Tag: Ravelry

Posted in giftalong2018, Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitting pattern, Ravelry

Whimsy Tree with Buttons from Mom’s and Grandma’s Button Tins

Posted on by Carol

I know that some of you share with me an affection for the button tins that our mothers or grandmothers created over time, clipping serviceable buttons from garments that had reached the end of their usable life and saving those buttons for future use.  Some of you may have been fortunate, as was I, to inherit these tins.  I have memories of sorting through Mom’s button tins, and Grandma’s before her, as a child.  These days, I use the buttons to decorate some of my hand-knits.

After releasing the Whimsy Tree pattern, I had the idea of making a second tree using natural, undyed yarn, and decorating it with white, silver, and gold buttons from Mom’s and Grandma’s button tins.  I am so happy with the result.

I’m going to offer the 25% off introductory discount through the end of 2018, no coupon code necessary.  You can find the pattern here: Whimsy Tree.

The Indie Design Gift-a-Long on Ravelry is nearing the last week of this year’s GAL.  I was fortunate to have been interviewed by Stana D. Sortor (Fifinka on Ravelry).  Her website is Stana’s Critters, Etc.  Here’s one of her adorable designs, Chameleon Leon:

Chameleon Leon, design and photo by Stana D. Sortor 

If you’d like to read the interview, here it is: Interview with Designer Knit Equals Joy.

Wishing you all a joyous Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

xoxo

Carol

Posted in Indie Design Gift-a-Long, KAL, Knit-a-Long, knitters, knitting, Ravelry

The Indie Design Gift-a-Long (AKA GAL)!

Posted on by Carol

The Indie Design Gift-a-Long (GAL) starts at 8:00 pm Eastern Time tonight (11/23/18).  The Indie GAL is a Ravelry-wide knit-a-long and crochet-a-long that starts this evening and runs through 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) New Year’s Eve.  This year, nearly 350 designers are participating, which means that they contribute coupon codes for pattern prizes as well as offering 10-20 patterns each at 25% off for the first week of the GAL.

There are TONS of prizes (both electronic prizes and prizes like YARN), games, chat…it’s an all-around fun time and a great inspiration for starting (and maybe completing) holiday gifts (for others, or possibly for yourself).

Designer and podcaster Sarah Schira (AKA Imagined Landscapes, designer of the adorable gnomes that took over the GAL last year) has put together a great video describing the GAL and how it works.  With permission given to all of us to share, I’m sharing it with you.  It’s a very clear and engaging explanation of the GAL.

To Recap:

Sale Dates:  Friday, November 23 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time to Thursday, November 29 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time.  The coupon code is giftalong2018.  Look for the GAL sales bundle on each designer’s page or view and/or search the giant sale bundle in the GAL group.

Find my sale bundle on my designer page, here: Knit Equals Joy Designs.  Bundles are found on the page above the single patterns.

GAL Dates:  Friday, November 23 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time to Monday, December 31 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

The GAL group is super-well organized, and has answers to any questions you might have.  I hope you will come check it out!

Posted in Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitters, knitting, knitting pattern, pattern, Pumpkin-a-Long, Ravelry

Wee Pumpkin – Pattern Now Available

Posted on by Carol

Hello, dear knitters!  Wee Pumpkin is here!

I wanted to write a pattern that would not only be cute, but would also be easy and quick to make.  This pattern is all three.  This diminutive pumpkin measures about 1 inch tall and about 1.5 inches in diameter.

It is knit flat, seamed using mattress stitch, then shaped, basically by cinching up the top and bottom.  Add a little fiberfill (I used cotton balls for the prototype, since I was on vacation when the inspiration hit), add a little stem, and you have a wee pumpkin.

They’re just the right size to make an adorable little gift.  Very quick to knit, too.  Mine was done, beginning to end, in under an hour.  My friend Missy knit two in about 40 minutes.

The pattern for this little cutie is for sale in my Ravelry store for $1.25.  It is available for free with the purchase of any of my other pumpkin patterns (past purchases also count). No coupon code is necessary.  This promotion will run through November 10th, then look for it to return again early next year.

This wee little pumpkin also qualifies as an eligible pattern in the Knit Equals Joy Pumpkin-a-Long (PAL), which continues through October 31.

Get your Wee Pumpkin pattern today!

Wee Pumpkin photo at top of page, knit by and photo credit Carla Scott, used by permission.

Tiny Pumpkin

Torunn's Wee Pumpkin
Tiny pumpkin by Torunn Borgen, used by permission
Val's Wee Pumpkin
Wee pumpkin by vmquint, used by permission

Continue reading “Wee Pumpkin – Pattern Now Available” →

Posted in knitting, Ravellenic Games, Ravelry, Team Knit Equals Joy

The Ravellenic Games 2018: FAQ

Posted on by Carol

The Ravellenic Games = awesomeness! But what do you do? How do you participate? This list of FAQs will help you navigate the waters and have a fabulous time.

Frequently Asked Questions – General

  1. The Ravellenic Games?? In a nutshell, Ravelry members have organized a site-wide knit-a-long that takes place during the Olympics. This forum is home to the 2018 Ravellenic Games. Cast-on occurs during the Opening Ceremonies (or any time thereafter), and projects must be completed by the Closing Ceremonies. There are events (categories of projects) and laurels (types of techniques). When you complete and post your project as directed, you will receive virtual awards and laurels, which you can proudly display on your project page and/or your profile.
  2. When is the event?   START TIME:  Friday, February 9 starting at 20:00 in PyeongChang’s time zone.   ENDING TIME:  Sunday, February 25 at 23:59, PyeongChang time.   The 11 posts in this thread have starting times for everywhere in the world.  Here in the Pacific Time Zone, I could cast on at 3 am this Friday morning.
  3. What are the rules? The rules are to pick a project that will challenge you, and to have fun!
  4. Do I have to watch the Olympics to participate? No, not at all.
  5. Do I have to be on a team? No, you can be a participant without a team.
  6. Can I be on more than one team? Yes. The rule is that each project must be associated with no more than one team.
  7. Why would I want to be on a team? A team is like a virtual knit night. We will exclaim over your projects, cheer you on if you falter, and dance a happy dance when you cross the finish line.
  8. Why would I want to be on Team Knit Equals Joy? We are really good at the above! And we have prizes! Read more below.

FAQs – Team Knit Equals Joy

  1.  How do I join Team Knit Equals Joy? Our team thread is here. You can post and say you are joining, or just join the conversation at any time. Tagging your project with ravellenics2018  and teamknitequalsjoy2018 will automatically designate you as one of our ravthletes.
  2.  Do I have to knit a Carol E. Herman pattern to be on Team Knit Equals Joy? No! You can knit any pattern you like. But knitting my patterns will give you extra chances for prizes! 😀
  3. What about prizes? We already have a queue of physical prizes like yarn, project bags and the like for our team. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the Games via random number generator and will be chosen from our team’s finished projects. We have a prize thread started here.
  4. What if I have questions? Post them in the team thread, send me a private message on Ravelry, or ask below.

If you are reading this, you are invited to join Team Knits Equals Joy. I hope that you will consider it. We have so much fun, and an event like this really does provide a lot of inspiration, incentive and encouragement to learn a new technique, finish a languishing WIP (work in progress), or even to frog something you never are going to make and free up that yarn for something else.

Hope to see you there!

~knit equals joy

Posted in Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitting, Ravellenic Games, Ravelry

Team Knit equals Joy – The Ravellenic Games 2018

Posted on by Carol

Cover photo by Jörg Angeli on Unsplash

Team Knit Equals Joy is joining the Ravellenic Games! The Ravellenic Games – a fun way to connect with other knitters and to challenge your own skills. They take place during the Olympic Games but, of course, are not affiliated with those games.  The goal is to challenge yourself to begin and complete at least one project between Friday, February 9 and Sunday, February 25 – and to have fun doing it.

15 events cover just about any type of project you want to make:  Alpine Afghan Combined, Bag Biathlon, Cowl Curling, Aerial Unwind, Super G(arment), Hat Halfpipe, Cross Country Living, Mitten Moguls, Short Track Scarf, Shawl Skating, Sock Hockey, Sweater Skeleton, Freestyle Spinning, Toy Bobsleigh, and WIPs Dancing. Curious? More info about the events here: 2018 Medal Categories.

The Ravelry-wide event awards virtual prizes. Generally these are a graphic you can post on your Ravelry profile page and on your project page. Pretty fun to post those prizes proudly!

We will have prizes in our Knit Equals Joy team, too…real prizes like yarn, bags, patterns… Prizewinners will be chosen randomly from those posting pictures in our finished objects thread. Projects may be made from any patterns, not just mine.  However, we will again have a special event (outside of the official events) called Event Knit Equals Joy (tag = eventkej). Anyone completing any of my patterns will be entered for a prize package, drawn by random number generator from all the completed (and tagged) eventkej projects.

As it gets closer to the actual event, I will be posting more information , both here and in our Team Knit Equals Joy thread.

We would love to have you join our team!  It’s like a giant KAL, and so much fun. Come join Team Knit Equals Joy here!

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

 

xoxo

knit equals joy

 

Posted in GAL2017, Indie Design Gift-a-Long, knit equals joy, Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitters, knitting, knitting resources, Ravelry

Final Day of the Indie Design Gift-A-Long Sale!

Posted on by Carol

Don’t miss out on the Indie Design Gift-A-Long sale on Ravelry!!  The SALE ends tomorrow (Tuesday), November 28, 2017 at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time!  Grab those patterns now at 25% off!!!  Use coupon code giftalong2017.

While the sale ends tomorrow, the Gift-A-Long is just getting started and goes through the end of the year.

Click GAL Sale Bundle to check out ALL the sale patterns – over 5,400 of them!

Find my 20 sale patterns here (click on the picture):

Click on this photo to go to my sale

(My sale bundle and the jumbo GAL sale bundle will disappear shortly after the sale ends.)

One other item of note, you can knit (or crochet) any paid pattern by any of the participating designers during the GAL.  This means that all of my paid patterns are eligible. You can use patterns already in your Ravelry library for the GAL – new purchases are not required!  Check out the gift-a-long here:  Indie Design Gift-A-Long.

Soon I’ll share about the patterns that have caught my eye and new designers I’ve discovered. Stay tuned!

xoxo

Carol

 

Posted in GAL2017, Indie Design Gift-a-Long, knit equals joy, Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitters, knitting, knitting resources, Ravelry

Indie Design Gift-A-Long 2017 is Underway!

Posted on by Carol

As promised, now that the GAL is started, here’s a short post with links to the 311 designers (!!!), the sale patterns, and the prize-eligible patterns. It still blows me away: all the work that went into (and is still going into) organizing the GAL!!!

Designers

Click here for designer list

Sale Patterns

Click GAL Sale Bundle to check out ALL the sale patterns.  Over 5,400 patterns are on sale at 25% off!!!  Use the coupon code giftalong2017.

Be sure to catch the sale before it ends at 11:59 PM EST Tuesday, November 28, 2017!!!

Prize-Eligible Patterns

The GAL Giant Bundle has links to all of the participating designers and to all of their paid patterns.  If you begin and complete one of these designers’ paid patterns during the GAL, you will be eligible for one of the myriad of fun prizes.

Prizes are given away in the different threads throughout the GAL.  These prizes are often given away randomly, to someone who answers a question, or to someone who posts a picture of their work in progress.

Join the Group

In order to win prizes during the Gift-A-Long, you do need to join the Ravelry Indie Design Gift-A-Long Group.  This link will take you there: https://www.ravelry.com/groups/indie-design-gift-a-long.

That’s all there is to it!  I hope you’ll check it out if it sounds like fun to you!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that your upcoming holidays are filled with love and joy!

xoxo

Carol

Posted in GAL2017, Indie Design Gift-a-Long, Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitters, knitting, knitting patterns

The Fifth Annual Gift-A-Long! Nov. 21 (8 PM EST) through Dec. 31 (11:59 PM EST), 2017 #GAL2017

Posted on by Carol

Dear Knitting and Crocheting Friends,

Once again it is time for the Indie Design Gift-A-Long on Ravelry!  This is a six-week knitalong and crochetalong intended to encourage us all to get our holiday crafting done. It starts this Tuesday and finishes with a huge bang on New Year’s Eve!

The Indie GAL is organized by an amazing group of people who have already been doing a lot of work gathering designers (more than 300 of us!), organizing the creation of over 1800 prize codes for free patterns, collecting physical prizes, planning games, categorizing, and on and on!  There will be maps, fun stats (which states and countries are the finished objects coming in from?), lots of chatter and encouragement, and the SALE!!!

The Sale: 25% Off All GAL Sale Patterns

Tues. Nov. 21 at 8:00 PM (EST) through Tues. Nov. 28 at 11:59 PM (EST)

Discount Code: giftalong2017

Each participating designer has selected 10-20 patterns that will be offered at 25% off during the sale period. You will find each designer’s sale patterns in a special bundle on his or her designer page.  I’m not sure exactly what it will look like, but there will also be a jumbo bundle of all of the GAL sale patterns.

My bundle is here: Gift-A-Long Bundle 2017. Although you can view the bundle now, the coupon code will not work until Tuesday, November 21st at 8:00 PM EST.  Be sure to use the coupon code during the week of the sale. Also of note – you can use it on as many GAL sale patterns as your heart desires!

These and ten more of my patterns are on sale during the GAL sale period

Prize-Eligible Patterns

All of a designer’s paid (not free) patterns are prize-eligible.  That means that if you complete one of a designer’s paid patterns (whether is was part of the sale or  not) and post your finished object picture in the related finished object thread, you are then eligible to win prizes.

Other Fun

Throughout the GAL, moderators and admins will offer random prizes just for fun. There will be fun games – again, with prizes. Did I mention fun?!?

Other Thoughts

If you’d like a little encouragement as you knit gifts for Christmas and for other holiday festivities, the GAL is really a great place to find it. If you’d like to make something for yourself, no one is going to mind whatsoever! I’m looking forward to using the time to make something designed by someone else.  I’m not sure yet what type of item I’d like to make, and I’m looking forward to looking through other designers’ bundles or the mega-bundle to find just the thing. I’ll be sharing here, on Instagram, and on the Knit Equals Joy Facebook page about the patterns that catch my eye.

I hope you’ll join us!!!

xoxo

Carol

Knit Equals Joy

Posted in fiber festivals, Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitting patterns, Ravelry, Rhinebeck

This Pumpkin’s Going to Rhinebeck

Posted on by Carol

This pumpkin’s going to Rhinebeck (AKA the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival)! If you’re going, stop by Weston Hill Farm‘s booth in Building A, 42-43. The pumpkin and some of my patterns will be there. While you’re there, check out their amazing yarn, roving, and Eileen’s amazing felted sculptures!

Weston Hill Farm Worsted Weight Yarn

Eileen and Chris chose the spider motif as their favorite, and I set to work. The darker yarn is their sport weight, which worked fine for the colorwork sections. I held it double for the stem, which created quite the gnarly stem! To go with this stem, a weighty, dramatic button was needed, and I found this button in Mom’s button tin. I’m not sure whether it was Mom’s or Grandma’s, and I’m not sure of the vintage (50’s-70’s?), but it was the perfect finishing touch.

If you go, let me know if you see the pumpkin! Have a wonderful time!!!

xoxo

Carol

P.S. If you’re looking for the pattern, you can find it here, $5.00:

Posted in colorwork, Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitters, knitting, knitting patterns, pattern, Ravelry

New Pattern – Large Colorwork Pumpkins

Posted on by Carol

I’m thrilled to announce my newest pattern, Large Colorwork Pumpkins!  Inspired by a love of all things Fall and an enduring love of colorwork, this softee pattern is just pure fun to knit and creates a lovely work of art. One pattern, four motifs. There is also an optional top that makes more of an oblong pumpkin.

DSC_0031 (1024x683)

This pumpkin is pretty much life-sized, about 12 by 12 inches, depending on which motif you choose and how much stuffing you use.

pumpkin

Knit using worsted weight yarn on size 5 needles, you will need about 200 yds each of two contrasting colors and some scrap yarn for the tendrils. You will also need fiberfill – my favorite after making three of these is Cluster Stuff by Morning Glory.

And the button! While the button is optional, I think it really adds personality to each pumpkin. This button came straight out of Mom’s button tin, and I think it was perfect!

DSC_0028 (1024x672)

This button is a ceramic button from One of a Kind Buttons.  Her buttons are fabulous!

Button Detail (1024x668)

Within the pattern are instructions for the various increases, decreases and i-cord. However, the pattern does presume that you have a working knowledge of colorwork and working in the round.

Here is Ravelry user cascott’s Haunted Village pumpkin. Isn’t it adorable? I love how she staged it with her homegrown real pumpkins! I have added more detail to the Haunted Village motif since this pumpkin was knitted.

Carla's

For even more options, you can knit this pattern using sock yarn and smaller needles – I would suggest US Size 1 or 2. This pumpkin ended up being about 6 or 7 inches in diameter.

My pumpkin pic by Wanda

Here’s the pumpkin with the oblong top, knit by Ravelry user PLC1. Her button was perfect, too!

Paula

The pattern is available in my Ravelry store for $5.00.  This button will take you right to checkout:

Thank you also to Ravelry user greenhorngirl for the use of her photo of her jack-o-lantern pumpkin at the top of the page.

Thanks for your support.  It means so very much to me!

xoxo

Knit Equals Joy