own Charlie so much. Pea had gone away over-night on a business trip, and it felt so lonely here. As much as I missed Pea, I knew I'd see him again the next day. But I couldn't help but think how nice it would have been to have Charlie with me for companionship, and knowing I'd never see him again was so hard. When this beautiful yarn showed up with the cute picture of the other Charlie, I couldn't help but think they both sent it to me to cheer me up. Silly, huh?

But I don't mind having silly thoughts, if they make me feel a bit better. I will knit every stitch of this gorgeous yarn with love for both kitties, and I will proudly wear the socks in their honor.



I miss you, sweet kitty.

Some contests . . .

When I opened my e-mail this morning, I had some good news waiting for me. You see, Debby at She Knits by the Seashore blogged about donations for her husband's ride in Get Your Guts In Gear to benefit Crohn's disease. He is also riding in honor of their cat Charlie, who they lost to the feline version of the disease. I was happy to donate, and as luck would have it, I won some gorgeous yarn from Lavender Sheep that was dyed and donated in their Charlie's honor. I will knit the yarn with love, and wear my socks in memory of both Debby's Charlie and of my Charlie. I know they are off playing together right now. Debby and Chris are still a long way from their goal, so go on over and donate to a wonderful cause.

Next up is my entry for a contest over at Valerie's blog. I've been meaning to post three of my favorite things all month, so hopefully I'm not too late. Even if I am, it's been fun to pick three things to share with you all. (Click on any picture to enlarge it.)

My first favorite thing is the sign that hangs over my living room couch. I bought it at a fair in town before I had moved into my house (the binder was signed, but I hadn't yet closed). It's made from wood salvaged when one of the oldest churches in town was being remodeled, and I felt the quote had wonderful words to lived by as I prepared to move into my own house. Not to mention that Shakespeare is a favorite around here. (Can anyone guess why? First one to answer correctly will win a small something from me!!)

Next up is the wing chair that belonged to my grandmother. I love having things from my grandparents furnishing my home, and this is just one of many "hand-me-downs" from my grandparent's on both sides. The color fits in perfectly with my living room. This was also Charlie's favorite chair. He would use the little footstool to climb up and settle in for a nap. He also preferred to sleep there every night, instead of in his bed or on the couch.

Last, I thought I'd snap a picture of my desk/workspace in my office/craft room. I love this whole room, which is packed with my yarn, craft books, fabric, beads and more. This "desk" is actually Pea's old kitchen table, and it's perfect for computer work and also large enough to sew on. The white cubbyholes from Target keep my junk clutter important things in order while blocking out the view of the weird neighbor's deck!

And that's it!! Hope you had as much fun with this as I did!

Yarn P*rn of the Week - Tea Cups

I had a little unexpected surprise waiting in my mailbox yesterday.

I had completely forgotten I had won a prize in the Test Knitters Pool for Gardiner Yarn Works. I chose the Walk in the Woods sock kit that included a gorgeous skein of Zen Yarn Garden sock yarn in the Tea Cups colorway. (Shoot, I meant to drape it over Grandma's china for a photo-shoot and forgot. *I'm too lazy to take the pictures over again.*)

Click to make 'em bigger!!

Chrissy had generously let me pick the sock kit I wanted, and it was a very hard choice because there were so many pretty ones. When I opened the package, I knew I made the right choice. The yarn made me gasp at first sight. The pictures are a little washed out, but you can still see that the colors look exactly like delicate china our grandmothers might have used on special occasions. So pretty.

I also wanted to mention that Chrissy has decided to discontinue sock kits and pattern sales on her web-site. But fear not! You can buy her patterns at various LYS around the county, and from several on-line retailers. Check out the list here!

Whew . . .

I really didn't intend to wait so long to write my next post, but life got in the way. Pea's birthday was on Saturday and my dad's was yesterday. Pea's biggest birthday wish was that I spend the whole day with him instead of the computer . . . so no blogging for me. Yesterday we spent the day out and about with my parents to do some more celebrating.

Luckily, before the Birthday Celebrations began I had just managed to catch up from our little get-away in Cape Cod. That's right, Pea and I were in Cape Cod last week!!

I was impressed by how many of you correctly guessed where we were. I was even more impressed by those of you who named the lighthouse I was standing in front of! It was the Highland Light, also known as Cape Cod Light, in Truro and I believe it is the oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod. The random number generator helped me pick a winner for the contest and chose Theresa!!! Send me your snail mail address, and I'll start putting your prize together!

Before I go attempt to get caught up on my e-mail, I wanted to show you the wonderful surprise that was waiting for me when I got home from vacation.

Ragan spoiled me with a beautiful hand-made card and some lovely hand-made stitch-markers . . . just because she is a sweetheart! Thank you so much, Ragan. I love them!

Location shoot

A few weeks ago, something came over me. I'm not quite sure what, but I bet you've felt it too. That unexplainable blah feeling towards all the lovely projects you have on the needles. It was accompanied by the feeling that I MUST start something new - something that I could finish QUICKLY - something that would use up some of my huge stockpile stash yarn - something I could wear that weekend. I had just the project waiting in my Ravelry queue and just the yarn in my stash. So I cast on, knit it up, and have been wearing it everywhere. The only thing I didn't remember to do was to have Pea get a picture of me modeling it for the blog. I've rectified that from an undisclosed location. (More about this at the end of the post!)

Anthropologie-inspired Capelet
Cast on: 31 July 2007
Completed: 2 August 2007
Yarn: Rowan Cotton Tape, White
Needles: US11 (8mm) Knit Picks Circular

I made a few minor modifications to this pattern. I cast on 45 stitches, and worked it so the right side would be the stockinette side instead of reverse stockinette. I also gave some more length to the body, and knit the sleeves in the round. Which meant no seaming at all. (Cool!!)

And now, on to the location of the shoot. Pea and I were out of town for a long-weekend get-away. Can you guess where we were? Leave me your guess in the comments and you'll earn a chance at a little prize. If your guess is correct, you'll earn two chances! I'm not sure exactly what the prize will be, but it will involve sock yarn. I'll draw the winner sometime after I unpack, tackle the mountain of laundry, get some groceries, answer all my e-mails and catch up on my blog reading. That should give you plenty of time to get your guess in - and I'll announce the winner in my next post.