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And the winners are....

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The three designs you all picked are:

1. With 35 votes, the Snow Drops and Snap Peas Shawl

2. With 24 votes, the High Line Shawl

3. With 19 votes, the Moody Kerchief

You are all so amazing for voting, and to show my appreciation, I'm going to give away gifts to 6 people instead of the 3 as originally planned. The lovely people who will be getting a custom knit item are....drumroll please.....Anuli, Vero, Alexandra, Meg, Kenyandesi and Reema! Congratulations to you ladies! Please email me at niseyknits@gmail.com with your address and your specifications. Thank you all once again, and please subscribe to my blog to be notified of other giveaways!

Enjoy the rest of the week. :)

My First Giveaway: Help me choose three patterns

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One of my favorite designers is Kirsten Kapur, who has a lovely blog called "Through The Loops" that I'm currently following. Now Kirsten is celebrating her Birthday/Blogiversary with a sale of her beautiful patterns: buy 2 patterns, get a 3rd free. She has SOOOOOO MANY beautiful patterns that I just can't decide which ones I want. I would love your input on which three patterns to get from Kirsten's shop. And to sweeten the deal, here's my giveaway details: if you comment on this post and pick which pattern you think I should purchase, you will be placed in a drawing to win your own custom handknit version of the design you picked!! Now ain't that sweet! Spread the word people. Three people will be winning some sweet handmade items from my store.

And here are the contestants:

1. Andrea's Shawl and Mitts



2. High Line Shawl


3. Moody Kerchief


4. Snow Drops and Snap Peas Shawl


5. Ulmus Rectangle



6. Roma Shawl

The pictures are used with the permission of Kirsten Kapur. So pick, 1, 2, 3, heck, rank all 6 patterns in order of preference, and help make my decision easier! The deadline for commenting is Tuesday April 26th at 11:59pm PST. I'll put up the results of the winning patterns in next week's blog entry.

The Necklace Saga - Part 2: Gold Crochet Necklace

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My friend Yaawireds loves anything in yellow. It's serious. So when she saw a cute crocheted necklace and realized I could crochet somewhat, she asked me to make one for her. Ever ready for a challenge, I said yes, and we went yarn hunting. Oh yeah!! We found this lovely Mirasol Yarn Tupa in a yellow colorway that looks like spun gold. Oooooweeee! I went crazy with joy. Sorry sorry, back to the necklace.

This pattern is simply titled Crochet Necklace, and is offered for free by a Ravelry user called creativeyarn. Here are the end results of my foray into the world of crochet. The model is Yaawireds herself, who got to take the finished item  home after the photoshoot. The rest of the yarn will be used to make a lovely shawl for her. 
PS: My photographer was not available, so I had to make do with an old digital camera. The difference in quality is so clear, isn't it?

The Necklace Saga - Part 1: Little Green Scarflet

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Of late I'm into knitted or crocheted necklaces. For the past three times or so when either the Gospel Choir or Celebration Choir at my church have ministered, I've knitted a little something to wear around my neck (I'm in both choirs). I can't put the first necklace up as yet because it's a personal pattern and I'm hoping to get it published in one of the knitting magazines. If that doesn't work out, I'll self-publish it here and on the Ravelry site.  But, I will share with you the second neck thingy. :)

This scarf is is the Soft Linen Little Leaf Scarf by Pam Allen, which was featured in Classic Elite #9086 - Make it Modern Booklet. I bought this booklet in 2008 and I hadn't made anything from it until this scarflet. When I was told the choir would be wearing green, I felt I had no option but to make myself this little beauty. My friend Yaawireds graciously agreed to model for me. I hope you like it.

PS: My usual photographer wasn't available so I had to use my old digital camera. I'm giving serious thought to investing in an SLR camera for myself.

Test Knitting - The Tree and Arbor Wrap by Michelle Miller

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Mid last year, I got the opportunity to test knit the "Tree and Arbor Wrap" by Michelle Miller. This pattern was really easy and intuitive, and I would love to make it again. I used KnitPicks Palette yarn in the Peach colorway, but I found it too pale, so I overdyed the shawl after I finished knitting it. I used McCormick and Wilton food dyes, and white vinegar to set the dye and make the shawl colorfast. It came out a beautiful burnt orange color, almost like the setting sun. I gave this shawl to a friend who had just undergone chemotherapy for cancer. As always, pictures are courtesy of Irene N. of livedstories 

Trying my hand at making headbands

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I know, I know. Making a headband shouldn't be hard after making lace shawls and such. But you never know what knitting style is going to stump you. So, my cousin came to visit us this past Christmas, and she was such a great help around the house and with the poopoola that I decided to knit her something. She chose the Flower Headband Earwarmer by Elise McLaughlin, which I made with some gorgeous Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Paints in a Pink/Purple Variegated yarn. The yarn looks like a bowl of berries. Deliciousness! Here are a few pictures of this experiment. Sorry I don't have really great pictures. That's my head in the picture. Don't laugh. :)

Green Aviatrix

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A number of people have been telling me that Andrew's hat was getting old, and hinting not so subtly that I should make him a new one. I finally felt motivated to make him that new hat a couple of weeks ago. The pattern is "Aviatrix baby hat" by Justine Turner. I made it in the Olive green colorway of Louisa Harding Kashmir Baby yarn. The yarn has quite a few plies on it so it got caught on the sharp needle tips. However the finished product is so soft and squishy. I can't wait to make something for myself with this yarn! Pictures are by Irene of LivedStories, and the model is my little poopoola. :)