Blogiversary! And a competition…

Happy second blogiversary to me 😀 It timed itself beautifully, on my first free weekend (and I mean totally free) for over 3 years. I’ve been studying for longer than I’ve been blogging about knitting. A little surreal for me, that, but quite good too. I flicked back to my early entries on WordPress and marvel at how bad my choice of yarn was, yet how adventurous I was being for such an early knitting attempt even if it was just a scarf – I would never have thought I’d put two yarns together so quickly in re-learning. In spite of its vileness, it ended up with lots of people requesting some too. Funnily we’ve never worn them more than a couple of times 😉 So this is the first time ever in my blogging history that my time is MINE. I can knit guilt free as much or as little as I want. And I plan to knit a lot of things. I might even impress myself at how many things I start churning out.
So, in honour of this occassion, I’m having a little competition. The prize is a single skein of yarn from anything in the collections at Curious Yarns or Posh Yarn. Any yarn, any shade, whatever you want. Please note that the sock yarns they sell are sold as one hank making a pair of socks, so you should be ok. Go have a look, savour the colours, the yarn choices, the beautiful fibres…
BUT, naturally, yarn doesn’t come totally free. You have to work for it, and in the process you have to help me out. You remember my sock stash? I have sooo many sock yarns I can’t even remember all of them. And I haven’t the foggiest what to knit in them. Look back to the post here. See all those pretty yarns? Add a couple of balls of Regia Silk Shine in a choccy brown, and a 400g ball of mad colours and you get the idea. There is probably more than that even :/ Pick a yarn, any yarn. It doesn’t matter which it is, whether there are partial balls or not, whether I’ve mentioned a specific pattern or reason for buying it I care not. Pick one, and tell me what I should knit with it. You can be daft, artistic, or go with some ubiquitous pattern like some unmentionable Knitty/Magknits patterns that EVERYONE in the world knows about. Find me a way to use up all this yarn, because I need to knit it, and knit it fast – I’ve ordered more. News on that later just to tease you 😀
I will give you 10 days to decide on something – that gives you until Monday the 30th of October at 12 midnight UK time (remember the clocks change soon brits!). At that point, I’ll ask an impartial judge (one of my knitting mates, and I have a few, as long as they haven’t joined in the competition!) to select the one that she thinks fits me the most. Not my taste or anything like that, just me. At that point, the winner will be contacted by email and will get to pick something wonderful, which I will order and post out to them, perhaps with some other little freebies too 🙂
Now I know that I have 24 people who subscribe to this blog 😀 And regulars who come and wave at me in the comments and say lots of lovely things, but not 24 of them. I hope that this will encourage some lurkers to say hello… If you have any questions about the yarns, let me know, but please do use your brains too 😉 And to ‘Gwen’, my Sockret Pal – feel free to participate too if you think you can get me to post to you without revealing your secret batgirl identity! I don’t see why you shouldn’t be given the chance to try some fancy British yarns and dyers out 😀
That’s it for today – I will be back tomorrow after a hair dyeing session, a friend’s 30th party, and probably slightly worse for wear, with some pics of finished things, and of other goodies too.

15 thoughts on “Blogiversary! And a competition…”

  1. Peek-a-boo! Well, hmmm…my vote is to use up the leftover Lorna’s Laces Desert Garden for some charity knitting- maybe a preemie hat or a few booties for the local hospital’s NICU ward? Just a thought. I just picked up a copy of the Knitting for Peace book (I think that’s the title) and my mind is going a mile a minute planning charity projects now 🙂 Good luck with your stash-busting! I’ll be going back home tomorrow, so I’ll catch up with you later, alligator!

  2. Ok I suggest Diamante from the latest Knitty with your Regia Silk in chocolate. I’m knitting them at the moment in red opal & the pattern is simple but effective. I think they’d look great in chocolate silk.

  3. oh dear I’m so behind – CONGRATULATIONS on 2 years, on the end of the dissertation and on free time!
    Can you have coconut milk/coconut cream? I use that in curries and it does a pretty good job of making them creamy without using dairy. And strangely appears to leave no taste of coconut, no idea why. You don’t need to use a real coconut thank goodness as they sell it in cartons.

  4. No need to enter me in the drawing, as I already have way too much yarn, but for the Kool Aid dyed mad lollipop coloured hank of Opal sock yarn I’d say go with Knitty’s RPM pattern. Wild merry-go-round socks!
    Have you had much dealing with Curious Yarns lately? If so, would you mind writing me. I have a question about them.

  5. Happy blogiversary!!!!!!!
    What a great idea to send us to look at all that lovely sock yarn again!
    My ideas are:
    The summer pudding as baudelaire from knitty
    and maybe the two colors of opal at the top as red herring from knitty?
    Can you tell I’m obessed with Cookie’s patterns? 😉

  7. Hi Bryony!
    OK I am determined that you try the Conwy pattern from Knitting on the Road, because it fairly knits itself – quick and easy and very impressive-looking! From your stash I would try the Curious yarns one in the heather / green colourway – because a variegated yarn is surprisingly good with this pattern.
    And if you dont want the finished socks, send them to me! ; )

  8. Enjoying your Knitting Blog- I’m in the scarf/ felted bag stage…about to pass into the fear zone….Debbie Bliss cardigan *gulp*
    It seems awfully big to knit a cardi after bags and scarves-wish me luck!!
    Love kt X

  9. Love the deep pink or the purple on the bottom row which could be knitted super quick into http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall05/PATTflora.html
    to keep out the chills!!
    There’s a natty Crocodile mitten pattern (for us big girls) in Stitch ‘n’ Bitch Nation that would look lovelyin your BRIGHT green yarn on the right!
    In the same book (can you tell what I’m reading at the mo?!!) there is a pattern for a knitted belt which in the dark blue bottom left would look funky with jeans! See the patterns here http://www.bust.com/knithappens/snb_nation.shtml
    And to be in fashion (apparently) we all need arm warmers this winter (go figure!!) Mix any of the plum colours or go mad with your variegated yarn http://www.knittingatknoon.com/funkypatt.html
    Have fun clearing the decks!!
    love kt x

  11. I know nothing about the knitting of socks, so I just went looking for patterns that I liked the look of, and this looks rather subtle but pleasant
    pattern link
    And going purely on colours, I’d think maybe the ryc purple cash cotton would be good. 🙂

  13. Hello, I wandered over from the Sockret Pal group (I’m bored this morning LOL) and saw your contest… But before getting to the contest part I went to the Curious Yarns place and placed an order 🙂 My wallet thanks you for the enabling LOL.
    Anyways, I like the lollypop yarn. I don’t know if you ever made the jaywalkers, but those would be funky/crazy in that yarn!!! Another option would be the Summer pudding with this pattern: http://magknits.com/Mar06/patterns/Happy.htm
    Cheers Eva

  14. hello!
    Originally I wanted to recommend some Dr. Who armwarmer pattern someone told me about, but I didn’t find the pattern. Also, i really like that flora pattern someone suggested that’s so pretty! It’s pretty fortunate you have enough yarn to make up all these suggestions 🙂
    ok, if this was me, I would totally not follow a pattern but make simple make knee socks in striping colours. I’m on a total brown kick right now, and I absolutely love stripes. So I’d definately use that regia silk in chocolate, and i’d stripe it (so every other row was brown) with the varigated yarn (was that the curious yarns? I had trouble telling from the photo, but previous comments suggest that!) would look lovely striped wtih brown.
    if you’re looking for a pattern, I liked http://www.eunnyjang.com/knit/2006/09/bayerische_sock_part_ii.html, but they don’t have stripes. Stripes are good.
    good luck!

  15. Two ideas from me…. my first is not a pattern, more of an idea… How about sock (well it has to be really doesn’t it) – in the blue alpaca I think – with an intarsia Miffy on the leg? I reckon it wouldn’t be too hard to plan one out. You could use the Lambswool 4 ply for Miffy and maybe the Nature’s palette for the dress.
    My second suggestion is mittens that turn into fingerless gloves (when you old back the top of the mitten) in the Heathertop. I have a pattern I can lend you which is designed for sockyarn. Perfect for commuting knitting, because you can cover up your fingers when it gets cold.

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