Tag: swap

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

Advent Mini Swap Sign-Ups

Posted on 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!!!

Memories from the 2016 Advent Mini-Swap

 

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

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

Posted on 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!

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

It’s Time for Another Summer Spa Swap!

Posted on 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.

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. 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!

Posted in knitters, knitting, knitting swaps, Ravelry, Spa Cloth

Wuv, Tru Wuv: The Second Annual Valentine’s Day Mini Swap is in the Books!!!

Posted on by Carol

The Knits Equals Joy Ravelry group has just wrapped our second annual Wuv, Tru Wuv Mini Swap. We had a wonderful time, and beautifully crafted items winged across the States and even to and from Canada and England.

I always love putting together a collage of the swap packages that were exchanged. These gifts were knit, crocheted and stitched. I myself was the very fortunate recipient of a gorgeous scissors case that was stitched, embroidered and appliqued. It will be treasured!

wuv-tru-wuv-2-collage-1024x1024

We have several more swaps planned for this year. A swap is a terrific way to jump on in to the Ravelry group and get to know other knitters. We chat, we check in; often Jen (our swap organizer exceptionale) or I will ask questions to facilitate conversation or to find out details like pink or red and coffee or tea?

Here’s what’s coming up for the rest of the year:
Spring/Easter Swap (this could be a mug/mug rug swap…)
Summer Spa Swap
Autumn/Halloween Swap
Mini Advent Swap – This swap will require 5 presents total. One for each of the Sundays during Advent and one for Christmas Day. Only one of the days will require a handcrafted item although you are welcome to craft as many of them as you wish.

I hope you will think about joining our next swap. They’re terrific!

Check out the group here: Knit Equals Joy.

Get the new free -for-a-limited-time Missy’s Spa Cloth pattern here.  jens

xoxo
Carol
meetupbanner-960x150

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

Valentine’s Day Swap! Sign Up Now!

Posted on 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!

wuv-tru-wuv

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:

melissa-from-jen-2

Debby from Becky2

Melanies bag (2)

Come join us – you know you want to!  😉

meetupbanner-960x150-2

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

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

Posted on 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…

Princess Bride Priest

…from The Princess Bride

Janie from Carla (2)The rules for this swap are easy:

  1. You must be a member of the Knit Equals Joy group on Ravelry.
  2. 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.
  3. Sign-ups end January 4th and partners will be assigned by January 5th.
  4. Our mailing deadline is January 25th (if you have an international swap partner, we encourage you to mail a few days earlier).
  5. You must participate in the swap discussion at least once a week.
  6. When you receive your package, you must post your thanks as soon as possible and post a photo as quickly as you can.
  7. You must stitch your project with love.  🙂

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

Heather from Torunn (2)

Jen from Janie2

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

Wuv Tru Wuv Collage

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

knit equals joy

Posted in Carol E. Herman Designs, knitting swaps, Ravelry

Mini Advent Swap

Posted on 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

Posted in Carol E. Herman Designs, knitting swaps, Ravelry

Summer Spa Swap II – Another Swap in the Books!

Posted on by Carol

The Summer Spa Swap II – A Day at the Beach swap is now complete. It was a great swap; everyone was very creative, and I even designed the Castle Beach Spa Cloth for the swap! I love seeing the generosity poured into these swaps – even into these mini-swaps where we’re limited to spending just a little bit on the packages we send to our SPs (swap partners).

I love that our swaps are secret swaps. No one except for our amazing organizer Jen knows who is sending to whom.  It’s such fun figuring out what your SP would like and then plotting and planning and putting together a special gift just for that person.  It’s also great fun anticipating getting a package in the mail and then finding out who sent it. And I think our group also has fun admiring the creativity shown in the packages put together by each person as the packages arrive and as pictures and thanks are posted in the group.

One of my favorite things to do after each swap ends is to put together a collage of all the great swap packages – like this one:

Summer Spa Swap 2016 Collage (1024x1024)

I think our next mini-swap might be a Fall/Halloween mini-swap after the Ravellenic Games are over. There is talk of a mini-Advent swap too. Our swaps are great ways to get to know some other knitters a little better, to make a quick little project, and to receive a fun little something too. Come check out the group if this sounds like something you would enjoy.

knit equals joy

Posted in knitting, knitting swaps, Ravelry

Good News, Everyone! It’s a Summer Mini-Swap!

Posted on by Carol

Dear knitting and crocheting friends, sign-ups have started now through June 16th for the Summer Spa Swap II: A Day at the Beach in my Ravelry group! Our mini-swaps (shout-out to awesome swap organizer, group moderator Jen!) are always so much fun! They are low-stress and low-cost mini-swaps, usually featuring something handmade. From Jen’s post:

This mini swap is all about sending your secret swap partner a mini “pampering kit”. This year we will use the beach as our inspiration. Your kit will include a hand knit or crocheted wash cloth (maybe you have some extra special cotton or linen in your stash?) that has a beachy theme or is inspired by the beach, a pretty and preferably a handcrafted bar of soap and one other fun little pampering item that you think your swap partner would like ($5.00 max).

To make things a little more fun, I’ve designed a new spa cloth to go along with the  swap, the Castle Beach Spa Cloth. The pattern will be released next Monday, June 13th.   It’s a fun little perk for the swap, but you can make any spa cloth or wash cloth you like for your swap partner.  More about the spa cloth next Monday on the blog.

DSC_0202 (1024x683)

If you’ve followed this blog for long or are a member of the Ravelry group, you have probably seen these collages before. But in the spirit of dragging out old photo albums to browse through familiar and well-loved memories, here are some pics of our previous swaps:

Wuv Tru Wuv Collage
Wuv, Tru Wuv Swap
Holly Jolly
Holly Jolly Christmas Swap
collage 3
Summer Spa Swap I
Sip and Knit collage
Sip and Knit Swap

If you haven’t done a swap before, I invite you to come join us. It’s a great way to get to know each other, to craft something for someone else, and to anticipate receiving a fun package in the mail. Sign up here right away, no later than June 16th. I look forward to seeing you there!!

knit equals joy