Saturday, June 13, 2009

It's Blogiversary Time!!!

Oh my gosh, can you believe that I almost missed my own blogiversary?!? Today's the day, and I have so many other things going on in my life (unlike all of you, right?) that I would have missed it entirely if I hadn't put a reminder alarm on my phone. Whew!

To celebrate my two years here in blogland, I am having a little giveaway! I've never done one of these before, so I thought it would be about time. :) Just leave a comment on this post between now and...oh...next Saturday, June 20, and I'll put everyone's names into a random number generator and pick one! Please feel free to de-lurk to put your name in the hat. I always feel bad if my first comment on someone's blog is when they're giving away free stuff, but trust me: I will feel like I won a little battle if I get you to leave a comment. ;-)

What do I have to offer?

To start with, two skeins of Curious Creek Fibers Nakuru in the Early Sunset colorway. Each skein is 72 yards of an aran/worsted mohair/wool blend. I originally picked these up to make a pair of wristwarmers/fingerless gloves/something like that. It turns out that the several pairs of fingerless gloves I already own never get a full rotation because of this certain thing called a "warm climate" that we have going on here in southern California. Who knew?



In keeping with the light purple theme of this post, I am also including one skein of Malabrigo Lace in the Cuarzo colorway. 470 yards of merino numminess is plenty for a little summery, lacey goodness.

I'll be sure to find a few more nifty little tidbits to tuck into the package. So please leave a comment and celebrate my blogiversary with me! The more, the merrier!

I have also been up to a little something different this past week. See if you can guess from the photo. That's right, I took my first sewing class! I have been so inspired by all the multi-crafty geniuses I read about on the blogs, so I decided to go for it and try something new. I have never used a sewing machine in my entire life, but they have free (FREE!) sewing classes in the continuing education program through the San Diego community college system, so I showed up for their summer session. Unfortunately, a meager budget year means that they cut the course down to only five class sessions. But I'm optimistic that that will be enough time for me to learn my way around a sewing machine and make a little tote bag for my efforts. I'll keep you updated on my progress. Of course, I have no sewing machine of my own (and no way to afford one for a while), but I'm hoping that this class will be enough of an intro for me so that if I ever am in a position to get a machine, I will be able to teach myself what I need to know. After all, I taught myself everything I know about knitting and I think I've been doing OK so far. :)

Oh! And I just have to respond to a comment Jacey made on my last post. No, I have not actually knitted 13,000 yards of yarn so far this year. I have merely removed that yarn from my stash. This was done mostly by knitting it, but also through some destash efforts and the gifting of a sweater's worth of yarn to my brother. So...I cheated, a little, but it's helping me clear out my old stash and it's getting yarn to people who are more likely to use it than I am. :)

21 comments:

Yarndude said...

No need to add me to the contest. :) Good luck with the sewing classes, and I am always willing to take sweater amounts of yarn off your hands.

Unknown said...

wow, fantastic giveaway! Happy blogiversary. Good luck in your sewing class. I tried to sew a knitting project bag last month and it's too small for anything but a skein of sock yarn... as long as there are no socks attached...

Free Range Chick said...

I just started reading your blog, I guess you read mine and I never knew it. Your knits are beautiful and you have great taste in yarn.

Looking forward to seeing more.

Michelle said...

Happy Blogiversary!

I recently started sewing again myself. Sewing is more instant gratification than knitting but harder to rip out. You'll definitely be able to crank out a tote bag or 3 by the end of your classes. Then the fabric stash acquisition begins! FYI Joanns is having a big sale on fabric thru the 19th. You didn't hear it from me.

Unknown said...

Happy Blogiversary!!!

Anonymous said...

hooray! happy blogiversary!

I wanted to say, congratulations on trying new things and giving sewing a chance. It's always really frustrating on the first go-around but ends up being a lot of fun. For example, you can finish a project MUCH faster than knitting. On the other hand, expect to develop a new kind of stash ;)

Anonymous said...

I feel guilty commenting on your blogiversary post, since I only just started reading your blog. Anyway, hello!

Good luck with the sewing class! Sewing is something I keep meaning to learn more about, but so far that's gone nowhere.

Jay said...

Wey hey!
Congratulations, well done, two years is good.
And go me, I have never entered a give away...so I'm really extra excited.

Best wishes for many more years to come.

Jay Eff. (thedeadzone@fsmail.net)

WV: micisod--I believe that's an insult in certain celtic dervied cultures.

pacalaga said...

Woo, I arrived from Cookie's blog in the nick of time, eh? Keep a look on Craig's List and the like for sewing machines. I see them on there every so often...

Caroline said...

Happy Blogiversary!

Anonymous said...

Happy blogiversary #2! Your giveaway rocks.

Very nice move in trying on the sewing. I predict the bug will bite. Remember, entry-level Singers are on the shelf at Target for pretty darn cheap these days. My mom had a kick-ass Bernina, but since all I could afford was the Target version, I've been using that for a few years for the odd project. Given my basic skills, I don't miss the bells and whistles. Much. One day I'll splurge - for now it doesn't have to be an expensive hobby. :)

Enjoy the classes! Looking forward to the play by play.

soknitpicky said...

Yay! Happy blogiversary. You might check and see if there is a "sewing lounge" near you, kinda like this one in Houston http://sewcraftyhouston.com/

Dana said...

Not delurking, but want to be a part of the contest!

I hope you are enjoying the sewing. Both sewing and knitting have a place in my heart but I have to admit I prefer the portability of knitting, even though it's slower to see results...

And happy blogiversary!

Hilary said...

Happy blogiversary!! And what a great giveaway -- both yarns are gorgeous! Good luck with the sewing classes. I bet you'll pick it up right away!

Anonymous said...

Doing the same on my blog right now so I know where you are coming from. I stumbled across your blog today on the blogroll of a friend of mine so this is my first visit. You do some lovely knitting and I absolutely love your experiment with the black dye...beautiful!

Throw my name in the hat and feel free to throw yours in mine. :-)

Jacey said...

Blogiversary! Congrats. I'm still impressed about the 13K yards, even if some is through destash. It's hard to part with yarn, so it's worthy of awe as well. :)

I look forward to seeing your sewing progress.

Team Knit said...

happy blogoversary!! that's so kind of you to celebrate with your readers like that. :)

I'm so impressed that you're taking a sewing class- that's such a great idea! my sewing skills are kind of hit and miss, that would be a great way to sharpen up.

- Julie

ikkinlala said...

Happy blogiversary, and good luck with the sewing class!

Lisa H. said...

Just started reading (and enjoying) your blog so I thought I'd throw my name in for the chance to win the beautiful yarn. Happy Blogiversary and happy sewing!

Nicky said...

Congratulations ! Your blog is lovely to read.

Anonymous said...

Thanks! - you should try planting in a drawer. I mean, obviously we all need MORE hobbies, right?

And I wanted to say that, on your recommendation, I started listening to Craft Lit, and it's FANTASTIC. Haven't turned it off all day!