Saturday, January 28, 2012

New Year, New Stuff - Free Knitting Pattern & Yarn Giveaway Contest



Celebrations of new things frequently start with a token or gift of some sort - a wedding ring, a baby gift, a 'before' photo, etc., so I thought it appropriate to start the new year for this blog with a giveaway contest for followers. Besides, I just love to give things away! Prizes for this contest include yarn, patterns and a little something extra, all in Valentine's Day shades since that day, February 14th, 2012, is the deadline for entering the giveaway.

The 'something extra' was purchased from Baggu, a company offering a delicious array of bright, fun bags and totes, mostly in lightweight nylon fabric. Baggu's mainstay is a reusable shopping tote in several sizes, including this basic, roomy bag great for toting knitting projects, groceries, beach and sporting gear. (next two photos Baggu.com)



Baggus all come packed in their own compact pouch.


The main contest winner will receive the bag shown above, in a cute pink dot print.

In addition to the bag, the main winner will also receive a 375 yd. skein of sport weight, hand dyed yarn by Rio Grande Yarns from Weaving Southwest in Taos, New Mexico, 


and 4 skeins (a total of 1748 yds.) of baby alpaca, lace weight yarn by Misti Alpaca.


And lastly, two people will each win a knitting pattern for one of my newest designs, the Bosc Scarf -


one pattern will go to the main winner, and a second, pattern-only prize, to another blog follower! 

It's easy to enter the contest (and even if you prefer not to enter to win the giveaway, I'd still LOVE to hear your comments to the question!); here's how to enter:
  1. Be or become a follower of this blog by clicking on the 'follow' button on the sidebar.
  2. Post an answer to this question in the comments for any post before the drawing on February 14, 2012: What makes a knitting (or crochet) project fun for you? Do you prefer a challenge, a simple, fast knit, lace, cables, garter stitch, stockinette, a longer, contemplative project, etc.? Anything goes! Your answer will probably be very different from the answers given by others, and that is just fine!

That's it - on the 14th I will use the Random.org number generator to select one main prize winner, and a second pattern package winner. I will post the winners' names here on the blog soon after, and the winners will have 7 days after that post to contact me via this blog, or a Ravelry PM, with their mailing address. 

Thanks for reading everyone and best wishes for a bright, blessed and creative 2012!

50 comments:

  1. When it comes to a project it has to be either something that I have been just dying to make or some challenge to it also. Sometimes though the project is just enough to keep one from getting bored.

    ReplyDelete
  2. For me, what makes it fun is seeing the yarn become something that I never imagined it would be, because of the sheer simplicity of knitting: loops made with a piece of string and two sticks. The possibilities and variations are endless.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm following you on Pinterest! Love that site. Also a friend on Ravelry.

    A project has to keep my interest and be a good match between project and yarn. When that happens....heaven!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Maybe it's because I'm a teacher or fairly new to knitting, but what I like the most about a project is what i can learn while I make it - about the fiber, the stitches, the construction, the designer... each project must help me grow as a knitter to be successful and satisfying for me!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You're in my Google Reader RSS feed.

    A fun project for me includes something fun, new to me, or just interesting: a neat stitch pattern, fun colorwork, a new technique.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am a process knitter, but finding just the right combo of yarn and pattern... knitting bliss! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like to learn something new when knitting a project. A new technique or about a yarn. @babettesffest (twitter)and I followed the blog

    ReplyDelete
  8. Usually for me it's a combination of great yarn and a pattern that is interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Even after knitting for 8 years, I still am amazed that 2 needles and yarn can make such stunning fabric!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fun is watching results for effort. I knit, it grows. That and watching the colours of variagated yarn change.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for the chance to enter your contest, Robin! What makes a project fun for me? Well, firstly a great pattern that I have chosen, lovely yarn to knit with, the skill to do a good job, and mostly the anticipation of the finished garment and the warmth and joy it will bring the wearer!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm usually not a follower, but now I'm one of your blog. :o)

    For me most of the fun in one project is to find the perfect yarn for a pattern, and then see it unfold while knitting. Does not matter what technique it is.
    I even tell you what's not fun. Blocking! I hate blocking, but I know it's necessary.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am a follower, Robin. And, I find that my choice of knitting projects varies... sometimes I want a challenge and sometimes I need a simple knit... always, I like it to speak to my heart's delight. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oohhh, I love giveaways, too, so thank you for doing this one. I follow you on Ravelry! As for what makes a project fun for me ... picking out some great yarn (I love petting yarn), choosing a pattern that has a little challenge to it, and watching a project become the finished object. It doesn't matter whether I keep it for myself or give it away -- just knowing the FO will be worn is a great treat.

    ReplyDelete
  15. My projects are chosen for a variety of reasons. Reasons include color, the look of the pattern, the combination of yarns possible, need, recipient, color, or best of all the serendipitous combination of color, pattern, and desire. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love a challenging pattern, watching it develop from words & photos on a page to a lovely textured fabric/garment

    ReplyDelete
  17. What makes a knitting (or crochet) project fun for you? Color and embellishments such as beads or dangling extras.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I like colour work, I hate with a vengeance bobbles, and not keen on cabling. Prefer lighter weight yarns. For some strange reason I have lately liked garter stitch and decided it is much underated.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm a follower and I love challenges and something that I will certainly use. A fashionable sexy garment is a must. But sometimes even a small gift to give away can be a trigger.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I really love to make always something new - from a totally new material or a totally new project. I like to test and learn :) Hope I will win, thanks for this opportunity :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I like the realm of possibilities when you start a new project - if it is something I'm creating, I love researching stitch patterns and thinking of designs. If it is someone else's pattern I like thinking of how it is going to turn out or how I might alter it here or there to make it "mine" or right for me.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I follow you on my google reader. I always have at least 2 projects on needles- one mindless knitting that I can cart around with me wherever I go. The other is usually lace or a sweater that requires concentration or is too big to take along. I love a good challenge and I also love to make small gifts, scarves, cowls shawls, and socks,

    ReplyDelete
  23. i love baggu..its a great company..i think color makes a project fun for me..or learning something new ..like a new technique :) raineoc@yahoo.com - helloforest on ravelry

    ReplyDelete
  24. The most fun for me is when I pick up some yarn and needles and say "scarf" or "sweater" and just start knitting. It doesn't always work out on the first try, but eventually something happens, and sometimes it turns out great. I am your newest follower - that's me over there, the guy with no picture - see?

    ReplyDelete
  25. What makes knitting fun for me? Do I love the processe or the result? I do love my knitting because it is always a New Adventure!

    First, I love to look at pictures, to think about how this knitted piece will look in real life. Then I just start to knit. I rarely knit samples so I am more then happy when everything is going whithout problems /I absolutely hate to meet warnings about buttonholes or increasung-decreasing AFTER I have already knitted a few rows!/ I love to play with yarns, love to knit with different types(not like in instructions)and to see how it will come out. So I love instructions which give me this pleasure.
    I love charts, it's easier for me to visualize knitting patterns.
    And I love to have a lot of "little things" for knitting for they makes the processe not just convinient but also very feminine and beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Researching a pattern/project is what makes knitting fun for me...the pattern and people's experiences and notes on it, the techniques used in a pattern and the seemingly endless variations of any one technique, the yarns used and how it effects the end product, and choosing which yarn I will use. Beginning the project becomes pure joy!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I like pattern pictures that clearly show the knitted object, but also are styled with a fun background and model. This is hard to do in one shot, so I like patterns with TONS of pictures, the more the better. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love the process of starting with a yarn I enjoy touching and an interesting pattern I find that will provide a useful end product that will be enjoyable to look at and touch....I also enjoy the challenge of trying new techniques that expand my abilities

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hmmm, I thought I posted a comment, but maybe I was interrupted by the little one. If this is a duplicate, please disregard :-)

    I like the challenge of a pattern I need to follow closely and since I'm so new to knitting, thats most of them! But if the project is easy, like a simple scarf, I like color changing yarn to keep me entertained.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I love a variety of projects for different times. I LOVE cables right now, I also love lace but I can't knit lace and talk:) I usually have one 'mindless' project going that I can sit and not think....just knit. I also usually have a crochet project going (usually a blanket). I also need at least one project going that is fairly quick to give me that feeling of instant gratification. I hate intarsia but that is probably because i haven't figured it out...I guess I am a little bit of an a.d.d knitter:)

    ReplyDelete
  31. I am a new follower! What makes a project interesting? Hmmmm..... I think it needs to be a medium on the scale of difficulty. I like it to be interesting but not something I am constantly ripping out because the pattern is too intricate.(of course I have become a yarn snob over the years so the type of fiber and needle combo has to be right too!)Pansitoo on Ravelry.

    ReplyDelete
  32. What makes a project fun for me? The yarn! The more colorful, the better. The softer, the better. What really keeps me interested is working with long color repeats and seeing how the pattern works up as the colors change. I am working with Plymouth Kudo right now and it is wonderful yarn. Color effect similar to Noro but absolutely no scratch factor.

    ReplyDelete
  33. A really fun part of the project for me is working with a really nice yarn in a color that I like. 'Nice' yarn can be a more luxurious one like a cashmere or a more rustic one. I love yarns that are unique, from smaller indie dyers and I especially love those where the yarn is from sheep on a farm or from a region you can identify (I'm thinking Beaverslide or Catskill Merino). When you couple that with a 'can't miss' pattern, it's a perfect project for me.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I love pick up new yarn and start new project

    Anna

    anna_k67 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  35. I love patterns that require me to learn new techniques. This way I end up with a cool-looking FO and the bonus of having a new skill under my belt!

    ReplyDelete
  36. It depends on mood,motivation, and situation. Like to have something easy for travel or tv knitting.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Trying, and mastering, new stitches makes a project fun for me. Also, giving it away and seeing how much someone likes it. Happy Valentine's Day!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hi Robin
    Thank you for the giveaway
    I'm a new follower
    I really love to crochet the one of kind item for my daughther, for my family too
    All the prizes are fabulous
    I'd like to win

    ReplyDelete
  39. I love the process of choosing the pattern, then finding the perfect yarn. Each choice is made for different reasons. A simple garter stitch something in a luscious yarn, or cables in a beautiful tweed. Gauzy lace knit in an ethereal mohair. It depends on what mood I'm trying to capture. Fortunately there are so many beautiful yarns and patterns to choose from, that makes it easy to match your mood to your knitted desires.

    Thanks for the opportunity to win such a fabulous prize. I love your designs, Sothia is next on my needles.

    janmarie- on ravelry

    ReplyDelete
  40. i like patterns that are not too complicated but not too boring neither. i love patterns that are not "overloaded" and that bring out the beauty and character of the chosen yarn.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I love a challenge, but the yarn is what makes me excited. As the knitting takes it's shape and the stitches turn, twist and repeat, the colors take the pattern and it grows into a warm shawl, blanket, sock or bag, that is my fun part of knitting.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I found you via Pinterest and recognize your designs from Ravelry. Lovely blog!

    A knitting project is fun for me when it combines yarn I adore with a stitch pattern I can memorize but that holds my interest - often lace. I like the project to come together quickly, too, so I can be on to the next one!

    ReplyDelete
  43. I love having a mix of different types of projects to match my moods. Something intricate and challenging, and something soothing and relaxing.

    The main thing that attracts me is structure. A great example of this is the elegant simplicity of your Sothia. Each part on its own is simple, yet they combine to make a beautifully structured shape and fabric.
    Taylor (nightmorning on Ravelry)

    ReplyDelete
  44. I like lace. I have a pattern I will be starting soon that looks like leaves in a Pumpkin color yarn. I just started following you today, but look forward to what is posted ahead :)

    ReplyDelete
  45. I love knitting because it can be anything you want. It can be mindless or challenging. You can learn something new or rely on favorites. It changes but always has the same basics. You can rush through or return to something that is waiting for you. The longer that I'm knitting, the more in love with it I become. Knitting is a wonderful life adventure.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Knitting projects are always fun for me unless... The project is something I am obliged to knit instead of something I have chosen to knit.

    ReplyDelete
  47. I like fairly straight forward projects but at the same time can find myself getting bored; so like it when there's a little twist to the pattern, or a new technique. I like to use hand-dyed yarn, so often try to let the yarn to the talking, rather than a fancy stitch.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Oh, last day to post! I'm in California so I hope it still counts since it's still Valentines Day here! :)
    I'm following you!

    For me, what makes a project fun can actually have a few answers. When I know what I'm knitting is highly anticipated by the person I'm knitting it for, it makes it fun to knit! When I'm knitting for ME, I like a project that challenges me. Give me tough lace, crazy cables, something I have to check the pattern every row..

    --Tori (alystyn on Ravelry)

    ReplyDelete
  49. THANK YOU everyone for all the lovely comments, I'll be drawing the winners and posting your name here very soon! :D)

    ReplyDelete