Knitcircus

Sparkly Yarns Giveaway!

Putting together the Sparkly Yarns article for this week’s newsletter was so much fun, thought you might like to see some more shiny, shiny yarn photos!

Loop Hardcore Art Yarn

Berrocco Blackstone Tweed Metallic and KnitPicks Stroll Glimmer

Mocha's Fiber Designs at Tuckerwoods Farm Silver Optima

Squoosh Fiberarts Glint Lace

Check them out here:

Loop Art Yarn

Berrocco Blackstone Tweed

Squoosh Fiberarts

Knitpicks Stroll Glimmer

Mocha’s Fiber Designs

Giveaway

And now, you could be one of the lucky winners who gets to try one of these glittering yarns for yourself! One winner will receive both of the Blackstone Tweed Metallic skeins, and another will get to take home the Squoosh Fiberarts Glint Lace!

In the last contest, people said by more than 2:1 that they like reading techniques and tips articles; please tell me which techniques you’d most like to learn!  Colorwork, cast-on’s, lace, short rows, grafting…?

Leave a comment below making sure to let me know your Ravelry/Twitter handle or email; or mention/retweet on Twitter to be entered for a chance to win! US and Canada only, please. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and notified Wednesday, February 23rd.

 

Sweet 16 Giveaway #5: Malabrigo Yarn

An exciting #5 (almost as good as five gooolden rings?!): thanks so much to Malabrigo for providing the yarns for this giveaway!

Prize #1: A skein of Malabrigo Worsted in the colorway Glazed Carrot; all winners will receive a Rocky Mountain Dyeworks favor bag.

Winner #2 will enjoy a skein of Malabrigo Worsted in the color Moss

And Winner #3 gets to cast on with Cactus Flower worsted, and of course, all winners get a needle inventory card courtesy of Green Mountain Spinnery.

To enter, please leave a comment telling us your favorite Malabrigo yarn and top three colors. Please make sure to let us know your Ravelry/Twitter and/or email so we can let you know if you win! Winners will be chosen and posted Wednesday, December 7th.

Giveaway #4: Dream in Color, Light Brown Hare and Madame DeFarge

Verona Lace Cardi Knitalong

This just in; we'll be holding a KnitALong for the Verona Lace Cardi starting December 16th, with a kickoff party at the Sow's Ear (beloved Verona, Wisconsin yarn store and cafe). Please join us at Late Night Knitting starting at 7:00 for a cast-on, prizes and fun.If you're not in the area, party with us online in the Knitcircus Ravelry group.

Now, without further ado, the Giveaway #3 winners are:

Green Mountain Spinnery Yarn: @ericah64 on twitter

Kollage Riveting Yarn: Michelle (Rainmomma on Ravelry)

Sweetgeorgia Cashluxe: Stephanie (indigodogmt on Ravelry)

Now for today's exciting prizes:

Light Brown Hare Jackrabbit hand-dyed sock yarn and Yarn Lover's Lotion from Blackwater Abbey

A skein of Dream in Color Classy, and all winners receive a Rocky Mountain Dyeworks favcor bag;

A copy of What Would Madam DeFarge Knit, edited by Heather Ordover, from Co-operative Press, and a set of Comfy Stitch Markers from Knitca.

To enter, please leave a comment telling us which Co-operative Press book you'd most like to read, your top Light Brown Hare colorways, or which Blackwater Abbey product you'd like to try. Make sure to tell us your email, Ravelry or Twitter ID so we can contact you.  Contest runs through this Friday, December 1st.

 

 

Mini-Retreat and Warm Browns Giveaway

Congratulations to the winners of the Sweet 16 kickoff:

anythingbutsnow on Ravelry takes home the big prize from Signature, Sincere Sheep and Yarn Hollow;

Becasue of the large volume of entires, we upped the number of runners-up to five, so knitpurlgirl, @serendipityknit, sheepishlywinkn, CarolLynn and Mujercita all get Winter Complete Collections. Winners have all been notified.

Now for more terrific prizes, see the end of the post, but first, the Knitcircus Mini-Retreat with Amy Detjen and Susan B Anderson was lots of fun. Participants worked on the Tiny Fairy from Susan's new pattern in Knit Simple, and the afternoon students learned to knit with two hands in Amy's Stranded Knitting class!

Making a fairy body

Susan gives toy stuffing tips

Amy shows what good two-color knitting can do!

Thanks to everyone who attended, and to my parents, for lending their colorful and comfortable home!

Now, for Giveaway #2

One of the Winter pattern themes is Warm Browns, so here's a Warm Browns giveaway!

 

This first lucky winner will receive a skein of Rocky Mountain Dyeworks luxury  Bow Falls Fingering, and all three winners will get a Rocky Mountain dyeworks gift bag with mini-skeins

Winner #2 will take home a skein of Brooklyn Tweed Shelter yarn

and all of the winners can enjoy a Spud and Chloe favor bag with two patterns and tape measure:

And the third lucky entrant wins a set of Debra's Garden Necessary Pins Stitch markers: all the winners also receive a Needle Inventory card from Green Mountain Spinnery.

To enter, please leave a blog comment sharing some faves from one of the websites above, or from the Winter Issue; retweeting contest announcments and/or using the hashtag #knitcircuswinter counts, too! Make sure to include your email, Twitter or Ravelry handle so we can contact you if you win.

Winners will be picked Friday, November 25th and announced with the next round of giveaways.

Happy Thanksgiving, all you Stateside knitters!

Jaala

 

Knitcircus Winter 2011-12 Live!

Here it is: 23 new knitting and crochet patterns to warm up your Winter!

Plus the Tubular Cast on with Wendy Johnson, Reasons to Buy Yarn from the Yarn Stylist, and Choosing and Using Handspun yarn, with Nicole Feller-Johnson.

Sweet 16 Giveaways

That's right, we're celebrating Issue #16 with all kids of presents--for you! Watch for two solid weeks of giveaways from the wonderful yarn and knitting supply companies who partner with Knitcircus.

For the first round, we've got a big one for you: one winner will receive all of these prizes:

Signature Needle Arts Stiletto-tipped circular needle, US #5, needle length 6 inches, total length 32," and a needle inventory card from Green Mountain Spinnery

A skein of Yarn Hollow Trellis in Lavender (a whopping 620 yards), a sample mini-skein and fiber from Rocky Mountain Dyeworks

Sincere Sheep skein of Equity Sport in "Berry Fingers" from the Terroir Fiber Series, a skein of IndigoDragonfly Merino Silk Sock in the colorway "Don't You Have an Elsewhere to Be? (Cordelia)" and a set of Comfy waxed-cotton stitch markers from Knitca.

 

 A copy of Knitted Lace, from Interweave Press, and a favor bag from Spud and Chloe, with two On the Run patterns and an adorable heart-shaped tape measure.

Two runners-up will each win a PDF of the Winter 2011-12 Complete Collection, the magazine and Pattern Collection together.

To enter, please leave a blog comment letting us know what tickles your fancy from the Winter Issue; retweeting contest announcments and/or using the hashtag #knitcircuswinter counts, too! Make sure to include your email, Twitter or Ravelry handle so we can contact you if you win.

Winners will be picked Sunday evening November 20th and announced with the next round of giveaways on Monday, November 21st.

 

 

 

 

Gifts Giveaway #2: Knitterella, Knitpicks, Sunnyside Ellen & Little Red Bicycle

 The Special Gifts Issue is live, and we're celebrating with gifts for you!

Thanks so much again to Knitpicks for the Lantern Moon bags and Stroll prizes for our last giveaway. The lucky winners are:

 lovewend on Ravelry

Karen Despot

and Dragonmommie on Ravelry! Winners have been notified.

 More wonderful prizes today, courtesy of Little Red Bicycle, Knitpicks and Knitterella:

Prize #1, Poinsettia Kit:

Thanks to Little Red Bicycle, we have Penny Farthing yarn in the color Beach Glass and a pdf for Poinsettia, by Linda Browning.

 

Prize #2, A knitter's project bag, from Knitterella:

Third Prize: a skein of Sea Cell yarn from Sunnyside Ellen:

Each winner will also receive a skein of Knitpicks' new Stroll Glimmer yarn!

Just leave a comment including your Ravelry name, twitter ID or email and tell us something you like from any of these sites, or your favorite kind of gift to knit! Contest runs through Wednesday midday.

 

Gifts Special Issue 2011

Knitcircus Gifts 2011 is live! 

Inside, you'll find 13 knitting and crochet projects to warm the hearts of their lucky recipients, plus, recipes from some of our favorite designers, and  Laura Nelkin's article will have you confidently knitting with beads.

Bonus: Each Gifts pattern is available for individual sale! Click the yellow "purchase this pattern" button on the bottom of the pattern page.

To celebrate the Gifts season, we've got gifts for you! Kicking off our giveaway series in style, Knitpicks has generously provided three prizes: Lantern Moon recycled messenger bags, each with a skein of the new Stroll Glimmer yarn.

The colorful fair-trade bags feature lots of pockets, including an inside zipped one, to hold your works-in-progress and knitting tools.

To Enter:

Leave a blog comment with your email or Ravelry/Twitter ID telling us your favorite pattern from the Gifts issue and/or favorite Knitpicks product, and you could take one of these home!

The giveaway runs through Sunday evening and we'll announce the winners Monday along with the next round of prizes to win.

Enjoy!

Amelia Earhart Bomber Hat Valley Yarns Giveaway

The giveaway Return to Fall Knitting Festival continues!

And the winner of Wendy Knits Lace is: angifitz on Ravelry

Three more winners will receive a Knitcircus Fall Pattern Collection:

sharrylee on Ravelry, sandyZ, and  ConnieMcG

Today's Giveaway: Amelia Earhart Bomber Hat Kits!

WEBS  has generously provided enough Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky for TWO kits, one purple, as shown, and one their Colonial (#40)  Blue. This quick-knit pattern from the Fall Knitcircus, by Quenna Lee, isn't just for kids, though our models were so cute we couldn't resist this shot. I finished one in one weekend, and found the lace intuitive and pattern fun to work.

WEBS was the first place I ever ordered yarn online; I had learned to knit recently, and my friend, who always had good ideas and had discovered a Debbie Bliss baby book, showed me the site and convinced me to go in on an order with her, because we'd get a discount that way. I couldn't believe so many yarns existed, and browsed the pages with growing excitement. Our then-budget didn't allow much wiggle room, so the WEBS' house brand Valley Yarns gave me a chance to try a Merino-Bamboo blend  and make my first lace scarf!

A family-run business for two generations, WEBS was passed on to trusted family friends Steve and Kathy Elkins; who stock almost every yarn under the sun and offer discounts the more fiber you buy! Their much-beloved podcast Ready, Set, Knit, offers yarn insights, glimpses of their family life and interviews with top designers.

For a chance to win an Amelia Earhart Bomber Hat kit (yarn and pattern) please comment below, making sure to tell us your email, twitter or Ravelry ID, with your favorite Valley Yarn, or who you know that would love this hat.  Two runners-up will receive Knitcircus Fall Pattern Collections. Winners will be picked by Random Munber Generator Friday morning.

Wendy Knits Lace Interview and Book Giveaway

Hope everyone had a good (and safe) weekend. Knitcircus tech-editor Stephannie and I had a great time at Stitches Midwest.

Handwerks Winner:

The winner of the Little Braided Cbale socks kit from Handwerks is:

Wordlily from the comments! 

Author Interview: Wendy Johnson of Wendy Knits 

Read on for a chance to win her  new book, Wendy Knits Lace!

Beloved blogger Wendy Johnson's books Socks from the Toe Up and Toe-Up Socks for Every Body helped fuel the huge surge of interest in constructing socks from the tip, and now she's turned to another of have favorite topics, with her new book, Wendy Knits Lace, a collection of lace patterns meant to be worn everywhere the knitter goes.  Wendy's mind easily unravels knitting challenges, and her friendly, approachable style, filled with tips to make knitting more fun, makes this book a must-have for any lace-inclined knitter. 

The Knitcircus Contributing Editor talked to us about her Everyday Lace collection and love of all things lace; check out her current article, Design Your Own Cowl, for a chance to try your hand at creating a unique and wearable lace cowl !

KC: What draws you to lace?

WJ: For me, lace has a high “entertainment factor.” You can create stunning results with surprisingly little effort and at relatively low cost. A completed lace project looks impressive and makes a great gift for non-knitters: they usually think you must be a genius to be able to create lace!

KC: Why should knitters not fear charts and possibly making a mistake in the lace pattern? 

WJ: In my experience, charted lace has fewer errors than lace patterns written out line-by-line. When creating a chart, it is much easier to catch errors because a chart is a much more visual representation of a pattern than a string of knitting abbreviations. 

If a knitter is used to knitting from written instructions then, yes, there will be a bit of a learning curve when switching to charts. I started knitting before charts were popular and knit everything from written-out instructions. But after learning to use charts, I would never go back.

KC: What tips in the book made lace much easier to navigate for you?

WJ: Use stitchmarkers, and lots of them! There is no shame in marking out each repeat of your lace pattern with markers. If you are a relatively new knitter you will have far better success seeing each lace repeat separated. You can much more easily troubleshoot errors if you check each repeat after knitting to ensure you have the proper number of stitches and all increases and decreases are in the right places. If you are an experienced lace knitter, markers in your knitting can be a reminder of where you are: you’ve completed a repeat and it’s time to start over.

KC"What’s next? 

WJ: Who knows? At the moment I’m still enchanted by all things lacy and by different shapes in lace, but I am a fickle knitter and could change my focus at any time

 To win a copy of Wendy Knits Lace, please leave a comment here, a comment in teh Knitcircus Ravelry Group or Twitter #kcwendyknits including an email or rav name and your favorite: Wendy Knits pattern OR way to knit socks (toe-up, top-down) OR lace pattern in the fall Knitcircus. Winners will be picked Wednesday, August 31st, sometime before noon.

 

Fall Knitcircus 2011 Live! And Celebrate Fall Knitting Giveaways

Welcome to Fall, with the biggest and best Knitcircus ever! With 26 knitting and crochet patterns, there's something for everyone you want to keep cozy as the weather turns cool.

ETA: thanks so much to everyone who entered! This contest is closed, but there's more in the next entry. ;)

To celebrate the Return to Fall Knitting, we've got a big Fall Giveaway for you, courtesy of our generous knitting-goods friends.

It's so big, we're breaking it up into a festival of giveaways!

Today's prizes:

1. From Blue Sky Alpacas, an entire Graphic Pullover kit using Techno yarn, reviewed in the Fall Issue,  the Secrets of the Laidback Knitters Book pictured above, a set of Elegant Knitter at Goose Pond Stitch markers and a Pico Accuardi Dyeworks mini-skein.

2. Blue Sky Alpacas Heartgyle Vest kit, the Family Knits book by Debbie Bliss pictured above,  a Miss Purl notions tin, and Pico Accuardi Dyeworks mini-skein.

3.  A skein of Yarn Hollow Trellis, 620 yards of Merino/Bamboo, a copy of Erika Knight's Simple Knitting, and an Elegant Knitter at Goose Pond sheep gauge checker.

Two more winners will  receive a Year's Subscription to Knitcircus (5 Issues). If you already have one, extend yours or give to a friend!

To enter, please comment here, on the Knitcircus Ravelry Group or  use #knitcircusfall on Twitter and tell us your favorite part about the Fall Issue, or your favorite Blue Sky, Pico Accuardi or Yarn Hollow yarn. Winners will be chosen by the Random Number Generator on Friday, August 26th, and the winners and next giveaway will be announced! Make sure to leave your email or rav ID when commenting on the blog so we can contact you.