31 Mar
I’ve been blogging here for 2 years! To celebrate, and to thank you for being a loyal reader, I’m having a sale. This week only (March 31-April 6), use code “blog2” to get $2 off any pattern in the Feel Good Knitting shop.
Swept Away
This sale isn’t being advertised outside the Feel Good community. It is purely to thank you for being a loyal reader. I hope you’ll take advantage!
Catch
If you do, be sure to let us know what you got. We’d love to see your projects!
Hyacinth
9 Mar
But maybe nearly so. Life has been mostly a matter of keeping my head above water in recent weeks, and spending all my time and emotional energy on that means there hasn’t been much time for blogging or knitting. I will keep trying to get regular posts out, but we’ll see. My apologies if you’re missing me! I did manage to get some swatches off to a yarn company this week, which has been a big project I couldn’t share. It really wasn’t until today that I’ve had the energy to do anything that wasn’t an absolute, time-sensitive obligation though. I picked up the last sleeve of Flutter again after what feels like a million years, and am pretty sure I’m going to run out of yarn.
I can’t decide if I want to go ahead and order the new skein now or wait til I actually run out in case this skein winds up as miraculously endless as the Coldwater Springs yarn. With my inability to make decisions in any form recently, it’ll probably wind up being the latter. Speaking of the rainbow stripes though, my scarf/cowl is flying along nicely and the skein of yarn shows no signs of running out.
The last bit of knitting news I have is really more of a decision I want your help making. I have a sweater pattern which should be back from the tech editor and ready to go in the next week or so. It took much, much longer than planned to produce. It is also somewhat hockey themed. So, do I hold onto it and release it at the start of the NHL playoffs, because yay hockey and yay knitting and who cares about the fact that you’re making a sweater in April? Or do I hold onto it and release it at the start of hockey season in October, because no one in their right mind wants a sweater in April?
11 Nov
Messiness isn’t one of the 7 Deadly Sins, but this post will certainly show some of the darker side of knitting! A few days ago Knit It Up had a post on the 7 Deadly Sins of Knitting & Crochet and it looked like fun, so I’ll join in!
1. Greed: What is the most expensive and least expensive yarn you own?
For yarns that are still in stash, I think the Maple Creek Farm Alpaca/Bamboo is the most expensive, although it shouldn’t stay in stash too much longer. The random green stuff I picked up at a swap is probably the cheapest.
2. Wrath: What pattern or designer do you have a love hate relationship with?
I don’t tend to love/hate specific designers or designs, but there are absolutely specific projects I’ve felt that way about. Leonardtown was one of them.
Leonardtown
3. Gluttony: What kind of yarn do you buy over and over again with no shame whatsoever?
There are way too many new yarns out there for me to try for me to stick to one over and over. I definitely have a few favorites from over the years though (I’m looking at you, MadTosh and Malabrigo).
4. Sloth: What project do you put off working on due to laziness?
That would be my Project of Doom. It may never get finished. I am okay with that.
5. Pride: What finished item do you talk about to appear more skilled than other knitters/crocheters?
“I designed that,” usually does a pretty sufficient job. The Aran sweater tends to get a lot of attention too.
6. Lust: What attributes do you find attractive in yarn?
COLOR! I am such a sucker for rich, saturated colors. If it’s something I’m going to be wearing next to my skin it needs to be fairly soft too.
7. Envy: What kind of yarn would you like to receive as a gift?
Pretty much anything in sweater quantities is awesome, because that’s what I like to make and when you’re asking for that much yarn you can’t be too picky! Hubs did get me the awesome small-dyer Maisonette DK that went into my Potomac though, which was a major win. I do like supporting local and small-time artists.
So what are your 7 Deadly Crafting Sins?
P.S. Happy Veterans Day/Remembrance Day all!
30 Mar
It’s this blog’s first anniversary! To celebrate, I’m having a scavenger hunt. I’ve hidden 10 single-use coupon codes somewhere on this blog. First person to find each one gets a free pattern of their choice from my Ravelry store. If the first code you find no longer works, keep looking! Maybe one of the others hasn’t been found yet. I will post updates as they get used.
Some clues for the regular readers:
1. pages
2. other anniversaries
3. bead mania
4. knitting truths
5. my most popular post ever
6. POD
7. a free teaser
8. Sandy
9. looking good in my hand-knits
10. a very cold wedding
As of March 30, 7:50 pm EST – WOW! You guys are amazing! Thanks to the overwhelming interest, I have changed out 5 of the 10 codes for new ones. That means 5 more eagle-eyed readers will win a pattern today; 15 total! Additionally, as of this moment 569 people have viewed this post. If we get to 1000 views today, I will discount all patterns for tomorrow so that those who didn’t get here fast enough can still join the Feel Good fun!
As of March 31, 8:45 am EST – You guys are so awesome! All 15 patterns have now been found; thanks for playing along! We didn’t quite make 1000 views, but maybe next time! Happy Easter and thanks for making it a great year!
23 Mar
I’ve pretty much disappeared from the internet the last little while; sorry for that! Things are pretty chaotic in the real world right now (mostly drama with Hubby’s job and my mother being in the hospital) so there hasn’t really been much time for the web. Or knitting. Or spinning.
My friend came over to hang out a bit yesterday though, and we went shopping for my bridesmaid’s dress as well. She always is good at pulling me out of my own head, so it was just what I needed. It’s also now Spring Break (although it sure doesn’t feel much like Spring!) so I plan to do some “fiber therapy” over the next week as well. Time to start taking care of myself again. Look for a post on the details of my fiber therapy in the next couple of days!
6 Jan
Yay, this is post #100! Not bad for 9 months of writing! I’ve decided to do a couple of fun things to celebrate. First, I finally put together a group on Ravelry. It’s called Feel Good Knitting, the same as this blog, and you should most definitely check it out! We’d love to have you.
Second, I’m having a giveaway! To be entered, join my new group by January 12. I will use the Random Number Generator to select 5 winners on January 13. Winners will be contacted via PM and also ear-burned in the Promotions thread. Prizes include:
1st prize: a “Feel Good” care package containing both yarn and non-yarn goodies
2nd prize: A free copy of the e-book Private Reserve
3rd-5th prize: A free copy of the Feel Good pattern of your choice.
4 Nov
It’s FINALLY here! The book my blog built (or at least, encouraged) is finally published! I am thrilled to introduce Private Reserve, a collection of wine-themed accessories and home goods. As a special thank-you to all my loyal readers who commented and encouraged me to make this book happen, I am offering 25% off the book price now through Wednesday. Simply use the code BLOGME during checkout or click here to purchase.
Without further ado, the patterns:
Bâtonnage, a lacy cowl and matching boot toppers
Aeration, a customizable wine cozy
Vitis, an e-reader cover with a grape leaf motif
Vinifera, a vine-cabled e-reader cozy with felt grape leaves.
Grape Juice, a fun pair of socks with vines on the feet and bunches of grapes on the legs.
Crush, a lattice cabled cowl and beret.
Raspberry Merlot – our old friend who *will* still be available as a separate, free download.
Bon appetit!
18 Oct
Aww, I got an award. Thanks Sweaty Knitter!
The rules:
FIRST: Provide a link and thank the blogger who nominated you for this award. (Done – see above!)
SECOND: Answer 10 questions.
THIRD: Nominate other bloggers for the award. Here are a couple of my favorite regular reads, in no particular order.
The Sweaty Knitter – Of course. She posts lots of interesting things about the history of knitting, and the occasional bit about growing up a second-generation Norwegian, which is endlessly interesting to me.
Weekend Knitter – More of a spinner and recently a natural dyer, but she knits too! She makes me jealous with all the cool things she does at “the mill”.
Collegeknitting – A knitter at a certain college where I’ve spent quite a bit of time, and a young designer like myself!
Twisted Stitcher – I won’t lie; her sense of humor is a major reason I keep reading. She and I also nerd out about some of the same types of things.
Procraftinator – Another one to read for the funny. I also share her love of bright colors and am always fascinated by her posts about living in Sweden.
All She Wants to Do… – One of my first “blog friends”! Always some new pretty to drool over here!
Craftie Allie – Another teachery sort, and definitely a more prolific knitter than me!
A Knitty Society – Probably one of the most thoughtful (and thought-provoking) knit-blogs I’ve ever read. I always feel so smart after reading her posts!
Whew, that was a lot of uninterrupted text for a Feel Good post! Happy reading all!
29 Jun
Caityrosey, darling, you are going to go to my head! She has nominated me for the One Lovely Blog award (or perhaps the Sunshine award?) Since I am making next to no measurable progress on the things I’m knitting lately, this gives me one more post to gracefully not share my hours of knitting…nothing. Apparently. 😀
One Lovely Blog Award
1) Link back to blogger who nominated you and say thank you
Thank you, thank you Caityrosey. I can’t wait to read your next post!
2) Paste the award image on your blog
Done!
3) Answer questions about yourself
I am not really sure what else would be interesting to my readers that I haven’t already shared. By all means, please ask me some questions in the comments! Caity, I’ll start with one of yours from a recent post:
What would you do with all the spare time you would have if you didn’t knit? Would you be thinner? Nope, I’d probably be fatter! Knitting keeps my fingers busy and my mind distracted – no bored snacking for me. If I didn’t knit I’d probably watch a lot less Netflix though. Maybe I’d do more spinning, or take up a totally new hobby.
4) Nominate other blogs for this award and notify the authors about their nomination
Below are a couple bloggers I’ve enjoyed chatting with lately. I think you’ll enjoy them too.
The Man Who Knits
Twisted Stitcher
Craftie Allie
Check them out!
3 Jun
My computer is rapidly dying. I can’t quite figure out what’s wrong with it, besides that the display card is probably borked. I’ve already poured almost as much money into repairing it as I did buying it, so it’s time to suck it up and buy a new laptop. Bah.
On the other hand, I did receive this lovely gesture from the wonderful Caityrosey at some point while my computer was blacking out:
My first award! According to the website, the rules say I should:
So of course, thank you Caityrosey. If you haven’t already checked out her blog, All She Wants To Do Is…, it’s definitely worth a look. She’s a fellow redhead and has a great sense of humor, especially about her knitting. She also seems to complete projects way more often than me, so those of you who have been starving for some finished object pictures will find sustenance on her blog!
As to nominating (which I get the impression actually means “awarding”) other blogs, unfortunately I’m so new to blogging I don’t think I’m actually following 15 distinct blogs yet. Fortunately for them but unfortunately for me, some of the other blogs have also already received the Versatile Blogger Award. But in addition to Caityrosey’s, some other blogs definitely worth checking out are:
1. Limescented
2. Procraftinator
3. The Sweaty Knitter (already nominated)
4. A Big Life (already nominated)
5. Through the Back Loops
6. Thread Panda (already nominated)
7. Crafts by the Sea
8. The Sexy Knitter
9. Knitted Bliss
10. Knitting At Large
Now, seven things about me. Hmm…
1. I am a stereotypical pale, freckly, curly redhead. BUT, my eyes are not the typical green or blue. Randomly, they are hazel.
2. I wear a size 6 (US) shoe. I never have to worry about that size being sold out!
3. I knit things totally out of season. Constantly. Air conditioning has spoiled me.
4. I secretly believe my husband and I are a perfect pair for the zombie apocalypse. He can keep us safe, and I can keep us fed, clothed, and sheltered.
5. I am fairly fluent in Spanish but really only use it with my students who are in the early stages of learning English.
6. If I didn’t have to work, I would spend my life knitting, cooking, and studying languages.
7. Until last year, I had a horse named Beetle who was the exact same color as my hair.
Feel Good Knitting 