It’s a birthday sale!!! Use the coupon code BDAYBASH on my patterns here on knitequalsjoy.com or on Payhip for a big 50% off!!! Hurry, use the code by November 8th, 2020! (Also on sale on Etsy, no code needed.)
Please feel free to share!
Category: knitting
It’s My Party…(and a BIG sale)
It’s a birthday sale!!! Use the coupon code BDAYBASH on my patterns here on knitequalsjoy.com or on Payhip for a big 50% off!!! Hurry, the code expires November 8th, 2020 (edited from original dates)!!! Also on sale on Etsy, no coupon code needed.
Please feel free to share!
Newsy News Post (as opposed to a newsy newsletter)
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
More Pumpkin Fun
Just for fun – and so that you can see the comparative sizes of the pumpkin patterns – I made this short little video:
Here are prizes for the Pumpkin-A-Long:
Prizes for completed pumpkins, to be chosen randomly after we finish the PAL on Thanksgiving, include a skein of fabulous Amanda Hope Yarn Aussie Extra Fine and an adorable felted pumpkin by Wee Woolies. Throughout the PAL, pattern winners (your choice from amongst all of my patterns) will be chosen randomly from those who post on Instagram or submit via email (knitequalsjoy@gmail.com) progress pictures of their pumpkins, post in response to PAL questions, or even post their PAL badge. Here is the PAL badge (feel free to copy it):
Questions about how to PAL? Interested in the discount (through October 15, 2020)? Read here: Pumpkin-A-Long (PAL)
And if you’re looking for the PAL patterns, here they are:
Happy Fall, Y’all!!!
xoxo
Carol
Pumpkin-A-Long (PAL)
This year’s Pumpkin-A-Long has begun! It’s easy to play along, and I hope you will.
There are seven eligible patterns, see below.
The premise of the PAL is very easy: knit one of the Knit Equals Joy pumpkins, post a picture of your pumpkin on Instagram with the tags #pumpkinalong2020 and #knitequalsjoy. Follow those tags to see everyone else’s pumpkin progress and anything related to Fall that we post (because we love Fall!!!). If you’re not on Instagram, email your pumpkins to me at knitequalsjoy@gmail.com.
At the conclusion of the PAL (Thanksgiving), I’ll randomly choose from the finished pumpkins and will award prizes. I have an adorable felted pumpkin (not made by me) and yarn, of course, to offer as prizes.
Use the coupon code PALpumpkins for 15% off any of these patterns through October 15, 2020. Discount available only on patterns purchased through knitequalsjoy.com or my Payhip store.
Come join us and get in on some Autumn-knitting joy!!!
Pumpkin-A-Long Patterns – hover over photo for pattern name, click to read about the pattern or to purchase.
Enjoy!!!
Carol
Little Ethereal Test Knit and Improved Pattern Store
Hello dear friends,
The test-knit for Little Ethereal is open on Yarnpond. I could still use a couple of testers, if anyone is interested. Sizes 4-6 yrs and 8-10 yrs are still available. You can find the test here.
I really love how this little sweater turned out. It’s just so tiny in this little 0-6 mo size. As it approaches the larger sizes, the proportions become more like those in Ethereal.
Also, I have improved the pattern shop here on Knit Equals Joy. I realized after the previous post that you would need to know what you were looking for in order for the previous shop to be very useful, and even so, the drop-down boxes were a pain to use.
The new and improved shop is now found by using the Pattern tab in the navigation bar. You’ll now see all the patterns at once. Hovering over each thumbnail provides the pattern name. There is now a search bar, and you can also filter by tags if you’d like to see all the pumpkin patterns, for instance, or all the lace patterns. Clicking on the photo will take you to the pattern page with the description of the pattern and the capability to buy now or add to a cart. Since this is so much easier to use than the previous shop, I’d like to offer 25% off all my patterns purchased through this website through mid-August. Just use the coupon code shopthewebsite2 at checkout between now and August 15th for that 25% discount.
Thank you, as always, for your support. Please stay safe and well.
xoxo
Carol
News!! News!! News!!
Hi everyone!
I hope this finds you all safe and well!
I’m thrilled to announce that the Ethereal Sweater pattern is now available in Spanish. Designer Marcela Chang, who hails from Chile, has added pattern translation to the services she offers, so I took her up on it. Now when you purchase the pattern here on knitequalsjoy.com or on my Payhip or Etsy shops, you will receive two PDFs, one in English and one in Spanish. I’m looking forward to offering more patterns in Spanish, as well.
Also news – my patterns are now available for purchase right here on knitequalsjoy.com. I am
so happy to offer this capability to you now – it’s at least one step easier than before. Just go to the Patterns tab in the navigation bar and find the pattern(s) you want. You can sort under tags and you can also search now. And to celebrate, use the coupon code shopthewebsite2 from July 25th to August 16th for 25% off. The coupon is good on all Knit Equals Joy patterns purchased through knitequalsjoy.com.
The last bit of news is that I’ve designed a Little Ethereal. It’s currently in tech editing, and when it is through that process, it will be ready for test knitting. I’ll be looking for a few test knitters who have a little one available who can try on the sweater and also maybe provide some great pictures – because I don’t have any little ones nearby and no grands yet. Additionally, I will be looking for testers who can knit this pretty quickly and who have previously completed test knits. If this sounds like you and sounds like something you would like to do, please email me at knitequalsjoy@gmail.com. I wanted to give my fabulous knitting friends first stab at this, and then will offer the test on Yarnpond. The sizes are 0-6 mo, 6-12 mo, 1-2 yr, 2-4 yr, 4-6 yr, 6-8 yr, and 8-10 yr, and it is knit in fingering weight yarn.
I have a couple of vacation days coming up, so I’m hoping that I can start working on 2020’s pumpkin design. I have some great yarn for it, and I think it will be a cute but not too difficult addition to the pumpkin patch! Now that Little Ethereal is written up and out of my head, I’m starting to get excited about pumpkins and the 2020 Pumpkin-A-Long! I hope you will join in!!!
xoxo
Carol
Another Free Pattern and Another Pattern Sale!
It’s a May Pattern Sale!!!
First of All, the Free Pattern
DOWNLOAD THE FREE PATTERN PDF THROUGH JUNE 30, 2020. This special offer has now expired.
You can read more about this pattern here: Wibbly Wobbly Spa Cloth Pattern Page or find it in the website’s pattern menu.
I hope you enjoy this pattern!
Knit Equals Joy Pattern Sale on Etsy
During the month of May, enjoy $1 off your purchase in my Knit Equals Joy shop on Etsy. This coupon is applied to your cart at purchase, so if you’d like to use it for multiple patterns (please do!), I would suggest purchasing them one at a time. Use the code MAYJOY at checkout.
Click here to go to my Etsy shop.
Hoping that you and yours are remaining safe and well.
xoxo
Carol
Two Free Patterns and a Pattern Sale
It’s an April Pattern Sale!!!
First of All, the Two Free Patterns
DOWNLOAD THE FREE PATTERN PDF THROUGH JUNE 30, 2020. This special offer has now expired.
You can read more about this pattern here: Gnome Spa Cloth Pattern Page or find it in the website’s pattern menu.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE PATTERN PDF THROUGH JUNE 30, 2020. This special offer has now expired.
You can read more about this pattern here: Wee Pumpkin Pattern Page or find it in the website’s pattern menu.
I hope you enjoy these patterns!
Knit Equals Joy Pattern Sale on Etsy – sale has ended
For the month of April 2020, enjoy $1 off your purchase in my Knit Equals Joy shop on Etsy. This coupon is applied to your cart at purchase, so if you’d like to use it for multiple patterns (please do!), I would suggest purchasing them one at a time. Use the code APRILJOY at checkout.
Click on the photo above or here to go to my Etsy shop.
Hoping that you all are staying safe and well.
xoxo
Carol
Ethereal Sweater Pattern is Here!
Hi everyone!
The Ethereal Sweater pattern is live!
Ethereal Sweater is light as air, soft as breath, and a joy to knit and wear. The design features a rolled neckline, stranded stripes and a slipped stitch pattern in the two-color yoke, a split hem, and textured two-color cuffs. It is knit top-down and seamless in fingering weight yarn, and can be tried on as you go along.
The pattern is written for 9 sizes ranging from 28-62 inches (71-157 cm), with several inches of positive ease added so that the finished sweater measures 31.5-68.5 inches (80-174 cm).
Skills Needed: Working with two colors, stretchy/flexible cast on, backward loop cast on, working in the round, slipping stitches, m1 and kfb increases, ssk and k2tog decreases, knitting through the back loop.
Get the pattern here:
Ethereal Sweater PDF Pattern on Etsy
Ethereal Sweater PDF Pattern on Payhip
Yardage requirements, from the pattern:
Main Color (MC): 3 (3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7) skeins Yama Fibre Arts Merino Linen Singles (Fingering; 90% South African Merino, 10% Linen, Superwash; 394 yds/100 g) in Gray Sage. If substituting yarn, 920 (1105, 1300, 1500, 1705, 1995, 2205, 2360, 2595) yds [840 (1010, 1190, 1370, 1560, 1825, 2015, 2160, 2375) m] fingering weight yarn.
Contrasting Color (CC): 1 (1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2) skeins Yama Fibre Arts Merino Linen Singles (Fingering; 90% South African Merino, 10% Linen, Superwash; 394 yds/100 g) in Nomad. If substituting yarn, 245 (280, 350, 390, 420, 495, 560, 595, 610) yds [225 (260, 320, 360, 385, 450, 515, 545, 560) m] fingering weight yarn.
Like all of my patterns, Ethereal has been test knit and tech edited.
I love that this sweater lends itself to each knitter’s own creativity with yarn and color! Some knitters have used stash yarn in more than one color for the contrasting color. Some have modified the pattern by making short sleeves. Each time I see a new Ethereal, I think: “This is my favorite!” (shh…just don’t tell the others.)
Here are some lovely sweaters by some lovely knitters. At the bottom of the page are some swatches I’ve made of the pattern stitch so that you can see how it looks in different yarns.
We are having a knit-a-long, but this post is getting pretty wordy, so more about that in a future post. However, if you want to find out about it sooner, search for and follow #etherealkal on Instagram. Pictures of the beautiful yarny prizes to come, as well.
Thank you…stay safe and well.
xoxo
Car