Simple Knits | Spring Giveaway

Spring and warm weather are right around the corner, so I think it's time to celebrate with a wee giveaway for our Simple Knits Knitalong!

We have two prizes for our Simple Knits Knitalong'ers from Firefly Fibers...  are you ready?

The first prize is one of my absolute favorites, a Milk & Honey lotion bar!

These lotion bars are perfect for getting your hands into (or keeping them in) shape for knitting after a long winter and perfectly soothing after digging in the the dirt. The limited edition heart bar is not only a special shape, but it's also a special scent... Lavender+Rose+Geranium!

The second prize is a new - and super popular - arrival at the shop... Stripey Fine by Spud & Chloe! Spud & Chloe hit it out of the park with their new 'stripey' version that mixes up delicious ice cream colors of Fine and we've got a skein of the Mint Chip colorway up for grabs!

I LOVE this yarn and can't wait to find time to knit with it myself, but with my current knitting list, the winner of this skein will most likely get to test drive it before me. *wink*

So, how do you enter to win? It's simple! Our KAL is being hosted in the Firefly Fibers Ravelry Group, so just join our Ravelry group, knit up that month's Simple Knits project and post an FO photo in our Simple Knits thread! You can join whenever and knit whatever projects you like - it's all about having fun and knitting a few small projects for yourself or others throughout the year. 

The winners for the spring giveaway will be randomly selected from the FO pics in our Ravelry thread once our March project wraps up, so you can still participate (and be entered to win) through the end of March.  

This month's project is the Clayoquot Toque from Tin Can Knits and I'll be casting mine on this weekend! I've already knit 2 for the shop, but I know there is at least 1 more on the horizon for me. It's a fairly speedy knit and it probably takes me more time to decide on colors.

The pattern is free here on Ravelry and it's great for stashbusting or you can get started with fresh yarn and start a collection of colors to mix and match - the shop favorites have been Kenzie, Felted Tweed DK and Acadia. The pattern is sized from baby to big and with the non-gender-specific motif, you can make one for everyone in the family!

Many thanks to everyone that's been participating! I hope to see a few new faces in the shop and on Ravelry as the year progresses. Also, thank you so much for the lovely feedback that you've been providing, it's been so much fun knitting along with you and sharing projects!

Here's to more Simple Knits in 2015!

Cheers!

Simple Knits | Colorful March

February flew by and I finished my Antler Mittens for our February project just barely in time and they're just about dry, so I'll share photos soon. Spring is right around the corner and what better way to celebrate the upcoming warm (or warmer) weather than with some color with some Fair Isle from Tin Can Knits with their Clayoquot Toque for our Simple Knits Knitalong project for March!

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I've actually already knit 2 Clayoquot Toques - one was an afternoon whim with leftovers of Rowan's Felted Tweed DK and the second was for the upcoming colorwork class at Firefly Fibers with Hikoo's Kenzie. I love both versions, but I dream of trying some of the other yarns I stare at daily, like Julie Asselin'sLeizu DK or The Fibre Company's Acadia.

Small colorwork projects are fabulous because they're the perfect opportunity to experiment with color combinations and test yarn options before committing to a larger project, like a Clayoquot sweater:

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Yes, this one is on my knitting wishlist and, even though I've already knit 2 Clayoquot Toques, I'll knit at least one more for our KAL to hopefully finalize a color combination. Maybe you can help me pick colors?

Both the hat and sweater are just 2 of the 14 knits in the new Tin Can Knits collection, Road Trip and the hat is also a free download courtesy of the lovely TCK ladies - thanks so much - but, believe me, you'll want the entire collection. *wink

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And... through March 8th, TCK is celebrating 5 years with an amazing BOGO sale on Ravelry. So, if you've been drooling over their patterns and books, this is the time to stock up!

I hope you're excited for our March project and I can't wait to see your yarn and color selection - remember you can join our knitalong at any time! If you need help selecting colors, just post a photo over in our Simple Knits Ravelry thread and I'm sure someone will be more than happy help you decide.

Lastly... we'll have our first giveaway once our March projects wrap up and I'll share the details on that soon!

Cheers!

Simple Knits | February Fun

Simple Knits KAL

:: Simple Knits | A Knitalong ::

Taking — and making — time each month to knit a fabulous new something for yourself or the perfect gift for a loved one.

We've had such a mild winter in Wisconsin that I had a different plan for our February project, but then Old Man Winter delivered a snowstorm over the weekend and I realized that my hands are cold and thought yours might be, too. So... this month for the Simple Knits Knitalong, we're going to knit some mittens!

To keep in line with some of my fave designers, this month we'll have some fun with Tin Can Knits! Their patterns are so beautiful, well-written and classics that can work for just about anyone. This month I have two options for you because... (1) one mitten is one-size only and the other has a wide size-range, (2) choices are good, and (3) I really just can't make up my mind.

Mitten Option #1 - Antler Mittens:

These mittens are luxuriously soft, squishy, and warm. A single distinct cable travels from the generous long cuffs to fingertips. Knit in a gourmet alpaca blend yarn, this project is outrageously satisfying both to knit and to wear!

Knit with 2 skeins of the dreamy Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes, I can only imagine how luxurious these feel on the hands. These mittens have been on my "to knit" list for quite some time and I'm still trying to decide on the color, but they're only available in one-size and that's part of the reason I wanted to offer another option...

Mitten Option #2 - Bon Bon Mittens:

These sweet little mittens are perfect for the whole family. Put strings on them for the little ones (or maybe even for the big boys) so they won’t get lost, and then venture out into a winter wonderland with toasty, stylish hands!

Sizing from Baby-Large Adult makes the Bon Bon Mittens extra versatile for gifting - isn't the wee little version adorable? Both Malabrigo Worsted and Malabrigo Rios are listed as yarn options on the pattern page.

Both mittens use a worsted/aran weight yarn, so I'm so I'm sure I'll spend a fair amount of my time at the shop drooling over our options for both mittens - including the Blue Sky and Malabrigo yarns listed in the patterns. Once up my mind, I'll share my selection/s with you and I look forward to seeing what yarn and which mitten pattern you decide on either in person at Firefly Fibers or online in our Ravelry thread!

A huge thank you to everyone that's participating in the Simple Knits Knitalong - it's been really fun knitting along with you and seeing your projects pop up on the Ravelry thread! Remember that you can join in on the KAL any time, so even if you didn't participate in January, you can still join the fun!

Cheers and Happy Simple Knitting!