spring « GOODKNITS // a knitting & crochet blog

Giveaway: YARN! edition

By Lisa Gutierrez on 03/27/2012

CLOSED!!!

Hello, friends! If you hadn’t heard, my lovely little Dory pattern is in the current issue of Craftsanity! I made a few adjustments* to my original pattern to make it more Spring-friendly. In celebration of SPRING and all things yarny, I’m having this little giveaway!

To convert my Dory into something one could wear during Spring, I scoured Ravelry for yarn inspiration. There is SO.MUCH.YARN. out there.

I happened upon Bamboo Cotton (worsted) by Three Irish Girls and was smitten by some of the colors. It was a little pricey, but I bought two skeins from someone’s stash in the beautiful Sweetmint colorway. I knew I would love the color, but what won me over completely was the softness. Ohhhhh my goodness–it is SOFT. I wound up my skein immediately and got started. Soon enough, I had a lovely Spring shawl and only 9 yards left! Perfect!

Unfortunately, the Bamboo Cotton is discontinued, so I went on the hunt for something more widely available. I landed on Cascade Ultra Pima. It is equally as soft and available in a multitude of bright colors. It took a whole skein plus a few yards of the next, but I figured out a few adjustments** to the last border row to make it a one-skein project.

And now, the giveaway! I have a skein of Bamboo Cotton and a skein of Ultra Pima, so that means TWO winners! The first winner will select which they want and the second will get the other yarn. They’re both gorgeous, so there aren’t any losers here. Both winners will also receive a printed copy of Craftsanity! If you aren’t a crocheter and have zero interest in my Dory pattern, do not fret–there are knitting patterns in this issue (and all others), too! There’s something for everyone, so this giveaway is open to knitters and crocheters alike.

To enter, just leave a comment below letting me know what projects are on your to-do list this Spring!

~~Giveaway ends this Friday, March 30, at 11:59pm CST. I’ll announce the winner shortly after!~~ CLOSED!!!

*My changes include using either of the two Spring yarns above + a 6mm hook and crocheting fewer of the main body repeat. It’s still the same size as the original, just lighter because of the yarn and gauge.

**Make a slst between each scallop instead of a sc.

Spring!

By Lisa Gutierrez on 03/19/2012

So many blooms!

Though I favor cold weather (ESPECIALLY when our air conditioner has been out), my camera and I are happy for the return of Spring. All the color, all the flowers, letting my kids sit in a pool all day, [trying to] garden etc, etc, etc. Tomorrow Spring will officially be here. And our a/c will most likely be fixed (replaced!) by the end of the weekend. Say a little prayer or wish a little wish for it.

Spring Colors Week 2011

By Lisa Gutierrez on 04/08/2011

In case you didn’t know, it was Spring Colours Week over at poppytalk. It put me in full Spring mode. I am in LOVE with Spring colors.

Green Monday:

What is YOUR favorite Spring color??

years away finds me here today

By Lisa Gutierrez on 03/11/2011

Living in an apartment my entire life, I never really looked forward to spring and summer. I just didn’t care. We (my neighbor and some cousins) played outside in the concrete jungle of a complex and in the local washateria that had sweet arcade games (Galaga and Street Fighter were our favorites). I never had a garden or a backyard of my own, so it was no big whoop. I liked winter because I live in coastal Texas and winter only lasts about 2 weeks. I get absolutely giddy when the temperature drops below 60.

I still feel that way about winter, but I’m also finding myself amazingly excited about Spring. The grass is turning green and the sun is staying out longer. Jason comes home from work and the boys play soccer for an hour or so until dinner or dark. I’m collecting little succulents that I find beautiful and I even bought 3 edible (eventually) plants–bells, jalapenos, and strawberries! I’m not psyching myself up for them to completely succeed. I know zilch about growing vegetables, but I can try, right? Maybe my little chants of “grow, grow, pleeease grow” while I water, will persuade them to give me fruit. Who knows.

All that to say–the warmer weather is making me happy. I need this green; I need this light.

Out of all the things on my 25 before 26 list, I’m most glad I completed #1.

I love you, Nature!

By Lisa Gutierrez on 05/03/2010

Gosh, guys. Spring is so pretty!

We spent our Sunday in Grandma Linda’s backyard. I took photos of the boys and of her lovely garden. We took a detour on our way home and so we got here especially late (after 10!), so I was only able to edit & upload the photos of the backyard. Pretty, pretty, flowers…