And Now for Something Completely Different...

I'm taking a sick day today, which means I'm spending most of the day wasting time on the internet while in my jammies and drinking copious amounts of highly sugared coffee.

You may have seen this floating around on Facebook, but it's definitely worth a giggle! The BBC, man. Gets me every time.


who knew animals were so funny?  

By the way, we have a winner for the Anzula giveaway! It's @run_knit! Thanks for the RT, Stephanie! Your mini-skeins will be in the mail for you soon!

Anzula giveaway!

By now you all know how much I love Anzula Luxury Fibers, right? Well, the time has come for me to pay back some of Sabrina's generosity in years past. You see, their mid-CA factory doesn't have air conditioning, and that's just unacceptable (can you even imagine?). Sabrina and the team have set up a little Indiegogo campaign to help fund this project, which you can see here.

ooh, pretty

In addition to sponsoring a pretty cool perk, which you'll notice on the Indiegogo page and can read more about here and is still available, I also want to help them promote the campaign by hosting a little giveaway! I've got 18 mini skeins of For Better or Worsted up for grabs in the following colorways: Au Natural, Seaside, Clay, Maple, Rootbeer, Coco, Ducky, Avocado, Country Green, Denim, Periwinkle, Navy, Charcoal, Hyacinth, Luine, Paprika, Petunia, and 1 Red Shoe. This selection was designed to give you a great range of colors to get a real sense of the Anzula line, and they would also be perfect for a scrappy project like Mustaa Villaa's Garter Stripe Beanies.

you know you want 'em!

So, here's what we are going to do. To gain entry for this giveaway, you can either:

Tweet the following: "Help @anzula get a little cooler! RT and you could win 18 mini-skeins of For Better or Worsted from @TheSexyKnitter! http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/anzula-a-cooler-yarn-factory"

or

Log into your Facebook account, and share this post with your friends! (Then don't forget to "like" my and Anzula's Facebook pages, if you haven't already!)

I'll announce the winner on or around October 22nd. But seriously, go check out their campaign! No one should have to work in a sauna, and they've got some really awesome perks up for grabs. :)

New Pattern: Urban Houndstooth Cardigan

I've been saving this one for quite awhile, but now that there's a nip of fall in the air, I think it's time to share.

My latest pattern is a top-down raglan that's a style which could only be described as "librarian chic". The fantastic 2-color houndstooth pattern is worked with slip-stitch knitting, meaning you'll only use one color of yarn per row (it looks SO much harder)! There are deep, squishy ribbed cuffs and collar, afterthought pockets, colorblocked waist shaping, and a pop of color right along the raglan line. All the thoughtful details combine for a knit that's as fun to knit as it is to wear.

Best of all, this pattern is on promo now through Halloween at an introductory price of just $4.50. But hurry - the regular price of $6.00 will go into effect on November 1st! Click the photos to be taken to the purchase page. As always, queues and faves on Ravelry are appreciated!

New pattern: Cursory Cowl

Just in time for the fourth-quarter Team Sexy Knitter KAL, I've released a new pattern: Cursory Cowl!

Cursory Cowl

This cowl, worked in Knit Collage's Rolling Stone yarn, uses just 35 yards of super bulky yarn. You'll be finished almost as soon as you've started!

this wooly, thick-and-thin yarn is spun with delightful embellishments like paisleys, sequins, and glittery Angelina

Once you cast on, you'll simply work the easy, 2-stitch pattern repeat until you're almost out of yarn, making good use of every inch in the skein. This also means that this pattern is wonderfully customizable for any weight of yarn or needle size! Simply cast on your desired number of stitches and get going. I happen to love the vibrant, color-explosion nature of the original sample, but if you're looking for something a little more neutral, this would be great in a solid color with a single color of coordinating ribbon. In fact, if you don't love the fringes you could even just weave one long strand of ribbon through all the yarn over holes, and give yourself a completely different look!

brightly colored ribbons weave through yarn over holes to add to the festive appeal

The generous folks over at Knit Collage have gifted me 2 lovely skeins of yarn to give away in conjunction with this pattern's release. Aren't they gorgeous?

 Left: Daisy Chain in Grasshopper - Right: Rolling Stone in Twilight Garden

So here’s what we are going to do. Because this is SUCH a quick knit, completing a Cursory Cowl by October 31 will make you eligible to win one of these skeins of yarn! I will be selecting 2 winners at random from the pool of completed cowls, so the more you knit, the more your chances of winning!

You do not have to be a member of my Ravelry group to participate in this mini-KAL, but we do have an active thread for folks who would like to participate. If you're a group member, you can also use this project in our regular, 4th quarter KAL, which will double your chances of winning something awesome. All are welcome!

Things You Need: Dishcloth Diva, by Deb Buckingham

Deb hits it out of the park with TWENTY amazing patterns

Okay, I'll admit it. I've never been much into knitting dishcloths. In fact, I think the closest I'd ever come before reviewing this book was a single, purple, acylic potholder (don't ask). However, Doc's mother had been asking me for quite some time for some hand-knitted dishcloths, and when Deb popped by my Ravelry group and started chatting us up about her new book, Dishcloth Diva, I knew I needed to take a peek.

Stonework & Cutting Edge

I quickly realized what all the fuss is about. When knitting dishcloths, see, you can take about a third of a ball of cotton yarn, combine it with an hour or so of knitting time, and come out with this lovely, useful little thing!

Glamour & Organic

I was hooked. I thought I'd just knit one or two dishcloths, just to get a feel for how Deb's patterns are written up (they're perfect, by the way), but wound up knitting six. Even then, I only stopped because I needed to actually wrap these all up and give them to their intended recipient! Truly, all 20 of these are knit-worthy; it almost makes me wish I had more folks to knit them for! I think I'll knit the other patterns, and add them to my just-in-case gift box. Paired with a bar of luxurious, handmade soap, wouldn't a knitted dishcloth be a nice stocking stuffer or "just because" gift?

Deb has a real knack for writing these patterns; she's gone through extra effort to make sure each pattern is written out stitch-by-stich, line-by-line, meaning that you have to use almost NONE of your own brain power when knitting along (and if you're anything like me, that's the first thing you look for when working from a pattern)! In 6 patterns, I found not a single error - just clear, perfect instructions for absolutely delightfully satisfying dishcloths. You should be comfortable working from written instructions though, because there are no charts here, but trust me - you won't miss them. For the knitter who hates to purl, Deb's gone one step further, because many of the patterns incorporate the patterning into the wrong side rows, meaning you get a plain knit row instead of a plain purl row. Whew!

I'm giving this book an enthusiastic, two thumbs up, mostly for its power to convert a non-believer into a (somewhat timid) addict. If you have any interest in knitting dishcloths whatsoever, you need this book on your shelf, pronto! You can get all 20 patterns as an eBook for just $9.95 via Ravelry, or a print AND digital combo for $15.95 + shipping via the Cooperative Press website.

Even better, Deb and Cooperative Press have teamed up to provide one lucky commenter with a FREE digital copy of this wonderful book! Just leave a comment below telling us which is your favorite pattern from the book for a chance to win. I'd tell you when I'll announce the winner, but regulars know that's pretty much a joke at this point, so we'll just say, post away, and check back in about a week to see if you've won!

If you're on Twitter and would like an extra entry, tweet the following:

Have you seen @TheSexyKnitter's latest giveaway? I've entered to win a copy of Dishcloth Diva from @Deb_Buckingham!  http://tinyurl.com/divadebgiveaway

Looking for the winner of Lee Meredith's giveaway? It's Faith the Vampire Slayer! Congrats, Faith! Lee will be gifting you a copy of the Short Stripes Trio shortly! Enjoy!

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