Meet Joelle Hoverson

Take a moment to watch this beautifully done video. I own both of Joelle's books; Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. Both are gorgeous! If you haven't heard of her before, this clip is well worth checking out! Enjoy!

Self-Publishing

Just found this awesome link about Writing the Great American Knitting Novel at Knitter's Review. Thought I'd share! Lot's of good info here!

Playing with Swatching

I'm up late tonight... Tossing around a few stitch ideas and knitting a sampler swatch to test them out. I just love the squishy feel of this Terra yarn by The Fibre Company. The color is off in this picture. But I guess that's to be expected after midnight in artificial light at the kitchen table. I think I'll call it a night soon and head off to the land of nod.

Purses for Preeclampsia rescheduled

Update via Jordana Paige: $50 Handbag Sale - Purses for Preeclampsia rescheduled for this Thursday: http://t.co/VvCmC9y9

My Misty Mountain Winnings and more...

Thanks Ashley!

I recently posted about winning a blog contest over at Ashley's Misty Mountain Designs blog. I received my scrumptious Noro Silk Garden yarn and the US 10 Kollage circular needles about a week ago. Thank you so much Ashley! I love my gift and can't wait to make something beautiful with it. I recently purchased the book "Knit Noro Accessories", so I'm sure I can find the perfect little knit for this. Or I may just decide to design something unique and all my own! I've been meaning to post about it, but you know, sometimes life just gets in the way of our plans. And I've been one busy little knitter lately!

I met with my photographer yesterday to go over some plans and do a little brain storming on the book I have brewing. There are lots of options and choices to be made for some great outdoor photo shoots. I'm hoping to be able to start shooting in September, so I've got several projects I need to get finished. I'll keep you posted as things progress.

On another note, in my previous post I mentioned Purses for Preeclampsia, a sale Jordana Paige was having to benefit the Preeclampsia Foundation. Needless to say, if you tried to purchase a bag that day, you found out how successful this sale was. However it ended up bringing in so many customers that her web server just couldn't handle the traffic. After lots of attempts and failed tries, I was finally able to purchase a Rio bag in Green Olive.  This happened at the last minute, just before she closed the sale early and decided to post-pone the rest of the sale until a later date. I'm very happy that I was actually able to get through and to contribute to her cause that day. I will keep you posted as to when her next sale will be. There are still "imperfect" knitting bags to be had at $50 each, with 100% of the funds being donated to the Preeclampsia Foundation.  

Purses for Preeclampsia: A Sale to Benefit the Preeclampsia Foundation

Jordana Paige is doing it again! Two years ago she offered her “imperfect” handbags for $50 each with the promise that every penny of that $50 would be donated to Doctors Without Borders for Haiti earthquake relief. The response was overwhelming. $15,150 was raised! It was an incredible day.
Today's fundraiser is being held to honor, Cooper, the nephew that she lost to preeclampsia last year.
Beginning at 8:00am PST today “imperfect” handbags will be available for $50 each. One hundred percent of the sale price of each bag will be donated to the Preeclampsia Foundation.
Please Check it out!
And even if you can’t make a donation but would still like to help, remember to share this event with your friends. RSVP to Jordana's Facebook event. Pin this post. Tweet. Blog. She needs everyone’s help!

I snagged a Craftsy Deal!

I just opened my email this morning to see the "Stack Your Stash with the BULK SALE!" email from Craftsy. I quickly scanned over the deals and scrolled to the bottom where I saw this image and immediately clicked the link:

Quantity showed 2 left! I jumped on it and it now appears I bought the last 2 skeins available of this Manos del Uruguay Classica Yarn (Wildflowers). Yummy! This is a worsted weight, 100% Wool (138 yards per skein). Not sure what this will be knit into just yet, but I'm thinking it would make a lovely scarf or hat! By buying this yarn I've helped support efforts to empower women and eradicate poverty through sustainable economic development. And I even saved $4.99 on the shipping! Below I have quoted Craftsy's text describing the efforts behind this yarn:
"Manos del Uruguay was created to help women in Uruguay's countryside generate income for themselves and their families. This company has been beneficial in enhancing women's role in Uruguay's society. Through yarn sales, they have provided women economic independence and opportunity for personal growth. All yarn produced by Manos del Uruguay is hand-dyed using precise color recipes that create subtle nuances in the hues of every yarn. All of their products are hand-spun, woven, and knit using traditional techniques. Because this hand-made yarn has such beautiful color, it would be perfect to knit a bright scarf, or any other vibrant accessory! Manos del Uruguay is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization, and all of their yarns are certified as 100% sustainable." -via Craftsy

Visit Craftsy now and sign up to receive your own Craftsy Deals newsletter!

On My Needles

This is my current WIP. Can anyone guess what it is going to be? I look forward to sharing more details as I get closer to my goal.

My Knitted Boyfriend

I stumbled upon this video tonight and thought I'd go ahead and share it here. Not really sure what I think about it myself... It's quirky, that's for sure! Designer Noortje De Keijzer proves love and companionship can be found in the most unlikely places with ‘My Knitted Boyfriend’.  See blog post, http://blog.vogueliving.com.au/2012/04/19/milan-design-week-wednesday-18-april, for accessories to personalize your boyfriend!

A Knitting Book

I've been tossing around the idea of writing a knitting pattern book for quite awhile now. So I've decided to finally do something about it. Been doing alot of research and I know this is going to be a huge project timewise and financially. I will post about it as it progresses. I received my sample "dummy books" on Friday. As you can see, my dream is a blank slate at the moment. But my imagination and creativity have begun to flow and I'm planning to fill these empty pages with the inspiration and beauty that I find in knitting. Let the process begin!

Happy 4th of July and a New Design Release!

Here's wishing everyone a Safe and Happy 4th of July! I'd love to hear how you're celebrating the day. Leave a comment and let me know! I will probably be spending a quiet day at home with my family. Not sure if we'll head out to a fireworks display later this evening or not. I think the one that we've gone to in the past may not be doing it anymore due to a lack of funds, which is sad. It was always a great outing with the kiddos.

Without further ado, I just released my newest creation! I designed a new hat pattern which incorporates cables & bobbles & lace, oh my! I've always loved the look and feel of textured knits. And this one has a little bit of everything!  You can find this pattern as well as others on Ravelry and Craftsy!
My kiddos, Caitlin and Brandon also had to get in on the photo shoot!

The Never Not Knitting Theme Song

I just have to share this most awesome song with you! I just recently started listening to Alana's podcast over at Never Not Knitting and her theme song keeps me in "stitches" everytime! I just can't stop laughing! Have a listen! And then check out Alana's blog and podcast!

 



Caitlin's Knitting Cast On Technique

My 8 year old daughter Caitlin is so cute! She came to me the other day to show me that she had figured out a different way of casting on (using the cable instead of the tips of the needle). I watched as she maneuvered her stitches. Then I ran to get my camera! This is my first ever attempt at creating a video for YouTube. So excuse the amateur recording. I may just have to start adding more videos here. This was fun. Hope you enjoy!



I'm a winner thanks to Misty Mountain Designs!

I'm so excited! It seems I was the lucky winner of a pair of Kolláge Square Circular Knitting Needles Size 10 16" cable, and a skein of Noro Silk Garden in Colorway 8. I absolutely love both brands, so of course I'm a happy little camper!

That said, I owe my thanks to Ashley, the author of the blog Geoknitology. She is saying farewell to the old and boldly stepping into a new life! She's just opened a new etsy shop and started a new blog Misty Mountain Designs. Please pay her a visit and tell her BayAreaKnitter sent you!  ;)

Thank you again Ashley!!!