A Little Contest -- Win a Free Sewing Pattern!

Hi, friends!  I'm just popping in to announce a little contest I'm holding on my Facebook page.  To celebrate the creation of my first-ever sewing pattern (it's still in the works), I'm giving away a PDF copy of the pattern to the first person who can guess what it will be.

Here's your clue:

Now head over to this Facebook post and comment there with your best guess.  Comments left here won't be included in the contest.

Good luck!

Giveaway Winners

Last week was a fun and successful blogiversary week.  I enjoyed gathering these giveaways for you, and I'm still enjoying announcing the winners this week!

Here are the remaining blogiversary giveaway random winners:

Treasure Pouch Pattern and Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport in Green Tea Heather goes to: Tracey

Treasure Pouch Pattern and Knit Picks CotLin in Cashew goes to: justjen

The needlefelted pumpkin, leaf and acorns go to: Lauren Kindle

Congratulations!  I'll e-mail each of you for your mailing addresses.  Happy weekending!

Sock Yarn Giveaway Winner

Hello, friends!  After the craziness of last week's blogiversary giveaways, I'm taking a little blogcation -- but I wanted to pop in and announce the winner of the first giveaway!

The random winner of the sock yarn giveaway is.... Sandra!  Sandra, please e-mail me your address so I can send along your prize: kelly (at) kocommunications (dot) net

The other three giveaways are still open and going strong -- if you haven't entered yet, there's still time!

A set of Autumn Greeting Notecards: enter here

My Treasure Pouch Pattern and a ball of Knit Picks Simply Cotton in Green Tea Heather; Treasure Pouch Pattern and a ball of Knit Picks CotLin in Cashew: enter here

A needlefelted pumpkin, leaf and a small handful of needlefelted acorns: enter here

Good luck to all who enter!

I'll be back tomorrow with my regular Yarn Along post.  I look forward to showing you what I have on the needles!

Driveby Sunset & Final Blogiversary Giveaway

I love seeing beauty in everyday things (and in not-so-everday things, but everyday things are what I see, well, every day).  I slowed down to capture these photos from the driver's seat of my car, but I didn't stop as I probably should have.  I think this makes for a better representation, since driving by is how I saw and remember this sunset.  Stopping would have diminished their authenticity.  Yeah, that's the explaination for my unsafe driving practices!  Note: This was one of the few times Nathan was not in the car with me.

Final Blogiversary Giveaway

Today ends my the week of my first blogiversary, and I thank you all for joining me!  I reached my initial goal of 200 Google Friend Connect followers (thank you and welcome!) and had fun getting there with four giveaway posts this week.  (I recap the giveaways with links below in case you missed any -- you still time to enter!)

Today's giveaway is a needlefelted wool pumpkin, leaf and a small handful of needlefelted acorns with real acorn tops.  I have little items like this all over my fall seasonal table and I just love them.

To enter:

1. Mandatory: Follow Creating a Family Home via Google Friend Connect and leave a comment saying you follow.  (If you already follow via GFC, leave a comment saying so.) 

For additional entries:

2. Like Creating a Family Home on Facebook and leave a comment saying you do.  (If you already like Creating a Family Home on Facebook, leave a comment saying you do.)

         

3. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment saying you do.  (Ditto.)

4. Post about this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (or both) and leave one comment for each.

That’s five possible entries per person!  Entries will stay open until 8 p.m. on Friday, October 14.  I’ll use a random number generator to select the lucky winner and will announce the winner in the following day's post.  Please make sure I have a way of contacting you. 

Good luck, and thanks for being here with me!


Other Blogiversary Giveaways:  There's still time to enter!


Two winners will win: Treasure Pouch Pattern + Knit Picks Simply Cotton / Pattern + Knit Picks CotLin


Handmade Set of Autumn Blessings Note Cards

Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted sock yarn in colorway Playtime

Also, I'm now accepting sponsors, so if you have a handmade business (or any business you think my readers might be interested in) and you want to advertise, please e-mail me for details: kelly (at) kocommunications (dot) com.  It's a good deal!

Triple Giveaway and Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport Review

I have not just a double giveaway, but a triple giveaway for you today!  To celebrate my blogiversary during this week of giveaways, I’m giving away two copies of my Treasure Pouch pattern.

I’m also giving away one ball of Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport in Green Tea Heather and one ball of CotLin in Cashew, courtesey of Knit Picks.  These are the same yarns and colors I used when designing the pattern, which is written for both Sport and DK gauges.

But before we get to the giveaway, I first want to tell you how much I enjoy knitting with Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport and the final products.  Not only did I design my Treasure Pouch with it, but I designed Nathan’s Spring Sweater with it, too (the pattern has not yet been published).  And I’m currently knitting a newborn sweater with the organic version for my friend’s church’s mission. This soft cotton yarn creates the softest, most squishy hand knits—I was delighted with it from the moment I knitted my first row.
 

I think one of the reasons I am so impressed with this yarn is because of the well-known fact that cotton doesn’t “give” the way wool does. Simply Cotton Sport is so soft to work with and easy on the hands—my knitting just zoomed along and the stitches glided easily down my bamboo straight needles and wooden DPNs.  I experienced no snagging and everything I made with it seemed to go so quickly. And if you knit for children the way I do, you can’t beat this kind of machine washability—you can even put it in the dryer on the low setting.

I should mention that I was enchanted by the color Green Tea Heather, which at first my mom thought would be too girly for my son to wear (!).  My mom knows what kind of teenager I was, so I’m sure she wasn’t surprised when I bypassed her opinion and ordered this color yarn anyway.  And of course I was right (just kidding, mom).  : )  It’s a very gender-neutral color, as was the CotLin in Cashew.  Which I’m giving away today.  I had mentioned that there was giveaway today, hadn't I?

Okay then, on to the giveaway!

Here is what you're entering to win:
 

• One PDF of my Treasure Pouch Pattern + one ball of Simply Cotton Sport in Green Tea Heather
• One PDF of my Treasure Pouch Pattern + one ball of CotLin in Cashew

So that's two lucky winners.

To enter:

1. Mandatory: Follow Creating a Family Home via Google Friend Connect and leave a comment saying you follow.  (If you already follow via GFC, leave a comment saying so.) 

For additional entries:

2. Like Creating a Family Home on Facebook and leave a comment saying you do.  (If you already like Creating a Family Home on Facebook, leave a comment saying you do.)

         

3. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment saying you do.  (Ditto.)

4. Post about this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (or both) and leave one comment for each.

That’s five possible entries per person!  Entries will stay open until 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 13.  I’ll use a random number generator to select the lucky winner and will announce the winner the following day.  Please make sure I have a way of contacting you. 

Good luck, and thanks for following!

I have one more giveaway planned for tomorrow, so.... see you then!

Establishing a Fall Rhythm & Blogiversary Giveaway #2

<< Sock Yarn Giveaway  |  Main

It’s October already, and I still don’t feel very well into a fall rhythm.  T.J. wasted no time getting back to normal “family mode” when summer ended—he jumped right into cooking, helping with Nathan and doing his usual things around the house—and I’m so grateful to have him back.  But it hasn’t been feeling like fall to me and the shock of summer still hasn’t worn off.  I’m still smarting a little bit from the hardest summer ever and I guess it hasn’t hit me yet that it’s really over.  I think that’s because it only started feeling like fall this past weekend when the weather finally cooled down.

There’s a coolness in the air (with which came a wetness—when will we ever see the sun?), leaves are finally starting to turn and fall from the trees and the days are already getting shorter (that’s my least favorite part of fall).  Finally, it’s here!  My fall decorations are out, I’ve been knitting like a fiend and today I bought some new warm clothes for my ever-growing boy.

Tomorrow my pottery class will start (yay!) and two hours away from home paired with a new(-ish) kind of creativity will do me some good.  If anything, all the extra family time should help it hit home!  Hopefully our new rhythm will come together very soon.  I think I’m the only hold-out!

Some photos from our walk today, when it finally hit me.

 

Blogiversary Giveaway #2

Today I’m giving away a set of five Autumn Blessings note cards.  I didn’t just yank these babies from my Etsy shop—they’re a set I made just for this giveaway!  They look much nicer in person than my indoor photography would allow (trust me).  They're handmade using archival quality inks and glue—I have several other sets of handmade note cards in my shop.

To enter the giveaway:

1. Mandatory: Follow Creating a Family Home via Google Friend Connect.

For additional entries:

2. Like Creating a Family Home on Facebook and leave a comment saying you do.  (If you already like Creating a Family Home on Facebook, leave a comment saying you do.)

         

3. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment saying you do.  (Ditto.)

4. Post about this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (or both) and leave one comment each.

That’s five possible entries per person!  Entries will stay open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 11.  I’ll use a random number generator to select the lucky winner and will announce the winner the following day.  Please make sure I have a way of contacting you. 

Good luck, and thanks for following!

P.S. In case you missed it, blogiversary giveaway #1 was yesterday—a hank of Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted in the fall-inspired colorway Playtime.  Check out yesterday’s post to enter now!

Blogiversary Giveaway Week & Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted Review and Giveaway!

<< Welcome, Brambleberry Yarns!  |  Main  |  Fall Rhythm & Giveaway >>

Please help me wish a happy birthday to Creating a Family Home!  It was one year ago today that I started sharing my thoughts, crafts, recipes and knitting with like-minded mamas (and knitters).  It’s been fun and encouraging having you along for the ride, and I’m so excited to be close to my goal of reaching 200 followers by my first blogiversary.  I’m thrilled that you find what I have to say even remotely interesting.  And if you’re only here for the free knitting patterns and craft tutorials, that’s okay, too.  : )

To celebrate, I’m hosting a week’s worth of giveaways!  Today’s giveaway is sponsored by Knit Picks.  I’m reviewing and giving away a hank of Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted in one of my favorite fall-inspired colorways of all time, Playtime.  Isn’t it beautiful?  It knits up beautifully, too, as you’ll find out if you keep reading….

Review and Giveaway Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted, Colorway Playtime

I’m choosing to review Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted sock yarn in colorway Playtime because it’s what I used to make my latest free pattern, Nathan’s Raindrop Socks.  You can knit up a pair of toddler socks and still have enough yarn leftover for a pair of adult-sized socks!  I used it to knit up a pair of Drop Dead Easy Lace Socks from Knitting from the Toe Up.  Go check it out on Knit Picks’ site and read on to find out what I think of it.  Then, find out how to enter to win a hank of your own!

Clearly, I am quite taken by the colors in the Playtime coloryway—if you’ve been reading for a while, you know how inspired I am by nature!  This colorway has fall written all over it, but can still be worn any time of year without making you think about fall.  The colors shift from leaf red to pumpkin orange to light green, turquoisey blue, sandy brown and dusty pink.  The yarn was clearly painted by hand (as the name suggests) and didn’t pool or do anything funny in the how-it-knits-up department.

Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted is so incredibly soft that it’s hard to believe this stuff is meant for socks.  I love ‘em (socks, that is), but they’re meant to go on feet.  So the yarn should be hardwearing, and you might take that to mean scratchy or hard.  And clearly Stroll Handpainted is hardwearing, but this is the first time I’ve ever associated hardwearing with soft. 

I’ve knitted with other brands of sock yarn and they were nowhere near this soft in my hand or on my feet—and they didn’t wear nearly as well.  It didn’t take much time at all for one of those other brands to wear a hole in the toe, but my Knit Picks socks are going strong after many wearings and washings—and I wear them constantly.  (I even found a few chilly nights to wear them in the summertime!  There’s at least one good thing about having a husband who likes to keep it cold in the house in the summertime.) 

The socks are holding up great, and of course I appreciate being able to put them in the washing machine.  They are 75 percent superwash merino wool and 25 percent nylon for strength and durability (you’d never know the nylon is in there).  I wash them inside out on the gentle cycle (or the regular cycle when I forget!) and then hang them to dry—and they still look pretty darn good.  The yarn band says you can dry them on low, which I have done with success, too.

Please check out the yarn and colorway on Knit Picks’ site… and read on to find out how to enter to win a hank of your own!

How to Enter

I’m giving away one hank of Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted in colorway Playtime.  You have five chances to enter, the first one mandatory:

1. Mandatory: Follow Creating a Family Home via Google Friend Connect and leave a comment saying you follow.

For additional entries:

2. Like Creating a Family Home on Facebook and leave a comment saying you do.  (If you already like Creating a Family Home on Facebook, leave a comment saying so.)

         

3. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment saying you do.  (Ditto.)

4. Post about this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (or both) and leave one comment each.

That’s five possible entries per person!  Entries will stay open until 8 p.m. on Monday, October 10.  I’ll use a random number generator to select the lucky winner and will announce the winner the following day.  Please make sure I have a way of contacting you. 

Good luck, and thanks for following!

There's sitll one more giveaway tomorrow, so.... see you then!

And the Giveaway Winner is...

You might be wondering who is the lucky winner of 500 pieces of half-size custom-printed letterhead.  Well.... the randomly chosen winner is cute little thing!  Congratulations!!!  Please e-mail me and I'll get you set up with UPrinting.com.

Thanks to all who entered!

Summer Giveaway is Still Open!

For the followers who just joined this week -- and for those who may have missed it -- here's a reminder that my summer giveaway is still open!  You have until 8 p.m. on Monday, August 1 to enter.

You get one entry each for following me via Google Friend Connect, liking the Creating a Family Home Facebook page and following me on Twitter.  You can also earn another three entries by tweeting about the giveaway, mentioning it in your Facebook status and mentioning it on your blog. For more details and to enter, go here.

What's the giveaway, you ask?  Good question!  You're entering to win five awesome handmade notecards made by me, of course!  Check 'em out:

Three of them are customizable -- just trim a picture to fit and mount it!

Here's another view...

Good luck!  I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, so stay tuned!

Awesome Summer Giveaway: Handmade Note Cards!!!

My resourceful photo scrap note cards—and some brightly colored scrapbooking paper my mom just gave me—inspired me to do a fun giveaway…awesome handmade note cards!  If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you knew this giveaway was coming…and you knew it would be awesome because I told you so.

Here's the sneak peek I gave you earlier in the day:

See these great colors?  How could I not be inspired?!  I know that muted tones have their place, but I can’t help being transfixed by vivid, saturated colors.

So, here’s the giveaway—a set of five handmade note cards made of the brightly colored paper and some interesting paper and photo scraps I've been saving up.  They come with five white envelopes. 

Aren't they beauties?

They measure about 5 1/8" by 3 3/4" and are blank inside so you can write your own message.  And get this—some of them are customizable!  I’ve left a space on three of the cards so you can mount your own meaningful photograph (or photo scraps!).  Ingenious, right?!  Didn't I say this was going to be awesome?

There are six ways to enter, all of them easy.  Here’s what you do:

1. Follow me through Google Friend Connect and leave a comment that you follow.  (If you already follow me, just leave a comment saying so.)
    
2. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter and leave one comment for each.  (Ditto if you already follow on Facebook and Twitter.)
         
3. Post about this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, your own blog or all three—and leave one comment for each. 

That’s six possible entries per person!  Entries will stay open until 8 p.m. on Monday, August 1.  I’ll use a random number generator to select the lucky winner and will announce his or her identity on Tuesday, August 2.  Don't forget to check back to see if you're the lucky gal (or fella)—or just make sure I have a way of contacting you.

Good luck, and thanks for following!