Oooh...Website Makeover!

Hello! How is early summer treating you so far? Have you been keeping up with your knitting projects or have you put them aside for trips to the beach and bike rides?

You may not know this about me, but I'm not an outdoors type of person. My sister, Kim, always asked me to go outside with her to play basketball or ride bikes, but I almost never said yes. Poor Kim. A comfy chair, a book and a quiet space inside was my favorite thing to do. And it still is. (See below for pics) *grin*

But, sometimes, I sit by the pool when it's not too hot or buggy :)

So far this summer, I've been...

- Updating my website layout (My hubby, Ian, figured out how to substitute the old layout with the new - yay!)

- Trying to find a distributor for my knitwear design books (I finally found one - Small Press United!)

- Creating and updating new patterns (Crossing my fingers for my current lace shawl design to be accepted. This is some of the yummy Plucky Knitter yarn I'm using...)

- Helping my oldest son get an internship for the summer (He finally got a job at DEKA Research...woo!) Here is a pic of us together on his 21st birthday in May:

- Cleaning out my closet (Omg...the horror! I finally created a little nook for myself where I can knit and read. Yes, in my closet! lol)

The hallway in my bedroom opens up to the closet area/bathroom, so I can use half my closet for yarn/clothes storage and half for books and knitting nook.

- Knitting daily on my Year in Temperatures Scarf (I look forward to it every day...so much fun to add to my routine.)

- Thanks to the awesomeness of Ravelry, I found out that I was the 91st Raveler to join! (super cool)

- My youngest son Ben, hubby and I went to the Skrillex concert and it was amazing! (Except for the tall people getting in my way...I always wish that I could bring a small step stool with me...)

- And, on May 23rd, I turned 41 (horrors again!), but now hubby Ian and I are BOTH 41. (At least I have that 5 or so extra months of feeling young...lol.)

So, I think that's about all that's new and interesting in my life since April. Hmmm...mostly, doing a million things at once and stressing out over things I probably shouldn't. (Calgon, take me away!)

I've also been inspired by my dear friends, Jessica and Heather, to get back into a daily yoga routine. And, truly, that's helped with some of my health issues AND with clearing my mind (and helping me to relax). Yay for amazing, helpful friends!!

You can get hear more about what I'm up to (and see some interesting knitting links that I share) on my Sleepy Eyes Knits Facebook page.

I'd love to hear what you've been up to and what you're knitting on now. Share away in the comments below :D

Support me! Wonderlace Kickstarter Project :D

Hello Knitters! Long time, no see :D I don't use this blog address anymore, but I wanted to post another link to my NEW blog (even though I haven't posted in a while) and also to tell you about my Kickstarter Project, in case you haven't been able to check out the new website. Since you probably haven't been keeping up with what's been going on with Sleepy Eyes Knits, I'm happy to tell you that my new book, Wonderlace, is almost finished and due to hit the printers in August 2013! Woo-hoo! The Kickstarter project is to raise funds for the printing of the book - watch the video on the page to see pictures and hear more about what the project is about. There are a number of pledge levels and most of them come with great prizes...including copies of the Wonderlace book...and even the Dreamscape book! Any help you can give towards my project would mean so much to me! Even if you can't afford a pledge of $5 or more, sharing this post or the link on your Facebook page or email would be wonderful. Thanking you in advance...knitters are AWESOME! Love, Gina :) P.S. You can find me here, as well: Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram Etsy Artfire (to be updated soon!) Ravelry YouTube and my Ravelry group page.

"Dreamscape" available for PURCHASE!!!

Yayyyy!!! This is one of my MOST exciting things to happen for me this year (well, except for my trip to Fresh Purls, which I still think could NOT have gone better) and I'm thrilled to share it with you!

Okay, so...there are a few things I should explain before you buy.

1. The pdf e-Book is available here on my blog (see right side bar of the home page for "Buy Now" buttons) and also on Ravelry - though at the moment (1 pm on Friday) it seems to have disappeared, so I hope the Ravelry Angels are fixing things for me as I write. Strange how 2 people were able to buy it last night...weird, but good!

( On Ravelry, I have not been able to figure out how to add Dreamscape as an e-book, no matter how many links editors have sent me. Am I an idiot? Possibly. But, at least I was able to add it as a pattern and if you go to my Pattern Store, you can buy the 4 MB ebook (may take some time to download) there until I can get someone to help me change it to it's correct category.)

You also may have noticed TWO prices here on my blog for the pdf. And, I may have explained this before, but here it is again, just in case. The $10 e-Book (Me&Gift) option is for if you may be too tempted to buy a pdf for yourself and then "share" it with a friend of yours. This price is less expensive than buy 2 pdfs (seems silly, too) and you are able to keep 1 pdf and forward it to one other person. This way, you save $4, but can feel good about not cheating me. LOL!

I'm very interested to see who chooses this option.

2. On my Sleepy Eyes Etsy Shop (link here and also on the right sidebar of homepage), you are able to buy the book or the book with pdf combination. With the combination, you save only a $1, but I think it's worth it to get both. You can keep the hard copy in your knitting bag and the pdf on your iPhone or iTouch or cell phone to look at when you can bring the book.



For a limited time, you will receive a handmade Dreamscape stitch marker and your book wrapped in a beautiful black ribbon with each hard copy book you purchase. They were made by the wonderful Hilary of Fairy Designs. (She will be adding new items to her store starting in January next year.) Yay! ; )



So, in the meantime, if you have ANY questions, please feel free to email me and let's hope that Ravelry is working on getting my book up as an ebook and not just a pattern.

Cross your fingers!!

P.S. If you'd like your book(s) by Christmas, please order by December 17th.