New Yarn & A Giveaway!

I was browsing around the yarn store a few months back and came across this gorgeous yarn from Berroco. As it hung on the wall, it instantly made me think of the sea with its blend of colors and wildlife....

I bought two skeins with the thought of making a small project - cowl? Hat? But, she hasn't spoken to me yet and I am, thus, stumped.

So, how about you join me in the first step of the design process and win a prize at the same time?

Leave a comment below telling me what I should make with this yarn and be entered to win a digital download of my Legato Shawl Pattern! You have until Wednesday morning, 9am MST, to share your thoughts. I'll make a random drawing around 10am, so check back here (this exact post) for the update! To boot, one lucky commenter may be randomly selected to win a copy of the finished pattern I make with it.... wink.

WINNER ANNOUNCED! Congratulations to Amy! I'll be emailing you soon with your free Legato Pattern! 

Deadlines!

I have NEVER missed a deadline ... until now. I started a baby blanket last month for my soon-to-be-arriving niece Eva, but then the darn girl had to actually be born on time and I am no where near done. You can blame all the paying gigs I've had (you won't see me complaining, though!). I think we have all been there, eh?

Miss Eva is absolutely precious and I cannot WAIT to meet her! She came out on her actual due date (just like my own daughter!) of May 14th. I am counting down the days until I can make it out to California for a visit!

 SO, while my blanket may not be finished, I console myself with the thought that a baby doesn't need a wool blanket during the summer months anyway. Whew! Gives me a little of leeway there.

 I'm using the lovely Berroco Ultra Alpaca (one of my favorite yarns and companies), with simple garter stitch and a pretty flecked eyelet pattern.

I *should* have this sweet blanket finished up before long, while Eva is still a wee babe, and then, because you know I can't resist, I am thinking of offering up the pattern for FREE to all of my fabulous friends out there.

Now, tell me about your current unfinished projects waiting around - I need to know I am not alone.

Yarn Thing Podcast

Yours truly was the guest of the Yarn Thing Podcast interview this past Tuesday! Marly sure has a way of making a gal feel giddy with excitement, so I was quite a bit nervous leading up to being "on air." Luckily, Marly is a born interviewer and made it feel as if we were chatting over a cup of coffee. Did you happen to catch it? If not, go back and give it a listen (as long as you promise not to laugh at me and my funny voice TOO much):

Click Here to Give it a Listen

 We chatted about how I got started designing and my new eBooklet "The Crescendo Collection." Marly is absolutely delightful - funny, generous with her compliments, and highly supportive. I'm lucky that she lives close enough to hang out with occasionally. But, the best news is that you have a chance to win a copy of my Crescendo Collection booklet!

Enter your special pass phrase (you DID listen, didn't you?) on either the Yarn Thing Rav Page or Marly Bird's Facebook page. Hurry, hurry! We'll be having the drawing in a few days!

I hope the interview inspires you to move forward with your dreams. Trust me - it is better to DO than it is to dream. And I am having TONS of fun doing it.

Consider this...

You can consider this my official announcement...

I have a BIG ol' project starting up and one that I am insanely crazy about. Think "Subversive Socks." A book filled with wonderfully, sassy subversive socks.

Now, normally, I am a quiet, unassuming kind of gal (wink, wink), so this type of project just might wig you out. Just a bit. But, oh, how exciting, too!

You see, I was once obsessed with socks, but soon, they all began to look the same. It was time for something bold and crazy to emerge. The ideas started pouring out and before you know it, I had enough to intrigue the folks over at Cooperative Press. End story? A fantastic book for 2013.

I am currently hunting for a few more designers to help round out the collection, so if you are interested in submitting a concept or two, keep reading...

Submission Themes: This is a book of socks that goes far beyond the mundane lace we’ve been playing with, pushing you out from behind the hats and baby blankets. And it is certainly not for the weak of heart. 

Check out my Pinterest Board for inspiration. 

I am looking for knit sock designs that invoke the inner bad-ass, that are bold and risqué, daring and sassy, and just downright raunchy.  Feel free to utilize lace, cables, fair-isle, and more to get your cheeky, independent point across. Explore new techniques and construction. Think powerful and brave. Think daring and in-your-face like the Roller Derby gals. Think about those favorite naughty words and phrases that your feet are itching to stomp out. Don’t be shy!

Level: Intermediate +

Deadline for Submissions: June 18, 2012

For more information on submitting, head on over to Ravelry for the submission guidelines.

Your Reference Section

I thought I would share a few little things floating around on my pages....

First is my "Errata" page. I loathe that I have one. But, it serves a noble purpose. It doesn't matter that you've had two tech editors and a few different copy editors review things, boo-boo's still happen. Not to mention, it gets annoying to customers to have to update patterns too frequently. So, the errata page is there for you and when I do make an update on a pattern version, I will note its changes there, as well.

Of course, I HOPE you see my newsletter signup. Until I can get my act together to create a Ravelry Group or a Facebook page, this is the best way to stay up to date on my designs, tester calls, subscriber-only discounts, and other fun tidbits.

And lastly, do explore my video tutorials. I have two - the Cable Cast-On and How to Untink Fisherman's Rib (that's a VERY helpful one!!). If there are videos you would like to see, let me know in the comments section... sometimes it is hard for me to know what beginners need.

For Fun

I thought I'd post a completely random photo that has nothing to do with knitting or fiber. But, it IS just as pretty!

I took my camera out to play while the flowers were blooming a few weeks back.

I started learning photography so I could take decent pictures of my knitwear designs - a purely utilitarian purpose. But, it became a fabulous obsession! I think I have read every photog book in the library, browsed the books at the store, and I continue to search incessantly on tutorials and videos online....

Tell me - what hobbies do YOU have outside of knitting?

Fave new thing!

I have friends in the knitwear design world who ask, "How in the world do you keep it all together?!"

Working the way we do, with varying deadlines, constant knitting, keeping track of submission due dates, contract knitters, yarn arrival, etc, etc, it certainly can get hectic. Add in the fact that I am a stay-at-home mom, first and foremost, with two kidlets who are constantly demanding my attention and a household that always needs tending and mending, and it can be exceedingly difficult to find balance. I recently found a planner that has helped LOADS and I believe that I have literally fallen deeply in love. Enough that I want to hunt down the designer to propose (though I don't think my current husband would find the humor in the situation).

The Life Planner is my {almost} all-in-one-keep-track-of-my-entire-life-so-i-don't-end-up-in-the-loony-bin planner. I've tried ipad calendars and excel trackers, but have discovered that paper, with its crisp clean texture, bright colors, and "reality" appeal, works loads better.

It comes with note pages, monthly calendars, special date calendars, and large weekly calendars. Not to mention tabs, pockets, free labels, page holder, and all while crafted to the perfect size for my small purse! And did I mention the STICKERS?!

I'm a color-coding sort of gal, so I write upcoming submission deadlines in blue, project deadlines in red, and personal appts in black. With all of the room in the weekly view, I also write my to-do list in pencil - things such as my daily knitting quota (I take a project, estimated how many rows to knit over a certain number of days and turn that into a target row count for every day), chores, errands, etc. I constantly jot down notes while I am out and about and collect business cards (they go in the handy zippered pocket).

This little bad boy stays with me at all times - when out, it hops into my purse and when I am home, it sits open on my counter to the current day. Now, I don't keep EVERYTHING in it. I am also a "list" girl, so I keep a notepad of lists - things I have submitted, pending payments, organizational goals, project goals, etc, etc. My "chore" list is from my Motivated Moms Chore Calendar on my ipad. I'll get into more of how I organize my day in another blog post soon, though. :)

If you love the beauty of the Life Planner as much as I do, head on over to Erin Condren's site for her current 40% off special.

48 hours left!

You have a little over 48 hours left to use the code SUMMERTOT for 50% off of Sorelle Felici! It ends at noon on May 4th, so share the code and get the kiddos in cute summer clothes this summer!