Another Winner!

Our first winner, Jessie, was announced a few days ago and now it's time to announce another name... The second winner is April with her comment, "Water. Plain, simple, straight to the point."

Congratulations April! To claim your prize, please use the contact page or email me at: alisa (at) alisatheyarnista (dot) com by Tuesday, December 18th. Make sure you include your mailing address with your selections from below:

• Cuppow! – regular or wide mouth?
• Sweater by Spud & Chloe (approx. 40 yards) – choice of any color in the yarn line.
• Plus!!! Your choice of:
  • Yarn with pattern (print or PDF) to knit your own Canning Jar Sweater.
  • Have me knit the Canning Jar Sweater for you  - yes, I will knit for you!

If I don't hear back from the winners by the end of the day December 18th, I will be drawing again. 

Cheers!

Blown Away

I'm blown away and humbled by the overwhelming response to my giveaway - 55 entries is pretty amazing! Thank you to everyone that left a comment and I'm really excited to try out the recipes that were shared. I realized after the post that I did not share my favorite beverage. My favorite beverage is strong dark black coffee - the stronger the better. For something a little more fun, I love coffee liqueur on the rocks or in mixed drinks. It's almost time for our annual batch, so I'll post my homemade recipe when we make this year's batch for the holidays.

Now, for the announcement of the giveaway winner. Drum roll, please...

The winner is... Jessie and her comment, "I love Diet Coke! As our kitchen glasses broke I replaced them with Mason jars (my Grandma had a friend giving them away!) the covers would be great because we are a family of spillers! Also LOVE the sweaters! Will have to check out the pattern!!!" Jessie, please email me at: alisa (at) alisatheyarnista (dot) com or use the Contact page. Be sure to contact me by December 18th and include your mailing address and selections from below:

• Cuppow! – regular or wide mouth?
• Sweater by Spud & Chloe (approx. 40 yards) – choice of any color in the yarn line.
• Plus!!! Your choice of:
  • Yarn with pattern (print or PDF) to knit your own Canning Jar Sweater.
  • Have me knit the Canning Jar Sweater for you  - yes, I will knit for you!

To everyone that left a comment to enter the giveaway... Since there were so many entries, I will be pulling out a second winner later this week for the same prize. Be sure to check back for your second chance to win!

Thanks again to everyone for sharing and participating!Cheers!

"Almost" weekend...

My weekend begins after a short day on Saturday at 3PM, so Friday is my "almost" weekend. I'm already planning what to pack for my weekend projects and having the realization that I better make final decisions on holiday gifts - yes, I procrastinated horribly... again. I blame the crazy weather this year because it still doesn't feel like Christmas could be anywhere on the horizon with how warm it's been. I'll get everything done. I always do. I haven't cooked much this week, but I did find time to make a delicious meal on Monday - Gremolata & Mushroom Beef Stew. I didn't take any photos because, as delicious as the final product is, visually mine was less than impressive and the photos with the recipe link are awesome for the drool factor. This recipe intrigued me with the curious combination of balsamic vinegar, rosemary and sliced oranges - they are absolutely wonderful together. I cooked it in the crockpot on low for 8 hours instead of the Dutch oven and I added the mushrooms with about 2 hours left, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. Yum!

I also found some time to dry some apples. Nothing fancy. I just slice them with a mandolin, dunk in lemon water, lay them out and let the dryer do it's thing for a few hours.

This week I did get some knitting underway for the shop and currently the most exciting project is the Churchmouse Mohair Bias Loop sample in our new Kidsilk Haze Glamour. I'm not big on yarn with sparkle or bling, but this one is an exception and had me anxiously waiting for it's arrival since I ordered in July - it was well worth the wait. I've knit a few more inches since this photo and I'm hoping to wrap this up this weekend so I can share the finished project next week. Cross your fingers for me.

I was out for coffee this morning with a friend at our local coffee shop, Blackwaters Coffee. They have amazing coffee and fabulous food (including treats) and I ended up getting some of their Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans. They are delicious and should help me plow through the weekend knitting!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! Cheers!