Journey Giveaway!

The anticipation for the release of Journey, a pattern collection by two knitters, designers, bloggers and friends Jane Richmond and Shannon Cook, has been building for weeks now. I am very excited to be a part of the frenzy and I have one digital copy of the book to give away to one lucky blog reader! Details at the end of this post, but first, a bit about why I love this collection.

Inland, by Jane Richmond.

I've discussed a previous Marian Rae publication, Jane's Island collection, earlier this year here. In Journey, Jane and Shannon, along with photographer Nicholas Kupiak, have carried through the distinct style that that they developed in Island. Simple lines, beautifully laid out pages (over 125 pages to flip through in Journey!) classic details... these are the things that we've come to expect from Jane and Shannon, and this latest collaboration certainly delivers. 

Spate, by Jane Richmond.

I love that we live in a day and age when knitwear designers can make the leap from self publishing pdf's of their designs online, to self publishing an actual hard copy book. We all love the convenience of the quick download, but books are something to truly be cherished! Having great patterns available in both formats is amazing. Shannon and Jane haven't just designed a lovely collection of knits, they've told a story through knitwear design and photography. It's very impressive. When I flip through the pages of Journey I can feel forward momentum.

Climb, by Jane Richmond.

I hate picking favourites form collections because I know how hard the designers work to produce each piece, and that every design is there for a reason. Any of the pieces in this book would make a welcome addition to my wardrobe, but which one am I hankering to cast on for first? Twist my arm and I think I'd have to say that I'd knit Onward in Orange Label Cashmere/Silk Worsted weight yarn in a neutral like Chris Grey, Frost, Sand, Dove or maybe even Natural. The texture, the scale, I think this shawl looks incredibly cozy and I'd wrap it around my neck and never take it off! I love that it's reversible as well, always a very clever detail in a knit.

Onward, by Shannon Cook. 

To enter to win a copy of the Journey e-book, leave a comment below. Please remember to include your email address or Ravelry username so I can get in touch with you should you win. A winner will be announce on Friday, Dec. 6th.

The patterns from Journey are available as individual pdf's, an ebook and a hard copy book. Buy them on Ravelry here. 

What would you knit from Journey with your TFA stash?

A KAL and a Giveaway - Urban Collection, Vol. 2

 Clockwise from top left: Charlotte St. Mitts, Jackson Creek Cardigan, Caroline Ave. Shawl worn over the Empire Ave. Cardigan, Duke St Shawl worn over the Northside Pullover. 

As many of you probably already know, Glenna (aka: Crazy Knitting Lady) has done it again! She's 

come out with an awesome sequel to her Urban Collection. Appropriately named The Urban Collection vol. 2. Like the first Urban Collection, there is a little something for everyone here. Accessories, pullovers and cardigans, cables and lace. All the designs also happen to feature TFA yarns! Green Label, Red Label, Yellow Label, Purple Label and Orange Label are all featured. There is something for everyone!  

To celebrate such an awesome collection, I am hosting an Urban Collection KAL over in the TFA Ravelry Group. Head on over to sign up, let us know what you'll be knitting and join in the KAL fun!

In case you don't already have this awesome collection, Glenna has generously donated one copy of the Urban Collection, vol. 2 to one lucky blog reader. Leave a comment here for your chance to win the collection plus one lovely skein of TFA Purple Label Cashmere Sock yarn in the perfectly autumnal Brick colourway.  

To enter the giveaway just leave me a comment. A winner will be randomly chosen on Wednesday, Sept. 11th. 

Giveaway!

I was pretty excited when I noticed the other day that my Sunnyside cardigan pattern has over 1000 projects on Ravelry!!! To celebrate this exciting milestone I'm giving away a skein of Purple label Cashmere Sock yarn in Midnight to one lucky blog reader so they can knit there very own Sunnyside. 

Rowan has two Sunnyside cardigans of his own that he gets a lot of use out of. I am rather relieved that the sweater fits him so well and has proven to be such a wardrobe staple. When I designed it I didn't have a test baby to try it out on but now that I have my very own tiny knit guinea-pig I can say with authority that every baby should have a Sunnyside! Cardigans are the way to go, so easy to pop on and off. Knit in fingering weight yarn it's warm but not bulky, it fits great and is quite flexible in terms of sizing. He's been wearing this sweater since he was only a few weeks old, at first with the sleeves rolled up, then it was a little loose, now it fits quite well and soon he'll wear it with the buttons open.   

I'll be knitting him another in the next size up for the fall. I plan on making it in Midnight since Rowan has the best dark blue eyes. I doubt that they'll stay blue forever, but I might as well make them pop with a gorgeous midnight blue sweater while I still can!

So, to enter the giveaway for your chance to knit with a skein of Purple Label Midnight right along with me just leave a comment on this blog post. A winner will be announced on Friday, June 7. Cheers!

Giveaway!

Is there anything better than a gorgeous stack of perfectly wooly hand knits? These photos take me to my happy place! You probably recognize these knits as being part of Alana Dakos' latest book Botanical Knits. Alana has become quite the expert at designing and curating amazing collections. She's a real inspiration for anyone considering self publishing. She applies the same attention to detail that we're used to seeing in her knitwear designs to her book designs. Every single page is a thing of beauty. 

I don't have a favourite piece in this collection, they're all stunners, but I am particularly drawn to these four: Ivy Trellis socks, Spring Foliage mitts, Twigs and Willows cardigan and the Pressed Leaves beret.   

Maybe their appeal has something to do with the fact that it is officially spring, yet here in Montreal we've just been hit with over a foot of fresh snow! These shades of green and gold give me hope that spring will come!

And of course, I've got to mention that the Ivy Trellis Socks were originally published by me! Yes, they are the socks previously known as Arching Leaves which were featured in the September 2012 TFA Year In Colour Club.

To celebrate spring (which has clearly not yet arrived in Montreal) I'm giving away 1 digital copy of the Botanical knits book along with 1 skein of Yellow Label DK Weight yarn in my new green/gold Sprout colourway. To enter your name into the draw simply leave a comment on this post (be sure to include an e-mail address or Ravelry name so I can get in touch if you're the winner!) 

Good luck! A winner will be announced on Monday, March 25th. 

Giveaway!

It's my turn to host an Island Collection giveaway! Jane Richmond designed five perfect knits inspired by her home of Vancouver Island, then with the help of her BFF and her photographer brother they took those five patterns and turned them into a beautiful, inspirational book. 

Top row: Rathtrevor
Middle row: Arbutus, Renfrew
Bottom row: Grace, Strathcona

The book was released only a few short months ago, but there are already loads of gorgeous projects showing up on ravelry. For me, what sets this collection apart from many others I've seen is the fact that it's fairly paired down. True to Jane's modern, simple approach to design the book doesn't have any "filler" patterns. Each of the five patterns are truly unique, special and deserve a spot in the book. I would knit and love every one of these items, which is saying a lot! It's not easy to hit a home run with every pattern. 

My second favourite thing about the book is the fact that it comes in a beautifully printed hard copy format, a special item for you to flip through, enjoy and save. But, because Jane is clearly a common sense kinda gal, she's happy to provide digital copies of the patterns to knitters who can provide proof of purchase of the book. I think that is genius! I love holding the book in my hands, but it's also really nice to have a digital version that I can print out and write on, toss into my purse and not have to worry about. This thoughtful bonus means a lot to me.

Though it's hard for me to pick a favourite, it was easy enough to chose the item that I was going to cast on for first: Strathcona!

I just love the light and airy look, the casual drape, that point in the front! It's so clever. Because of the clever factor I came very close to casting on for an Arbutus Cowl as well, wouldn't it be amazing in Orange Label!? I'm sure there will be a few Arbutus Cowl's on my Christmas knitting list next year. Strathcona won out for me because I wanted a light, springy scarf and because I had this gorgeous skein of 75% merino, 25% silk that I had dyed in a colourway I'm calling "Almost Lucky Penny" (it's darker and greener than the final version). 

I'm making very good progress on my Strathcona Scarf, a marathon Oscar watching/scarf knitting night helped make a good dent in the knitting. 

So, here comes the fun part. I've got one signed copy of Jane's gorgeous book plus 1 special skein of "Almost Lucky Penny" to give away to one lucky reader! To enter your name into the draw simply leave a comment on this post (be sure to include an e-mail address or Ravelry name so I can get in touch if you're the winner!)

Good luck! A winner will be announced on Friday March 1st. 

TFA news items and a Giveaway!

Yes, I'll be giving something away at the end of this post, but first... a little bit of TFA Club news to share.

The 2012  TFA Year In Colour Club is wrapping up. Memberships for this year will remain open until the end of October, at which point the 2012 memberships will close and the 2013 Club memberships will become available. 

For 2013 I will be doing something a little bit different, rather than focussing exclusively on fingering weight yarns I'll be diversifying the Club to include 6 different TFA bases ranging from my Blue Label Fingering Weight yarn to my Orange Label Cashmere/Silk Worsted weight yarn. The other major difference next year is that all patterns will be designed by TFA! Julie and I are sharing the workload and together are designing 6 unique single skein accessory patterns. The price of the Club will be adjusted to reflect the variety of yarn bases, however same as last year, there will be a price incentive for people to sign up early! Full details will be released next week when the 2013 Club goes live. 

And now... it's giveaway time! All summer long we had a Stella Collection blog tour running with each stop doing a giveaway, well, it's finally my turn! Leave a comment on this blog post for your chance to win the Stella Collection plus 2 skeins of Blue Label Fingering weight yarn in your choice of any of these colour pairings to knit your very own Adhara Shawl. Any of the shawls featured in this collection would make for the perfect November KAL project!

Left column, top to bottom: Deep Sea and Peacock; Frost and Seabreeze; Lilac and Dove.

Center column, top to bottom: Sand and Gold; Shadow and Atlantic (the original pairing); Pink Grapefruit and Sunset; Stormy and Shadow.

Right column, top to bottom; Spearmint and Lemongrass; Garnet and Velvet; Brick and Chestnut.

A winner will be announced on Saturday, stay tuned!

This giveaway is now closed, thanks for entering!

Giveaway! The Urban Collection by Glenna C.

Have you all seen the latest collection from the awesome and talented Crazy Knitting Lady, Glenna C? She has been introducing the patterns in a staggered release since February, now they are all out, the collection is complete, and she's given us a masterpiece! I am only slightly biased because this collection features exclusively TFA yarns, which is amazing.

The Urban Collection truly features something for everyone, from sweaters to smaller accessories, lace to cables... Glenna has covered all of our knitting needs. Glenna has mastered effortless, classic style. All of these pieces could become wardrobe staples for years to come.

For all the details about each individual design click on the Ravelry links under the photos. 

THE SWEATERS

Locke St. Cardigan & Water St Cardigan

THE PERFECT SET

Aberdeen Ave. Hat & Mitts

THE GORGEOUS LACE

Lakeshore Shawl & Hunter St. Cowl

THE ACCESSORIES

Queen St. Mitts & Armour Rd. Socks

Glenna has very kindly agreed to sponsor a giveaway this week! The winner will receive the entire Urban Collection pdf!  To enter, leave a me a comment telling me which pattern you would cast on for first. A winner will be announced on Wednesday, June 13.

I know, it is impossible to pick a favourite, I'd like one of each please! The Lakeshore Shawl in Silver Label Mulberry Silk is off the charts gorgeous, but there is something about the Queen St. Mitts done in Purple Label Cashmere Sock in my brightest Lemongrass colourway that really tempts me. 

Source: Thanks to Glenna for letting me borrow all of these lovely photo's!

Giveaway!

Is it possible that I haven't done a giveaway since October? Shame on me. Let's fix that right now!

Recently I've been looking at my Baby Shane Blanket kits in a whole new light. I've had these kits available in my shop for a few years now, and suddenly I find them completely inspiring! I think that most people buy the kits with the intention of knitting my Baby Shane Blanket pattern (duh) but there are so many possibilities. I'm considering crocheting a ripple blanket, maybe knitting a simple striped blanket like this... I've started viewing these kits almost like sampler palettes that I can play around with, I've got a few more palettes in mind, I might refresh some of my currently available colour options and add some new ones too in the future. 

Which brings us to today's giveaway! Leave a comment to enter to win the Baby Shane Blanket kit of your choice. In your comment, let me know:

1) What is your favorite palette? Or, is there's a palette that you'd love to see but that I don't yet have available, let me know! 

2) What would you make with your kit? 

3) Be sure to leave an e-mail address or Ravelry username so I can get in touch with you should you win! 

As usual, for bonus entries:

Mention this giveaway on your blog and include a link to this giveaway post - be sure to come back and leave another comment here telling me that you blogged about it so I know!

Post a link to this blog post on your facebook page (be sure to tag TFA in the post so I can see it!)
Tweet about the giveaway on twitter!

A winner will be chosen and announced on Monday, April 2nd. Good luck!

Comments are now closed, thanks to all who entered!

Giveaway Winner!

Happy Halloween everyone! I've mentioned it before, but the truth is, I don't really like Halloween. Well, that's not completely true, I like little kids in cute costumes trick or treating, I just don't like skulls and cobwebs and other scary Halloween stuff. It's just not my thing.

But a Halloween Giveaway, that's totally my thing! I've randomly chosen a winner and the prize is going to..... Fiona! Rav id: pipnmilly. Congrats! 

I had a lovely and very busy weekend. We had good friends staying with us and that's always nice. I blocked my mom's Fairview Scarf for her and I managed to snap a few photo's of my blocking process so I'll be able to share with you exactly how I do it. 

Giveaway!

It's giveaway time! This giveaway is for one skein of Red Label Cash Silk Singles in the Gold colourway and a pdf of my new Fairview Scarf pattern.

There are lots of ways to enter this giveaway:

1) leave a comment here telling me what you currently have on your needles. Please include your e-mail address or Ravelry username so I can get a hold of you, should you win.

Do any of the following and receive an additional chance to win:

2) mention this giveaway on your blog and include a link to this giveaway post - be sure to come back and leave another comment here telling me that you blogged about it so I know!

3) Post a link to this blog post on your facebook page (be sure to tag TFA in the post so we can see it!)

4) Tweet about the giveaway on twitter!

So, do all of the above and get 4 chances to win! Gotta love social media.

A winner will be announced on Monday, Oct. 31.  Halloween!

Super Duper Double Giveaway!

Today I have not one, but two very exciting giveaways for you all to enter! Back in the Fall I was extremely flattered to be asked by Veronik Avery to be a model for her wonderful St-Denis magazine. Issue 3, Spring 2011, is officially available, and her brand new website has launched and I am pleased as punch to have an extra copy of the magazine to giveaway to one lucky winner. But that's not all! With the magazine I am also including a Four Seasons Hat kit in the Autumn colourway. I don't know if you all know me well enough to recognize the back of my head, but that lovely cover girl on the front of the magazine... it's me! 

I'm modeling the Lucky Seven Beret designed by Robin Melanson. I think that the yarn in the Four Seasons Hat kit would substitute very nicely in this pattern. There are a few other stranded knitting patterns in the magazine as well that would look lovely in TFA Blue Label yarn. 

Today I'm doing a double giveaway, so with each entry you are entered to win one of two fabulous prizes. Double the chance to win, double the fun! The second prize is for one skein of yarn and one awesome knitting tool: the Gleener! You may remember me going on and on about how wonderful it is after I "gleened" my blanket earlier this spring. Well, that blog post caught the attention of "the Gleener girl" and she so generously offered a Gleener for me to giveaway to a lucky reader. Along with the Gleener I'm throwing in a skein of my Purple Label Cashmere sock yarn in Teal. I'm currently knitting a pair of socks with this very colourway and it's lovely. Since cashmere tends to be a bit more prone to pilling than my hardier superwash merino's it seems like the perfect skein to go hand in hand with this de-fuzzing tool. This skein would make a lovely little Sunnyside baby sweater don't ya think?

One comment enters you in both giveaways. Be sure to include your e-mail address or Ravelry username so I can get a hold of you should you win. You can get additional entries if you post about the contest  on Twitter or your blog (so if you post on both Twitter AND your blog, AND comment here, you'll get three chances to win!) If you do Tweet or blog about it, please leave another comment here to let me know. Two winners will be chosen at random and announced on Friday, June 3rd. Good luck! 

Comments are now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Happy spring Giveaway!

Since I posted about my mulberry silk Wispy cardigan a few weeks ago I've had several opportunities to wear it, and every time I fall in love just a little bit more. It really is a little piece of silky heaven. I'll be bringing plenty of silk and even a few Wispy cardigan patterns with me to the Knitter's Frolic in Toronto at the end of the month. 

In the meantime, because spring is in the air, the sun is shining, I've got the windows open and I'm feeling happy, I'd like to offer a little Wispy themed giveaway!

The prize: 2 skeins of TFA Silver Label Mulberry Silk yarn in a lovely grey-blue One of a Kind colourway, PLUS one printed copy of Hannah Fettig's Wispy cardigan pattern. 

To enter this giveaway just leave a comment on this post telling me your favourite TFA colourway. Be sure to include your e-mail address so I can get a hold of you should you win. You can get additional entries if you post about the contest  on Twitter or your blog (so if you post on both Twitter AND your blog, AND comment here, you'll get three chances to win!) A winner will be announced on Saturday, April 23rd. Good luck! 

Comments are now closed, thanks to all who participated!