Cyber Monday Sale Update #2

Happy
Tuesday everyone!  I just wanted to let you all know that our IT team
was working on the website last night making some changes and updates to
get it to run faster.  There was a brief period last night when only 75
colors were showing.

Now,
all 450+ sale colors are back on the sale yarn page and they’re all
25-35% off until 11:59pm PST tonight.  The site should be running much
faster today.  We’re very sorry about the slow load times yesterday; we
know that must have been really frustrating.  Thanks again for being so
patient and supportive! Have a great day!

-Alisha

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Wish List Contest Winner

I’m very happy to announce that Sarah C. from Rochester, NY is our lucky “Win Your Wish List” contest winner this year.

Sarah won Sweater Wizard 3.0 and a knitting yarn meter from her wish list, a prize worth $118. Now she can organize her entire stash and plan out custom-designed sweaters!

Congratulations Sarah, and thank you to everyone who participated. I hope all your holiday wishes come true this year.

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I finished my Classic Lines Cardigan!!

This is the first sweater I’ve ever knit. I’ve knit lots of hats and
mitts and scarves and cowls. I’ve even knit fortune cookies and tulips.
But I had never knit a sweater. When I started it (waaayyyy back in
April 2009!), I didn’t know that knitting a sweater in lace weight yarn
was a big deal. I mean, it’s double stranded right?I finally
finished my sweater this week. I am thrilled. I love the fabric, I love
the drape, I love the fit. And I love that it is FINALLY finished!

I
learned many things knitting this sweater. I learned how to do a raglan
decrease. I learned how to steek (eek!). And (I’m a little
embarrassed to admit this), I learned how to block a project. I’ve
never blocked anything before, but it took me so long to knit my CLC, I
figured I should finish it properly. Kerin was kind enough to show me
how, and Kate videotaped the whole process. Now I will be a blocking
machine, I can’t believe what a difference it makes and how easy it is!

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Vampire Knits Contest winners!

Wow, it’s so great to see so many people excited about this book!  We had 2091 entries before 5pm PST on September 13.  I went to my trusty Random Number Generator and picked 7 winners!
Winner #1
#1920 – Beth R.!
Winner #2
#1389 – Amanda T.!
Winner #3
#83 – The Knitting Archaeologist!
Winner #4
#451 – Amy D!
Winner #5
#625 – H3Dakota!
Winner #6
# 1615 – Michelle!
Winner #7
#947 – Denise!
I’ve sent emails to the address on the comment so if you’re a winner check your mailbox!
And be sure to pick up your copy of Vampire Knits – there are so many great projects to keep you entertained through a rewatch of all the Buffy seasons!

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Vampire Contest

UPDATE 9/13 – Contest is now over!  We’ve posted our winners here!

 

Are you a fan of Buffy, Twilight, True Blood, Angel and The Vampire Diaries? (or like me & your vampire tastes run classic like the orginal Dracula)  Do we have a book for you!

Vampire knits

Vampire Knits
a brand new book coming out next week and honestly, I was so excited to
see it.  Mainly because several IDP designers are featured in it!

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Happy Hanukkah!

 

We have been focused on holiday knitting around here the last couple of weeks. I knew that we were going to be sharing ideas, books and tips. So, I kept a list of “stuff” that kept popping into my head as we geared up for the holidays. I’m taking advantage of Bob’s and my dual backgrounds to give you an idea that I definitely like as the holidays become frightening close to being right around the corner.   

Remember when I started this scarf a few weeks ago? It’s the Extra Long Scarf from Color by Kristin by Kristin Nicholas.  

 

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Cowl Girls contest deadline extended

UPDATE 9/28 – Contest is now over!  We’ve posted our winners here!
Stacey is on vacation, lucky girl! And it’s lucky for you too! I told her I’d go ahead and pick the winners of the Cowl Girls contest for her today since she isn’t in the office, but I am swamped today so I’m making the executive decision to extend the contest deadline until 12pm Pacific on Monday, 9/27. So keep those entries coming and have a great weekend!
Enter here.

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And the winners are…

I’m excited to *finally* announce the winners of our Cowl Girls giveway (picked by the Random Number Generator!).
Congratulations to:
1. Nadine B.2. Bitsy Busby3. Nicole
I’ve sent each of you an e-mail to get your mailing address, so check your inboxes.
Thank you to everyone who entered. Cowl Girls is available now on our web site if you’d like to pick up a copy, and it’s 40% off during our book sale, so you can get it for under $12.

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TheYarn Bowl pattern and WoTA yarn Contest Winner!

WOW, I can’t believe how many of you tried out for this contest!!  We had 3,878 comments!!!!  Using a random # generator, we have a winner for the Wool of the Andes yarn and Beautiful Yarn Bowl pattern…  We would like to congratulate Stephanie B. (# 3264)  We’ll be sending her an email shortly to make arrangements for shipping this marvelous selection of Wool of the Andes and pattern to her…
Also, I would like to thank you all for the wonderful, encouraging comments about our new book pattern download program.  In the next week or two we’ll be adding 4 more books (from Martingale & Company) and there will be many more coming later as more publishers join this great new venue…  Thanks again!!!

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Crochet and IDP

One of my favorite things I’ve learned this year is how to crochet! 
I’ve always been surrounded by women (and men!) who crochet more than knit, but for
some reason I couldn’t pick it up – I had some sort of mental block. 
That ended back in May when my mom & I took a rainy holiday on the
Oregon Coast – finally for like 20th she tried so show me, something in
my brain clicked and I’ve been crocheting up a storm since then!  And
since the IDP Crochet pattern selection has grown so much, I’ve been in heaven.

My first big crochet project was the Adva Scarf by Lauren Osbonre.  This is her version:

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