Christmas

Christmas, colorwork knitting, Knit-a-Long, knitting, Pumpkin-a-Long

Newsy News Post (as opposed to a newsy newsletter)

Posted on October 25, 2020October 25, 2020 by Carol

It’s not a newsletter, exactly…I tried that earlier this year, and it just wasn’t a fit. I really didn’t enjoy the newsletter format. For me, it felt like putting together an advertisement. Well, yes, I want people to buy my patterns…but the blog’s purpose is broader than that. The blog is a place where I can write about stuff that, hopefully, brings a little beauty, whimsy, and maybe useful information from my world to yours. It’s where I can write about things that caught my eye, that bring me joy, or that I thought were interesting.

I’m a nerd (or is it geek?). I posted a picture on my personal Facebook page about one of my patterns, and one of my high school friends commented with something to the effect of “you’re so talented.” My response was that I have always loved beautiful things, crafting, writing, and math…and in my older years I’ve discovered that I like problem-solving, so it all came together in this fun pastime. So, yeah, basically I’m a nerd. 🙂

Independent Knitting and Crochet Designers.

If you like supporting independent designers, Barbara Benson has created the Indie Pattern Portal. The purpose of the portal is “…to help you find stores where you purchase patterns directly from the designer, no middle-man. Each designer may use a different service (Payhip, Shopify, etc …) but the stores are entirely under their control.” It’s a great place to find professional designers.

It’s two months till Christmas today! I get pretend-annoyed by folks who announce how many days remain until Christmas, but I don’t really mind. I promise not to be one of them after today, however.

There are two Knit Equals Joy Christmas patterns, Whimsy Tree and Gnome Spa Cloth. When you start thinking about Christmas, you might enjoy making them.

Finally, pumpkins! This year I added shaping to 2016’s Colorwork Pumpkin pattern, so I’ve been reknitting samples of that pattern. It’s been really fun!

We have this volunteer pumpkin plant in our back yard, and it makes the perfect foil for knit pumpkins.

I made the pumpkin using Alexandra’s Crafts Dark Side of the Moon in Saffron Spice and Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Saffron. They were lovely yarns to work with!

I made a short (30 second) video showing how I hold the yarn in two hands for colorwork.

Here’s another lovely pumpkin made this week by Ginny. It’s the Wee Pumpkin.

I’ll leave you with that lovely picture by Ginny. It captures the warmth and beauty of Fall for me, and it makes my heart smile.

May the rest of your Fall days be warm with a touch of chill in the air. May you enjoy the rich Fall colors and the taste of apple cider. May you enjoy the warmth of friendship and family (even if virtually). Catch you next time!

xoxo

Carol

Christmas, Indie Design Gift-a-Long, Knit Equals Joy Designs, Knit-a-Long, knitters, knitting, knitting pattern

The Fable of the Whimsy Tree, a New Pattern & Discount, and a Gaggle of Crochet Patterns

Posted on December 14, 2018November 6, 2020 by Carol

Hello, dear knitters! I hope that you are having a lovely holiday season. Christmas will be here before we know it, and I wish you a Christmas Day filled with love, warmth, joy…and maybe even a little knitting time.

I’m so thrilled to announce the publication of the latest Knit Equals Joy pattern, Whimsy Tree. All the details are further down the page.

But first, my friend Jen has created an adorable Far Northern Woods, populated by elves, snowmen, and a variety of knit trees. Here’s what happened when a new species of tree was discovered in the Northern Woods:

The Fable of the Whimsy Tree

Tooty elf (the one in yellow behind Joyful elf), fancies himself a dendrologist (when he is not making toys) and was therefore thrilled to discover a new tree species in the far Northern woods 😍. Being the first to see it, he named it after himself…Pinus tooty tooty😁. The other elves who are not serious biologists, found the name quite whimsical 🤣😂 and just refer to it as the Whimsy tree. (copyright Jennifer Wiatrowski)

Pattern Details:

Use self-striping or speckled yarn, or go with a single color and decorate with buttons, baubles, mini-ornaments and lights. This tree is posable so that you can express your whimsical style.

Diameter: 2.25 in. 5.7 cm at base.
Height: 11 in. 27.9 cm before bending or curling.

Yarn: About 100 yds sock yarn.

Other Materials: 1 stitch marker for beginning of round, tapestry needle, ruler, 12-inch pipe cleaner in coordinating color, small amount of polyester fiberfill. Optional: wooden base, buttons, ornaments, battery-operated lights, and other decorations for your tree; as needed: glue gun or sewing needle and embroidery floss/scrap yarn to attach decorations to your tree.

About the Indie Design GAL

I’m still participating in the Indie Design GAL #giftalong2018. The pattern I’m working on is the Adult Modular Cardigan by Loraine Birchall (Woolly Madly Deeply Designs). I’m using my all-time favorite colorway EVER, Malabrigo’s Frank Ochre. It’s a fun knit and it’s working up into a beautifully squishy fabric.

Gaggle of Crochet Patterns:

One of the fun things we as designers got to do was to look through all of the patterns by the other craft. In my case, the other craft is crochet. I browsed through many crochet patterns by Participating Designers, and created a group of my favorites. If you crochet, here are some patterns you might enjoy: Carol’s Fave #giftalong2018 Crochet Patterns.

A huge thank you to Jen for allowing me to share her whimsical story here. It’s so perfect for her Northern Woods that she’s created, and perfect for the Whimsy Tree. I love it.

Here are a few more Whimsy Trees for you to enjoy. Thanks for spending a few minutes of your day here with me.

Christmas, knit equals joy, knitters, knitting, knitting swaps, Ravelry

Advent Mini Swap Sign-Ups

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Carol

Dear knitters,

It’s time to sign up for the second annual advent mini swap in the Knit Equals Joy group on Ravelry. Sign-ups end September 20th.

This awesome swap takes place during advent, with one gift to be opened on each Sunday in advent and the final gift on Christmas Day. Here’s what our awesome swap organizer, Katherine, says to describe the swap:

This swap will require 5 presents total. One for each of the Sundays during Advent + one for Christmas. Only one of the days will require a handcrafted item although you are welcome to craft as many of them as you wish.

Dec 3 – Theme 1: Tree(s)
Dec 10 – Theme 2: Something with a pointy red hat (Santa, elves, gnomes….)
Dec 17 – Theme 3: Something red OR green
Dec 24 – Theme 4: Something inspired by a favorite Christmas Song
Dec 25 – Theme 5: Something special for your SP….a Notion/yarn/fabric (something for knitting, sewing, quilting…etc) based on your SP’s likes and hobbies.

A small food treat (or other non-edible treat) will be considered “bonus”… and could be opened when the package arrives.

Your one handcrafted item can be for any of the above days. If you want to craft more than one day (or all 5… that is fine too!).

Again, our swaps are “secret” swaps, so you don’t know who your swap partner is until you receive your package in the mail.

If you’d like to join in, come on over and sign up here by September 20th. Hope to see you there!!!