It's Confession Time!

I told Tim last night that I'm in love. Of course I love him to pieces, but I am having a "yarn love affair" with Madelinetosh Pashmina! It's the most beautiful, softest, bounciest yarn I've ever used. I'm making the Imogen Cowl and the pattern just screams fantastic in Pashmina. What do you think? I've got a bit left to knit, but here's a peek prior to finishing and blocking. 

My Imogen Cowl in the Thicket colorway

A few of the other lovely colors of Pashmina

I've got more Madelinetosh yarns slated to come in very soon, so I'm sure a little more Pashmina will wander home with me. I just hope that Tim won't mind! :) 

As you prepare your New Year's Resolutions, be sure to add "knitting with Madelinetosh Pashmina" to your list. You won't be sorry ... except for maybe when you get hooked like I am. I hope you have a Happy New Knitting Year!

Knit a Quick Cowl!

I found a miniature leaf pattern in Barbara Walker's book A Treasury of Knitting Patterns and decided to use it to make a quick cowl/infinity scarf for my daughter Katie as well as for a shop sample. I made Katie's cowl in a couple of hours, so just in case you need a pattern for a last minute gift, here are the instructions. The finished cowl is 8 inches wide by 56 inches in circumference. If you would like to make it longer or shorter the pattern is a multiple of 6 stitches.

Leaf Lace Infinity Scarf

Materials 

• Size 13 circular needle (24- to 32-inch is just perfect) 

• 2 skeins of Cascade 128 Superwash.

Miniature Leaf Pattern 
Round 1: Knit.

Round 2: *Knit 3, yarn over, slip 1, knit 2 stitches together, pass slipped stitch over, yarn over; repeat from * around.
Round 3: Knit.
Round 4: *Yarn over, slip 1, knit 2 stitches together, pass slipped stitch over, yarn over, knit 3; repeat from * around. 

Instructions
Cast on 132 stitches.

Join carefully to avoid twisting your cast-on stitches. Purl one round. Knit one round. Purl one round.
Work Miniature Leaf Pattern for width desired.
Knit one round.  Purl one round. Knit one round. Purl one round. Bind off knit-wise. 

Enjoy!

The Grand Prize Winner Is...

On Saturday December 17th we drew the name of the Grand Prize Winner of the Holiday to Holiday: A Path to Knits and Purls contest. There were 8 names in the "hat" and the suspense was killing us! Then Tim drew out the first name for the Grand Prize; the winner is ANN GILBERT!

Ann won a gift basket worth over $700 in prizes. The generous vendors that supplied prizes are Cascade Yarns, Classic Elite, Misti Alpaca International, Mountain Colors, and Westminster Fibers/Rowan Yarns. We at Knitted Together donated a set of Addi Turbo Clicks and a Namaste Buddy Case. Ann was thrilled with her winnings. We continued to draw names of the 7 other contestants: Carrie Cavanaugh, Colleen Dawson, Ashley Davidson, Marsha Duea, Dawn Mooradian, Kim Moore, and Tasha Wells. They all won a prize!

Ann as well as all 7 other contestants had completed 4 of our 6 different contests. We want to thank all of them plus everyone that completed even one of the contests for participating! We also want to thank our vendors for so generously giving in order to make this possible!

We have truly discovered the joy in giving. Be sure to watch for future contests in 2012! 

Winners of the Fall/Winter Sweater Contest!

Yesterday the voting for the final contest ended. We are happy to announce the winners! With eight absolutely beautiful sweaters, the details of the winning sweater caught the attentions of many! The winner is ...

#3
by Dawn Mooradian

Dahlia Cardigan

Designed by Heather Zoppetti

And as always we also had a drawing for the "voter" prize, chosen at random. The Voter winner is Dee Henderson, chosen for the vote she placed in the shop. 

Dawn has won 12 skeins of Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed Chunky and the Donegal Tweed pattern book. The retail value of Dawn's prize without tax is $197.95. Congratulations to Dawn!

Dee has won two knitting pattern books: Simply Glen by Debbie Bliss and Chic Knits published By Martingale & Company. She also won a knitting bag that was hand-knitted by me (Nancy). Congratulations to Dee!

As this sixth and final contest has come to an end, we want to thank everyone; knitters and voters alike who have made this such a wonderful series of contests. We may just have to do this again in the coming year!

We will announce the winner of the GRAND PRIZE(S!!!) in the store on Saturday, December 17th. Stay tuned for details.

Customer Profile: Irene Erker (Ravelry name: Knitting4Sweetie)

This month my eyes are on Irene who is a fantastic and talented lady I have gotten to know through open knit times here at Knitted Together.

Irene is a first generation American who learned to crochet from her Yugoslavian grandmother.  Thirty years later, Irene's mother taught her to knit with just a minor drawback - all the knitting terms Irene learned were in Hungarian because her mother didn't know the English terminology!  When Irene returned to Iowa she walked into Knitted Together, put her hand out to Nancy and said, "Hi, I'm Irene and I'm new to knitting."  Irene said that Nancy was so kind and helpful that first day that she was truly bitten by the knitting bug and hasn't put her needles down since.  Irene knits with the "Friday Afternoon Sparklers" - a wonderful group of gals who meet at open knit time at KT.  Irene is currently working on Embossed Leaves by Teva Durham and is using Artyarns Silk Rhapsody.  Check out more of her projects on Ravelry.

She is married to a wonderful man who loves it when she knits (he says it keeps her yelling to a minimum) and they have three children who also reap the benefits from more knitting and less yelling.  While living in San Diego, Irene was a formulation/method development chemist for a pharmaceutical company.  She has since replaced her lab career with cooking (Irene indicates she loves to cook, cook, cook!) and would like to share one of her favorite recipes with her KT friends.

Cherry Scones

•  2 cups flour 
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/3 cup chilled butter (cut into pieces) 
• 1 egg 
• 2/3 cup whipping cream (can sub low-fat milk) 
• 1 cup dried cherries (add chocolate chips, if desired) 
• 1 tsp almond or vanilla extract 
• egg wash (1 egg, 1 tsp water)

Preheat over to 375 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients in food processor.  Pulse.  Add butter pieces.  Pulse.  Add wet ingredients.  Pulse until dough is formed.  Spoon-drop dough onto greased baking sheet.  Brush top with egg wash.  Bake 15-18 minutes.  ENJOY!!

If you or someone you know would like to be in the Customer Profile, please contact Renee at Knitted Together (515-222-9276), by email:  reneepetrie@live.com or send me a pm on Ravelry (BobIsMyCat).  I would love to hear from you!  This could be one of those cases where it's better to volunteer before I volunteer you :)  Mwahahahahahahaha!!!!

Happy Knitting!
Renee 

Fall/Winter Sweater Contest VOTING!

It's voting time once again! The Fall/Winter Sweaters have all been turned in and the selection is BEAUTIFUL! We have posted a picture of each sweater here on the blog (although we highly recommend coming into the store to see them because they are so beautiful and the pictures don't always show their details).  To cast your vote, just leave a comment on this post with your full name and the number of the sweater you want to win!  Voting ends Friday December 2nd, 2011.

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VOTE NOW BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST WITH YOUR FULL NAME AND NUMBER OF THE SWEATER YOU WANT TO WIN!  Don't forget there is a "Voter's Drawing" as well! Check out all of the detail and rules on our website.

We know that we revised the voting period so don't forget that you can vote once on the Knitted Together facebook page and once in the store.  Although you can earn an additional vote for every purchase you make during the voting period! You now have until FRIDAY DECEMBER 2nd!

Sock Contest Winners!!

We had the most completed projects for the sock contest, then for any of the contests before that.  There were 19 pairs in all and they were all beautifully done. The voting ended yesterday and we are excited to announce that the winner of the State Fair Parade Sock Contest is..............................

#18, knit by Tasha Wells

Owlie

By Julie Elswick Suchomel

And as always, we also have a prize for a voter, drawn at random.  For every vote, your name was put into the "hat" and because of her vote on Nancy's blog, the winner of the "Voter's Drawing" is Ashley Davidson.

Tasha won two skeins of Regia Extra Merino Twist, one skein of Opal sock yarn, and Around the World in Knitted Socks by Stephanie van der Linden. Ashley won two skeins of Regia Extra Merino Twist Color and a Regia booklet.  You may come into the store to receive your prize.

We also had a drawing for Rose's sock students who participated and completed at least one of their socks. Rose had four students complete a pair of socks for her special drawing. Marsha Duea won a skein of "vintage" Opal sock yarn from Rose's vast sock yarn stash, and several sock patterns donated by Denise B that she got at Sock Summit in Portland.

We've had someone who is not one of our registered customers question the voting for this contest. We would like to take a minute to remind you that you must follow all the rules for voting. Only registered customers (who receive our emails) are eligible to vote in any and all of our contests. 

 

Thanks so much to everyone who participated!  We have just begun our 6th and final contest, the Labor Day Fall/Winter Sweater Contest.  Check out our website to read all of the rules and details.

Customer Profile: Renee Petrie

Note: You may have been directed here from our September Newsletter. It was written by Renee as the first of her monthly Customer Profiles for our newsletter. Stay tuned each month for another profile!

Profile of Renee (Ravelry name: BobIsMyCat) Petrie

Things I want you to know about me: I am married to a wonderful and patient man named Jim. We have two daughters, Elizabeth and Traci, two cats named Bob and Arthur and one wiener dog named Wiener Dog (we like to simplify things at our house). My grandmother taught me to knit when I was in high school. She tried to teach me to crochet but that didn't work out so well for either of us. I like to read. I like to go for walks. I like to travel. I like Post-Its. I like wine --- red --- and in large quantities. I like free kittens (NO! THIS IS NOT AN INVITATION TO DROP YOUR CATS OFF AT MY DOOR!). I like to laugh. Laughs that make me snort out loud. Laughs that make my stomach hurt and even make me pee a little.

What I like best in my life is to walk through my door and be greeted by my family with smiles on their faces that indicate they are genuinely glad to see me, or at least if that ever happens for me I imagine I would like that... And I like to look over in the corner and see my old friends waiting for me. Those old friends with the sharp pointy tips resting contentedly in a ball of yarn.

Current projects I am working on are the Pleated Arm Warmers from Modern Top-Down Knitting by Kristina McGowan. I'm using a beautiful gray in Mirasol Nuna. I'm also itching to get started on the Kilter Hat by Alexander Tinsley. That will be done in Araucania Yelcho, a gorgeous, gorgeous yarn.

See you next month. And I will be bringing a new Knitted Together friend with me.

Oh! And P.S. I like jelly beans.

Labor Day Fall/Winter Sweater Contest!

This is the 6th and final leg of the Holiday to Holiday a Path to Knits & Purls Contest. We want you to join us in knitting a sweater (for you or someone you love) that is suitable for fall or winter. What kind of sweater? Well, that is up to you. We have made a broad definition of this sweater as a vest, cardigan, or pullover. Choose a pattern or design it yourself. Or if you need help choosing your pattern, stop in and Nancy can give you some ideas. Be sure to come in and buy your yarn from us, then fill out the contest registration. 

If you have completed 3 of the previous 5 contests, this is your last chance to get in the running for the Grand Prize! The best news is that you have from now until the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to get it done!

As always, even if you don't knit a sweater, you have a chance to win a prize. Read all the rules on our website.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE SOCKS!!!

it's voting time once again! The socks have all been turned in and we have a great selection to choose from. We have posted a picture of each pair of socks here on the blog (although we highly recommend coming into the store to see them because they are so beautiful and the pictures don't always show their details).  To cast your vote, just leave a comment on this post with your full name and the number of the socks you want to win!  Voting ends Tuesday September 13th, 2011.

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VOTE NOW BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST WITH YOUR FULL NAME AND NUMBER OF THE SOCKS YOU WANT TO WIN!  Don't forget there is a "Voter's Drawing" as well! Check out all of the detail and rules on our website.

Also, remember that there are other ways to vote! You can vote once on the Knitted Together facebook page and once in the store.  Although you can earn an additional vote for every purchase you make during the voting period! 

 

Baby Blanket Winners!

The voting for the 4th of July Baby Blanket Contest has ended and we are so excited to announce the winners.  All the blankets turned out beautifully.  And the winner of the 4th of July Baby Blanket contest, won by a whopping 21 votes, is..............................

#1, knitted by Carrie Cavanaugh

Baby Sylvi Blanket

Designed by the knitter & based on the Sylvi Sweater

And as always, we also have a prize for a voter, drawn at random.  For every vote, your name was put into the "hat" and because of her Blog Vote, the winner of the "Voter's Drawing" is Jenna Ehler.

Carrie won the yarn and pattern book to knit a Debbie Bliss baby sweater and Jenna won a selection of baby yarn.  You may come into the store to receive your prize.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated!  We look forward to seeing more of your projects as we continue our Holiday Path to Knits & Purls.  Check out our website to read more about our current Sock contest.

CALLING ALL SOCK KNITTERS!

We know it's HOT outside!  So for the State Fair Contest, we are asking you to knit a much smaller project!  A project that doesn't cover your lap or use bulky yarn!  It's SOCKS!  Watch our friends Opal and Regina as they introduce the next contest.  Then follow all of the links and directions.

Now click on the sock picture below to be redirected to our website, where you can get all of the rules and details for this State Fair Sock Contest!

Vote for your favorite baby blanket!!

The 4th leg of our contest journey is almost complete.  The only thing left to do is vote!  We have posted a full picture and a detail picture of each blanket here on the blog (although we highly recommend coming into the store to see them because they are so beautiful and the pictures don't always show their details).  To cast your vote, just leave a comment on this post with your full name and the number of the blanket you want to win!  Voting ends Wednesday August 3rd, 2010.

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VOTE NOW BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST WITH YOUR FULL NAME AND NUMBER OF THE BLANKET YOU WANT TO WIN!  Don't forget there is a "Voter's Drawing" as well! Check out all of the detail and rules on our website.

Also, remember that there are other ways to vote! You can vote once on the Knitted Together facebook page and once in the store.  Although you can earn an additional vote for every purchase you make during the voting period!