Finish-Free Knits giveaway!

On January 1, 2014, I'm giving away one free copy of my book, Finish-Free Knits, autographed by me.

To enter, knit (or crochet) one of my self-published sweaters and post a photo of yourself wearing the completed sweater in this thread on Ravelry by December 31st, 2013.

Please also note the date you begin and complete knitting/crocheting. Only projects completed between today, August 30, 2013 and December 31, 2013 will be eligible for entry. The sweaters may have been started at any time… maybe they're lingering around unfinished in a closet? Time to finish it up for a chance to win!

You may enter for each sweater that is made between now and then. If you complete 2 sweaters, you can enter twice!… three sweaters, three entries… and so on.

On January 1st, I'll place all the Ravelry ID's of participants (more than one if necessary) into a hat and randomly select the winner. The winner will be contacted by Ravelry message.

To help get you started: Save $2.50 off any self-published pattern purchase with the coupon code FFKGiveaway. Coupon code ends September, 30, 2013. Coupon code will work once per person.

Happy Knitting!!!

My week - in pictures

Some of the highlights of my week:

I knit some Rock Opera Gloves—2 at a time!
(the pattern's 50% off throughout August using the code: Malabrigo)

And added red buttons.

I foraged some granny smith apples from the yard…

then followed a recipe hanging inside my cabinet
(making it gluten free, of course)

yum.

♥ Spent some silly time with J. ♥

A bit of yoga.

I blocked a whole bunch of sweaters for my next book.
Did some pattern editing too.

More yard foraging. Granny Smith apples and Red Clover Blossom.

Red Clover Blossom tea—in the making.
I'm digging the red clover blossom tea lately. Here's why.

I'm hoping that lining my desk with yarn will prevent things from falling behind it…
Seriously, everything seems to roll off the desk—knitting needles, pens, rulers…

Found a fortune cookie in the cabinet. Cookie was not edible, but this is what it said.

Kitties sharing a window. So, so rare.

Book signing and trunk show at Halcyon Yarn, in Bath Maine.

I had some company while I knit.

More sweater blocking… This is #8.
It's never ending.

I was also really thoroughly amused by this spinning lady.
Apparently if you see her spinning clockwise you're using your right brain,
or spinning counter-clockwise, then you're using your left brain.
She keeps switching it up on me.

What did you do this week?

Rock Opera Gloves - Rebecca Zicarelli

Check out these awesome fingerless gloves!!!

My friend, Rebecca Zicarelli, has a real love (obsession perhaps?) for knitting things diagonally.

The Rock Opera Gloves pattern is the first completed and published design of her many diagonally-knit ideas. And, I was lucky enough to tech edit this pattern for her, help ease the pattern toward consistency and lay it out into a pretty pdf.

Not only are Rebecca's Rock Opera Gloves knit on a bias, they have a great detail—which Rebecca calls "seam stitches". These stitches are a pair of stitches, one knit, and the other slipped on one row, then they switch being knit and slipped on the following row.

When worked at the edge of the gloves, this technique creates a sort of I-Cord edging, and when worked in the center of the gloves, it creates a slipped-stitch welt that runs vertically.

Throughout the pattern Rebecca uses some really ingenious ways of shaping—things I've never seen before—that work perfectly for what she wants to achieve. Some of my favorites are her I-Cord and Seam-stitch Bind-off techniques—really clever ways of maintaining the seam stitches along the edge while binding off stitches!

While tech editing parts of this pattern, I had to pick up the needles to swatch to be sure I was understanding it correctly. Just those little bits of swatching really made me want to get the right size yarn and needles, and cast on a pair of gloves for myself!

Favorite this pattern on Ravelry.

 I began knitting both of my gloves at the same time. This way, I'm sure they'll be exactly the same, and I'll definitely complete 2 of them!

I bought this yarn at Topsfield Fair in Massachusetts a few years ago. It's SO lusciously soft. So glad to finally have found the perfect project for it.