Barnes & Noble Loves ME!

Hellooooo my lovely knitters!

After much frustration over my website blog (no one could leave comments! whaaaa?), I decided that I would just go back to my old friend, Blogger.

So...WELCOME!!!

There is so much that I would like to share with you. As you know, I LOVE lists, so I will start with that :D

1. I have almost finished all of my Kickstarter gift knitting (for those who donated to my Kickstarter project). I only have one more item to knit. Last week or so, I finished the "Ridgeway Pullover #302" by Cabin Fever for my friend, Chip. I loved using the Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky yarn for this sweater (great color and nice to knit with). I really hope it fits him nicely.

2. I (if "I" means my hubby, Ian - lol) updated my SleepyEyes app (FREE on iTunes!) - so you can now purchase and download both the Wonderlace and Dreamscape books, as well as 4 other patterns (Mari Lace Cowl, Lisha Lace Scarf, Bobbi's Birthday Scarf, Lotus Heart Socks)...plus at least 15 free patterns, too :D

3. I've also started creating individual patterns from the Wonderlace book - the first being, The Loralee Cowl. It's available on my ETSY SHOP...yay!

4. I love Sparkle. Sparkle makes me very happy. With that in mind, I designed a very cute (and girly) scarf pattern called the "Princess Sparkle Scarf". I'm hoping to finish up the pattern tonight so I can add it to Ravelry :) You may not be able to tell how wonderfully sparkly it is from these pics, but it's soo great.

5. Keep checking back here and on my Sleepy Eyes Knits Facebook page in the next week or so for a new CONTEST! I'm trying to get more reviews on Amazon.com for my Wonderlace book (and Dreamscape) and I will be giving away a super awesome prize for the winner of the contest. PRIZE - a gift certificate to an online yarn store and PDF copy of both Wonderlace & Dreamscape (for you or for a friend).

6. I want to thank all of my supportive and loving friends for keeping me company at my trunk shows/book signings. Although it's incredibly wonderful to be in a yarn store all day to sell my book (especially when they store owners are friendly and helpful), it does get lonely and sad sometimes. There are issues of "When can I leave the table to go to the bathroom?", "Why does that lady look so irritated over my patterns?", "I wish someone would bring me lunch.", "Should I ask this person if they want to buy a book or not pressure her/him?" and, always, "Why does this person have to say that they dislike lace knitting (and give a million excuses why they don't want my book) while they are browsing through my book???".

When a friend comes to visit me, there's MUCH less of that and I have someone to talk to when the people working in the shop are busy. Usually, I stay all day at the shop, so even company for an hour or so means a lot to me. (PLUS, it gives the impression that my trunk show is awesome...lol) I want to thank Melissa W., Lora K., Heather H., Sarah S., Jessica L.W., Kerry P., Jackie W., Julie R., Patti V., Trudy & friends and Edith H. for visiting me, giving hugs and keeping me company. (I hope I didn't forget anyone!) You are wonderful friends!

When knitters come to yarn stores just to see ME and my book, it is AWESOME! I can't express how it makes me feel that someone cares about me and my work. It usually only happens once or less per trunk show but, when it does, my day is made. Seriously. It's like a huge hug - on the inside :D


7. I want to thank the incredibly talented (and super sweet) Joanna Johnson of Slate Falls Press for the interview on her blog last month - not only was it lots of fun, but it was such a thoughtful and helpful thing to do. I have all of her design books and I love them all. If only I had more time to knit every single thing from all of her books. I received my copy of the new "Green Gables Knits" and the book is really beautiful. I hope to do an interview of her on MY blog soon!

8. Last, but not least, I finally heard back from Barnes & Noble Bookstores and they are going to carry my Wonderlace book!!! I am THRILLED!!! Beyond the moon. After the rejection of my first book, I was discouraged, but my friends encouraged me to try one more time...and I'm very, very glad that I listened to them! Woo-hoo!

With love and many hugs,

Gina
xoxo


P.S. My Wonderlace book is available on my Etsy Shop, Amazon.com, Ravelry.com and Artfire.com...and, soon, Barnes & Noble! Yay!!

A New Pattern, Recent Trunk Shows and Hooping a'Plenty!

I'm back! Finally...whew...I think once a month posts are all I can possibly get in at the moment. If you're on Facebook or my SleepyHeads group on Ravelry, that's a MUCH easier way to see what I'm up to and see pictures of my latest designs/trunk shows.

Anyhoo, I thought I'd update now before another month goes by without a post. I'll start with the smaller, personal stuff and then end with my NEW PATTERN! Yay!

FAMILY

The past month or so, it's been constant work helping my oldest, Tim, get his college applications sent in, essays written and portfolios created. He's intending to go into Game Programming/Design and has 5 colleges in mind. I thought that the Common Application would be so much easier, but really, it wasn't. Two of the colleges Tim was interested in weren't accepting the Common App and seeing how easy those were to fill out made me think, "Why the heck isn't the Common App set up like THAT!" The CA website is just not that user friendly at all and there is little room for change or being able to add things that aren't listed as options. Ugh. But, at least there'll all in and now Ian and I just have to focus on the horrors of the CSS Profile and the FAFSA. (please kill me now)



This is his senior picture, which I think is very handsome ; )

HOOPING

As some of you know, I got addicted to hooping last December and I've been loving it. Now that I can actually keep the hoop around my waist for more than 5 seconds, I love grabbing my hoop whenever I have a free minute. The best part is, I don't have to change into any fancy clothes or make sure I have an hour of allotted time to work out. You can work out with this slightly weighted hoop for only 30 minutes and burn over 300 calories! I'm having such a fun time with this that I've decided to get my Hoopnotica Teacher Training certificate so I can teach hooping next summer. I'll be taking that weekend intensive in March 2011. I've been practicing every day for my training....well, mostly hitting my head with my hoop and banging the hoop on my legs, but I still keep at it. LOL! I even thought of incorporating the hoop into my yoga class routine. As long as I have enough space and some interested yogis, I think it might be awesome! Check out Hoopnotica's website for more information, pictures and videos on hooping, weight loss, teacher training and to buy their stuff (adorable hoops, dvds, cds, etc.)

TRUNK SHOWS

I'm delighted to say that BOTH of my recent trunk shows were a HUGE success! As of this moment, I have absolutely NO Dreamscape books to sell -only PDFS. That's amazing! (There are still a few Dreamscape books available online to purchase - either at Coveted Yarn or Willowgate Yarn - see links on right sidebar...so hurry before those are sold out, too!)

Tonia Barry of the Classic Elite Design team, was wonderful and asked me to have a show at the Hub Mills Yarn store in Lowell, MA. The day went by so quickly and I loved looking at all of the gorgeous yarn in the store. It was lovely meeting so many people who came to look at my knitted samples and buy my book. I'd definitely visit that store again : )



Bernadette Vaughan of the Slater Mill Guild Studios, went out of her way to make my day fantastic. She organized this wonderful Knitting/Spinning/Quilting event at the Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI and I thought it was amazing. There were not only vendors but, also my trunk show, presentations on spinning, beautiful quilt samples, and hot cider and goodies to munch on. The space was so beautiful - bright, light, roomy and felt so good to be there.



I was there for 5 hours and it seemed like just one! I sold ALL the rest of my Dreamscape books and had a large number of people interested in my designs - trying them on and complimenting them. I felt like someone important for that little while! : D



I'm happy to say that I've been asked back in January for their annual Knitting Weekend - where I'll be able to teach an Amanda Hat class and a Yoga/Knitting class during the weekend. Woo-hoo! I can't wait!

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for Tonia and Bernadette!!

FINISHED KNITTED PROJECTS

1. A Blanket for my Mom (I knit 3 of the squares and my friends knit the others):



2. The Harriet Cardigan from "A Fine Fleece" in Jaeger Pure Merino DK in blue:



3. Two Cowboy -themed washcloths for my sister's bathroom: (the other is a brown cowboy boot)



4. Another Persephone Beret in white for my mom's friend

5. A pair of Garter Stripe Baby Socks to go with the EZ's Baby Surprise Jacket in my handpainted sock yarn



6. And Gun Shy toy for Ben - who is obsessed with anything like laser guns and such.



Currently, I'm finishing up my friend Libby's scarf (in new pattern!) and the Fylindales Cardigan, also from "A Fine Fleece" in an imported 100% Scottish Wool aran yarn in the colorway, Blossom.

NEW PATTERN!



My newest pattern, called "Bobbi's Birthday Scarf", is now available for purchase! Yay! This scarf is a classic, cabled, unisex scarf with a twist - you add fabric to the back! If you're a quilter, you can even line the scarf with one of your gorgeous quilted creations. Depending upon the yarn and fabric you choose, this scarf could be made for anyone in your life...family, friends, teacher, bus driver, etc. The pattern is $5.00 and you can purchase the pdf here on my blog (see right sidebar of homepage under "Patterns for Purchase" or on Ravelry.



Well, I think that's about all that's new at the moment. As you know, I'm going to begin working on my newest Sleepy Eyes Knits book in January 2011 in hopes that it will be published by December 2011. This book will include baby, toddler and child patterns in a readable and colorful format. I'll be using the spiral bound format again and I'll also be offering a set of BOTH Sleepy Eyes Knits books for a great price around the holidays.

MY PATTERNS IN OTHER BOOKS

By the way, have you seen all of the Amanda Hats in the new book, "1000 Fabulous Knit Hats" by Annie Modesitt? Check out the TEXTURED HATS section. Most of those hats were knit by me or friends of mine. Soo cool!

Also, my OTHER new pattern in finally out in the new book, "101 Sock Skein Wonders" by Judith Durant. My "Ericka Scarf" is on page 94. The scarf is named after one of my close knitting friends, Ericka, and is knit using only ONE SKEIN of Noro Kureyon sock yarn, though you could use any sock yarn for this project. It would look best in a semi-solid or striping yarn, though. Take a look at both books and let me know what you think!

Hope you're all doing well and thanks so much for staying loyal to my blog.

Hugs and Happy Knitting!! xoxxo

Falling into Autumn with 2 NEW trunk shows!

Hey there! I know it's been over a month since I posted. Mostly, this summer, the kids and I were busy going in the pool (yay!) and keeping busy. It was harder to knit during those hot days (the past few here in NH have been brutal!), but I did manage to get some pretty great projects finished.

We also spent a good amount of time looking at colleges for Tim. We went to WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute...where Ian and I went to college), Daniel Webster College, Champlain College and Tim visited Clemson University with his grandpa (he's the head of the Graphics Department there, as well as a professor). So far, WPI is top choice for everyone, but it's a hard school to get into...so cross your fingers for him! He'll be taking his SAT's again in October and applying (early admission) to WPI before November. (please please please)

(It might help that he was actually born right off of campus and I was pregnant with him through almost my entire second year there - he took all of the classes I took! Do you think he can get college credits for that.....???? lol)

Ben is now in 2nd grade and I can't believe it! He's up to over my shoulder in height and he's only 7. I feel like the Incredibly Shrinking Woman in this house of tall boys/men!! He keeps cracking me up with all of the funny things he says and it's actually a little bit frustrating when he asks me something that I don't know the answer to. I always say, "Let's google it!"

Okay...enough family (for now)....here are some of the fantastic projects that I finished over the summer with pics. Also, at the end, I have a listing of the TWO (woo-hoo!) trunk shows that I have coming up this fall. Can't wait to go...they both seem like they're going to be lots of fun!

FINISHED PROJECTS SINCE LAST POST



October Frost Cardigan
From "A Fine Fleece"
Size: 43" bust
Needle size: US 6 and 8
Yarn: Queensland Kathmandu Aran in Burgandy
Yardage: 1600 yds
Time: May 8th-May 22nd, 2009 and then August 20-31, 2010 (about 4 weeks total)
Fun Level: B- Started off very fun (I knit the back in one week and one arm the next week), but then I lost interest (also having a hard time knitting all those cables during knitting group) and didn't pick it up until August 20, 2010. I finished the other arm, two fronts, collar and both button bands in 11 days. Woo-hoo! Love the way it looks, though I realized that I knit both arms in the wrong size, so they're like monkey arms. Besides that, it's a gorgeous and cozy sweater. The yarn is perfect for it!



Ben's Log Cabin Afghan
From Sarah Bradbury's "Log Cabin Square" instructions
Size: 54" square
Needle size: US 8
Yarn: Noro Kureyon (in many colorways for squares) and Cascade Eco+ in purple heather for the trim
Yardage: 1760 yds for squares and 956 for trim (2 skeins of Eco+)
Time: January 2010 - August 3rd, 2010
Fun Level: B. The Squares were super fast and fun to knit and I think I would've kept making squares all year. I stopped at 16 for a square blanket. The trim was very, very monotonous to knit and that was the worst part. I finished all the squares by the end of January and then didn't start knitting the trim and putting the squares together until the end of July. I finished by the first week in August. It's the prettiest blanket I've knit so far. Only wish I could give the piecing to someone else to do!





Baby Surprise Jacket 1 (& 2)
From EZ's "An Opinionated Knitter"
Size: Newborn (and 9 month)
Needle size: US 3 (and 6)
Yarn: My hand-dyed fingering weight merino (and Jojoland Rhythm)
Yardage: 276 yds (and 380 yards)
Time: 1 day (and 4 days)
Fun Level: A! This is a totally fun and addictive pattern to knit. As soon as I was done with one, I had to cast on immediately for another. I love how easy it is to knit and how creatively designed it is. To put it together is just magic. Highly recommended!




Ian's Woodsman Socks 1 & 2
From EZ's "An Opinionated Knitter"
Size: Men's large (size 10.5" shoe)
Needle size: US 6
Yarn: Harrisville Designs New England Highland in High Hemlock and High Evergreen
Yardage: 252 yds for each pair
Time: 9 days for 1 pair, 5 days for the second pair
Fun Level: A- Super easy to knit pair of worsted, hiking socks for the winter. My hubby loves the thick, slightly rustic yarn and how warm they are. I was able to knit a single sock in two days. I changed up the colors for the second pair so I was able to knit 2 full pairs of men's socks from 3 skeins of this yarn. Yay!

TRUNK SHOW & BOOK SIGNING #7:

September 25th (Saturday)
11 am - 3pm
Hub Mills Yarn Store
Lowell, MA
20% off all yarn, books and bags that day!

TRUNK SHOW & BOOK SIGNING #8:

October 3rd (Sunday)
12 pm - 5 pm
Slater Mill Guild Studio
Pawtucket, RI
Sign up to win a FREE gift basket including a Dreamscape book, yarn, chocolate and goodies!

There are literally only 40 Dreamscape books left in the world to buy (LOL!)...true, though. I have some listed on my Etsy shop and a few more one-of-a-kind stitch markers left, but they're going fast and, after these trunk shows, there may not be any left to put up in the shop. (Kind cool!)

As usual, I'll have the rest of my Dreamscape books, design samples and will offer a FREE pdf of the Dreamscape book to all who buy a book at the trunk show. Yay!

Hope to see some of you there and thanks SO much for your support and love! xoxoxxo

The Elegant Ewe Trunk Show - Yay!

Well, I didn't know what to expect for my last trunk show of the Winter. I had hopes, but didn't dare to hope TOO much. Every trunk show since December has been wonderful and profitable...so, I thought one of them was bound to be a little disappointing.

But, NO!



I have been the luckiest girl EVER and ended my Winter "tour" with a bang. Thanks to Denise (who got in touch with the lovely people at The Elegant Ewe), to Marci (who gave the go ahead for the whole thing) and to Kelly (who quickly organized, advertised and planned out the entire event - and who was so friendly and helpful to me the entire time) - because of them, this last trunk show was an overwhelming SUCCESS!!!

I not only sold 24 books (even had less to leave in the store than I thought I'd have! woo-hoo!), but enjoyed every moment of my time there.

The Persephone Beret class was so much fun - the ladies that I worked with were funny and welcoming and I had a good time watching their berets slowly progress through the class.



Here is another pic of me and the ladies -



I was grateful to everyone who bought a book at the shop that day and to some wonderful friends that came to visit (and most of them already own my book, so they just came to support me!) -

Tracy, Denise and Sarah (below is Sarah with her little boy, me and Denise) from the Concord Knitting Group



Hilary and Caroline from our ManchVegas Knitting Group



How luck I am!

Kelly even made homemade cookies (yuummmmmm!) and had coffee for everyone, too. I completely forgot to take a pic with her (like I also forgot at the Yarn Sellar with Patti), but I'm sure I'll be going back to the Elegant Ewe again and again and I can snag her for a pic then.

I also had some time to shop after the trunk show and I bought 2 bars of the most luscious smelling soap, another Wallaby pattern (which I keep losing) and a skein of local Alpaca/Cashmere sportweight yarn in a chocolately brown to make Ian gloves with. (The pattern I bought was designed by Kelly!)

All in all, another FANTASTIC day and then, I went off with my hubby for a romantic weekend in Boston. We took the local bus and a couple of T trains to our hotel, saw a Damon Wayans comedy show (awesome!), visited the Musuem of Fine Arts (we were there for over 3 hours and only saw a fraction of the stuff we wanted), watched an Omni Theatre show "Arabia" at the Boston Museum of Science, visted the Brattle Book Shop (and bought many books), and finally walked around Chinatown and sat in the Bamboo Garden.

Oh, life was good this weekend.

I also finally gave my mom her Fudge Swirl Cabled Mock Turtleneck sweater (it's her birthday this weekend!) and it fit her PERFECTLY!!! I was so happy. Here she is wearing it:



and from the back:



Happy Birthday, Mom!

Will be back on Monday or Tuesday for the next post of my NETA Spa weekend and my finished Lego Man knitted toy. Yayyyy!

Yarn and Fiber Co. Trunk Show!

A very belated post about my lovely trunk show at the store I work at, The Yarn and Fiber Co. and, because I'm headed out to work very soon, this will be brief but, hopefully, exciting! LOL : )

Here are the highlights of the day-

My trunk show set up - very nice, I thought:



Picture with the owners (and my bosses), Cyndi and Jerry:



Wonderful knitters and designers (!) buying my book:
(L-R: Joan of Jocre Arts design fame, me and the fantastically fun, Dendrea)



Books waiting to be bought - 17 total sold for the day...Yay!



My always loyal and thoughtful friends from knitting group:

(L-R: Amy, Heather, Me (ugh...horrible pic of me) and Rebecca)



(L-R): Amy, Chris, Ericka and Heather



The day went by quickly and it was nice to be in my familiar surroundings (and not have to work...he he) while knitting with friends. I loved seeing people buying my book and then being able to help them find yarn to make some of the projects from it. AWE-SOME!!!

And, one of the BEST parts of the day was when Jerry took my picture to model one of Joan's newest, gorgeous lace shawl designs: The Seashell Silk Shawl:



Please support Joan of Jocre Arts and Ivy Brambles by buying this pattern and the lace, 100% silk yarn to go with it. Beautiful!

Thanks, Cyndi and Jerry for a fantastic day!!!

BTW, you can order my book, Dreamscape from the Yarn and Fiber Co. website. Check it out HERE!

Visit me at The Elegant Ewe this Saturday 2/20/10!!

Hi Everyone!

I know I'm WAY behind in blogging about the great trunk show I had at the Yarn and Fiber Co. last Saturday (will be up sometime today!), but I wanted you to know that I'm having one LAST trunk show for the winter THIS Saturday at the Elegant Ewe in Concord, NH.

From 10 am-12 pm, I'll be teaching a Peresphone Beret class and then the trunk show will be from 12 -2 pm. Feel free to come earlier, though to check out my book and try on some the lovely samples I have of my designs. (I LOVE when knitters come to visit and try lots of things on!)

Hope to see you and please pass the word on!!

PS. I also finished a really cute knitted toy that I'll have to share in the next post, too. He's sooo cute!!!

Visit me at Yarn and Fiber Company, Saturday 2/13!

Please visit me for my 5th trunk show (eeek!) at the Yarn and Fiber Company this Saturday, February 13th from 11 am to 3 pm!

I will have samples of all of my designs to try on and copies of my Dreamscape book to buy.

As always, if you buy a Dreamscape book from the store that day, you will receive a FREE PDF of Dreamscape as a gift from me.

I'd love to see you and please come to hang out and knit with me and my knitting group! It'll be a fun day and a great way to stay out of the freezing cold!

Hope to see you on Saturday! Happy Valentine's Day to all!

P.S. For those of you who came to the Yarn Sellar last Saturday and are waiting for your FREE pdf, don't worry. It's coming! I'd lost the page with all of your emails, but luckily I found it and I will email them out to you on Sunday or Monday at the latest. Thanks for being so patient!

Yarn Sellar Trunk Show -Yay!

I am SO lucky! Another fantastic trunk show at The Yarn Sellar for Dreamscape!

The day started off with a fun ride to York, Maine with my dear friend, Laurin - it was so relaxing and we laughed and laughed - even when we got lost (slightly) and couldn't find the yarn shop (which we've been to so many times-LOL!). We called out places that we wanted to visit on the way back home - like the When Pigs Fly bakery (yummy - I bought chocolate bread, 4 seed bread, sourdough and oat & honey, plus balsamic vinagrette and jellies) and Yummies candy store (omg - floor to ceiling candy - 10,000 pounds in the store!).



The fantastic and thoughtful, Julie, had opened the store early and had hot coffee, tons of water bottles, and sweet smelling munchkins ready for us. In a flash, we'd set up the trunk show on the table and the appendages (lol) and I was set to go!



Within 1 hour or so, I'd already sold 10 books! Wowza!

Not only did I have the BEST time meeting knitters (some of who came just to see ME! I just can't believe it...) and seeing them try on hats, scarves, shawls and mitts, but it was just so much fun sitting there and KNITTING. Laurin and I sat at the table and chat, knit and relaxed. Totally wonderful.


(A lovely Amanda Hat wearing knitter and me.)

There was one awesome knitter who came to see me, Amanda, who brought her family with her - and her beautiful teenage daughter (whose name I should I have asked) looked AMAZING in every single hat on the table. It was one of the best times of the day seeing her try things on and look fab-u-lous! She had her mom pick out yarn for every hat in my book! If only I'd gotten better pictures of her.....I did get a pic of her and her family at the table, though: (she's the one on the very left with the burgandy Amanda Hat on)



Some of my close knitting friends came to see me, too - Kerrie-Ann, Jackie, and Lora. Oh, it makes me feel incredibly special when friends are so supportive of me and my book. I love you guys!!!


(L-R: Kerrie-Ann, Jackie, Me)

All in all, another totally successful and super fun day - I sold 24 books by the end of the day. Laurin and I went shopping after the trunk show and out to dinner for yummy hamburgers at a restaurant on the way home. I got to finish the very last square to Ben's Log Cabin blanket. I'm sewing it up now. Yay!

I want to thank Patti and Roger (to whom I send many loving thoughts and hugs), Julie and Martha for all that they did for me for my trunk show - I can't tell how much it meant to me and you are all so wonderful. Thank you!!!!!

And, before I go, a pic of my mom's finished Fudge Swirl Cabled Mock Turtleneck - it's a birthday gift and I hope she likes it!!



And, also, on me:



What do you think?

Happy Knitting!!! ; )