Rowan swatch party (and a giveaway!)

Hey hey! I don't know what the weather is like where you live, but around here we've been seeing a lot of snow. (Like almost 12" in 24 hours.) Which means lots of shoveling, lots of layers, lots of blankets and, of course, it's the perfect time for knitting. I haven't had a chance yet to show off some of my favorite new Rowan yarns from the Autumn/Winter release so I decided to knit up some swatches and let the yarn do the talking. From left to right, we have Brushed Fleece, Rowan Fine Tweed, Rowan Finest, Fazed Tweed and Chenille.

The dark blue swatch on the left is one of my new favorite yarns (of all time.) This is Brushed Fleece – lightweight but extremely warm and not itchy whatsoever. I'm knitting a cardigan (called Stour) with Brushed Fleece right now. The green swatch was made with Rowan Finest, which is luxurious and oh-so-soft. This yarn is a blend of extra fine merino, cashmere and royal alpaca wool. The marled blue and white swatch is a new yarn called Fazed Tweed, and is (in my opinion) the most innovative of the bunch! Fazed Tweed is a mix of wool and fine alpaca with a filled tube-like construction held together with a fine net-like fiber. Finally, on the far right is Chenille, which is absolutely gorgeous in person. Chenille is 100% cotton, very soft and has a great texture that makes it super fun to knit with.

And I didn't get around to making swatches for these guys, but another favorite yarn that I'm loving this season is definitely Rowan Fine Tweed. It comes in a zillion fantastic shades that all work amazingly well together.  This is a beautifully soft, 100% wool, traditionally spun tweed yarn made in one of the few surviving mills in Yorkshire. But again, the colors are what draws me to this yarn ... it's perfect for colorwork and Rowan offers tons of gorgeous patterns that encourage you to let your imagination run wild with color combinations.

GIVEAWAY!

THE PRIZE

One lucky reader will win will get a ball of Chenille, Fazed Tweed and Brushed Fleece. (I might have a few more secret surprises from Rowan to throw in your package as well!)

HOW TO ENTER

• Comment below telling me what you are knitting right now.
• Like Rowan Yarns on Facebook.

THE RULES

• U.S. residents only. (Sorry!)
• Giveaway is open until February 16th, 2015 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. 

Best of luck and thanks so much for reading!

Knit and Crochet Now! (and a giveaway)

When I'm out and about, I love to knit with friends. And when I'm at home, I knit and watch TV. (Don't we all?) A few years ago, I stumbled upon a show called 'Knit and Crochet Now' on PBS, and quickly realized it was a pretty fantastic knitting companion. Knitting friends on my TV/laptop! Because the only thing better than knitting is knitting while you watch a TV show about knitting.

I started watching a new episode each evening while working on whatever I was knitting at the time, and became totally hooked. I felt like such a multitasker. I learned so many new skills – both knitting and crochet – and looked forward to seeing what projects and guests would be featured each week. New episodes (Season 6!) of Knit and Crochet Now have begun airing on PBS this month.



You know how it's easier to learn a new skill (like, say ... duplicate stitch or entrelac) when someone is sitting there with you, showing you the way? That's exactly what happens when you watch 'Knit and Crochet Now' – you get step-by-step knitting and crochet instruction plus really helpful tips from the pros. I've watched episodes featuring all sorts of techniques: Tunisian crochet, amigarumi, wall art, incorporating fabric, colorwork, seaming, weaving, crochet short rows, knitted short rows, brioche rib, entrelac, felting, loom knitting, life lines, side-to-side dropped stitches, cast-ons, linings, crocheted cables and more. So many things! Here a few of the experts you will see on the show this season.

Brett Bara is the host with the most. She's warm and down-to-earth and I secretly wish she was my real-life crafty friend. When Brett is not in front of the camera on Knit and Crochet Now, she is a designer, author, blogger, and consultant in the craft and DIY community. She is the founder of Brooklyn Craft Company & Brooklyn Craft Camp and is the former Editor in Chief of Crochet Today magazine.

Special guest Drew Emborsky (aka The Crochet Dude) is a designer, teacher, author and most recently launched his own line of hand-dyed yarns. Drew will be hosting special segments featuring party accessories, kiddie toys, fingerless gloves, headbands and shawls. He is awesome.

Robyn Chachula, the author of six books, including Blueprint Crochet, Baby Blueprint Crochet, Blueprint Crochet Sweaters, and Simply Crochet, creates architecturally inspired pieces and has her own crochet design company, Crochet by Faye. Her patterns have been featured in numerous magazines, including Crochet! and Inside Crochet.

Crochet expert Ellen Gormley is the Editor of Crochet! Magazine and is the instructor for two Annie’s online classes, Learn to Crochet and Crocheting with Beads. Ellen is the author of Go Crochet! Afghan Design Workbook, is particularly well-known for her stylish bead crochet and join-as-you-go crochet and motif designs.

Special guest Jenny King is the talented Australian crochet designer behind Jenny King Designs and has written several books that include Annie’s Bavarian Crochet On-the-Go.

Color expert Kristin Nicholas is the author of eight books, including Color by Kristin, Kristin Knits, Colorful Stitchery, Kids Embroidery, Knitting for Baby and more.

Lena Skvagerson is the designer of many of the gorgeous projects for Knit and Crochet Now! She is the in-house exclusive designer for the Annie’s Signature Collection, as well as Creative Knitting Magazine, Crochet! Magazine and Crochet World. Until recently, Lena was a Designer for Drops/Garnstudio. She has been designing knit and crochet patterns for the past 25 years.

Projects featured on 'Knit and Crochet Now' include garments, accessories, toys and jewelry, but the main focus is on education and learning new techniques. I cast on this chunky lace scarf and worked right along with the show, finishing one repeat of the lace pattern as I watched! How fun is that? 

Each episode features knit and crochet projects, exciting new yarns, interesting stitch patterns and a popular segment called 'Knit and Crochet Now Scarf of the Week.' Full instructions for each of the featured projects are available on KnitAndCrochetNow.com.

Have you watched this gem of a show? You can check here to see if it is airing on your local PBS channel.  Or, if you can't catch the show on live TV, you can sign up for a Knit and Crochet Now! All Access Membership to get on-demand videos and free patterns. Sounds pretty awesome, huh? For $24.95 a year, members will have access to all of the episodes from Season 1-6  (65 episodes) and 225 patterns – every episode and every pattern is at your fingertips on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Your All Access Membership also gets you 10% off everything at AnniesCraftStore.com. Yarn, needles, hooks, and even more patterns and videos!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

THE PRIZE

One lucky reader will win a Knit and Crochet Now! All Access Membership for 1 year!

THE ALL-ACCESS MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES:

• All 78 episodes ON DEMAND
• Free downloads for all 210 projects
• Save 10% on everything at Annie's Craft Store

HOW TO ENTER

• Comment below telling me if you are a knitter or crocheter (or both!)
• 'Like' Knit and Crochet Now! on Facebook 

 

THE RULES

• Giveaway is open until February 1st, 2015 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. 

A huge thank you to 'Knit and Crochet Today' for the awesome giveaway. Best of luck and thanks so much for reading!


P.S. Want a shot at another giveaway? Visit Berroco's blog from January 21-28 to enter to win enough yarn to make the two hats featured in Episode 2. The winner will be selected on January 29th.

All day, and all of the night.

Hi. I'm in the middle of a knitting catastrophe. A conundrum. This photo doesn't even begin to explain. Sometimes I suffer from knitter's paralysis. The thing when you've finished whatever is on your needles and you start looking for a new project to start, but can't decide on anything. What I'm experiencing now is worse because I have way too many things on the needles and too many projects begging to be worked on. Way. I don't know what to knit first. And there are more things not shown here that are sitting in project bags around my house. It's like having 27 children who are all begging me to make them different snacks at the same time. I think I have five sweaters on needles right now. And I'm dying to start working on more. What has happened to me? (Oh, and did I mention that I'm writing patterns for a book?! Yeah. There's no time for that.)

So what's a girl to do? I think I'm going to make a list, for starters. That Rowan sweater in the middle is going to be an awesome cardigan and I'm going to finish that first. And in about five minutes, I'm going to Google videos on 'lever knitting.' Because I heard it's fast.

Knit fast, die warm, homies.

Australian Superfine Merino by Cleckheaton – and a GIVEAWAY!

This month I had the opportunity to try out a new yarn – Cleckheaton's Australian Superfine Merino. It was such a treat to knit with these candy-colored brights! I found Cleckheaton's Superfine to be extremely soft and springy and a joy to knit with; it's silky and smooth and completely comfortable next to your skin. And this hat! It's pretty much perfect. As soon as I started knitting, my daughter asked if we could share it. HA. Definitely.

Australian Superfine Merino wool is recognized as one of the world's finest and is grown on specially bred Merino sheep that graze on sustainable grasslands. It is then lovingly twisted and dyed by the people at the Wangaratta Woollen Mills in rural Victoria. This magically soft merino warms you up in the cold and helps you feel cool when it's hot. But the best thing about this yarn is truly the softness.

This luxuriously soft and springy yarn comes in 30 amazing colorways – neutrals, brights and everything in between. You can see them all right here. The color combo I used to knit my 2 Colour Beanie was 14/Garnet and 52/Ice Green. Do you love this hat as much as I do? If so, you can download this awesome pattern for FREE.  :)

 

Another very cool bonus is the tag that comes with this yarn. First of all, it's letterpressed and completely beautiful. And! You can sew the ribbon to your knitted accessory/garment as a tag! Love that so much!

And if that's not enough eye candy for you today, check out all of the gorgeous patterns on the Cleckheaton Superfine website. Wow. Here are just a few of my favorites. (Visit to the website to download.)

GIVEAWAY TIME!

 

THE PRIZE

This super cool 'Knit It Yourself' Beanie kit!

Kit includes:

• 2 balls of Australian Superfine Merino yarn (in Cardboard and Cream)
• printed pattern
• project bag 

HOW TO ENTER

• Comment below telling me your favorite Australian Superfine Merino color(s).
• Like Cleckheaton Superfine on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. 

 

THE RULES

• Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only
• Giveaway is open until Sunday, January 25, 2015 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.

A big thank you to Cleckheaton's Australian Superfine Merino for this wonderful giveaway. Good luck and thanks for reading! :)

Filigree

Lacy crochet + knit tops? Yes please. Take a look at this incredibly gorgeous preview of some of my favorite designs from Marie Wallin's new book 'Filigree.' This monochrome collection includes 10 designs using Summerlite, a new 4-ply Egyptian cotton yarn from Rowan. The combination of knit and crochet plus the genius construction of these garments is extraordinary. And you will absolutely love the photography in this book ... the flowers! Take a look.

Daisy

Hollyhock

Buttercup

Tulip

Rose

Lupin

Peony

Exquisite! If you're getting married or are attending a special event this spring, you absolutely must make Peony. It's mandatory. So gorgeous.

'Filigree' launches on Marie's website on Thursday, January 15th and will also be available from Rowan stockists soon. Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

about

Hey! I'm Jen. Thanks for stopping by. 

If you've just landed here, this blog is mostly about crafting. Knitting. Concerts and music. (I might be the biggest metal-head you'll ever meet.) 

I am a graphic designer, a knitter, a blogger and a maker. By day, I am a stay-at-home mom and at night, I knit and work on freelance design projects. I'm passionate about sharing the love of knitting by teaching knitting classes in local high schools and workshops. I'm a huge fan of heavy metal and punk rock. And I like to travel and visit my friends who live far away. Architecture, graphic design, photography, fashion, typography and music serve as my inspiration. (Lots of music.)


SOME OF MY FAVORITE POSTS

Seen Here ...

DISCLOSURE

• This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact me.
• This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
• Some of the links in this blog are affiliate links and I will earn a commission on referrals or sales generated by those links.
• The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.
• Sometimes I am compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though I receive compensation for the posts or advertisements, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
• This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

 

SEEN HERE

A vest for Noro Magazine

Photos by Rose Callahan and Paul Amato for LVARepresents.com

Ready for a dose of color? Check out the beauties in Noro Magazine Fall/Winter 2014. I was fortunate enough to design an oversized vest for this issue, which I spent lots of time working on last summer. (Which seems like ages ago!) Once again, it was such a thrill to ever-so-carefully pack up my knitted creation into a box and mail it off to New York City, and then wait to see how it would be photographed. Here it is, below.

 

Photos by Paul Amato for LVARepresents.com

Fun, right? This vest uses Noro Silk Garden Solo and Silk Garden Lite held together. Want to see more? Feast your eyes on these gorgeously colorful designs featured in the magazine. Noro's colorways are always so incredibly magnificent.

Photos by Rose Callahan and Paul Amato for LVARepresents.com

You can pick up your copy of Noro Magazine Fall/Winter 2014 at your local bookstore, craft store or yarn shop. (I happen to collect issues of Noro Magazine because they're full of such beautiful projects and I'm thrilled to add this one to my bookshelf!)

Still

My three favorite things this winter are: hot Tazo Passion tea, knitting while watching 'Lilyhammer' on Netflix, and looking at pattern collections by Kim Hargreaves. HA. But seriously, check out 'Still' by Kim Hargreaves. This soft and cozy collection includes 21 designs using Rowan Brushed Fleece, Mohair Haze, Kidsilk Haze, Fine Lace, Kid Classic, Kidsilk Haze Stripe, Cocoon, Lima, Felted Tweed DK and Felted Tweed Aran. Here are some of my favorites. 

Comfort

 Cold

 Darkness

 

Cosy (sweater) and Mist (hat)

 Hushed

Comfort (cardigan) and Mist (hat)

 Black

 Light

Mist

 

 Intense

 Tranquil

 Silence

'Still' is available at Kim's website and also at local knitting shops. Such a phenomenal collection;  gorgeous and soft. This might make a lovely gift for any knitter on your holiday list, fyi. Happy December!

You can purchase the book on Kim's website or at your local knitting shop. - See more at: http://knitionary.blogspot.com/2014/10/still.html#sthash.NIjh4a5I.dpuf

Wool and the Gang Snood Workshop

Few things make me happier than knitting with friends, so I was super stoked to have another chance to host a Wool and the Gang workshop here in Des Moines. It's hard to beat chilling out with fifteen of your friends on a snowy day, eating snacks and chatting the afternoon away.

The Des Moines Social Club was our headquarters once again and that sunshine coming through the windows felt lovely.



Our project was a snood, which could be knit in three different stitch patterns. We all chose our favorite shade of Crazy Sexy Wool and boom – snoods were born.

Snacks were eaten. (Duh.)

 

And the friends were chillin.

It was so much fun and now we all have something to keep us warm during this cold, snowy holiday season. Stay tuned because I'm hoping we'll do this again soon! Stay toasty and have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!