blue sky alpacas

Blue Sky Alpacas EXTRA blog tour /  by jen geigley


Welcome to my stop on the Blue Sky Alpacas EXTRA blog tour! The lovely people at Blue Sky Alpacas recently sent me a hank of their brand new EXTRA yarn along with a pattern from their Destination Collection. Check out the video below to see why this new yarn and pattern collection are so special. 


 

EXTRA is a lovely and lush mix of 55% baby alpaca and 45% fine merino wool. It comes in a generously sized hank (218 yards) and is available in 14 colors. It's a versatile Aran weight that is light and lofty and incredibly soft. You will love knitting with this yarn – I promise.

The Destination Collection is inspired by hometowns, far-away places and everywhere in between. The accessories in this collections were created by top Blue Sky Alpacas designers from all over the world.


The gorgeous pattern I have been working on is the Fractal Cowl by Kirsten Johnstone. Each pattern in the Destination Collection has been designed exclusively for EXTRA and each pattern has a story. And I have to say, Blue Sky has done a wonderful job with the design and packaging of their printed patterns! I just love how this folds out into a full page of photos and pattern instructions with a full-sized chart on the back, and then folds right back up into a sturdy little envelope that's easy to throw into your bag. 

The construction of this cowl is genius. The unique cabled design is inspired by the cutting-edge architecture of Australia, where designer Kirsten is from. Every round is different, and it's knitted (with ease) in stockinette. Then you flip it inside-out to see the geometric design. Brilliant! I've just started working on mine, but it's already been a super enjoyable knit.



GIVEAWAY!

 

THE PRIZE

THE RULES

  • Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only
  • Giveaway is open until Saturday, October 25, 2014 at 11:30 PM CST.
  • Comments must include a valid email address or Ravelry ID so I can contact you if you are the winner.
  • Winner will be chosen via random number generator and will be contacted within 48 hours after giveaway ends.

HOW TO ENTER




A big thank you to Blue Sky Alpacas for the opportunity to be a part of the fun!

Be sure to check out the rest of the stops on the EXTRA blog tour:

Week Three: Lattes & Llamas
Week Four: Rock + Purl
Week Five: HeyJenRenee

Up, Down, All-Around + Blue Sky Alpacas winner! /  by jen geigley

Hooray – we have a winner! Blue Sky Alpacas is hooking up one lucky reader with a signed copy of Up, Down, All-Around, 3 gorgeous skeins of yarn and a Pretty Cheep Project bag. It's a pretty fantastic prize, if you ask me!
 

And the lucky lady is ...

Sarah Lacey!




A huge thank you to everyone who visited during the blog tour and entered the Up, Down, All-Around, + Blue Sky Alpacas giveaway. (Sarah, I'll be contacting you about your prize soon!) Thanks for reading, thanks for entering! (And if you didn't win but still really want to get your hands on this book, it's available right here.)

Thanks again, happy knitting and have a great week!

Up, Down, All-Around blog tour + Blue Sky Alpacas giveaway! /  by jen geigley


Today marks my stop on an all-star blog tour for a fantastic new stitch dictionary called 'Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary: More than 150 stitch patterns to knit top down, bottom up, back and forth and in the round.' Blue Sky Alpacas has teamed up with Abrams books, who is publishing this fabulous new resource from best-selling author Wendy Bernard. Read on to find out how you can win a signed copy of the book and a project bag full of yarn from Blue Sky Alpacas!

First off, I have to tell you that I own quite a few stitch dictionaries. And none of them are like this book. Wendy has done all the dirty work for you (and me) and this is honestly one of the most useful knitting books I've ever laid eyes on.  


Wendy has taken 150 stitch patterns and converted them so they could be knitted flat (of course) but also in the round, bottom up and top down. Any direction! The stitch patterns in the book are both written out and charted. (Go ahead and let that sink in for a minute!)

I chose a herringbone lace rib pattern from the 'Ribs' chapter and wrote up a pattern recipe for a summery cowl using Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton. Was it hard to do? Not at all! Wendy gives you the number of stitches in each pattern repeat along with how many rounds it will take and boom, you've got everything you need. You don't have to convert it to make it work in the round. It's ready to go!

Here's the pattern recipe if you'd like to make this cowl, too. 

Herringbone Lace Rib Cowl


Materials:

- 1 hank Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton in Aloe/color #604

- US 11 (8mm) 16" circular needles

- Tapestry needle

Directions:

Using US 11 (8mm) circular needles and long tail cast-on, CO 70 sts.

Join in the round and PM.

Rnd 1: P around.

Rnd 2: K around.

Rnd 3: P around.

Rnd 4: K around.

Rnd 5: *K1, p1, k1, yo, p2tog, k1, p1; repeat from * to end.

Rnd 6: *K1, p2, k2tog, yo, p2; repeat from * to end.

Repeat Rnds 5 and 6 until piece measures 9" from the CO edge.

Rnd 7: K around.

Rnd 8: P around.

Rnd 9: K around.

Rnd 10: P around.

BO loosely, break yarn and weave in ends. 

Win the book + 3 hanks of Blue Sky Alpacas yarn + a project bag!

Blue Sky Alpacas is going to give one lucky reader a signed copy of Up, Down, All-Around, 3 gorgeous skeins of yarn and a Pretty Cheep Project bag. What a fantastic prize!

To enter, just leave a comment below. I will choose a winner at random on Friday, May 30th at 12:00 p.m. CST. Thanks for reading and good luck!

Join us for an exciting blog tour full of book giveaways and other good stuff. Also, follow me on Twitter at @KnitTonicWendy for more promotional news, and a tutorial on using Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary to custom-design your own cowl with any pattern you like!
The Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary Blog Tour sponsored by Blue Sky Alpacas; be sure to visit these tour stops:
- See more at: http://blueskyalpacas.com/blog/#sthash.vGDagwX5.dpu

Here's the Up, Down, All-Around Blog Tour schedule, sponsored by Blue Sky Alpacas. Be sure to visit the other blogs on this list for more giveaways and lots of fun projects and customization ideas using this book.

 Blog Tour stops:


May 22: FreshStitches

May 24: Hey Jen Renee





June 4: Mari Knits

June 21: Wendy Bernard on the Ready, Set, Knit! podcast


Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary
By Wendy Bernard
Published By Abrams | STC Craft
Photos by Thayer Allyson Gowdy