A Winner, My New Knit It/Felt It/Zip It Bag & Stitches East/Hartford

And the winner of October Giveaway #2 is...... Drumroll please! Sally who said..... "I knit and sew as many gifts as I can. I'm so excited to be attending the Southeastern Animal Fiber Festival near Asheville this weekend, where I hope to find the perfect yarn for a cardigan for daughter #2." I have contacted her and am waiting for her post office address. Thank you all for entering! Wow - It was a great contest. Remember, there is still time to enter October Giveaway #2. Here's the link - the deadline is October 31st.

There will be another Giveaway next week, so pop back in to see what I've got for you. I loved reading all your comments about knitting for the holidays (or not knitting for the holidays, which is totally fine by me!) You've given me lots of ideas of patterns you might like me to design.

I just finished a new version of the Knit It, Felt It, Zip It Bag - a really popular pattern from my PDF series of knitting patterns that is available on my Shop Page. This version (scroll down for it) is made in a favorite color combination of mine - green and purple. Here are some flower photos that show different shades of purple and green together. The first two are of a favorite flower of mine - verbena bonariensis. It grows quite tall and is rather spindly but it dances above most other flowers in my garden. It looks great in bouquets. You can see the Black Eyed Susans in the background, adding a third color to make a really pretty and knittable combination.


Here is the same flower in different light.


Here are some irises blooming in the spring in front of our farmhouse. The sheep are grazing the lawn.


These light purple asters grow wild on the sides of the roads in New England. They make a nice color combination of light purple, yellow, green and the brown background of the fallen leaves.


This is a purple and green combo but the purple leans more towards magenta. It is a plant called Globe Amaranth and it dries nicely, holding its color even when dry.


Here is a really dark purply brown leaf which is very reminiscent of the purple and chartreuse combination in the Knit It, Felt It, Zip It Bag which follows....


My new Knit It, Felt It, Zip It Bag.... This is a great project - it comes in four sizes, doesn't take long to knit, uses up odds and ends of worsted weight yarn, and is a nice learning project for those just beginning to knit with two colors. Because it is felted, uneven tension disappears into the fabric. Anyone can appreciate a little bag as a gift and it doesn't have to fit anyone! I think it is a great solution to holiday knitting.


This shot shows the detail of the zipper that is handsewn in. I lined my bag with a scrap of silk but it isn't necessary. The pattern is available for instant download on my Shop Page here.


Stitches East is coming up soon -- next weekend in fact. I'll be in the Marketplace hanging around on Saturday and Sunday. Not sure the booth numbers I'll be in yet but for sure, you will be able to see me at the Westminster Fibers Booth. Here's a link to The Knitting Universe Newsletter which gives a run-down on some of the "famous knitters" who will be there.

Check out Kieren Dutcher's illustration on her blog, inspired by photos I took of our sheep. Lovely! And found this incredible blog via Kieren called They Draw and Cook. Love it!