Ravelry group

Autumn mini swap

I am excited to announce that sign-ups are open for the Knit Equals Joy Autumn Mini Swap! To quote the lovely Jen, who organizes our terrific swaps: “This mini swap celebrates friendship and the beauty of the Fall season. In this swap you will send your secret swap partner a lovely knitted, crocheted or sewn gift reminiscent of Autumn.”

Here are the rules for this mini swap:

You must be a member of the Knit Equals Joy group on Ravelry. If you’re not yet, it’s perfectly OK to join the group so that you can join in the swap. It is a community of like-minded, crafty individuals, so please introduce yourself and join in our community.

Sign-ups end September 5th.

You will send one hand knitted, crocheted or sewn Autumn-inspired gift and one treat valued up to $5.00. The treat does not have to be edible.

Our mailing deadline is October 3rd.

You must participate in the swap discussion at least once a week. This will help your swap partner get to know more about you. As I said, this is a community-building activity, so the discussion is a very important part of the swap.

If you are a new swapper, you must fill out the swapper’s questionnaire. You can find this in the discussion forum. If you need help, just ask.

When you receive your package, you must post your thanks as soon as possible and post a photo as quickly as you can.

Here is my wrap-up post about last year’s Fall Mini Swap.

Month-long giveaway

Okay, here’s the deal, and it’s pretty exciting. The Knit Equals Joy group on Ravelry is just a few members – fewer than 5 – shy of 200 members . Sooooo, once we reach 200 members, we are going to have a giveaway (there, not here) that lasts a full month!!!

So, if you aren’t a member, go over there and join right now!!! If you are a member, invite some friends you think would enjoy the group. I’ll be giving away yarn (of course!) at least once a week, adding in other fun and lovely notions in between. Winners will be chosen randomly from posts – so this means get on over there and start chatting – in our chat thread, The Cafe. Again, the Knit Equals Joy group is a community, so if you are new, jump right in and introduce yourself.

If you have any questions about how to join Ravelry or how to join the Knit Equals Joy group, just ask!

Summer spa swap III

And, finally, here’s a collage of the lovely swap packages that were sent in our summer spa mini swap. We had a great time!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Thank you to everyone who is already a part of the Knit Equals Joy group. If you are not yet, and you’re a knitter, please consider yourself invited to come join the knitting fun!

xoxo

Carol

And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva…

~from The Princess Bride

We just finished the Wuv, Tru Wuv Mini Swap in my Ravelry group. The rules were simple and fun:

Be a member of the group.
Send a small knit, crocheted, or sewn gift, a card and a small treat ($5.00 max) to your secret swap partner.
Participate in the swap discussion at least once a week.
When you receive your package, you must post your thanks as soon as possible and post a photo as quickly as you can.
You must stitch your project with love. 🙂 (My favorite rule!)

Well, I must say, this swap exceeded my expectations. The participants were absolute rock stars! Lovely packages were sent and received, and the hand crafted items were just amazing – creative and beautifully made. Just take a look!

I love the adorable sock monkey Carla made! It’s just too cute and sweet, made in Gnome Acres yarn with a Gnome Acres button. Pattern is Jerry the Musical Monkey by Rebecca Danger.

Torunn, whose knitting talents never cease to amaze me, sent this little guy, a voodoo doll named Valentine, all the way from Norway to her swap partner (SP). Pattern is Voodoo You Love Me by Susan Claudino, and he’s knit in Knit Picks Stroll. The cutest little voodoo doll ever!!!

Melanie made this lovely bag, a Valentine Pouch by Lion Brand Yarn, worked in Lion Brand LB Collection Superwash Merino, for her swap partner. Such beautiful knitting!

This heart made by Janie now makes its home in its new valentine-y environment. So sweet and quintessentially February 14!

I was the fortunate recipient of this swap gift from my friend Stefanie. The card and notebook are wonderfully hand stitched. Love the initials stamped with bleach on the notebook! I love this warm and red turban she made for me…stylin’! Pattern is Turban(d) by Amelie Bernier, knit in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted Solid in Bold Red. Also included was delicious chocolate!

Half the fun of the swaps, of course, is preparing the gift for your SP. I knit two dishcloths for Torunn, using the pattern From My Heart Washcloth by Tabitha’s Heart. Some conversation hearts, a ceramic button from One of a Kind Buttons, a pretty card and a little Knit=Joy ribbon (thanks, Meg!), and we’re all set! Made with love!

I loved each and every swap package that was sent. Each knitter put her own creative stamp on the theme. Each crafted item was stitched with love. It was truly a perfect Valentine’s Day swap. I am very grateful to everyone for joining in wholeheartedly, and to my friend Jen for doing an amazing job of organizing these swaps. The Wuv, Tru Wuv Mini Swap Collage:

Wuv Tru Wuv Collage — From top down, left to right: Dragon by Heather, Ear Bud Pouches by Alex, Egg to Owl by Diana, Pillowcases by Debby, Coffee Mug Rug by Becky, Cupig and Mug Hug by Susan, Sock Monkey by Carla, Tape Measure by Amber, Dishcloths by Debbie, Voodoo Doll by Torunn, Dishcloths by me, Turban by Stefanie, Cupig by Jen, Heart Garland by Missy, Heart by Janie, Valentine Pouch by Melanie.

Alex (alex and knits) and Stefanie (Wooly Cakes and Wooden Spoons) both wrote wonderful blog posts about their experiences with the Wuv Tru Wuv swap. They are both excellent writers as well as knitters; their posts may be found here: Alex’s V-Day Swap Update and Stefanie’s Wuv, Tru Wuv: A Valentine’s Day Mini Swap. Thanks to both of them for sharing their knitting and writing talents!

And I leave you with this adorable mini dragon made by Heather. Just perfect in pink! And if you read Alex’s blog post linked above, you’ll read the sweetest story about Alex’s daughter’s reaction and this dragon’s new name, Pony Dragon. Adorbs!

Pattern, Little Dragon by Susan B. Anderson.