A Giveaway, Alpacas in Sweaters, and more.

*** THE GIVEAWAY IS OVER! THE RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR PICKED #40 - Shannon Steinberg!

Thanks for playing! ***

We have a book review and a giveaway! We'll give away the book Refined Knits by Jennifer Wood, plus, your choice of yarn: A skein of Cozy from the Plucky Knitter OR 3 skeins of silk/cashmere. You choose!
 But first, the book review.

The book features sophisticated lace, cable, and Aran lace knitwear. The book has lots of photographs, and is very well laid out. You can see every angle and every detail of the garments, which is great. And, you can purchase either hard copy or e-book. 

The book starts with a cute story of how the author learned to knit. It then goes on to the patterns. Let's start with Willa, a cozy rustic sweater.

Its slightly lower than usual neckline gives it a modern look. I like that the pattern includes helpful tips, and a description of the construction of the sweater. The cables run from the neckline down the sleeves, in a variation on the saddle shoulder. It adds a very pretty touch. 





Adelaide is a scarf that is reversible. Its very thoughtful design includes cables, and gently ruffled ends.  








Idril is a graceful and flattering pullover sweater.  
It is worked top down, and is nicely shaped and fitted. 

Next comes Brielle. This is a v-neck cardigan that uses two different yarns thereby getting both a nice stitch definition and a soft halo. 

Ada is a pullover with a really nice contrast color I-cord edging. The I-cord gives it a very elegant finish. It is a raglan construction, worked top down. 

In the next section we have Victoria -- it is a diamond lace pullover, top down raglan, knitted in one piece. It has lace inserts in the front and back, lovely and graceful. 

The book includes tips for reading lace charts. It should be noted that the book has charts only, no written instructions. 

Vivian, is a sleeveless pullover that is worked top down, in the round. It features a loose drapey cowl neck. 






Camelia is a cardigan with a very nice pine cone lace pattern.  

In addition to patterns, the book includes information on choosing suitable yarns, instructions on how to cable without a cable needle, and various other techniques. 

 
All in all, I would recommend this book for the advanced beginner to intermediate knitter. 
There are lots of sweaters I would love to make for myself!

Do you want to win your very own copy? Just enter a comment on this blog saying why you want to win. Also tell me which yarn you'd like, the Plucky Knitter in color "Princess Phone" (260 yds worsted weight) or the 3 skeins of SilkyB blue silk/cashmere blend (an artisanal yarn from a small producer in Pennsylvania).  You must include your email or Rav id or Instagram handle so I can tell you if you've won! 

Please sign up for the newsletter, too (top right), as you must be signed up in order to win. 
I’ll draw a winner on Sept 1.

Good luck!

Note: I was given a review copy of the book by F+W Publications.

Alpacas in Sweaters

Here’s what’s new in my Etsy shop. I have added a cute fabric featuring alpacas in sweaters and scarves.  It’s available in both drawstring and zipper styles. 

Here are some comments from my past customers:

"This bag is so well made! Great work and super fast door-to-door! Already stuffed with goodies to knit! Thank you!!!!"
"Fast shipping, great product, couldn't be happier. I'll come back again and again! "

Reminder

All my Ravelry Patterns are 20% off with code SUMMER, until Sept 1, 2016.

See you next time!