Thank you to all who entered the Kelmscott scissors giveaway!

The three winners from Facebook are
Katy Helsten Prideaux
Georgia Smith
Jenny Reese
The three winners from blog comments are (Ravelry names)
katieok
ctinan
tdokc

Do you follow Knitionary on Facebook?  You should!  Every day I post a pattern I love, and often I share free patterns and exclusive discounts available only to Knitionary readers!  Below is a preview of Monday's post:  Exclusive to Knitionary readers, Fangtastic socks pattern by Wendy Gaal is 40% through May 15 off with the code, KNITABAT.  

Apparently what doesn't have my attention is my blog!  I apologize for not coming back last week and announcing a winner for the skein of Rowan Softyak DK.  No excuse except to say that my blog is a hobby, a very beloved hobby, but like all hobbies, I only work on it when I have the interest.  Usually my bloggy interest is high, but these last few weeks--not so much.  It's happened many times over the years, and now when it happens, I just go with it and don't try to push it.  But I felt a little burst of blog energy coursing through me so I jumped on it!

Here's what you came for:  the winner of the skein of Rowan Softyak DK in the color Steppe is knittingdancer from Alabama!  I've contacted you on Ravelry, and as soon as I get your address, I'll zip it off in the mail to you.  Congratulations, I'm certain you'll love the yarn, and thank you to the rest who entered my giveaway.

Just because I've been dragging my heels with my blog doesn't mean I've been lazy about the other things I love, mainly gardening, knitting and the San Francisco Giants.  As for the former, our garden is looking terrific but is the most demanding mistress; and for knitting, well, you can see below what has my attention; and as for the Giants, we've been to one game so far and for the most part watch the rest of the games on TV--while knitting, naturally.

Yay!  It's that time of year--time for another tower of yarn giveaway!  I've had some fun collecting Rowan yarns (in hot reds and pinks this time) to celebrate some blog milestones.  This is my favorite giveaway to have, as it includes some of my favorite yarns--yarns that knit beautifully and wear beautifully--and happen to be some of the most gorgeous yarns available for hand knitters today.  I'm thrilled to share these with you and wish you good luck!  The descriptions are below, plus plenty of ideas for what you can do with one skein.  The end of the post describes how to enter the giveaway.

Let me tell you about each of these from top to bottom:

Summerlite 4-ply was introduced Spring/2015.  It's a lovely, soft, fingering weight yarn made from the finest Egyptian Giza cotton.  The very soft hand makes a fine, even fabric; it's like no other cotton you've knit with before.  One skein is enough to make the Diamond Purse from the Rowan Swarovski Evening Collection.  Look for Rowan to add to the Summerlite line in 2016.  100% cotton, machine wash.

Softknit Cotton is a DK weight with a chain construction and beautiful drape.  It's easy to achieve an even tension and looks great in cables.  Light and cool, it's an easy-care, machine-washable blend of cotton, 92% and polyamide, 8%.

Wool Cotton DK, a 50/50 wool/cotton blend, is another easy-care machine-washable yarn.  Great for year-round knits, it's a favorite of mine for children's knits.  It comes in a fingering weight too.  Great stitch definition and is another yarn that's easy on the hands for a great knitting experience! 

Baby Merino Silk DK is just that, a blend of soft merino wool and silk that is machine-washable and another favorite of mine for children's knits.  I've just put a sweater's worth (for me!) of a bright blue on my Christmas wish list!  Combine the above pink Softknit, the orange Wool Cotton and this claret Baby Merino Silk DK for a totally adorable/totally free striped baby sweater!  It will be beautiful!

Kid Classic, ahh, you beautiful yarn you.  A blend of wool and kid mohair, this is perhaps one of my favorite yarns to knit.  I have some deep, almost black navy in my stash to knit a bolero as soon as my Christmas knitting is finito!  Kid classic acts like a bull-dog--it wears like iron and resists pilling, yet lives like a lady--the fabric is elegant, downy, and simply gorgeous.  The color I've chosen is a sexy, deep, wine/purple.  With one skein you can whip out several pairs of my Boot Cuffs for stocking stuffers this year.

Brushed Fleece, so maybe I saved the best for last.  I discovered Brushed Fleece because I wanted to make this coat.  Had to.  Even though I thought I was allergic to big needles, I found that I loved the knitting experience of Brushed Fleece.  It's bulky but uncommonly light weight, like it's been jet-puffed with air.  The resulting fabric is soft enough to wear next to the skin and light-weight enough to make a big over-sized coat without heaviness--your coat won't stretch out with added weight--there is none!  I am in the process of making another coat, more like a big boyfriend sweater, using this red.  I'm hoping to have it done by Christmas, but my gifts are a priority right now--wish me luck!  What can you make with one skein?  Perhaps a hat, definitely some boot cuffs or wristies.  Either way, you'll at least have fun petting it!

It's easy to enter.  Just leave a comment below (one comment per reader) and LEAVE ME YOUR CONTACT INFO!  Don't forget that little thing because you can't win if I can't find you.  Either your Rav id or email address will work just fine.  For a second chance to win, go to the Knitionary Facebook page, and under the post that has the Tower of Yarn picture, make a comment.  I'll leave this open for about a week.  Good luck, and thank you for reading!

Knitionary

Two winners have been chosen for the Virescent Collection giveway; one from Facebook and one from my blog comments. Congratulations to IrisLeVirus and joyclark61. Expect to hear from Katy Carroll soon! 

Dear readers, the entire Virescent Collection is 25% off until 

Wednesday, October 28 with the code: "knitionary".

From Katy:  The idea for The Virescent Collection originated with the dramatic central cable motif. Its plush, organic look reminded me of huge leaves in far-off rainforests, or even of hostas in my much-less-exotic state. I wanted to explore how that cable could look in a variety of pieces and different yarn weights. And of course, that leafy imagery inevitably led me to the color GREEN.

A few of the patterns below are knit with single skeins and would be a great way to use those one-of-a-kind treasures we knitters seem to collect!  Katy's patterns are known to be very well-written, with clear instructions and helpful knitting tips along the way.  All patterns have both charted and written instructions.

There will be a total of nine patterns in the collection and the winners will receive the remaining three as they are added.  Below is a sneak peek of the Kacia Shawl, the next one to be published--knit with one skein of sock yarn!

From today through Wednesday, October 28th, 

Katy is offering my readers a 25% discount off the set and individual patterns 

with the promo code “knitionary".   

Purchase the collection or individual patterns here:

Virescent Collection,  queue away!

Don't forget to use the code "knitionary" for the discount.

10/26/15, Edited to add:  This giveaway has expired.

Giveaway: 

Katy has offered two collections as a giveway to two lucky readers.

To enter, leave a comment below and tell me what you would knit first!

For a second chance to win, go the the Knitionary FB page, 

find the post with the Virescent collage, and leave a comment.

On Monday, I'll choose two winners, 

one from the blog and one from Facebook.

Don't forget to leave your contact info, either Rav ID or your email!

Katy's website, Katinka Designs
Katy's designer page on Rav

 

Thank you all for entering my Elizabeth Bradley giveaway.   The winner is Virginia Sattler-Reimer.  I know she is a knitter, but now I think she's going to be a needlepointer as well!  Congratulations, I'm contacting you right now and as soon as you send me your mailing address, I'll pop it in the mail.

Today my little blog scored big time.  My adorable 15 year old neighbor came over today and modeled a half dozen knits I've had here for ages, just waiting to be modeled and photographed.  Just wait until you see, the pictures are beautiful!  I've got a dress, some cowls, and a few cardigans and pullovers.  She looks so beautiful in them, I wanted to hand them all over!  However, I'm hating my computer right now, it's so dang slow.  It's got to go to computer hospital, so if you don't hear from me for awhile, it's because my computer is horribly sick. 

Needlepoint is an art form, hobby, profession, and industry to millions of people world-wide.  While it's difficult to know exactly when needlepoint began, we do know that during the Victorian era, Berlin work, a type of needlepoint, came into popularity. Berlin work is often characterized by brilliant colors and combinations of geometric and floral designs.  Needlepoint became popular again in the late twenties, and continues to increase in popularity with a renewed interest in handicrafts. Elizabeth Bradley has reproduced many designs from this era.  Founded in 1986, Elizabeth Bradley has been designing and manufacturing quality tapestry kits and continues to add new designs each year. With a desire to provide needle workers with quality heirloom designs combined with an inspiration of historical needlework, the kits are crafted to provide hours of stitching enjoyment and delight in your finished work.  With tapestry work, you are making history by continuing a beautiful tradition.

I've loved Elizabeth Bradley's designs since I discovered her in the 80s.  The kits themselves are works of art, and include a printed canvas, 100% wool spun and dyed in the UK, comprehensive instructions, and needles.  If you are new to needlepoint, I have to warn you:  needlepoint can turn into an obsession; a lovely, relaxing, productive obsession. Needlepoint projects are most often small enough to tuck into a purse for a quick on-the-go or travel project.  For the last 40 years, I've almost never had a time when I wasn't working on some sort of needlepoint.

I'd like to thank Elizabeth Bradley for offering a giveaway to my readers.  The cute mini-pansy kit shown below, valued at $84, is complete with detailed instructions, printed canvas, fine British wool, and a needle and will be given to one of my readers.  Don't worry if you are new to needlepoint, this is a perfect project for all skill levels.  To enter, go to Elizabeth Bradley's website, and after you browse around a bit, sign up for her newsletter here,  then come back here and comment below.  If you are new to commenting on blogs, go to the end of this post.  You will comment at the end of the comments section.  Make your comment, then at the dropdown menu that says "comment as...", select your profile.  If you do not have a profile, just select "anonymous".  It's very easy, but if you have a problem, you can always email me using the sidebar "contact" button, which is a little envelope button.  Make sure that your comment contains your contact info, very important!  Elizabeth Bradley sends out a few emails a month and will not share email addresses with a third party.  This giveaway is open all, including my international readers.  The winner will be selected on Saturday, August 22.  Good luck! 

While you're poking around the site promise me you'll check out my favorites: the adorable Alphabet Rug, the gorgeous collection of Victorian Animals, the floral Botanical Garden Collection, and the Christmas kit collection.  xo Kristen