Blogiversary Book Giveaway!

In celebration of my four year "blogiversary" I have a nice stack of knitting books to give away!

I love knitting books. Love. Them. 

There are so many fabulous books out there, but here are a few newer releases that will really round out your knitting library.

Starting at the top of the stack...

A Knitter's Home Companion

What a completely charming little book this is. This isn't just a book of knitting patterns, a book of essays, or a recipe book.. it is actually all three. And it is put together in a very touching way. This book is written and illustrated by Michelle Edwards and in it she shares the role that knitting has played in her relationships with family, friends and her community throughout her life.

60 More Quick Knits

A great, go-to accessory book of 60 patterns all using Cascade 220 Sport yarn. There are 20 hats, 20 scarves, and 20 mitten designs for you to choose from. This book offers many cute patterns in a wide variety of styles so there is something here for everyone. This is a great resource for knitted gift ideas.

Custom Knits 2

If you enjoyed Wendy Bernards first book offering, Custom Knits, as I did, then you will also love Custom Knits 2. As someone who loves sweater knitting, I really appreciate Wendy's amazing insight on how to plan, alter, add-on, convert, and customize sweater patterns. This book contains tons of extremely useful information as well as several beautiful garment designs. An amazing publication for sure.. although the pictures of the women modeling their sweaters with their bikini bottoms will always make me chuckle just a little bit. :)

10 Secrets of the LaidBack Knitters 

In this book, Vicki Stiefel and Lisa Souza offer up a fun and relaxed approach to knitting with their 10 secrets to knitting success. Its a great read with lots of fun stories, information, and interviews.. not to mention... some seriously cute patterns too! I desperately am wanting to make my daughter the
Princess Garden Skirt.

Finishing School: A Master Class for Knitters

Ok... I seriously am in love with this book! My time as a knitter has taught me how important finishing is for every knitted project. This book covers it all. Zippers.. seaming.. steeking.. blocking.. everything. It's a great reference book. I think that everyone should own a copy!


To enter to win this collection of five fabulous books, please leave a comment (including contact information) under this post. In your comment I'd love to hear how long you have been a reader of Never Not Knitting and what your favorite knitting book is. And no.. you don't have to say Coastal Knits. :)

I will randomly pick and announce a winner from among the comments left on Sunday December 4th.
You have until December 3rd to enter.

Remember only one comment per person please. And if you do not leave any contact information for me such as an email address, ravelry id, or so forth, I will have to pick another winner if your name is chosen.
I have had too many problems with unclaimed prizes and it's important that I am able to get ahold of you if you win. Thank you!

And just to make sure.. you do know about the blogiversary pattern sale, right?
Click HERE for more information!

Blogiversary SALE and GIVEAWAY!

 Four years ago, on November 26th, I started the Never Not Knitting blog... and I am so glad that I did! 

This knitting blog has opened up amazing opportunities for me, allowed me to meet so many inspiring and talented people, and has completely changed the course of my career. My blogiversary date of November 26th is certainly a day to celebrate, and every year I try to do something special on this day for my readers.

As a thank you to all of you who have supported me over the past four years, I will be offering up a special sale and giveaway starting tomorrow. 

In honor of our new little baby, all of the Never Not Knitting children's pattern pdfs will be 50% off. 

The sale will go on all day tomorrow, November 27th, from midnight to midnight PST. 

 To receive your discount, please enter the special code "4yearsofnnk" in the checkout process. 

Here is what you have to choose from!

Chloe

Sheepish

Very Cherry

Spring Garden Tee

Watermelon

Haltermelon

Molly

Playful Stripes

Roses Are Red

Violets Are Blue

The Birds

The Bees

And just so there are no misunderstandings... To make a purchase, please visit my pattern store HERE, Please click the 'add to cart' button below the patterns of your choice. A new window will pop up called  'Ravelry Shopping Basket'. You will see a little link at the bottom that says "Use Coupon Code", please enter in the code there. Then click 'apply'. 

Please email me if you have any questions: nevernotknitting@gmail.com.

Enjoy your new patterns and please check back tomorrow for an amazing drawing giveaway for you to enter!

Handknit Covered Babies

I feel similarly about chocolate-covered strawberries as I do about handknit-covered babies..

Both are great by themselves.. but together, they make for an amazing combination.

I take advantage of every opportunity for our little guy to wear his handknits.. as many as possible at one time.

For his one week doctors appointment, I dressed him in a little handknit bundle with his Puerperium cardigan, Aviatrix hat, and Saartje's Bootees... Which turned out to be fairly ridiculous because as soon as we walked in to see the doctor, the nurse instructed us to strip him down to his diaper so that we could weigh him...oh well. It was fun while it lasted.

I love seeing him in his little sweaters so much that I've been putting them on even on days when we don't leave the house. I have a tendency to suffer from that weird syndrome where you don't use things because they are "too special". I don't want to do that with these handknits. Seeing him wear them makes me really happy and if I keep waiting for special occasions, he may never get to wear them at all. Babies grow so fast and all.

I am very happy with the fit of this Puerperium cardigan. It's turning out to be a very useful addition to his newborn wardrobe. The Acadia yarn I chose to knit it in is so soft and comforting. The other benefit we have discovered is that apparently it is also delicious. I seriously cannot keep this sweater sleeve out of this little guy's mouth. But I keep on trying because I'm not sure how healthy it is for an infant to ingest wool, alpaca and silk fibers.. no matter how delicious they may be...

I looked up Acadia yarn on the Kelbourne Woolens website and this is what they have to say about it:

Acadia is an absolutely beautiful, completely original and custom designed 2-ply yarn with a rustic look and soft hand. A subtle tweed effect created by the silk noil is combined with a heathered base and then overdyed in the duotones we are known for, creating incredible depth of color.

Perhaps they should add... 

Also surprisingly tasty.

Owlet

A couple of weeks before my due date, you may have remembered me mentioning that I had a few unfinished projects on the needles.. 

Once I finished my Gramps Cardigan, I realized that there was no way I was going to finish up my Rocky Coast before the baby came. Instead I opted for an instant gratification baby knit.

I decided to make our little one a last minute Owlet sweater out of the beautiful Madelinetosh Tosh DK in the Olivia colorway. This tiny sweater only took me a couple of days to knit up.. which was perfect timing!

Do you see the little owls perched on the yoke?

I've always found Kate Davies' Owl sweater patterns so incredibly clever.
I've been meaning to knit myself one for quite awhile.
Eventually it would be great to make one for my daughter as well so that her and her brother can match.
One day I will get around to doing that... :)

Three days before my due date I went into my local craft store in search for the perfect buttons for the owl's eyes.

The lady working that day insisted that this sweater would NEVER fit our baby. 

She felt that it was entirely too small and that it was better fit for a doll. 

She mentioned this maybe.. um... 10 times. 

As I left.. she said... "You wait and see.. that sweater will never fit that baby..."

Well guess what lady... I tried it on the baby.. and it's too big.

So there.

:)

Baby

I am so happy to tell you that on Monday, November 7th, we welcomed our new baby boy. 

He is soft, and sweet and just perfect in every way. I couldn't have asked for a more precious baby. 

Seriously.. I love this little guy.. I can't even begin to tell you how much. I still can't believe that he is actually ours.

While I was pregnant, I guess I just assumed that our second child would be exactly like our first. 

I was expecting a light haired but mostly bald, 10 pound baby... but we ended up with this little guy instead.. a full head of dark hair and almost a full pound less than our daughter was at birth. 

But still more beautiful than I could have envisioned.

Soon after birth, I felt that it was only fitting for our new one to be adorned in handknits. 

Very quickly he was dressed up in his Malabrigo baby hat and matching Baby Sophisticate cardigan.

So that he could look his best when we introduced him to his big sister and the rest of our family... of course.

A perfect little gentleman.

And then again we just had to dress him up to go home. 

This time in the full ensemble with the coordinating booties... which fit by the way!

As we walked (or in my case.. were wheeled down) the halls of the hospital on our way out, I couldn't help but feel so much pride as both a mother and a knitter to overhear multiple nurses and patients commenting on the sweet little baby "in the sweater". 

Here is this new little life that I have created and nurtured for the past several months, and the handknits that were carefully selected and knit just for him. There is no greater sense of accomplishment than to see the two together.

I feel so incredibly blessed to have this little one join our family. Thank you to everyone for all of your kind emails and well wishes. I am happy to report that everyone here is happy, healthy and adjusting well. :)

More updates to follow!

I'm Sorry

My sincerest apologies to all of the baby sweaters that may be reading this post. Because what I am about to show you may incite feelings of insecurity, jealousy, perhaps even self-loathing.

It's to be expected. Those feelings are normal when you are dealing with a handknit this perfect. 

And this handsome.

 It's my finished Gramps Cardigan by Kate Oates, knit from Madelinetosh Tosh dk in Vintage Frame.

This is my favorite baby knit to date, and maybe my favorite knit EVER.

Because I am all about dressing our new little one like a preppy Grandpa. 

I imagine our baby wearing this sweater and studiously reading a baby book by the fire... because that's what a baby would do if he owned a sweater like this... and he would have very smart looking baby glasses and perhaps even carry something... like a baby handkerchief.. or something.. as well. Yes. Definitely.

I don't know what I like more..

Is it the cables.. the shawl collar.. the color??

Frankly, the entire combination is just crazy adorable. 

Especially with these shoes.. 

Who said it wasn't fun dressing a boy?!

I want to knit one in every size the pattern comes in, so he will always have one to wear.

I'm a bit obsessed.. can you tell?

In case this post makes you think I've gone off the deep end.. just keep in mind...
I'm having a baby in 3 days.
Emotions and hormones and irrational thoughts are running high.

:)

Handspun Baby Set

Several weeks back I knit up this quick little set for our new baby out of a gorgeous skein of Becoming Art Handspun yarn that has been waiting patiently in the stash for some time now.

The hat was knit from the pattern Quynn from the book Bambeanies. I love this design! Not only is it fun and quick, but I love how the ear flaps are constructed! Although I love the look of them, I've never been fond of knitting ear flaps onto hats.. until now.

These ear flaps are created as you knit through increases and decreases.. no picking up stitches... so nice!

This is a seriously adorable hat that I will be making again!

Along with the hat, I knit up some quick matching baby mitts out of another fabulous children's knitting book, 60 Quick Baby Knits. This book has tons of great practical baby patterns all knit from Cascade 220 yarn.. the perfect worsted weight. 

There is a sweater in there that I am dying to knit for our little one... eventually...

I can't wait to see our little guy in this handspun set! 

Puerperium Cardigan

Another newborn sweater off the needles and ready for our baby boy.

This is knit from the Puerperium Cardigan pattern, and as soon as I discovered it, I felt the need to knit it IMMEDIATELY. 

It is a newborn sweater that I think will be so easy to slip on and off. 

The side buttons are extra adorable too.

The pattern calls for a small amount of DK weight yarn which I may or may not have massive quantities of.

There is nothing like tiny baby knits for using up stash yarn!

For this sweater I used a new Fiber Company yarn that I've been dying to try called Acadia. The wonderful softness and tweedy quality of the yarn made it really fun to work with. 

I rarely work with textured yarns such as these. It was a nice change of pace.

I was glad to have found a good application for these 2 skeins that have been lingering around for months.

Now to find projects for all of that "other yarn".