Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitters, knitting, knitting swaps, Ravelry

Autumn Mini-Swap – Sign Up Now

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Carol

Hello dear knitters! Just a reminder that sign-ups for our Autumn Mini Swap end tomorrow, September 5th. We would love to have you join us in the Ravelry Knit Equals Joy group.

Official Rules

Here are the official rules:

You must be a member of the Ravelry Knit Equals Joy group.

Sign-ups end September 5th (tomorrow!!!)

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. You will not know who has you as a swap partner until you receive your package. That’s half the fun!

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

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

If you were thinking of joining us, don’t delay! Get on over there and sign up!

Questions?? Ask me!

xoxo

knit equals joy

Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitters, knitting, knitting swaps, Ravelry

New happenings in the Ravelry group: a swap and a month-long giveaway!

Posted on August 31, 2017May 8, 2020 by Carol

Hello, dear knitters! As we wrap up summer and move toward fall, I hope this finds you well and happily knitting. We are expecting another heat wave through Tuesday, but for now I am pretending that the cooler, crisp evenings of fall are here for well and good.

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

knit equals joy, Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitters, knitting, knitting swaps, Spa Cloth

Reminder: Final Day for Summer Spa Swap Sign-Ups!

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Carol

TODAY is the last day to sign up for the summer spa swap in the Knit Equals Joy Ravelry Group! This is our third annual summer swap – Summer Spa Swap III – Les Jardins. Our swaps are a great way to connect with other knitters – chatting, making and sending a small gift, receiving a fun package in the mail that another knitter made for you with care…come on over and sign up! The original post about this swap is here.

This mini swap is all about sending your secret swap partner a mini “pampering kit”. This year we will use the summer garden as our inspiration. Your package will include a hand knit or crocheted wash cloth that has a Les Jardins (garden) theme or is inspired by the garden, a pretty and preferably a handcrafted bar of soap and one other fun little item that you think your swap partner would like (perhaps a pretty bookmark, some bath salts or a special lip balm…) (Max Value = $10.00).

Part of the joy of the swap is in chatting with the other swap participants, and we post our thanks and photos as soon as we can after we’ve received our swap packages. It’s how we roll in Knit Equals Joy.

That’s it! I hope you will check it out and come sign up TODAY. If you’re not yet a member of the group, please join. If you haven’t posted in the group yet, please introduce yourself and let the group know how you found the swap.

You can read about some of our other swaps here.

See you there!

knit equals joy, Knit Equals Joy Designs, knitters, knitting, knitting swaps, Spa Cloth

It’s Time for Another Summer Spa Swap!

Posted on June 1, 2017June 2, 2017 by Carol

It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside. ~ Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib

Yes! Hurray! It’s time for another summer spa swap in the Knit Equals Joy Ravelry Group! In fact, this is our third annual summer swap – Summer Spa Swap III – Les Jardins. Our swaps are a great way to connect with other knitters – chatting, making and sending a small gift, receiving a fun package in the mail that another knitter made for you with care…come on over and sign up! Read more about this swap below.

Our wonderful swap organizer extraordinaire, jenb69, wrote this lovely piece about summer:

Summer. That one word can conjure up so many memories. When I think of summer, I think freedom (s.c.h.o.o.l is now a dirty word). Bare feet. Shady trees. Watermelon. Watermelon covered faces. Big floppy hats. Grills and backyard barbecues. Lazy days in the garden. Roses. Heat, humidity and thunderstorms and little boys with dirty feet and fishing poles.

I think I would love to live in Mayberry.

And she says this about the swap:

Regardless of where we live though, summer is the perfect opportunity to find some selfish time. This mini swap is all about sending your secret swap partner a mini “pampering kit”. This year we will use the summer garden as our inspiration. Your package will include a hand knit or crocheted wash cloth (maybe you have some extra special cotton or linen in your stash?) that has a Les Jardins (garden) theme or is inspired by the garden, a pretty and preferably a handcrafted bar of soap and one other fun little item that you think your swap partner would like (perhaps a pretty bookmark, some bath salts or a special lip balm….be as creative here as you like) (Max Value = $10.00).

Sign-ups end June 9th.

Mailing deadline is July 7th.

That’s it! I hope you will check it out and come sign up. If you’re not yet a member of the group, please join. If you haven’t posted in the group yet, please introduce yourself and let the group know how you found the swap.

You can read about some of our other swaps here.

See you there!

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

Valentine’s Day Swap! Sign Up Now!

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Carol

January 4th is the last day to sign up for our Wuv, Tru Wuv Mini Swap in the Knits Equals Joy Ravelry group! Knitters, we would love to have you come join us!

This is a really great way to get to know other knitters, and we always have a lovely time. In this mini-swap you will send one small knit, crocheted, sewn or stitched gift, a card and a small treat ($5.00 max) to your secret swap partner. You won’t find out who your secret swap partner is until you receive your package in the mail. Come join the fun: sign up here now!!!

More lovelies from last year’s swap:

Come join us – you know you want to! 😉

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

Wuv, Tru Wuv, The Second Annual Valentine’s Day Mini Swap

Posted on December 29, 2016January 1, 2017 by Carol

Dear Knitters,

I am so excited that we’re going to have another Wuv, Tru Wuv Mini Swap in my Ravelry Group! You can read all about the 2016 Valentine’s Day Mini Swap here.

And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva…

…from The Princess Bride

The rules for this swap are easy:

You must be a member of the Knit Equals Joy group on Ravelry.
You will send one small knit, crocheted, sewn or stitched gift, a card and a small treat ($5.00 max) to your secret swap partner.
Sign-ups end January 4th and partners will be assigned by January 5th.
Our mailing deadline is January 25th (if you have an international swap partner, we encourage you to mail a few days earlier).
You must 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. 🙂

Sign-ups are here. Don’t miss out: Sign up before January 4th!

All of 2016’s wonderful Wuv, Tru Wuv swap gifts:

Wanna be a knit equals joy swapper? Come on over to the group and join us!

knit equals joy

Carol E. Herman Designs, knitting swaps, Ravelry

Mini Advent Swap

Posted on December 4, 2016 by Carol

In a few days I’ll share a collage of the handmade items that were opened on the second Sunday of the Mini Advent Swap going on in my Ravelry group, Carol E. Herman Designs. Until then, I wanted to share this picture of this adorable Christmas scene knit by Jen. This Ravelry group is one group of amazing, creative, and kind people!

meg-from-jen2-500x375 — photo by stamura, used with permission

P.S. I’m thinking of changing my Ravelry designer name and group name to knit equals joy. What do you think?

knit equals joy

giftalong2016, Indie Design Gift-a-Long, knitters, knitting, Ravelry

The Indie Design Gift-A-Long 2016

Posted on November 21, 2016May 8, 2020 by Carol

Once again I’m excited to be participating as a designer in the Ravelry-wide Indie Design Gift-A-Long! (This post will be heavy on links to Ravelry; be sure that you join Ravelry if you haven’t already – so that you can follow the links right through to see what all the fun’s about!)

The Indie Design Gift-A-Long (GAL) is a HUGE knit-a-long/crochet-a-long (KAL/CAL) with tons of discounted patterns (during the discount period) and many, many prizes to be given out during the six weeks of the GAL!

The Designers

335 independent designers from all over are participating. You can see who they are here – with pictures indicative of their work. My post is here: #203.

The Discount – 25%

From November 22nd at 8:00 pm (EST) through November 30th at 11:59 pm (EST) each of 335 participating indie designers will offer 25% off a bundle of patterns with the coupon code giftalong2016. How will you know which patterns are eligible for the discount? Each designer’s post includes a link to his or her Indie GAL bundle of sale patterns. My sale bundle is here.

The Prizes

There are over 100 physical prizes (pictures here) – I’m donating patterns for The Wayfarer Hat and Passport Mitts along with two skeins of Mmmmalabrigo Arroyo to make them with. Check out all the fun and lovely prizes!

Additionally, each of the designers is donating 6 electronic coupons for free patterns. That means at least 2,000 patterns will be given away over the six weeks of the GAL!

The KALs/CALs

The GAL is divided into eight KALs/CALs, divided by type of project: head, hand, feet, kids, garments, shawls, neck, other.

When the GAL begins, there will be a thread for each KAL/CAL, and in that KAL/CAL, prizes will be given out, games will occur, and there will be lots of fun, chatter, and admiration of knitting (and crocheting).

The KAL/CALs will begin November 22nd at 8:00 pm (EST) through December 31, 2016 at 11:59 pm (EST).

Which patterns are eligible for prizes?

You can make any paid pattern by any participating designer to be eligible for prizes. While no more than 20 patterns will be in the discount bundle of any designer, all of the designer’s paid patterns are eligible for prizes.

Some amazing indie design volunteers are putting together Pinterest boards that will allow you to browse through the GAL-eligible designs by type, and they are also putting together some bundles that will allow you to use Ravelry’s advanced search to look through the sale patterns and all of the eligible patterns. These boards and bundles will be coming soon.

Will you join in?

I hope you’ll consider joining me for this fun and inspiring six-week GAL. This would be a great time to whip out some spa cloths or fingerless mitts for gifts (or for yourself)! Like the Ravellenic Games, the camaraderie is a powerful motivator to finish projects. The possibility of prizes doesn’t hurt either!

Questions?

Feel free to ask me here or in my Ravelry group, or ask over in the GAL group.

Check out this awesome infographic made by Kimberly of Around the World in 80 Skeins . Isn’t it amazing?

If we don’t touch base again between now and then, have a very happy Thanksgiving.

knit equals joy

knitting, Ravellenic Games, Ravelry, Team Knit Equals Joy

The Ravellenic Games!

Posted on August 9, 2016May 8, 2020 by Carol

The Ravellenic Games are going strong on Ravelry. Team Knit Equals Joy is going strong at the Ravellenic Games.

Our team is small but mighty with 23 members currently showing up on the team rosters. Members can join our team at any time throughout the games.

The mass cast-on occurred last Friday in tandem with the Opening Ceremonies of the Rio Olympics. Since then, 12 projects have been completed by our team. Many more are in the works.

I’m working on this pair of socks for the Ravellenic Games:

These are my Smooth Operator Socks, pattern by Susan B. Anderson. The yarn is awesome; it’s Knitted Wit Victory Sock in the PDX Carpet colorway. I cannot wait to finish these!!! I don’t currently have any handknit socks to wear. I’m also taking part in the Smooth Operator Sock KAL in Susan’s Ravelry Group, Itty Bitty Knits. So much fun!

We’re all knitting away through the end of the Games. We’ve got a great collection of prizes; winners will be chosen randomly at the end from all the finished projects by our teammates. I’ve put together a lovely prize package and will choose a winner randomly from among those team members who make one of my patterns. All the details are in this thread in my Ravelry group (I haven’t posted a picture of the prize package yet, though).

I’ll leave you with some of the fun graphics that were made for our team:

Colorwork, an example of the laurels that are awarded for working certain techniques. These are our virtual awards!

Feel like challenging yourself and having fun while doing it? Come check out

Team Knit Equals Joy

knitting, Ravellenic Games, Ravelry, Team Knit Equals Joy

The Ravellenic Games: FAQ

Posted on July 23, 2016May 8, 2020 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

The Ravellenic Games?? In a nutshell, Ravelry members have organized a site-wide knit-a-long that takes place during the Olympics. This thread is home to the 2016 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.
When is the event? Friday, August 5 starting at 19:15 in Rio’s time zone (BRT) through Sunday, August 21 at 23:59 (BRT). If I’m looking at the time zone converter correctly, that means I can cast on at 15:15 here in the Pacific Time Zone.
What are the rules? The rules are to pick a project that will challenge you, and to have fun!
Do I have to watch the Olympics to participate? No, not at all.
Do I have to be on a team? No, you can be a participant without a team.
Can I be on more than one team? Yes. The rule is that each project must be associated with no more than one team.
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.
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

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 ravellenics2016 and teamknitequalsjoy2016 will automatically list you as one of our ravthletes.
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! 😀
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 thread here with more detail and where we will post our finished objects.
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

Tag: Ravelry