Sarah's Beautiful Bosc Scarf

It's impossible to keep up with most of the projects knit from my patterns that get posted on Ravelry but every now and then I get a chance to peruse the latest project posts in my designs.  

This is how I recently happened across a lovely version of my Bosc Scarf pattern by Sarah Owens of the Yarnie Me blog aka Sarahsplace on Ravelry.

In her blog post and Ravelry project notes, Sarah mentions that she is a newer lace knitter - wow! I would never have guessed it if she didn't say so. 

One of my favorite things about the Bosc Scarf and Hat designs is that the cable and lace stitches are really very simple to knit but produce a result that looks impressive. Some of my test knitters even referred to it as 'potato chip' knitting because they just wanted to keep going! Yum, potato chips...

And speaking of yummy, Sarah knit her scarf in Malabrigo Merino Worsted in a delicious natural creamy color. Her scarf looks so pretty and cozy that I just want to curl up in it.  

Congratulations Sarah, on doing such a beautiful job, and thanks for the nice project post. 

I wish I knew about all the lovely projects in my designs that are posted on blogs or mentioned on podcasts, so if you do one of your own, or come across a mention on the internet, I'd be so appreciative if you dropped me a note so I can check it out. Whether you are new like Sarah, or more experienced, my readers are all super nice people and so very talented. I love to show off the gorgeous things you make, so please don't be shy!

Amethiste Pattern Giveaway

There's still time to enter the drawing to win one of 3 free Amethiste shawl PDF patterns in my giveaway contest! 

Details are outlined in this post. 

In another post soon, I plan to share a few of the beautiful Amethiste's already made by readers, including some by my talented test knitters.

That's it for today, peace blessings and much happy knitting to you!

Happy Fall!

Autumn has finally arrived, and very welcome it is too, after the heatwave endured by most of the country this summer. So it is with much enthusiasm that I post this greeting card to you for this lovely season! 

I took the above photo at the Country Living Fair and I'll share many more photos from this and another fun event soon.

If you haven't yet entered the drawing for a free copy of my latest pattern release, Amethiste, please do.

Even if you don't wish to enter the drawing, I'd still love to hear your thoughts. 

I wish everyone a wonderful week and a very happy fall season!

Contest Winners & another FO

I hope everyone is enjoying a nice President's Day weekend! I was determined to finish up some important things by the end of the weekend, including blocking a few FO's, posting the winners of the giveaway contest, and completing tutorials for a new pattern in progress (only 50% complete, but I still have a few more hours). Let's get to the winners first since I know that's what everyone has been waiting for! 

THANK YOU to all who left comments to the contest post, for leaving so many detailed and insightful responses to my question "What makes a knitting (or crochet) project fun for you?" 

I loved reading your responses and found they contained a great deal of variety, but also a common theme - many people like to have a project that does not greatly exceed their current technical ability but that gives them a small challenge or opportunity to learn something new. I have to agree with that one.

If you posted a comment and did not win this time, I thank you very much for contributing and encourage you to try again next time because I will be holding many more giveaways in coming months!

I used the True Random Number Generator at Random.Org to choose the winners from among followers of my blog who posted their answers to the contest question. The winner of the individual Bosc Scarf pattern 

goes to... 

Smitiha 

who responded to the contest question with 

"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 process not just convenient but also very feminine and beautiful!"

Thank you very much Smitiha, for sharing your answer, and congratulations on your win. I will add your pattern to your Ravelry library right away.

And the main prize winner of the Bosc Scarf pattern, yarn 

and Baggu bag 

is...

Taylor 

who almost wasn't able to post at all when Blogger gave her difficulty and she contacted me for assistance (I'm so glad she did!). When her post finally appeared, she had responded to the question with 

"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."

Thank you Taylor for your response and for the kind comment on my pattern (not necessary to win, lol). Taylor, you have seven days to contact me via Ravelry or email with your postal address so I can get your prize mailed out to you. 

I recommend you check out Taylor's blog as she has knit THREE stunning Sothia shawls so far (wow!) and posted them on her blog and Ravelry page.

In other news, I'm still chugging away on my gray hoodie, now finishing the second front panel. I've also finished and blocked two of four scarves I knit during development of my next pattern release, one of which is shown in the photo at the top of the post. This version is knit with two skeins of Malabrigo Merino Worsted yarn. It's a very simple and fast knit and I'll have many more details and photos when the pattern is ready to be published, probably a few days at most. 

Guess I'd better get back to work, enjoy the rest of your weekend, and thanks again for reading and commenting here on my blog. Happy knitting!

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!

A Contest Winner!

My goodness, the past month has been wild, with the onset of autumn weather requiring a lot of yard and garden work, a long road trip to Rhinebeck, our family holiday (where I took the above pumpkin photo), my birthday, tons of pattern work and a major family crisis to boot. Yes, it's been wild, but it's also been WONDERFUL to hear from so many readers! 

I love knowing that real, live knitters and crocheters are reading my page and not just my mom, my siblings and a lot of random people who stumble across this page while looking for something else on the Internet.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment, send me lovely birthday wishes, become a blog follower, and/ or enter the yarn and pattern giveaway contest. So many nice things were said, it made for one of my best birthday gifts ever, and I was intrigued to read the variety of preferences for yarn weights for knitted accessories. 

A successful yarn choice depends mainly on what you're knitting and a little also on how much time you have to complete your project. Right away I could tell from just skimming through the comments that knitters like a lot of variety in accessory yarn weight, with a few trends standing out.

Light-weight and fingering yarns are popular for lace projects, cabled gloves, or other items requiring less bulk, or for when you have more time to knit. 

Bulky and super bulky yarns are big (pun intended) this year for chunky scarves and neck accessories, making for super-fast knits. Many knitters love making scarves and hats in worsted weight, and DK weight seems to be the most popular, all-around choice in general. 

The many comments gave me a lot to think about concerning yarn choices for pattern designs.

After reading every comment, I made a numbered list of all the entries in order of date posted and used the Random.org True Random Number Generator to select the winner, who will receive a free PDF copy of my Katriel shawl pattern 

and a yarn prize including 4 skeins of Misti Alpaca Lace Solids

and a skein of Neighborhood Fiber Spun Silk yarn.

Without further ado, congratulations go out to the winner,

  Arnikai! 

Arnikai, I've emailed you to let you know of your win, please contact me within 7 days via email, Ravelry PM (I am Truknit) or a Twitter DM (I am Robinulrich), so I can arrange to send you your prizes!

Again, thanks to everyone for your comments, I truly appreciate all of my readers.

More contests, pattern and yarn giveaways and pattern specials, exclusively for my blog and Twitter followers, will be announced in future, so be sure to check back often and follow me on the blog and on Twitter. I've also got a lot of fun new posts in the works including reviews, helpful tutorials, tasty original recipes, pattern design and knitting updates and just general life stuff.

Have a wonderful weekend and happy knitting!

No Tricks, Just Treats - Pattern Sale, Free Knitting Pattern & Yarn Giveaway

No tricks here today, just treats! Today is the last day of my birthday knitting pattern sale and free pattern & yarn giveaway.

Until midnight tonight, EST, all Robin Ulrich Studio download patterns (except Katriel) will be 20% off, and my newest pattern, Katriel, is 50% off. One note - in order to receive the special 50% discount on Katriel, the shopping cart requires that pattern to be purchased separately from the other patterns.

And finally, since it's my birthday, 

 

 

I'm giving away a FREE PATTERN & YARN in a contest for all my followers!

The prizes for this contest include a PDF copy of Katriel (or other pattern of your choice if you've already purchased Katriel) and some yarny awesomeness to include four skeins of Misti Alpaca Lace in a lovely, silvery-lavender color (this is a total of 1748 yards!),

and a skein of hand-dyed Neighborhood Fiber Co. worsted weight, luminous silk yarn.

Like the pattern download sale, the yarn and pattern giveaway contest will run through midnight EST, tonight, October 31st. A winner will be chosen tomorrow, November 1st, by random number generator from amongst all the entries. See the rules for entering in this post: Birthday Contest.

Even if you don't wish to enter the contest, I always love to hear from readers, so feel free to leave me a comment anyway. 

I'll choose the winner tomorrow and announce their name in the next post (this week), and also notify them of their win. The winner will have 7 days from the time of the announcement post to let me know where to send the prizes. 

Good luck and happy knitting!

 

Rhinebeck Review - aka New York State Sheep & Wool Festival

At long last, I had the opportunity to visit the famed New York State Sheep & Wool Festival (commonly referred to as "Rhinebeck" because of it's location), as the first part of our vacation this year.  

Having read endless raves and reviews of past years' shows, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect - barns full of magnificent yarn, fiber and knitting and spinning supplies, fleece and fiber-animal competitions, workshops, people, food, food and more food, and lots of fun. On every item, Rhinebeck fulfilled those expectations, but I had some reservations as well. 

We arrived about 30 minutes prior to the show opening on Saturday, and had plenty of good parking choices near a secondary gate. After sitting in the car knitting for a while, we purchased wristbands for entry - $17 for a two-day pass - and joined the growing queue.

 

The fairgrounds where the show is held are clean, beautifully landscaped and easy to navigate.

The autumn trees are lovely and there are food opportunities everywhere from the giant building full of food and wine vendors

to local 4-H kids raising funds, to fair-type food like cotton candy.

A fun part of the show for me was meeting up with my knitting friends Lynn, shown here in the Brooks Farm booth,

and Andrea, a workshop teacher at this year's event.

I kept a sharp eye on Ravelry badges, hoping to see names from my friends list, but was disappointed to not find any Rav friends. However, in the photo below are a few Ravelry designer faces (and backsides), including Ysolda Teague, Stephen West and others.

Muddy fields and parking lots, hard pavement and changing weather conditions mean comfortable shoes and layered clothing are a must.

Of course, knits were everywhere to be seen and a favorite part of the experience for me was admiring all the hard work displayed by thousands of knitters.

The only unpleasant part of the show for me was from about 12-2 PM on Saturday, when the buildings became so crowded that you were literally pushed along with a solid mass of people. Stopping to look or enter a booth was difficult, and I was concerned for mobility-challenged folks with walkers, and for  those pushing baby strollers.

Lines to have knitting books signed by the author were long, with one of the longest being to meet Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot.

This photo was taken on Sunday when things were much calmer.

Of course for knitters, the fiber and yarn were the stars of the show and there was something there to tempt every taste. I especially loved selections from Briar Rose (always a favorite),

 
Spirit Trail Fiberworks, and The Sanguine Gryphon

It seems I'm also smitten with this skein of gray Miss Babs Yummy Sock yarn - what a surprise...

There are other interesting things to peruse in addition to fiber, like jewelry, baskets and farmer's market apples.

  
A pumpkin-carving expert displayed some creative items.

I saved the animals for Sunday so I could really take my time to enjoy interacting with them. A large part of the show is centered around fiber animal competitions and there were plentiful opportunities to touch the animals,

learn about them,

 
watch them being prepared for showing,

and competing with their handlers.

 
This little goat was so friendly and sweet.

My husband and I had a wonderful time and I look forward to visiting again sometime. Although it was a terrific show, for me it is not a yearly 'must-do' event, as there are so many other great fiber events held around the US that I'd like to visit. But Rhinebeck is certainly one I will keep on my list.