Heart Scarf Lifeline

by Kelly

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I'm working on a tricky heart scarf.

Even though this isn't a lace pattern, it's a 15 row repeat, so after a few episodes of frogging, I decided to try using a lifeline. I saw this technique on KnittingHelp. That link goes to a video showing how it's done.

Pardon the pun, but I heart this technique!

   How it works

First, complete one repeat of the pattern. Then thread a tapestry needle with some contrasting yarn and pull it through the loops on your needle, leaving a little bit hanging out on either side. Then begin another repeat of the pattern. If you make a mistake,  just take your knitting needle out of your work and begin unravelling. When you reach the lifeline, the stitches are trapped on that spare bit of yarn, so you can't accidentally unravel past it. Then just slip the stitches back on your needle and you're ready to try again.

If you're like me and make a lot of mistakes, you already know how to put the stitches back on your needle. If not, check out this link to a YouTube video.

This has saved me a ton of hair pulling! I can't recommend this method enough.

The scarf is for sale in our shop here.

Wow! And an Apology

 by Kelly


Such a wonderful (if a bit overwhelming) response to our giveaway!

Hopefully I have all the bugs worked out now, and there should be no further mistakes on my part. I am working on restoring the deleted comments on the giveaway post. The draw itself will be done with information from the email account that holds all the posted comments, so my meddling will have no effect on the draw. No personal information will be displayed when the winner is posted - only the user name provided. Once again, I sincerely apologize for what has happened.


On a more positive note, I am amazed by all the beautiful and creative ideas and suggestions we've received! Your help in inspiring us is much appreciated. I personally have quite a list of possibilities that I can't wait to explore.

There were a number of questions asked which may be answered in individual posts as the week goes on. And a little birdy told me that one of us may be working on developing patterns, so that's an exciting development. Whether they will be free or for sale in the shop hasn't been determined yet.

So thank you, everyone who has responded so far! We are having a great time reading the comments, and can't wait to see what the rest of the week will bring.

Hooray! Crochet Giveaway

by Kelly

We're having a giveaway!

Lately we've been working on improving our shop, and we've decided that we could use a little impartial advice. In return for your help, you'll earn a chance to win some cool crochet stuff. We'll get to the rules in just a second, but first let's talk about the prizes.

We worked hard to choose things that would be useful and interesting to all crocheters, whether they're just starting out or are very experienced.

 Here are the items that you might win!

•  an exclusive 50% off coupon code for our shop.
• Two sets of Susan Bates crochet hooks.  Eleven hooks total.
• 2012 Crochet pattern calendar
• 50 More Crocheted Afghan Borders by Jean Leinhauser

The Susan Bates crochet hooks are Silvalumes and Crystalites, size F5 (3.75mm) through size K10.5 (6.5mm) And yes, folks, those are the old style Silvalumes. There's a bit of controversy over their recent redesign, so if you've been looking for the originals, here's your chance to win a set.

There are three ways to enter our Hooray! Crochet giveaway.

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Check out our shop over there in the sidebar or at this link and pick out your favorite item, then tell us what it was in your comment.

3. Give us ideas! Name one thing that isn't in our shop that you would like to see. And no, it doesn't have to be a crochet item or crochet supplies. Between us we also embroider, cross stitch, do plastic canvas work, quilt, knit, and spend a lot of time in our respective gardens.

If you do all of the above, you will receive three entries for the giveaway.

That's all you have to do! And don't worry if your comments don't appear right away - our moderation is on to prevent spam from clogging the giveaway.
 
 The giveaway will end on  February 7th, 2012. The winner will be announced in a blog post on February 8th, and contacted by email if that information is provided. The winner must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen. When the winner has contacted us, we will officially close the contest with a final giveaway post.

                                    Technical Stuff

Please make sure your name is unique. Example: 'Kelly 178' or 'applejacks' would be good choices.

Winner will be chosen by use of random.org.

International shipping available for the giveaway, so if you're outside the U.S. you're welcome and eligible to win!


Good luck everyone! We can't wait to see your comments and suggestions!

 You will notice a lot of deleted posts in the comment section. This is solely because of my inexperience in handling this amount of action on our blog. If your email has been accidentally posted so that it is visible, you have my sincerest apologies. I am currently reading through every comment to ensure that all private info is indeed private. If your comment was deleted, it will be restored in such a way that your privacy is ensured. This may take some time.
Once again, I am truly sorry that this happened.  - Kelly