Giveaway: Knitted Christmas Stocking

Win: 1 personalized Christmas stocking, knit to order according to your specifications:

- name

- pattern (reindeer, polar bear, penguin, rocking horse, train, snowman)

- colours

Examples: 

How to win:

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I promise not to spam, no more than 1 newsletter every quarter.

Winner will be announced 25th December. Stocking will be knitted and sent in 2013. There can be double entries, all new followers and likes will be counted from today. 

Which one is your favorite? 

Circle pattern cushion covers

I have just finished a custom order, a knitted cushion cover in purple:

I like the big, obvious circles on it, and how they're slightly shifted (the first and the third and the second and fourth are the same). I'm also able to knit this without the pattern, just by looking at it.

However, it's a 3 stitch cable pattern (that's why it's so big), and it can be a bit tedious to cable the stitches to the front and back. But I'm very pleased with the result.

I've made the cover before:

Both have been sold, new covers will be knitted on request:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/100814024/14x14-knitted-cushion-cover-customised

Introducing: Really really thick socks

It's this time of the year again: Days are getting shorter and it's getting colder. Cold feet anyone? 

Try these:

I've been knitting very warm socks and getting the creativity flowing with the different cable patterns. This style is inspired by my trip to the Aran Islands (where the famous Aran sweaters are sold). The yarn is also called Aran yarn, but it doesn't mean the yarn is from the sheep from the Aran islands. It just means that this is the suitable yarn to knit those big, warm, heavy Aran sweaters. And surely, the material will work well with socks too. 

Last year I made the first pairs, and I tested them myself. 

Test results: 
The socks are warm. The ones with cable pattern especially.
The socks are great inside the house, to wear instead of shoes. 
The socks are great for wearing in bed too. 
The socks make great presents
The socks are washable, I've washed mine quite a few times, and they are still as new (in the washing machine, 30 degrees, with other knitwear)

The material is between 25 and 30% wool, 75 to 80 % acrylic (except the grey ones which are 100% acrylic). It's very soft and nice. 

As always, none of the socks I have for sale have ever been worn, I don't have the greatest pictures, but the socks were not worn by anyone before. (I have a bit of an issue with feet myself). If there are photos showing my socks worn by somebody, then a fresh pair was knitted for Etsy. 

Socks can be bought here (while stocks last): 
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Gigi82Knits?section_id=12177719

Finished projects

The projects I finished this week:

This is a Christmas stocking that will be hung up at my mother's front door. She'll have the time of her life telling people that her daughter made it and sells them on the internet.

A pair of grey Aran socks. These will be for sale in my Etsy shop.

Beautiful scarf, but it didn't work out for me. I dropped a stitch and ripped it back. I can't even get the last bit untangled, this was difficult and frustrating, but I'll do the pattern again some day.

A pair of mittens, turned out quite big, I'll keep it with my possible Christmas gifts.

This shade is beautiful, the pair will be for sale in my Etsy shop.

 Here's the link to my shop: Gigi82Knits

Current Projects

A pair of Aran socks, made out of thick yarn. I will sell this on Etsy probably.

This yarn is a silk blend, and I love the colour! It's going to be a pair of socks.

This will be a lace scarf made out of merino wool. The pattern is quite difficult, but I love the look of it.

This will be a pair of fingerless gloves. It's quite big, so next time I'll know I need less stitches, or I'll knit a pattern.

This will be a Christmas Stocking for my mother's front door, so she can hand out my business card to everyone who visits.

I'm trying out granny square and patterns for a crochet blanket, for my friend who's having a baby. I'm having lots of fun trying out things at the moment, but I won't start until I know if she's having a boy or a girl. I kind of think it's a boy... but girl would be easier!

Trip to Galway: Galway City (6)

We chose Galway as the base for our trip to Western Ireland . From Galway, the ferry to the Aran Islands is only a 45 minute bus ride away and the beautiful scenery of Connemara is right on it's doorstep.

 

We stayed in a lovely B&B, The Prague House. It's very close to the city centre (at most 10 minute walk), it's quiet, clean, with a friendly hostess and a delicious breakfast (great choice from a breakfast menu, though we would always go for the full Irish breakfast). 

Yarnstorming in Galway:

Read more about my trip here or here or here or here and also here

Trip to Galway: Kylemore Abbey (5)

Kylemore Abbey is a beautiful building in Connemara. It was built in 1867, but not completed until 1871. Mitchell Henry, a wealthy surgeon from London, had it built as a gift to his wife who wanted nothing more than to live in Connemara. He and his wife went on their honeymoon to Connemara where he promised her the house. Years later, his father passed away and from the inheritance he bought the grounds and built Kylemore Castle, as well as the gardens which were very advanced for their time (i.e. they grew bananas in Connemara ). The gardens are restored and well worth a visit. There's also the gardener's house to visit.

 

Mitchell and his wife Margaret had 9 children together. Unfortunately, Margaret died when she was only 45 years old. She was laid to rest in a mausoleum that was built for her.

 

 Mitchell Henry was popular with the locals and represented them as an MP. In the end, he had to sell the house because it was very expensive to upkeep. He died in 1910 in a hotel room in London . At this point, Kylemore was run by nuns who granted his wish to be cremated and buried next to his wife in the mausoleum.

 

 

Read more about my trip to Galway here,. here, here or here