Sock Yarn for Life?!

The folks over at YarnCanada.ca are running a really fun giveaway.   Here's part of what they wrote me in their note/press release:

We at YarnCanada.ca feel there’s too much pain and suffering caused by chilly feet, or worse, people wearing socks from Costco.

That’s why we are changing somebody’s life, by giving away a lifetime supply of socks (well, sock yarn, what happens with it is up to you!). The prize ($1000 worth of yarn) goes to whomever can show they will be most impacted by winning.

This is a very important "cause" and we need to raise awareness.

Note: I don't get anything by mentioning it to you.  In fact, I'll just have more competition when it comes to winning all the sock yarn for myself!  (which, you know, I hardly need, given my stock pile, but...it sure is tempting.)

I'm especially tempted by some of the yarns in the pile: Briggs & Little, Regia, Malabrigo, Crystal Palace...and my little boy sock standby, Kroy Sock by Patons.  (There's a long list on their website.)

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All you have to do is wander over to their website to enter.  It's open only to people living in the US and Canada.  They ask what you will do with all the sock yarn and why you should win...and that's it.  The deadline is December 7, 2016, and they will announce the winner on December 14th.  That's a nice short deadline--delayed gratification is hard, right?

I'm going to imagine jumping into that big pile of yarn.  Ahhh.  See, I'm already feeling better just thinking about it!  And no, I have nothing to do with the giveaway, I'm just spreading the word.  

I hope you win!  (Or...I hope I win?!)

:) Joanne

a winner! and more mitts...

Congratulations to Calypso Hope!  I used a random number generator and you have won! I will be in touch soon regarding how to send you your new Denise 2 Go needles.  Thanks to all who entered as part of my UNsale giveaway....I appreciate it.

And, before I forget, please remember that the UNsale continues through the end of October.  Purchase any of my Ravelry downloadable patterns and  I will donate 20% to help refugees through the Canadian Red Cross Refugee Crisis Appeal matching program. Thanks for helping me help others!

Now, to update you on the "winter is coming" knitting around here....I finished my second set of The Hole Inside Mitts.  About 5 minutes after they finished drying on the radiator, (I block them by hand washing, and leave them to dry on our old fashioned hot water radiators) somebody rushed to put them on.  It is getting nippy here, and some mornings hover around 0C. (freezing, around 32F).... So these mitts got put on quickly!  Soon we'll need to put on double mitts, but for now, we can enjoy our new ones solo!

I caught a few photos of them in action, though.  I hope to get the photos up on Ravelry sometime soon.  You may note that the mitten tops are different, as per the request of the four year old in question.  These are his color and style choices!

"Come on, MOMMY!  Hurry UP!  Let's go outside to play NOW!"
Note: I deleted the other images where his hands were a complete blur. We move fast around here. :)

Denise 2 Go giveaway

Remember!

In October, I am having an UNsale.  The UN (and many others) have asked us to step up to help the millions of refugees fleeing war right now.  If you buy any of my patterns or my eBook in October, I will donate 20% of the proceeds to the Canadian Red Cross Refugee Crisis Appeal.  The Canadian government is matching these donations...so it will double our efforts to help.  Thank you for helping me to help others!

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Now, on to our exciting giveaway...

A while back, I was contacted by a kind person at Yarncanada.ca.  I was asked if I wanted to do a review of these new Denise 2 Go Knitting and Crochet sets.  I said yes. :)

Why?  I travelled all over the U.S., in Canada, and abroad with my handy dandy Original Denise Needle kit.  It has served me really well!  What do I think about it?  On a brief pro/con list...

There are many pros...and this new travel set is even better.
1) It's small . It fits neatly in a suitcase.  This new set is even smaller in size than the original, because it divides up the sizes.  The giveaway here is for the bigger needles, US sizes 10.5 through 15.  (Perfect for knitting several of my designs, including ones like Knitting for Mother Earth Cowl or Slippy the Cowl, on the go.)

2) It is flexible and you can knit on several projects at once, whatever comes up when you happen by a yarn store... with these needles.  The new soft packaging also includes a crochet hook, which is very handy for any last minute cast-on or finishing needs.

3) The colors are bright and cheerful.  You can see the needles as you knit.  This is no small thing.  Very good.

What's not perfect about these needles?
1) The plastic is a bit sticky with some yarns.  This is great for a beginner, it helps the stitches stay put.  It can be a bit slow for some fibers when an accomplished knitter is zooming along.  (I always ignored this issue, because honestly, if you have the right needle on a trip, who cares if it is a little slow.  Slow is better than nothing!)

2) If your knitting style involves some wrist movement, as mine does, it seems to eventually put some wear into the cord attachment.  In my case, one of the cords seems to like to detach sometimes now--after many years of use.  (I also do this to other kinds of circulars, so it is not unique to the Denise needles)  Solutions?  Buy a new cord. :)  Other solutions?  Change your technique...that's for me to work on in the future...

3) Last comment...sometimes, you might have two projects that need the same cord or same needle at once.  Again, you can buy extras and replacements.  This is maybe just the problem for people like me, who do several projects at once.  I've got a lot of needles though, and I'd suggest buying more if this is your issue, too. :)  I can never have too many #6(4mm) circulars, for some reason, and I need about 4 sets of #3(3.25mm) double points, but whatever, everybody is different.  This is why there are so many gorgeous needle sets!

I've decided to do a giveaway of these needles--to pass the joy along.  If you'd like a chance to win these, please leave a comment on this post
by noon CT, October 21st,
that allows me to contact you via email, Ravelry, or your blog (whatever works for you, but it has to work for me too!).

In the ideal world, please also consider buying a pattern to support the UNsale, telling your knitting friends about the UNsale, or making a donation this month to support refugees.  Winter is coming, and there are so many people who have lost everything...right down to their winter clothes and their knitting needles.

Thank you.

Win Something!

I am so sorry, blog readers--it's been a whole week since I've posted. I feel like I'm letting you down!

Here's a sunshiney photo of my loom in action while I explain. I've still been feeling under the weather. I haven't been going out much and I'm a little lonely. I feel a bit teetery, like I'm sitting on a counter stool and my feet are dangling off the edge with no (steadying) floor in sight! I'm also trying hard to keep up with my work--including getting ready for the Handmade Holiday sale, put on by Manitoba Craft Council, which is taking place November 26th and 27th.

Comments on the blog have been few and far between for a while, so I was a slacker and didn't post as much as usual. (I find your comments and those interactions very encouraging. Otherwise, I don't much feel like posting sometimes!) I'm sorry for my silence over here, and I'd like to make that up to you. I figured I'd combine a few topics at once. Here it is:

I notice that a lot of people read my blog each day...but I don't actually know who most of you are. Are you friends and family? Fellow knitters/spinners/weavers? People who like dogs? People who like old house stories? People I met once? I wish I knew more. If only 3 people comment on a post left up for a week but 30 people visit each day...there are a lot of you out there who I don't hear from very often!

At the same time, the lovely folks at CSN Stores contacted me out of the blue and asked me if I'd like to give away a $45 gift certificate to any of their over 200 online stores on my blog. (They sell dog beds, kitchen tools, shoes, bar stools...and more!) Well, gosh--this seems like a really good time for someone to win a $45 gift certificate!

So, if you read my blog, and you'd like to say who you are, and why you visit the blog--I'd love to know. I will read everybody's comments and (assuming you actually say who you are and answer why you visit my blog) will enter you into a completely random drawing. Please leave your comment by next Monday afternoon - 3pm North American Central Time-, November 22nd. (I will hop on to the blog and officially close the drawing at that time.)

A few little notes:
1: Please be sure I will be able to contact you via your email address, blog, smoke signals, etc. Even if I know you in real life, I might not know your secret blog log in nickname, so be sure I can figure out how to find you!

2: CSN only ships to U.S. and Canadian addresses, and if you live in Canada, you may have to pay international shipping charges. (Sorry!) If you live farther afield, please feel free to leave a comment-I'd love to hear from you-but I won't be able to give you the gift certificate, as the shipping won't work out.

So, tell me, dahlink...why do you visit the blog? What interests you? I look forward to hearing from you! I hope you win the $45 gift certificate, too!!