All you knit is love…so true 😉 Katie is modeling the “Heart Warmers” leg warmers in this super sweet photo. Hope you have a wonderful day full of love and warm knitted things!
❤Lauren
knittingisawesome.com
by Lauren
All you knit is love…so true 😉 Katie is modeling the “Heart Warmers” leg warmers in this super sweet photo. Hope you have a wonderful day full of love and warm knitted things!
❤Lauren
by Lauren
The last Girly Knits project contest in September was so much fun, that I couldn’t wait to do another one! This time it will have a Valentine’s Day theme, as the contest will culminate on February 14th, and the winners will be getting a very special package with fun Vday goodies from me! To enter, just post your projects from the “Follow Your Heart” collection on either Ravelry of Craftsy by February 14th, and you will automatically be entered to win! You can enter as many projects as you like. You can also enter the Heart Puff Necklace, which is a free pattern 🙂
I will be choosing 2 winners – 1 by votes (I will post the projects on my facebook fan page on February 15th where fans can vote for their faves) and 1 at random, so make sure to post your projects from the new collection in time! For inspiration, check out the winners from the last project contest! Having fun photographing your projects always makes for a great project photo 😉 Can’t wait to see your projects! Happy knitting!
by Lauren
When I was thinking up design ideas for my Valentine’s Day inspired collection of knitting patterns “Follow Your Heart”, I thought it would be really fun to make a little heart puff to make a knitted heart necklace! I started looking at what was already out there, and came across this cute little heart pattern on Martha Stewart’s site for a catnip toy. I modified the pattern so that the heart would be knit in the round as one piece on double-pointed needles so you wouldn’t have to sew the 2 sides together at the end as instructed in the pattern on Martha Stewart’s site. Whether you use her pattern or the modified one below, the result will be the same, a cute little stuffed heart! I made one with size 2 needles and sport weight yarn for the necklace, and a larger one using an aran weight wool and size 4 needles for a toy for my cat to play with, both turned out super cute and fun!
Here is how I modified the pattern to be worked in the round below, and the materials that I used for the heart necklace:
Materials:
US 2 (2.75mm) double-pointed needles (set of 5)
Lion Brand Microspun in Fuchsia
Tapestry needle
Stuffing
28″ chain for necklace
Small metal clasp
Abbreviations:
BO: bind off
CO: cast on
k: knit
k2tog: knit 2 stitches together
kfb: knit into front and back of stitch
p: purl
rnd: round
st(s): stitch(es)
Directions:
CO 4 sts.
Kfb every st – 8 sts.
Divide 8 sts over 3 needles (4 sts on needle 1, 2 sts on needles 2 and 3). Join to work in rnd, taking care not to twist sts.
Knit 1 rnd.
Next Rnd: Kfb, k to last st on needle 1, kfb, kfb, k to last st on needle 3, kfb – 12 sts.
Next Rnd: Knit
Rep last 2 rnds until there are 28 sts.
Next Rnd : K2tog, k5, join with needle 3, with extra needle k5 (from needle 3), k2tog – 12 live sts, 14 sts held for other side of heart on dpns.
Next Rnd: [K2tog, k2, k2tog] x 2 – 8 sts.
BO in Kitchener St to join front and back of heart.
Join yarn at center of heart to work 14 held sts.
Next Rnd: K5, k2tog, k2tog k5 – 12 sts.
Next Rnd: Join 2 sides and [K2tog, k2, k2tog] x 2 – 8 sts.
BO in Kitchener St to join front and back of heart.
Finishing:
Trim tails to approximately 2 inches. Excluding tails at top center of heart, pull tails to inside or heart closing up any holes as you pull them in.
Stuff heart.
Use center tails to sew up center sides of heart, then double knot ends and pull to center.
String a chain with a small metal clasp, and clasp knitted heart at top center of heart.
Woo-lah! You just made yourself some awesome knitted jewelry! Enjoy! For more fun Valentine’s Day inspired patterns, check out my brand new collection “Follow Your Heart”! ♥
P.S. If you make this necklace, please post pics of your project on Ravelry here!
by Lauren
I am so super excited to share my brand new collection of knitting patterns with you, “Follow Your Heart”! It is a collection of 7 lovely knitting patterns inspired by Valentine’s Day and all of the fun girly goodies that come along with it! The collection includes gloves with flirty valentine’s messages, a skirt and legwarmer set featuring a heart cable pattern, playful and romantic reversible eye masks, a cupcake inspired hat and mitten set, and more! Check out the video of me below doing a show and tell of the collection, and telling a little more about each piece! A fun thing I also did with the collection was to include girls sizes in the patterns, yay!.
In the video, I also share a fun Valentine’s Day promotion!:
Here are all of the patterns in the collection and their descriptions below:
“Heart Me Forever”
If you were looking for a skirt that you will heart forever that will heart you back, you are in luck! “Heart Me Forever” is the most lovable skirt you will meet – with a super sweet heart stitch pattern, elegant mirrored cables, charming bobbles, and a playful bow drawstring with pom-poms, you will believe in love at first sight! This skirt will love you back with its flattering fitted shape and cozy warmth that only hand knit pieces provide. Knit with the ever hearted Knit Picks Swish Worsted and in the round as one piece for ease of finishing and ability to try on as you go, there truly is nothing not to love. I hope you love knitting “Heart Me Forever” as much as I loved designing it!
“Heart Warmers”
Keep your legs and wrists warm this Winter with the warmest type of cables, hearts! Hehe so that may not be technically true, but hearts make everything extra warm and fuzzy feeling, right?! This stylish set of legwarmers and mini mitts are knit in the round for ease of finishing and custom fit! They also feature a heart cable pattern that alternates between open and filled in hearts for a super fun and fashionable knitting experience and look! Whether you are making these for yourself or a very special recipient, the love and warmth will surely be felt. Enjoy!
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“Be My Valentine”
Give “talk to the hand” a whole new meaning when you stylishly wear and flash these fun and flirty fingerless gloves! With phrases such as “Be Mine”, “Kiss Me”, and “I Heart You”, you will be sure to surprise and delight the recipient of your message. These valentine’s day themed gloves feature many different style options to suite your fingerless needs, including an oh-so-cute removable mitten hat! The pattern contains a heart and lip color chart to sass up your mittens, and interchangeable word charts to make your message your own. Choose your preferred worsted weight yarn in your favorite color combo and you are good to go! Have fun!
“Eye Candy”
Treat your eyes to something sweet with these colorful knitted eyemasks! Whether you’re sleeping next to the one you love or enjoying your sweet dreams solo, this mask is sure to express your desires! The reversible eyemask is 2-sided to for double the fun, and includes 10 interchangeable charts for you to choose from! It also includes 2 blank charts so you can design a custom message and motif of your own! The mask knits up with less than your average ball ‘o yarn, making it a great stash buster, and a bite size project to practice your awesome colorwork skills. Sweet, colorful, and bite size, this mask really is just like candy! Yum! Enjoy!
“Sweeter Than a Cupcake”
What is sweeter than a cupcake? You are of course, especially when you’re adorned in this cute and cozy hat and mitten set! The matching hat and mittens are knit up with your 3 favorite colors of cupcake, and topped off with delicious colorful sprinkles and a pom-pom! All pieces are knit in the round, and have a hint of Fair Isle for just a sweet little taste of colorwork. The mittens feature a detachable top for your fingerless needs, which looks just as cute on or off your fingers! While this pattern may cause cupcake cravings, I promise your sweet tooth will be satisfied when you complete this set! Enjoy!
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“Care to Cuddle?”
For times when life is too much and you are feeling in despair, what could cheer you up more than a cuddle from a cute fuzzy koala bear? You needn’t go down under to experience his charms, you can make him up in your favorite worsted weight yarns! With his big fuzzy ears, and large button eyes, he knows just what to do to make your spirits rise. He will keep your ears warm, your wrists and fingers too, as all he wants to do is cuddle with you! “Care to Cuddle” can be other fuzzy things, as an Owl he will enlighten you with the wisdom he brings! Just remember as you come out of despair, “Care to Cuddle” wants to be shared! Enjoy!
“Your Time You Shine”
It is your time to shine girl when you make and rock this super stylish hat and glove set! Featuring a charming eyelet and garter stitch stripe pattern, and the option of adorning yourself in a big flower or bow, you are sure to shine! The bow set is made with Patons Lace Sequin with 2 strands held together for extra sequin sparkle, with the addition of bling at the center of the bows! The flower set uses Lion Brand’s Amazing for a fabulously chic color changing effect. Fear not the flowers, they are actually knitted using dpns! Whether you want to go glam or bohemian chic, this pattern is sure to suite your unique style! Enjoy!
Special Vday Promotion!
I hope you enjoy the patterns as much as I loved making them! You can find all of these patterns on Ravelry, where they are $6-$7, or you can buy the entire collection for only $24 on Ravelry! For a limited time I will also be giving you “Trifecta” as a free bonus pattern when you purchase the “Follow Your Heart” Collection – simply add the pattern to your cart on Ravelry and it will be free at checkout.
“Trifecta” (Bonus Pattern!)
Staying warm in the Winter can be a challenge with all of the knitted accessories you need to keep track of. Between a hat, scarf, and 2 gloves, something is bound to get lost in the mix. As the knitter of said items, this causes quite the dilemma! In comes Trifecta, a fun and fashionable accessory with all 3 of your favorite wooly Winter wonders combined! Trifecta will warm up your head, neck, and hands all at once, with an added bonus of making you look extra cute and cozy in the process! Knit with two strands of yarn held together in a stylish moss stitch and cable pattern, Trifecta knits up into an extra chunky fabric that is guaranteed to keep you extra warm. Trifecta will be your new favorite one stop cold-weather accessory, there’s no way you’ll leave this hand-knit beauty behind!
Purchase the “Follow Your Heart” Collection by February 5th and I will personally send you a Valentine!
Another fun thing I wanted to do was to send you a Girly Knits Valentine! Just email me your address to girlyknits@gmail.com after purchasing the collection, and you will receive a fun valentine from me in the mail! Yay!
Thanks for checking out the new collection! I hope you enjoy it! Happy Valentine’s Day!
♥Lauren
by Lauren
I am super impressed with the New York City Lion Brand Yarn Studio’s Winter window! That knitted dress is stunning, and the white swans are so neat! You can read more about all of the work that went into the window and the artist behind it on the LBYS website here!
source: http://www.lionbrandyarnstudio.com/index.php/enchantment-comes-to-lbys-this-holiday-season/
by Lauren
My friend so sweetly shared a link with me yesterday to a free pattern for these mini Christmas trees that fit over a cork. I made one last night and it is so precious! Would make a perfect bottle topper to any bottles of wine you are gifting this season! They would also be fun as an ornament or decoration, enjoy!
My version!:
source: http://www.simplynotable.com/2012/pint-sized-pines-in-a-cork-forest/
by Lauren
Hey Guys! I’m happy to tell you that I have survived Hurricane Sandy – I holed myself in my apartment knitting through the whole thing, and am so very fortunate to live in a neighborhood in Manhattan that was not subject to power loss or flooding. Millions of others in Sandy’s path were not as fortunate though. Without going into sad details, many have lost their entire homes and possessions, are stranded in areas without resources, and are in desperate need of the basics such as food, water, clothing, and shelter.
Today I will be donating 100% of Girly Knits pattern proceeds to the Red Cross, who provide these basic needs to people when disaster strikes. If you buy a pattern today (available on Ravelry and Craftsy), not only will you get a fun new knitting pattern, but you will be helping those in need. Alternatively, if you would like to make your own individual Red Cross donation which you can do here, please forward a receipt of the donation to me at girlyknits@gmail.com and I will give you a coupon code via Ravelry for one free Girly Knits pattern of your choice. I hope together we can make a difference!
Image source: http://www.luulla.com/product/15771/heart-pin-brooch-knitted-in-bri…
by Lauren
Woohoo! The winners of the Girly Knits September photo contest have been chosen! 25 photos were entered by awesome knitters from around the world, and 5 Girly Knits fans helped judged! Thanks to all of the talented knitters who entered, and the knitters who volunteered their time to judge the photos! You are awesome and totally inspire me 🙂 🙂
It was honestly really tough to choose the top 3, more than half of the photos were chosen as the judges top 5 favorites! The photos were all so great and a lot of fun, but I had to choose winners for the prizes, so here they are!
I was also fortunate to be able to get in touch with the top entrants for back stories behind their photos, I hope you enjoy them! They all illustrate what knitting is about for a lot of us – sharing, love, and family. Awwww 🙂
First Place
“3 Little Owls”
Janet from Fairbanks, Alaska is the proud Grandmother of the 3 adorable children in this photo that she knitted owl hats for. She started with knitting the pink owl hat for Emma for her birthday, then went on to make them for her brothers.
“I like making my Grandkids stuff. My Daughter-in-law saw some owl hats at the fair this summer. She said you could make one of those, so I started looking for an owl hat pattern. I came across yours and showed it to her and she liked it too. The colors were her idea. As you can tell the Baby wasn’t very happy, and that’s my Sons arm you see putting the binky in his mouth. I have 4 Grandkids and I’m always knitting for them. I usually knit for my youngest Granddaughter, but trying to knit for the other 3 now. I’m a Widow so have a lot of knitting time, and it’s how I unwind after work.”
Janet won all of the materials to make the Lion Brand Norwegian Wristers, an online learning class from Craftsy, a $25 gift certificate to her favorite yarn store (Inua Wool Shoppe), and a $25 gift certificate to spend on Girly Knits patterns! Congratulations Janet!
Second Place
“Wise Old Granny Owl”
This photo was submitted by Sarah from Birmingham, England (left), who made this owl hat for her Grandmother to wear to her Garden Party themed baby shower.
“The photo is of my brother, my gran and myself. My friend organised the baby shower and demanded it be fancy dress, I said I wanted to be a bumble bee to utilise my pregnant belly and the garden theme was chosen. My gran has had several strokes over the last four years and moved in with the family so we could look after her. Last year she had a really big one and is now unfortunately in a nursing home. She cannot talk but she understands everything people say to her, and still gives us attitude through the faces she pulls. She loves being involved and your hat pattern was the perfect intermediate for her to have a costume (wise old owl) that she could keep and use again. She thought it was funny when I showed her a mirror. It gives people who see her (nurses etc) a fun topic to talk about when she wears it again in the winter, rather than just commenting on the weather :)”
Sarah won an online learning from Craftsy, an issue of her favorite knitting magazine (tbd), and a $15 gift certificate to spend on Girly Knits patterns! Nice work Sarah and congratulations on the new baby! Baby Ralph was born just last week!
Third Place
There was a tie for 3rd place! Both Kelly and Anya were winners of the Third place slot!
“Love Birds”
This clever photo was submitted by Kelly, who currently resides in Minneapolis. She had her 15 year old son help her take the photos.
“My son, Nick, who loves photography took the photo and I promised the share the prize with him if we won. He was really excited…..of course, I waited until after he took the photos to tell him the prizes were knitting stuff!!! LOL, sometimes with a teenager a little trickery is needed to get them to do something nice for Mom! Nevertheless, it was fun to combine our two hobbies and I think the prestige of winning a contest will be reward enough. Besides, maybe I’ll knit him a pair of mittens next….maybe.
Taking photos was a really fun way to spend some time with Nick! *whisper* I also didn’t tell Nick that the contest was with Girly Knits, so I don’t think he’ll be telling his friends about it! Hehehe.”
“Warming up for Knitting is a Workout!”
Anya from Denver, CO shared a very fun and creative photo of all of the prep work that goes into knitting a new pattern!
“My inspiration came while I was prepping my yarn to do a gauge swatch before I even started your pattern. I set up my winder and swift and my husband saw it and thought it was cool/weird/old-fashioned, and he seemed impressed, so I thought I would take a prep picture, since not everyone uses or has seen this equipment before (I was guessing).
I took the picture with my camera on the tripod with the timer. My husband was sitting right next to me on the couch like a foot away…I had to angle the tripod so he wouldn’t show… he was watching Sunday football and would NOT move for me to take a pic (we alway swatch football on Sundays. I mean he watches, and I knit). At first I tried taking the picture and smiling but that was too boring (and I was embarrassed to do something dorky in front of him, because he would know it was posed). Then I tried this sweaty-breathing-hard-pose and he totally laughed at me right when I took it and asked “are you trying to look like you’re working hard?” [That is why my eyes are turned to the side- I was looking at the camera before he made fun of me!] But then he said the picture was good and I was going to win the contest! Guess he was right :)”
Kelly and Anya both won a $15 gift certificate to spend on Girly Knits patterns! Great photos!
Honorary Mentions
Since there were so many great entries that deserve to be awarded, here are some extra special entries that deserve to be winners too 🙂 All will get a free Girly Knits pattern of their choice!
“Most Facebook Fan Votes”
Caitlin’s photo had a whopping 27 likes and 19 comments! Go Caitlin!
“Best Fall Themed Photo”
Love this picture of the mittens and the scarecrow! So creative! Great job Kelly!
“Knittin’ Pretty Award”
Ursula from Germany submitted such a beautiful photo of herself knitting! It’s truly stunning and felt is deserved to awarded for its quality.
“Best ‘Friends Forever’ Photo”
“My friend Kaylee moved to Camrose AB for the summer and I had crocheted her a blanket, and wanted something to use to keep it rolled up in gift form, but was still functional afterwards and I saw mine that I’d made last year and thought that it was perfect. Turned out the blanket was bigger than the headband would stretch, but I ended up taking them over and she loved them. Her roommate Deanna wants one as well! She moved back to Woodstock last weekend, and so there’s a bow in Alberta, and a bow in Ontario! I’m going to make Deanna one next and send it out to her for Christmas :)”
Fun photo Coreen! Another fan favorite!
“Knittin’ Kitten Cover Girl”
Special thanks to Jessica for being the very first knitter to enter the contest, and for letting me use her fantastic smile to spread word about the contest! In case you haven’t seen her awesome knitting skills, I did a whole post on her talent here 🙂
And lastly, as promised, the three entrants who will win a copy of “Smitten Mittens” or a Girly Knits pattern of their choice are Claudia, Barbara, and Debby! Congratulations everyone and thanks again for participating! It was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing more contests in the future!
♥Lauren
by Lauren
The entries for the September Girly Knits photo contest are now up here! Please go take a look and like and comment on your favorite photos! The entries were all so fun 🙂 I had a hard time myself picking my favorites, so I enlisted Girly Knits fans to help judge! The winners will be announced on Wednesday here on this blog.
Check out the album of entries on my facebook fan page here!
by Lauren
This is actually a photo I took of my cat Ezzy, she is so funny! She is generally pretty easy on my yarn balls, she mostly likes to cuddle up with them. If she is on the floor and you give her a yarn ball though, she will try to balance on it with her back legs! Will try to capture that next, I guess she thinks she’s auditioning for the circus? As long as she doesn’t steal or destroy them it’s fine by me 🙂