Happy Halloween, sweet peeps!
Sorry for the delay regarding the book giveaways.
The random number generator did its thing.

Cowl Girls 2 :: #23,  Lise Jackson
Knit a square ::  #42, Mandy
60 quick knits for little kids ::  #14,  Meg
Please email me with your address, and I'll make sure the books land in your mailbox.
My friend, Amy, shared an article.  I think you are gonna love it.  I believe the author to be true.  Knitters really are kind!

These quick knit books are my favorite.  And, I think you can probably tell this is my favorite of all three giveaways. Oh my gosh!
My favorite thing to knit are items for my kids.  It just seems, as if, that window of opportunity for me, was smaller than I would have wanted it to be.  Once they hit middle school, there was very little knitting for the boys.  And, just a little more for Libby.
Thankfully hats and gloves have always been a nice constant.
This would have been great for my Andrew who didn't like coats.  I could have just thrown this over his head and off we would go.
Boy and girl sweaters.  Pull overs and Cardigans.  Ponchos and capes.  Bow ties and dresses.
This truly is one of the cutest kids books I have seen in a while!

If interested in 60 quick knits for little kids, please leave a comment here.  I'll be back after the 27th to announce who the random number generator chooses of all three giveaways.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Okay. I have knit a monkey and a snake before, but I can honestly say that I wish this book was around when I did!
Wait, you can knit a square and turn it into a cute penguin?!
Or a turtle?!
Or a panda?
Or a pig?
Or a frog?!

There are 35 critters in all.  All constructed from a single square.  Seriously?!  And, I SO wish I would have taken a photo of the elephant.  Oh my cuteness!

If interested in Nicky Epsteins Knit a Square, Create a Cuddly Creature, please leave a comment here.   I'll announce the winner next weekend.

Sorry to keep you waiting on the KnitCrate discount code. I've received word that it's working now. SO sorry about that! (Two posts ago.  Down there. )
I haven't done a book giveaway in quite a while.  And this week I have three to giveaway!
I'll post each one on a separate day, that way you can enter each one or only the one you want.  All three might interest you, but maybe not, so I thought it would be confused having them all in one post.
I'm headed out of town until the 27th, so I'll just keep them all open and announce the winners when I return.

Remember the book Cowl Girls?  Well, Cathy Carron has now added 35 new designs to the list of cowls and came out with Cowl Girls 2.   With a large range of styles and knitting technique, there is something to fit everyones love of cowls.   Color work, beading, cables, textures, embellishments, zippers, ruffles, hoods, bobbles.  You name it.  It's in there.

If interested in Cowl Girls 2,  please leave a comment here and I'll announce the winner next weekend.

 So, this Pop Life Cardigan is one of those quick knits that I will wear over and over.
 It's one of those sweaters that I will wear in warmer temperatures.  Spring.  Summer.
 It's one of those knits that I will keep near me all summer long. I'll throw it over my jammies in the morning.  I'll throw it over a dress in the evenings.
 The cotton is dreamy.  I can't remember a time I called cotton "dreamy".  But it is.  It is soft on the hands and easy to work with.  It's just lightweight and nice.  Ya know?
The pattern is easy to follow.  And truly simple.  The right front and right back are knit in one long piece and then seamed in the center to the back of the left side. You then add the sleeves (which are short due to the dropped shoulders) and then add the ribbing around the front and neck.
Somewhere along the way, I measured the first piece wrong and knit everything else based off of those measurements.  So, mine is shorter than the pattern suggests.  Honestly, I would have loved it to be longer.  However, this doesn't stop me from loving it.  It's sort of the summer version of my beloved slouchy cardigan.

Pattern:  Pop Life Cardigan
Yarn:  Wool and the Gang Billie Jean Washed Out Denim
Needles:  US11
Size:  one size

Happy Weekend, Friends!

Have you heard of KnitCrate?  It was totally new to me until a couple of months ago.  Here's how it works:  Every month you receive a fun, red, shiny mailer, including yarn and a project.  KnitCrate has different "crates" to fit your interest.  This was the regular KnitCrate, however, you can subscribe to one with socks, or if you are new to making socks, there is a "newbie sock" one for you, and if you are just plain new to knitting, there is one for you!  Such a fun surprise to receive once a month.  (You can cancel at anytime.)  I think it is a genius idea.  I love the idea of receiving something you would have never have tried, and in turn, perhaps finding something you love!
I was pretty excited when I opened the package, back in August, and saw yarn in Charlie's school colors.  I never even knew about Echoview yarn and now I am in love.  It's 95% fine merino wool and 5% silk.  Pure deliciousness.   I decided to forgo the pattern that was included, and make a stripy pair of mitts instead.  (See, you can make whatever you want!)  I'm sort of making it up as I go, but I'll be sure to share the pattern when I'm finished.

If you are interested in subscribing,  KnitCrate would like to offer 20% off your first package.  Enter code FKW20 at checkout.

How cute is that pumpkin paper tape?!  A thin strip on shipping tags and voila!  You have yourself cute gift tags.
This is my girl version.  The spider garland will look super cute above her window!

I would love to know if you have any other fun ideas for college care packages.  I saw this great list and I am looking forward to making and sending this, but would love to know if you have any other ideas!

So, Kim made these cookies and posted a pic on Instagram and I was all over it.  Oh my goodness.  A fall version of the classic pecan snowballs.  Delicious.  They have the perfect amount of fall flavor.
Let's talk cotton.  100% cotton and to be more specific Billie Jean Yarn.  This is some of the yummiest cotton yarn I have ever knit with. However, I forgot a few specifics about 100% cotton.  You know how you can break wool?  Quite often when knitting with wool, I don't even use scissors,  I just break the yarn.  Well, pretty impossible to do with cotton.  And also, the cotton threads can separate and that one little thread can cause I big snag.  I caught it when taking a pic last week for Instagram.  It caught on a little chip of paint.  (See that beautiful pull up there?)
After much debating in my head, I finally came to the conclusion that I should rip it out.   Ugh.  Steve thinks it's so cool that ripping is part of the process of getting the right knit.  Gonna definitely go with that attitude.
Seaming is happening tonight.  I plan on finishing it over the weekend.

Awe.  Thank you so much for all your kind words.  I SO appreciate all of your sweet comments on the big 10 year anniversary!  Of course, as always, I wish I could send you all yarn. I really do.  If only I was Ellen!  :)  The random number generator chose number 177, Nia.  Congrats, Nia.  Please email me (lesliemfriend at gmail dot com) your mailing information.