October Winner!

This is a guest post, announcing our giveaway winner! A big thanks again to Ellelittleblog, aka Letitia, for a fabulous post and opportunity to win her giveaway... I'm jealous, winner!

I counted 46 unique entries including Sharon’s extra shares (not sure if those are usually counted for YarnExploder’s giveaways, but I did anyway) and the winner is. . .

 Anonymous Belinda aka beedragon.  I see her on Ravelry, so I will let her know she won!  And I find our comments quite curious:

Beedragon:  “Perhaps winning would be a curse more than a gift ;)”

Ellelittleblog:  “I hope you win anyway!”

Thanks for all your comments everyone.  I enjoyed looking at your projects.

Poor October

Sad little October, you've gotten away from me. The thing is, there's nothing going on over here to report! As you know, I'm gearing up for a new arrival in April, which means I've been sleeping a TON lately. Between that and my day job, I haven't accomplished much in the way of knitting.

It's Halloween time, though! A cute article on Craftsy shows some Halloween-y knit options, which is leading me to ask: Have you ever knitted a Halloween costume? The closest I've come is my viking hat:

I'm working on another newborn hat using the leftovers from Meridien, as a gift for a friend who just had a baby girl- congrats, Kate! I'll post it when it's done.

And I'm excited that we're coming to the close of October's giveaway, a lovely project kit from ellelittleblog! Winner's coming up soon!

Go check it out while there's still time!
- YX

June Giveaway winner

Holy cow, it's July 9th and I need to draw a winner for the giveaway for June!

The winner is...

Congrats, SSailorss! I'll be contacting you for delivery info.

In other news... Just wait until you see what I've finished for you tomorrow...
- YX

June Giveaway

It's June! This month, my sponsor is still Daydee's Doodads. For those who loved her bags, you may want to follow her on Twitter! She was doing a 20% off deal on her store because this month marks a very special time for her.

Remember how I told you she has Cystic Fibrosis? Well, this month marks the anniversary of her successful double lung transplant! How awesome is that?! I love science!

Anyway, this month I'm giving away a skein of DK falkland merino wool from Plum Street fiber arts. It's gorgeously purple and green. It would make a really pretty hat or cowl:

I love the depth of color in this skein. So balanced!

To enter, do one of the following:

Follow Daydee on Twitter

Like her on Facebook 

Or fave her Etsy store, if you're so inclined!

Good luck and have a great June!

May Giveaway winner!

It's that time! Daydee's lovely project bag goes to....

Congrats, Wahoomerryf! What luck that your favorite was the one I'm giving away! I hope you enjoy the bag!

Daydee will continue to be our sponsor for the month of July, and I'll be giving away some lovely yarn this month. Make sure to keep up with Daydee's Doodads on Etsy! Did you know she raised $100 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in May? Her goal was $50, so what a great accomplishment to surpass the goal! 

If any of you have bought or use Daydee's awesome project bags, send me a picture in action and I'll feature it here on the blog! And tune in tomorrow for my next knitty giveaway!

- YX

Italia!

Where in the world have I been? I realized that I haven't updated since the 22nd, right before my parents came into town, my semester grades were due, and I had a whole trip to Italy to prepare for!

I feel like the past month has been a blur... I'm surprised I even ended up with the right amount of clothes in my bag, and I haven't been on Ravelry in ages. I DID stop by my LYS to pick up three skeins of Madelinetosh sock in Antique Lace for a pullover (?), but alas, no photos.

I also don't have photos or an ad up for my May giveaway, which really stinks because it's awesome!

I can at least tease you with a link to the shop... :)

This sponsor is VERY near and dear to my heart, as she's a good Ravelry friend and a personal hero of mine- a lung transplant recipient and Cystic Fibrosis butt kicker, Daydee (Talana) does incredible-quality work on her project bags. I was quite blown away when I opened her package in April. I have a gorgeous project bag to give away, and I'm so tempted to ferret it away for ME ME ME!

Luckily for my grabby hands (and wallet), Daydee's Doodads is offering up the goods for everyone. Check out this announcement from her store page:

"May is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month. CF is a fatal genetic illness that affects the lungs and digestive system, and I am one of thousands of Americans that live with CF. I am offering no specials this month, but instead will be donating 20% of gross sales to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for all sales made in the month of May. I am alive today because of research that has been funded by the CFF.

Also, the item of the month is the rose fabric bags seen below. I'm donating an even greater piece of sales from these to the CFF.

To learn more about CF, please visit http://www.cff.org"

I'll get pictures and an ad AND a contest entry post up as soon as I return from my Italy trip. In the meantime, why not peruse her project bags now? They're one-of-a-kind and have fabrics that will tickle many fancies!

-YX

March winner!

It's winner time! We had 52 entries...

And the last one was picked! I know the odds for picking number 52 are the same as picking any other number, but it just seems so weird! Congrats to Patmom!

I'll be back tomorrow with another giveaway!
- YX

March Giveaway!

Oooh, this is like, a new record of lateness for me. I had a great yarn dyer lined up for March's giveaway, but trunk shows have totally depleted her awesome stash! This is a good thing for her, but for us it means waiting!

Luckily, I have Lace Knitting To Go for you this month!

It's a deck of 25 lovely lace patterns on convenient little cards. Easy to take with you on the plane of in a  project bag, the patterns are less project and more stitch dictionary. I adore sources like this for my knitting. It makes pattern design and improvisation so easy!

If you check the book's Ravelry page above, you'll see some of the designs Andrea Tung has created for this set!

To win this deck for March, all you need to do to enter is comment on this post with something you'd like to see me talk about on this blog! Don't forget to include an email or Ravelry username so I can let you know when you've won!

Also, I have Google ads up on my blog each month... They're usually at the bottom of the sidebar. Just a friendly reminder to check them out if you see something you're interested in! My ad revenue goes directly to giveaways.

Happy March! WIP post coming later in the week! :)
- YX

February Giveaway

Hey there, yarn fans! In honor of February, our shortest month, I'm giving away some travel-sized products from Aquae Sulis, a knit-related soap shop!

Included in the giveaway are a knitter's balm, which has a really nice lavender scent, and some wool wash:

The set is perfectly sized for your knit bag! In addition, I've included two 50g skeins of Malabrigo Lace in Apple Green and Pearl Ten- they're adorably little and would make a great pair of striped fingerless mitts or a hat:

In order to win this month, go to the Aquae Sulis website and look around, then come back here and post your favorite product! Don't forget to leave your contact info so I can message you when you win!

Happy February! I'll draw a winner at the end of the month!

- YX

An unexpected surprise! January Giveaway

Something exciting happened! Remember when I gave away some awesome Yellow Hobbit yarn over the summer? Well, she's back with another giveaway for January! I was going to take off for the month, but her stuff is too awesome to pass up!

This month, the prize is a winner's choice! I love giving you guys choices! The first option is a skein of yarn made to order (2-ply or 3-ply superwash) in one of these awesome colorways:

Or you could choose a sampling of mini-skeins in a variety of colorways! Woah! If it were me, I'd totally go for the minis. A scrap sweater is in my future, but a cool pair of stripey boot socks would be amazing, too. So many options!

To enter, just join the Yellow Hobbit Ravelry group! Come back here and let me know you joined, along with a way of contacting you in the event you win (email or Rav usernames work well). This is a great opportunity to keep up with Yellow Hobbit's new products and colorways, too. I have a whole tab on my forums page dedicated to dyer and designer pages, just to keep up with the news. I mean, look at this gorgeous skein she just did as a custom order:

Beautiful! So remember: 1) Join Ravelry group. 2) Come back here and comment to tell me you entered and how to contact you if you win! Good luck and I hope you're as excited as I am! I'll pick a winner at the end of the month!

- YX

Edit: some people are having issues commenting. If you can't comment, you can tweet or email me (yarnexploder at gmail) to make the entry comment for you.

December winner and happy 2013!

Hey everyone! I was getting entries until late in the evening, so I'm picking my winner today!

The random number generator says #4 is my winner... Though I accidentally closed the window instead of copying the image! You'll have to just trust me on this one. Our winner is... sch4gators! Congrats! The shop will be getting in touch with you to get your certificate on the way.

For everyone else, I'd like to wish you a super happy 2013! I want to take a month off of giveaways for January, but they'll be back!

I've been working on a new sweater project. There's not much to show currently:

It's the beginnings of Obsidian. Remember when I wrote about it earlier? I realized this Wollmeise lace in "Die Auster" was the perfect match for it. I love this colorway, even though the greens and yellows don't particularly lend themselves to skin tone. This is the same colorway (but different base) from my Autumn hat, which I think I completed pre-blog.

This is a bulky hat knit out of 5 strands of Wollmeise held together simultaneously. It was actually pretty close to gauge! At the time, I even took a picture of my 5 adorable mini-cakes (cupcakes?) because they were so cute:

Anyway, on the sweater, I'm past the raglan increase and in the midst of some decreases for the waist right now. Soon, I'll be moving onward to hip increases! The pattern is done in garter stitch using a wrap-and-turn technique that makes it possible to do the whole thing in knit stitches... Excellent tv knitting. I'll have to take some more photos as I move along!

Happy new year to you all, and I hope you have a great 2013! Any knit-related resolutions out there? Mine is always to use more of my stash...
...

...

Heh.

- YX

December Giveaway!

This month, I have a great giveaway! The lovely folks at Snarky Llama Creations are giving away a $12 store gift card to get anything you'd like in the store!

They do adorable stitch markers and jewelry:

What a great way to beat the post-holiday slump!

To enter this month, check out the Snarky Llama Etsy store and shop around... Come back here and tell me which item you like best, and why! I'll pick a winner at the end of the month! Good luck!

- YX

November Giveaway winner!

Time to pick some winners!

The random number generator says #9 and #12!

I'll be contacting you to get you the patterns! Congrats and keep trying to win!

Edit: Wendy! Hopefully you see this... Can you email me (or Rav PM me) your username so I can send your pattern over? Thanks!

(December's post is coming up soon!)
- YX

November Giveaway!

Woah! Yesterday flew by, and today almost got away from me, too!

So this month, (in honor of a little event we have in the United States called Election Day), I'm giving you all A CHOICE!

I'll be gifting TWO of my readers their favorite patterns at the end of the month! The patterns can be sweaters, socks, shawls, anything- as long as it's $10 or less, it's yours!

To enter the giveaway, leave a link to your favorite pattern's Ravelry page, and tell me why you love it. Don't forget to let me know how to contact you!

Giveaways like this are possible thanks to ad revenue I get from Google ads I put on my blog. If you happen to see an interesting ad, please take the time to go check it out! You'll find cool stuff, and I'll be able to continue brining you lovely giveaways!

Good luck!
- YX

October Winner!

TONS of entries this month! Heck yes! I wish I could send you all some of this gorgeous yarn...

BUT THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE. And that one happens to be:

ekatearcher! You guys actually might recognize her as the designer of this lovely sweater:

So congrats to her, and thank you all so much for entering to win! I'll be back tomorrow with another giveaway for you!
- YX

October Giveaway!

It is timeeeeee for a giveaway! Whooo!

What is it? It is this:

A skein of from superwash/nylon sock yarn from Pampered Pachyderm! I love this colorway- "Rain or shine"

It reminds me of rainy days and speckled coffee mugs and creeks in the fall. Gorgeous. I want to put it in my mouth hole and bite it.

To enter this month, check out Pampered Pachyderm's Etsy store and comment here with your favorite item. BONUS AWESOMENESS: For the month of October, Yarnexploder.com readers get 20% off from the Pampered Pachyderm Etsy store by using the code YEBLOG20 when you check out! It makes all of us a winner! Because, you know, sale yarn isn't stash yarn. It's magical extra!

Good luck for the month!
- YX

September giveaway!

This month, I have a bright giveaway for you:

It's a skein of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino DK in the colorway Pop Rocks. It's insanely bright!

Madelinetosh merino dk is what I made my Raphaelite with:

I love this stuff for the subtle heathering, dimensional dyeing technique, and the one-of-a-kind color. This stuff looks amazing paired with a dark gray. If you haven't tried madelinetosh yarn before, here's a great opportunity!

How to win:
Post a link to the giveaway (or another YX.com entry you love) on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media website. And of course, come back and tell me what you shared, where you shared it, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you win!

Good luck, and happy September!
- YX

August giveaway

Hello, giveaway fans!

For the month of August, I'm doing something a little different-- I'm using traditional ads on my blog, although right now it's just a white box! It should populate in a few days.

I'll still be offering a giveaway, though! So this month, it's the Knitting To Go deck!

This is a deck of 25 cards that each feature a cute knitting pattern, from booties and toys all the way up to full-scale adult sweaters. The patterns are in the beginner to intermediate level of difficulty, and come in a cute little box that could easily fit in a knitting bag.

Here are some examples of patterns inside:

For more, check out the full list here.

To enter, just leave a comment with contact info and your favorite pattern from the deck! I'm not asking you to click the ads or anything- unless you're actually interested in the featured product. I'll pick a winner on the last day of August!

Good luck!
- YX

July Giveaway!

Well, hello there. It's my understanding that you may enjoy some yarn. Indeed, some free yarn.

How about this month's giveaway?

It's two GORGEOUS little rolls of Play At Life Fiber Arts Revelous Sockie maki in "dogwood"!

60% Merino, 30% Bamboo rayon, 10% nylon: this stuff feels ridiculous to touch. Soft and beautiful. I love the variations in the green, too. Two separated cakes means easy sock knitting, too. Since this yarn is a slow gradient, having matched cakes makes it easier to match items, whether it's halves of a shawl, individual socks, or gloves/mittens.

It's beautiful and I'm seriously jealous of the winner! Luckily for the rest of us, Play At Life is also offering 15% off all orders in the online store, with the code "YARNSPLODER"! So don't worry if you don't win something!

To enter this month, visit the Play At Life Fiber Arts online store, and come back here to comment with your favorite!

Good luck!
- YX

June Giveaway Winner!

Happy Saturday! I have two projects blocking right now that I can't wait to show you on Monday...

Our winner for the month of June is... Number 57!

Congrats, ahookernamedbeth, I'll get in contact with you to send this beautiful Yellow Hobbit yarn!

Thank you so very much to everyone who read/followed along for the month of June! I'm super excited for July's giveaway, too, so check back tomorrow to enter again!

- YX