Winner + Spring Home Decor KAL/CAL Round-Up

First, let's announce the winner of our June blog giveaway - congratulations to caffeine72 with this comment:

We'll be in touch via Ravelry to coordinate the prize delivery. Thanks to everyone else who took our quiz and entered the contest!

Spring Home Decor KAL/CAL Round-Up
We had a great time seeing all of the clever home decor patterns that you all knit or crocheted over the last couple of months.

Here are just a few of the projects that caught our eyes.

#1. Dishsoap Bottle Dress and Cloth
The moment we saw these dresses, we thought they were super clever, and a fun way to bring a little fun into the kitchen.

What a great idea, and we are sure to see more of these popping up on Ravelry! Thanks to LeilaEvelyn on Ravelry for sharing these with us.

#2. The Spa-Riffic Wash Cloth
Many of you took to this delightfully textured pattern, and the results were fabulous!
This one by 55yrknitter looks great with that hand poured bar of soap.

Knittingdancer made hers in this stunning bright orange!

#3. Fronded Trivet
We thought this dual colored pattern deserved some attention. The subtle patterning makes this a great addition to your kitchen or even a botanical inspired bathroom, Great work CornucopiAmy!

Here are the winners for our prizes, as chosen by the Random Number Generator:

1. 55yrknitter from Ravelry - Royale Special Interchangeable Needle Set 

2. kshufelt from Ravelry - Knit Blockers 
3. Asteride from Instagram - Reverie Fabric Bag

We will get in touch with you via Ravelry to arrange for the delivery of your prizes. Thanks to everyone who entered our KAL/CAL!

Winners + Spring KAL Recap

Our Spring KAL with Angela Tong has drawn to a close, and it's time to announce our prize winners! But before we do that, we'd like to share all of the amazing projects which our fans completed in our Ravelry group as part of this KAL.

First, we saw 12 completed Hishigata hats in a parade of beautiful colors!

Since our KAL included any pattern from Angela Tong's Ravelry pattern store, we saw some other inspiring projects for spring, too. Four participants knit the lovely Kouyou Shawl:

And three more adventurous knitters shared their projects which included a few Shizuku scarves and a Tekstur hat to round out the mix:

Angela also shared an informative tutorial showing how she swatches for in-the-round projects using a clever time-saving trick - click here to check it out! Also, if you missed our previous blog post about Charitable organizations accepting handmade donations, click here to learn more.

Don't forget to block your swatch with our Knit Blockers!
Photo by Angela Tong; click here for the full tutorial on Angela's blog.

Of course, it wouldn't be a KAL without some fabulous prizes, and here are our lucky winners:

Knit Blockers: TinaSanders
Marblz Interchangeable Circular Needle Set: HelenHG69
Allure Fiber Wash: LaurenS

We also have one more prize to give out this month for our May blog giveaway; congratulations to quiltdabbler, who has won a Nova Platina Cubics Deluxe Interchangeable Set! We will get in touch with you shortly to arrange for the delivery of your prize.

Thanks to everyone who entered this month's blog giveaway and joined in our KAL!

Project Inspiration

Small projects are a great way to take a break between larger more involved projects. We like to think of these as little knit and crochet snacks--small, satisfying, quick and easy. A good small project will cleanse your palette and leave you feeling successful and ready to take on a bigger more challenging project.

Today we have rounded up some of our favorite quick and easy knit and crochet patterns. And better yet, all of these patterns are available for free on Ravelry!

Knit Patterns
A lovely simple shawl recipe perfect for using up stash!

Textured Shawl Recipe by Orlane

Hats for the whole family!

Barley by Tin Can Knits

A perfect gender neutral scarf in linen stitch. This pattern is great for variegated yarns.

Cerus Scarf by Hillary Callis Smith

If you're a spinner or have a skein of thick and thin knit up this quick and easy cowl.

Through Thick and Thin by Mari Chiba

Crochet Patterns
Washcloths are useful and also make great gifts.

Oh So Soft Baby Washcloths by Theresa Grant

While warmer weather is still yet to arrive in most places keep your hands warm with these lovely cabled hand warmers.

Cable Wrist Warmers by Julee Fort

This crochet hat is perfect for transitioning into spring. Get a head start on the warm weather with this hat.

Easy Peasy Women's Winter Hat by Mary Englar

Have you knit or crochet any of these patterns? Or do you have a favorite quick and easy pattern you'd like to share? Leave a comment telling us!

Giveaway
Congratulations to Cheryl G, you're our lucky winner! We'll be in touch to arrange delivery of your Karbonz Midi Interchangeable Needle Set. Thanks to everyone who participated.

New Year, New Projects!

With the holiday season behind us it’s that time again where we can refocus our crafting. So, what are your crafting goals for 2015? Did you get new tools and materials to help you reach your goals?

Here at Knitter's Pride we’re always looking forward and inspired by the many talented crafters we meet each day, and we love sharing this with all of you! The knitting and crochet community is magical, warm, and inviting, and we couldn’t be happier to sharing this with all of you!

Here are a few new patterns that have already been published this year by talented designers, we hope they will inspire you to dream and stitch big in 2015!

Quicksilver by Melanie Berg

Victorian Raffia by Kieran Foley & Alasdair Post-Quinn

Rainbow Magical by Elizabeth Brassard

Bring by Ilaria Caliri (crochet)

Giveaway
This month we're giving away a Nova Platina DPN Set and a PDF copy of the Slive pattern courtesy of Classic Elite. To enter the giveaway visit our previous post.

Last-Minute Gift Inspiration!

For our friends celebrating the holiday next week, we'd like to share a few of our favorite last-minute gift projects which can be easily completed in just a few days' time or less! 

Bluebird of Happiness by Sara Elizabeth Kellner
This little bird can be knit in just a few hours and is available as a free Ravelry download!

Glühwein by Laura Aylor
This free pattern can be knit with just a small amount of Bulky weight yarn.

Leafy Washcloth by Megan Goodacre
You need just 30 yards of yarn to knit each leaf, and the pattern can be made in various weights of yarn, too!

Scalloped Boot Cuffs by Jenny Dickens
These boot toppers crochet up in a jiffy in worsted weight yarn, and the pattern is available for free on Ravelry!

Nel the Tiny Owl by Stacey Trock
These wee owls can be crocheted with small amounts of worsted weight yarn!

For more great last-minute gift ideas, check out the 2013 Knitter's Pride Holiday Gift Guide for crafty gift ideas such as our limited edition Karbonz gift set, the Box of Joy!

Be sure to join us next Friday (December 27th) when we announce the winner of the December Blog Giveaway - you can click here to enter! 

Winners + Felted Bags for Fall

Thanks to everyone who entered this month's blog giveaway! Our lucky winners are:

Raveler Globalite, who won the yellow Thames bag, and Raveler knittingdork, who won the red Thames bag! We have contacted the winners to arrange for the delivery of their prizes.

Knitter's Pride Faux Leather Purse Handles, shown here with hook option.

Felted bags and totes are a great project to make this time of year; they are handy, fun, and make great gifts, too! We have a variety of new bag handles that are perfect for accenting your hand crafted bags: Genuine Leather Handles are available in 3 beautiful natural colors shown below, and Faux Leather Handles come in the rainbow of colors pictured above. Both are available with or without hooks so they can be easily attached to your bag.

Knitter's Pride Genuine Leather Purse Handles

If you need a little project inspiration, here are some great patterns from Ravelry which we think would look great with any of our new bag handles.

Clockwise from top left: Winterbloom Bag by Amy Gunderson, Amethyst Organiser by Diane Bertolatti, Molly's Carpetbag by Cricket Toomey, Ripple Tapestry Tote by Ellen Gormley, Red Rose Tote by Debbie O'Leary, and the Cappuccino Felted Bag by Emma Vining.

We look forward to seeing your bags, totes, and other creations in the Knitter's Pride Ravelry Group. Thanks for joining us! 

Winners + Put a Pom On It

Congratulations to Ravelers goblinqween, bearybearco and indiechixor  - you have all won Rejoice Pom Pom Maker Sets in our giveaway this month! We'll be in touch with you shortly to arrange for the delivery of your prizes. Thanks to everyone who entered our contest - be sure to bookmark us for more great giveaways this fall!

In our last blog post, we shared a step-by-step tutorial for making this season's hottest accoutrement, pom poms, using our new Rejoice Pom Pom Maker Set. In this week's post, we've got plenty of ways for you to use your poms to make fashionable and fun projects to make, wear and give! 

First up, we have the tried-and-true pom pom hat, which is clearly a favorite fall trend - just look at all of these new fall designs from Knit Simple, Dull Roar, Knitscene and the My Mountain Series! 

L-R: #17 Striped Toque by Christina Behnke, Kotiya by Alexandra Tinsley, Kilimanjaro from the My Mountain Series, and Forester Hat by Ashley Rao.

Pom poms can add a flourish to everyday items such as scarves, handbags and blankets. They're also excellent for making cute little toys: there are plenty of pom pom animal tutorials on Pinterest, or you can sew on a pom pom tail as shown in Rebecca Danger's squirrel toy from her new book or Raveler Mercourier's Button Bunnies. 

L-R: Pom Pom Happiness Scarf by Mary Jane Mucklestone, Sherbet Dip Blanket by Nicki Trench, Animal Pom Poms, Small Squirrel by Rebecca Danger, and Pea Pod Purse by Anna Tirat-Gefen.

We've also spotted some creative uses for poms such as wall hangings, flowers, and even a chandelier! 

L-R: Pom Pom Chandelier, Ever Blooming Flowers by Gari Lynn, Pom Pom Wall Hanging, and Pom Pom Wreath by Mary Jean Daigneault. 

For more pom pom project ideas, check out our inspiration board on Pinterest. We hope you'll share your pom pom projects with us this fall in the Knitter's Pride Ravelry group! 

Giveaway + Don't Take a Vacation from Crafting!

Make sure that your knitting or crocheting isn't the only thing going on vacation this summer! Whether or not you're planning to travel, there are plenty of great projects to keep your needles and hooks happy during the warmer months ahead.  

Shawls are a great project choice; they can be used on cooler summer nights and will also be handy when the temperatures cool down in the fall. Choose lightweight yarns with cooler fibres such as bamboo, cotton or silk for your next project; here are a few popular patterns from Ravelry.com which you might enjoy!

From L-R: Hitchhiker by Martina Behm, Venus by Aoibhe Ni, and Happy Street by Veera Välimäki.

Small projects such as socks, hats and handwear are also great to work on during warmer months - you'll be glad you did when winter's chill arrives! They also are easy to take with you on-the-go, and using circular needles for magic loop means you don't have to worry about losing one of your double-pointed needles while you're out and about! Below are a few popular hat patterns from Ravelry to get you inspired! 

From L-R: Catkin Hat by Kate Davies, Bonnie Beret by Rachael Oglesby, and Bräcken Convertible Cloche by Kalurah.

Finally, small toys are fun to make and are also great gift ideas! Here are a few knit and crochet toy pattern ideas to make your summer extra-fun!

From L-R: Amigurumi Dragon by Stacey Trock, Knit Hedgehogs by Purl Soho, and Huggy Monkey by Sayjai Thawornsupacharoen. 

Enter our May Giveaway

This month, we'll be giving away Karbonz needle to two of our lucky readers! Simply leave a comment on this post telling us your summer crafting plans and which type of Karbonz (single point, double point or fixed circular) you'd like to win! Don't forget to also leave a way for us to contact you if you are the winner (Ravelry ID or email address works just fine). 

We'll randomly select two winners (one for each prize) on Friday, May 24th! Good luck!

Winner + Felted Project Inspiration

Dreamz Chunky Interchangeable Set

Thanks to everyone who entered our blog giveaway this month! Our lucky winner is Shala K. who will have her wish to try US #17 fixed circular Basix! We've contacted Shala on Ravelry to arrange the shipment of her prize!

We received a tremendous response to our last post about quick, chunky knits using larger needles, so today we'll be sharing more pattern inspiration with you. Wool yarns and large needles are the perfect combination for your next felting project; we have several chunky interchangeable needle sets which contain needle pairs in US #13, #15 and #17 sizes - all you have to do is choose which type of needle tip you prefer! As we saw in our previous post, our Basix line is another great option for projects requiring larger-sized knitting needles. 

Clockwise from top left: Star Garland by Katie Startzman, Felted iPad Case by Marlene Sigel, Woodins by Anna Hrachovec, Celtica Cushion by Debbie Tomkies, Felted Oven Mitts by Purlbee, and French Press Felted Slippers by Melynda Bernardi.

If you have never intentionally felted a knitted or crocheted piece, here are a few helpful resources to get you started: 

Felting article - Knitty Archives

YouTube Video - How to Hand Felt Knitted Projects

Crochet Doctor Blog - How to Felt Crochet Pieces

If you're ready to give felting a try, click here for more inspiration on our Pinterest board! Feel free to share your favorite felting tips or resources on this blog post, too!