Gifts Ahoy! Part Deux

Of all my family members, I think my sister has the most handknit items from me. This holiday season was no different. I had knit one of my newest loves, a bulky slouchy striped hat (oh yes! I forgot to mention that I fell in love with hats this holiday season) in light grey and bubblegum pink. This hat right here. (I modified the Ushya Hat pattern by Jane Ellison to knit my hats.)

Missy said she wanted this very hat, and a scarf to go with it. I started a striped scarf to match the hat, but she wasn't digging the stripes, so we decided to just knit half the scarf in grey and the other half in pink.

However, after I'd finished knitting with the grey, I thought I'd add a touch of something, so I knit two rows in white before joining with the other color. Then I thought, why not add a bit more color? So in went some charcoal grey and a darker pink to round it out.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photos of my finished experiment before she left, but the gods of winter made her town so cold (3 degrees Fahrenheit) that she had to bust out these big guns. Here she is enjoying her gifts. :)

Enjoy the rest of your week, and stay warm!

Gifts Ahoy!

I love gift knitting more than I like knitting for myself. This past holiday season, in the midst of all the crazy hours I pulled to fulfill some of my knitting orders, I was able to squeeze in some gifts for my son's teachers at his former school. They were a great bunch, and the care and love they showed my little poopoola left a lasting impression on me. I wanted each scarf to be a different design for each teacher (since they work in the same school). Armed with my all-time favorite superbulky yarn, Loops & Threads Cozy Wool, I set out to craft individual gifts for these rockstar teachers. Let's take a look.

I knit this first one using the Mid-December Easy Knit Infinity Scarf pattern from A Crafty House in a rich, Forest Green color.

I went with my trusty Procragratification Infinity Scarf pattern in Sapphire Blue for the second scarf (you guys aren't tired of seeing it yet, are you? :P )

For the third scarf, I went with a recently discovered pattern that I've fallen in love with - the Columbia Cowl by Cirilia Rose.

I chose the simple but always stunning Drop Stitch Cowl by Abi Gregorio for the fourth scarf, knit in an alluring Velvet Purple colorway.

And last but not least, the scarf that I knit last, late at night, and which I call the ToNoRi LaNiLaMi...for...Totally Not Original Late Night Night Last Minute scarf. Teeheehee. I originally started out knitting the original cowl version as outlined in the Katy Cowl pattern, but changed my mind halfway through and added buttonholes and large, coconut shell buttons. I fell in love with the finished product, knit in the breathtaking Thunder colorway, and wanted to write up the pattern and share it with other knitters. Then I discovered that I would be reinventing the wheel if I did so, because there's already a gorgeous version of it written up - The Woodland Cowl by Kalurah. I guess great minds think alike? :P I still love the pattern though, and might end up making a few more of them.

So, what do you think? I loved knitting each one of these scarves, and from the reaction of the recipients, I think they liked them too! Which scarf is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a lovely week!

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014

I just realized that I haven't updated this blog since October. I'm so sorry about that. Usually the end of year is my busiest season as a knitter and knitwear designer, and time just flew by. I've also been working full-time at a startup, and that also kept me quite busy getting towards the end of the year.

However, I must say that 2013 ended very well. I took part in the Bazaar Bizarre Fair again, this time with my own booth instead of sharing, and thanks to the cold spell we had in the Bay Area, I sold quite a lot of the Procragratification Infinity Scarves.

I am so thankful to all of you, my friends, fans, readers, customers and supporters, and I hope we can make 2014 as exciting and interesting as 2013, if not more.

Here's to 2014, and thank you all so much!

PS: Just for fun, here's a coupon code for 20% off all items in the NiseyKnits shop: WELCOME2014

The code will be active till 11:59pm PST on Sunday, Jan 5th, 2014. :)

Prepping for the holiday season: A photoshoot teaser

I cannot believe that it's already October! This year really just seems to be galloping along at breakneck speed, and I find myself barely managing to keep up with it. That said, I applied for and got into the Bazaar Bizarre Holiday Fair again this year (woohoo!!), to be held in San Francisco on Dec 7-8. Please save the date so you can come hang out with me, if you are in the Bay Area! I'll have chocolates! :)

In preparing for the fair, I worked with my friend Kwaku of Nkadu Photography to get some update photos of some of my yarny lovelies, and I am so excited to tease you with a couple of these photos!

I write a lot about the Procragratification Infinity Scarf, but I have a secret love affair with it's cousin, the Pompom Hurrah Scarf that I'm happy to reveal today. How beautiful is this scarf on my stunning model?

Now I have a question for you. What other color combinations should I make the Pompom Hurrah scarf in? It's such a pretty scarf design that I want to play around with even wilder color combos! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. And to help, here's the color palette that I currently use for my chunky scarves.

I'm so excited to hear your color combo suggestions, and see how many of them I can actually make! Let's do this! :)

Hope you enjoy the rest of your week.

Studio Re-organization: The After photos

I know I promised these photos a while back, but I got all excited about the giveaway and the birthday sale that I'm now getting around to it. Are you ready for them? Well here we go! Here's the before - my yarn corner, and the study in general. In dire need of some serious TLC!

Then during the cleaning and re-organization process:

And now the after!!

My little yarn corner (aka "studio") of the study, all cleaned up!

I "repurposed" one of our old bookcases for my bulky and superbulky yarns. (I donated most of the books we had, and moved all the other ones into the Expedit bookcase, making sure they all fit! Yay! More space for my yarn!)

I moved one of the 4-cubby IKEA Expedit bookcases to the poopoola's room, and kept this one to store my blocking equipment, notions, recently finished projects (in the top left cubby), and paperwork (in the green box shoved in the bottom left cubby). On top I have my trusty body form, buttons, ribbons, business cards and a photo book.

Pretty Ribbons and Buttons

Here's a trusty zip bag (that held one of our comforters) that now works as a holding area for projects that are in "the queue" i.e., ready to be worked on as soon as I'm done with the 5 currently on my needles! Teeheehee...

My knitting books, printed patterns, and folders hang out here. So do my yarn ball winder, and the tissue I use for wrapping my items before shipping.

To the right of my knitting books, we have my needle and equipment carrying cases, paper bags all ready for my next craft fair, and a Pampers holding box (re-use and recycle, right?) for projects that are in line to be frogged. Wedged in that little corner is a box full of my pattern swatches, a folder and clipboard, and my old trusty plastic mannequin.

On top of the new bulky yarn case is a sign I found at Ross (I think), and a jar I got at Goodwill. I filled the jar with pompoms and leftover yarn pieces, then stuck some of the straight needles I received from a friend when I was in the UK. Looks all quaint and cute, right?

 

And a grainy photo of how it looks together!

I hope you enjoyed photos of the re-organized "studio". Knowing how I roll, this arrangement will change again very soon! :)

Have a great week everyone, and hope you are getting ready for fall weather! I know I am, and I've got quite a few new lovelies for all of you!

A gift for YOU on my birthday!! Yippee!!

Today is my birthday, and I'm so thankful to be alive, thankful for my ability to knit and create beautiful accessories to share with you all, and thankful for all of you - my newsletter readers, my Facebook fans, my Twitter followers, and all others who I may not know of yet. To celebrate, and to thank you for being with me another year, I'm having a 30% off sale in my NiseyKnits Etsy Shop. No coupon required! All items are 30% until 11:59pm PST Sunday night (9/22/2013). So go crazy!! Get that scarf you've been eyeing forever. Or even better yet, get started on your holiday shopping! Go you!

Not sure what to get? Here are some fun items that make for great unisex gifts!

These are just two of the collections available in my shop. There are hats, mitts, and shawls, all ready to be shipped, or you can make a custom request.

Custom orders placed within this time period will also receive the 30% off deal, so if there's something you want but you'd prefer it in another color, color/combo, size, yarn type, just email me and I'd be happy to whip something up for you. It's fun for you, and even more fun for me! Don't forget to visit my NiseyKnits Etsy Shop between now and 11:59PST on Sunday 9/22, if you would like to take advantage of the sale.

Thank you once again, and I hope you find something special for yourself or a loved one during this sale. Have a great day!!

Color Flow Chunky Cowl Giveaway Ends Tonight, 11:59PM PST

I hope you are all enjoyed the long weekend and are having a great week back on the daily grind. Just in case you forgot, here's a quick reminder that the Color Flow Chunky Cowl Giveaway ends tonight, 11:59PM PST. There are many ways to enter, so go ahead and enter via the Rafflecopter widget in the Color Flow Chunky Cowl Giveaway post or the Rafflecopter giveaway below. There will be 3 winners, and each person will receive one of these cowls pictured below! So go ahead, leave me a comment on how you'll style the Color Flow Chunky Cowl, or what other colors you'd like to see them in. All the best and have fun!!

A NiseyKnits giveaway

Studio Re-organization, and giveaway update

Hi everyone, While this giveaway is ongoing, I took the opportunity to do some reorganization of our study/my "studio". Ok, I'll be honest. I planned and started this reorganization in May, but I was not able to work on it as much as I needed to, until the past week. It's been in flux for a long time, but I got the energy and motivation to work on it last week.

I have mostly the "before" and "in progress" photos. I'll update this post with some "after photos" soon. In the meantime, the Color Flow Chunky Handknit Cowl Giveaway has been extended till 9/4/2013, so please enter, get your friends and family to enter, and share with your colleagues. LOL! You want them to look stylish AND stay warm during this winter, don't you.

I have to admit that I've had a knitting mental block the past few months because everything was everywhere in the study. It has really affected my designing mojo, and I just knew that I had to clear, clean and reorganize this creative space so the creative space in my brain would also get cleared.

Anyway, while you wait to see the "after photo" (I think you'll like it a lot!), don't forget to enter the Color Flow Chunky Cowl Giveaway. I'm loving the various styling and color suggestions, and I can't wait to read more of them!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

It is...hand knit cowl giveaway time!!

I've been playing around with ideas for new collections this fall, and I think I've found one that I like. I've been wanting to create a quick accessory where I get to use a lot of different colors in my work. I'm quite excited at how this initial sample turned out. This chunky cowl slips over your head very easily, and keeps you warm and cosy without requiring multiple wraps. The color flows and changes add a touch of fun and versatility to the cowl. I'll provide the option for users to pick what three colors they'll want in their cowl. If you have a few minutes, I would love your input on this new line.

GIVEAWAY

So what do you get for sharing your thoughts with me? Once you participate, you'll be entered into a giveaway to win one of 3 prizes!! Oh yeah!! To enter, follow the instructions below. You can enter as many times as you want from 8/22/2012 to 9/04/2013. The 3 winners will be chosen randomly and informed within 48hrs after the end of the giveaway.

PRIZES

• The first sample of this new collection (pictured above), which I'm tentatively calling the "Color Flow Cowl Collection". (If you have a better name, please feel free to suggest it in the comments below.
• One of my drop stitch cowls (they are very warm, ultra-stylish, and add very little bulk to your wardrobe). One winner will get the Aster-colored cowl and another winner will get the Thunder (Teal)-colored cowl.

Thank you so much, and I can't wait to read your comments and ideas. Enjoy the rest of your week!

To enter to win this great giveaway I’ve included a Rafflecopter form below.  Give it a couple of minutes to load up if you don’t see it right away.  You have a variety of options to enter…do one or all it’s up to you.  Any extra entries simply give you more chances of winning. Thank you so much and good luck!

NOTE: You have to choose your entry option (i.e. Comment, Facebook like etc) to get entered.

A NiseyKnits giveaway

Some Sheila love

The past few months have been rather hectic around here, so I haven't had the opportunity to knit as much as I would like. It's also summertime, so it's a little difficult staying indoors playing with wool when it's so bright and beautiful outside. What I have been doing though, is playing around with knitting different versions of one of my simplest patterns, the Red Sheila scarf. What do you think of them?

The scarves will be listed in the NiseyKnits Etsy Shop shortly.

Which of these scarves is your favorite? Let me know in the comments section below. Enjoy the rest of your week!!