Polarized the Pink (Contest)

As promised some time ago, pics of the Polarized Hat I made for a class sample.

Polarized Hat in Pink

Pattern: Polarized Hat by Tanis Gray

Yarn: Berroco Vintage
Content: 50% Acrylic/40% Wool/10% Nylon, Worsted Weight
Color: Sakura, Fondant

Needles: Size 9

Cast on: March 27, 2015
Completed: May 6, 2015

Can you see the mistake?

I made a big mistake when I knitted this hat. It can be seen clearly in the above photos. If  you think you know what it is, put it in the comments. I will put all the correct guesses with accompanying names in a hat and draw one. The name drawn gets a little something nice from me. It will be a surprise as to what it is. So, a little contest, if you will. One guess per person. No anonymous comments will be accepted. So if you don't have a Blogger screen name, please put your name in the comment.

Comments will be open for guesses until June 20th, 5pm PDT. After I announce the winner, they will have 2 days to email their snail mail address to me. If I don't hear from them, I will draw again.

Have fun.

Live long and prosper. \\//

The Winner!

Oh my goodness! I was busy and completely forgot about posting the winner of my contest. I am SO sorry. I will do so now.

We had 7 entries. I used a random number generator, and it came up with 7. So the winner is

Kate/Massachusetts

Congratulations! Please email your snail mail address in the next 3 days to me via thebeadknitter AT yahoo.com.

Thank you to all who entered.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Blogiversary Time!

On March 1, 2007 I started this blog. It's been 8 years. In celebration, I'm having a giveaway contest.

Here is the prize:

This is 2 skeins of Ella Rae Lace Merino Worsted yarn in the Orchid colorway and a small jar of genuine Idaho Wild Huckleberry Jam.

Here are the Rules:

To enter, leave a comment in this post telling me why you read my blog.

ONE comment per person. No anonymous comments will be accepted. So if you don't have a Blogger screen name, please put your name in the comment.

Contest entries will be accepted from now until 5pm pacific time Saturday, March 7th.

I will assign a number to each comment in the order they are posted and then use a random number generator to pick the winner.

I'll announce the winner on Sunday, March 8th. That person will then need to email me their mailing address within 3 days so I can send them their prize. If I don't hear from them, I will draw another winner.


Here's to at least 8 more years of blogging!

Let the commenting begin!


Live long and prosper. \\//

We Have a Winner

Thank you all who entered my little contest. Reading your comments was a good ego booster. Just what I needed this week. When I started this blog I never thought anyone would read it let alone read it regularly. I greatly appreciate it. I've been thinking about making some changes over the next year. I have some ideas for tutorials that I'd like to present. And, of course, I will continue with the moose stories as they occur.


We have 11 entries. The Random Number Generator chose the number:

--->    6    <---

Congratulations to  Jordyn Dunaway!

Jordyn,
Please email your snail mail address to :

If I don't hear from you before Thursday, I will pick another winner.

Live long and prosper. \\//

click on picture to embiggen

Blogiversary Contest 2013

I have been so unbelievably busy since coming home from our vacation! I didn't get to spend a single day at home this last week, and next week is going to be the same. I have finally got my contest goodies together now. So, in celebration of the beginning of my 7th year writing this blog, I am having a giveaway contest.

I have three items in this years contest package. First we have 1 skein of Sweet Georgia  Yarns Tough Love Sock in the Tourmaline colorway.

Next we have an 8oz. jar of genuine Idaho Wild Huckleberry Jam.

Finally, we have a set of 6 beaded stitch markers made by yours truly-me. I made these with Onyx, Dalmatian Jasper, and Swarovski crystals.

The rules:

Contest entries will be accepted from now until 5pm pacific time Saturday, March 16th. To enter, leave a comment in this post telling me why you read my blog. ONE comment per person. No anonymous comments will be accepted. So if you don't have a Blogger screen name, please put your name in the comment.

I will assign a number to each comment in the order they are posted and then use a random number generator to pick the winner.

I'll announce the winner on Sunday, March 17th. That person will then need to email me their mailing address  within 4 days so I can send them their prize. If I don't hear from them, I will draw another winner.

Let the commenting begin!

Live long and prosper. \\//

The Winner Is...

Congratulations go to:

Terri

You have won the Blogiversary contest drawing. Please email me by May 12th at thebeadknitter@yahoo.com with your mailing address so I can ship your prizes to you.

Thank you to everyone who entered.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Belated Blogiversary Contest

This morning, according to my ticker to the right (before I deleted it and got a new one) today is supposed to be my blogiversary. I decided I wanted to read my very first post (which is unimpressive). Guess what? The ticker was wrong. My blogiversary is March 1st, not May. Obviously, I must have inadvertently got my M months mixed up or something when I was making the ticker last year. I'm very disappointed that I missed it 2 months ago.

Not to be defeated, and because it's MY blog and I can do what I want, I'm going to celebrate it today. Better late than never, that's what I say!

My blog is 5 years old!

That is a milestone. So, as usual, I'm having a Blogiversary Contest!

The Prize

plus a set of beaded stitch markers.

First we have an 8oz jar of genuine Idaho Wild Huckleberry Jelly.

The ingredients of this jelly are Huckleberries, Sugar, Lemon Juice, and Pectin. Yummy yummy stuff. It will make your mouth dance a jig.

Second is 2 skeins of Shi Bui Sock.

These skeins come from my personal stash. They are 191 yards each of luscious 100% washable Merino wool. The dye lots are the same.

Third is a book of my favorite word puzzles from Dell.

I love fill ins. When I was a kid they were called skeleton puzzles. I don't know why they changed the name. They are just as satisfying as crosswords, but not as hard. ;-) There are 100 puzzles in the book, with the answers in the back should you get stumped.

Fourth will be a set of 6 beaded stitch markers.

I haven't made them yet, so there's no pic. If I get them made before the drawing, I will post one. I'm thinking freshwater pearls for this set. I've got quite a few loose ones that need a purpose in life.

The RULES

Contest entries will be accepted from now until 5 pm pacific time Tuesday, May 8th.

To enter, leave a comment in this post. ONE comment per person. No anonymous comments will be accepted. So if you don't have a Google screen name, please put your name in the comment.

On Wednesday, May 9th the winner will be chosen by random selection.

I'll announce the winner on Wednesday  May  9th.

Within 3 days that person will need to email me their mailing address so I can send them their prize. If I don't hear from them, I will draw another winner. (This is important. I'm making you responsible for checking to see if you have won.)

Let the commenting begin!

Live long and prosper. \\//

The Winner!

Okay, I tossed everyones name in one of Sweet Hubbies hats.

Awesome Daughter is still in bed, so I got Sweet Hubby to draw the winning name.

Congratulations go to Marguerite!

(Yes, Marguerite. I cracked up laughing, after saying "Oh My God!", to which Sweet Hubby responded "Don't blame me!")

Email your address to me and I'll drop it in tomorrow's mail.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I frogged the Enterlac mitt and started it over. It was way too big for me. (Awesome Daughter was starting to refer to it as my Entrelac leg warmer.) I have calculated how to make it smaller and have cast on again using a size smaller needle. We'll see how it goes. Everyone around me is shocked that I frogged it. I don't quite understand that. If I'm not happy with something I'm knitting, I have to fix it. What is the big deal? Besides, I don't have nearly enough of that yarn to make leg warmers.

Just before I went to bed last night I found 2 itty bitty ants in the kitchen (which promptly got squished and flushed down the sink drain). There were none this morning. I am pleased.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Blogiversary Time!

Hey!

Today is my Blogiversary!

It's been 4 years that I have inflicted my ramblings upon the world. To celebrate, I'm having a contest drawing. Here's the prize. Click on the pictures to embiggen.

 First on the list is this beaded bracelet I made. It's done in Ndebele stitch with glass seed beads and 4mm firepolish crystals. It features a beaded toggle clasp, and is about 7 inches long.

Second is this 8oz. jar of locally made genuine Idaho Wild Huckleberry Jam.

For those of you who want to know, the ingredients are Huckleberries, Sugar, Lemon Juice, and Pectin. Believe me when I tell you this: It's absolutely delicious!

Third, I have this nice ball of Zauberball Sock Yarn.

The colorway is #1564. You get 459 yards of fingering weight 75% Merino Wool/25% Nylon.

Now, the rules.

Contest entries will be accepted from now until 5 pm pacific time Monday, March 7th.

To enter, leave a comment in this post. ONE comment per person. No anonymous comments will be accepted. So if you don't have a Blogger screen name, please put your name in the comment.

On Tuesday, March 8th, the winner will be chosen by random selection. I will have daughter Ruth draw the winner from a hat.

I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, March 8th. Within 4 days that person will need to email me their mailing address so I can send them their prize. If I don't hear from them, I will draw another winner. (This is important. I'm making you responsible for checking to see if you have won.)

Let the commenting begin!

Live long and prosper. \\//

One of My Favorite Blogs

Pencio is having a contest.

She also has awesome bead eye candy.

Have a great day.

The Winner - Contest Fall 09

Ajay!

Congratulations Ajay! You have 4 days to contact me by email with your snail mail address so I can send your prize to you. Please email me at:

thebeadknitterATyahooDOTcom

If I don't hear from Ajay, I will draw another winner.




Wow! I had a lot of entries in this contest. Thanks to all who participated. I enjoyed your comments immensely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got some more beading done.

The one on the left is made using 8mm round Yellow Turquoise. It's interesting how many different colors the beads on the strand I bought are. The blue bead is made with glass. I absolutely love the Yellow Turquoise one. Fortunately, I have enough beads to make a couple more of those.

These are my new drapes for the sun room sliding glass door.


I love them. They just make the room look so comfy. I'm glad to get rid of the old blue and pink ones. I've hated them since the day we moved in this house. I don't know why I kept them as long as I did.

This is a pic of my sweet hubby. I took it yesterday. He's so cute!

Have a great day.

Baby Bootees, Beaded Beads, and Spock

I think I'll start every blog post this month with Spock. LOL!


Wow! I've had a lot of comments for the contest. More than ever before. I announced it on Ravelry and poof! I've always announced my contests on Ravelry before, but never got much of a response. Thank you for the interest!

The first pair of baby bootees for Knitwits is done.

Baby Booties for Knitwits

Pattern: Free Seamless Baby Bootees by Megan Mills

Yarn: Opal Petticoat color #1296
Content: 75% superwash Wool/ 25% Nylon

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular size 2.

Size: 0-3 months

Cast on: September 30, 2009

Bound off: October 3, 2009

Comments: This is a fun pattern. Well written, easy to understand. By the way, this is the third project I've made with this skein of yarn. It's all gone now.

There's a reason why I chose it. I own 50 Baby Bootees To Knit by Zoe Mellor. I was going to choose some of these patterns to make for Knitwits call for bootees. However, the patterns are knitted flat, then seamed. I want to do them circular so there's no seam. Rather than tax my brain figuring out how to adjust the patterns, I went in search of a pattern someone else came up with doing the brain work for me. It was an easy search in Ravelry's pattern library. Now I will apply what I learned from this project to the patterns in the book.

Here are easy instructions for grafting the sole stitches as they end up when the knitting is finished. I got this info from Rav member Hellahelen's notes (she knit these bootees too):

Insert yarn as if to purl in first stitch of front needle, drop it of the needle, insert yarn as if to knit in next stitch on front needle, leave it on the needle; insert yarn as if to purl on first stitch on back needle, drop it off the needle, insert yarn as if to knit in next stitch on back needle, leave it on the needle, repeat from.

I have also finished a couple beaded beads for my key chains/yarn swap.


I went shopping last week for key rings to put them on. I checked the local bead shops first-they had none. I ended up at Michaels. They had lots. I was going to get the traditional split ring type, but then I saw these and changed my mind. They are similar to the Tiffany key rings (made by the famous jewelers) but not made of solid silver. Mine are silver plate. My beaded beads deserve something better than a plain ol' split ring.

Now, this next bit of news is gonna sound horrible to some people, but it needs to be done. As much as I enjoy the moose we have around here, the simple fact is that there's way too many of them. They are seriously overpopulated. Typically, a moose needs at least 5 square miles of space to live properly. We've got way more than that in our area. Since the Fish and Game Dept. has refused to come out and move any of them, there is only one other solution to the problem. So, I found a couple guys who have won moose tags for this area for this years hunting season. Yesterday we 'hired' them to hunt on our property (in exchange for a roast and a few steaks). They both have cow tags. They promised to leave Big Mama alone since she has babies. The other cows are fair game.

We did not get the floor finished. Saturday was our annual Parktoberfest. This year it was extra fun, so we got home rather late. 3am is a bit more than our bodies seem to be able to handle, so we both opted to spend Sunday recovering from the party instead of laying floor.

Tomorrow is Morgan's follow-up appointment with the eye specialist to see if the meds I've been putting in his eyes every day is doing any good. I don't think it is. He's still bumping into things.

Have a good day.

Contest Fall '09

I had to start the day with Spock. I'm in a Star Trek kind of mood.

Well, today is Parktoberfest. Unfortunately, it's cold and rainy. That sucks for an outdoor party. However, it has been cold and rainy at most Parktoberfests. You'd think I'd get used to it.

In celebration of the new floor and drapes in my house, I am having a contest. Here is the prize.


It's heavy on the chocolate. We have Idaho Elk Droppings (chocolate covered peanuts), a Chocolate Moose Bar, and a locally made Wild Huckleberry Chocolate bar, along with a skein of sock yarn from Araucania. This yarn is hand dyed in Chile, fingering weight, 3.5 oz./100 gr., 376 yards, 75% wool/25% Nylon. Note: this is not superwash wool.

The rules:

Contest entries will be accepted from now until 5pm pacific time Saturday, October 10th. To enter, leave a comment in this post. ONE comment per person. No anonymous comments will be accepted. So if you don't have a Blogger screen name, please put your name in the comment.

I will have Sweet Hubby draw the winning name from a hat.

Edit 10/10/2009: My goodness! I didn't expect this many entries. I will be using a random number generator to pick the winner.

I'll announce the winner on Sunday, October 11th. That person will then need to email me, within 4 days, their mailing address so I can send them their prize. If I don't hear from them, I will draw another winner.

Have a great day!

Contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered, and good luck!

Stash Enhancement

I was going to post a letter to all Canadians asking them to please take back the frigid freezing subzero colder then hell weather they sent this way, but I've changed my mind. Besides, I doubt they'd take it back no matter how much I beg. Sigh. I am taking comfort in the weather prediction for 50F degree weather next Tuesday. (Knock on wood.)

Last week I acquired some stash enhancement. Haven't blogged about it yet because I hadn't taken pics.

My daughter, Sarah, sent me a belated birthday gift via her father (they work at the same place). She gave me beads! I have raised her right.



I love the little kitties. They are so cute. I think I'll make a pair of earrings with them. The lampwork beads are actually dark green. Doesn't show all that well in the photo.

I have started working on a secret project (like I need another wip). I'm using Cascade 220 Superwash for it. I had to order a specific color from an online source because none of the local shops carried it and I didn't want to ask them to order it when all I need is one ball. I got it from Yarn Country but the shipping was gonna be kind of high for just one ball of yarn. You get free shipping if the order is over $75. Well, I mean, you gotta do what you gotta do, right? I added sock yarn to the order so I could get free shipping.


It's Berroco Sox Metallic. Yup! There's bling in it.

There's a thin metallic gold thread running throughout. It comes in 4 oz skeins with lots of yardage, but I went ahead and got two each of my desired colorways anyway. I'm sure I'll find a use for those extra skeins.

I have not heard from Mama May, the contest winner, yet. If I don't hear from her by tomorrow 10am I will draw another winner.

Have a great day!

Winner!

And the winner is...........drumrolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

MamaMay

Congratulations MamaMay. Please email your mailing address and what color you want your stitch markers to be, to thebeadknitter AT yahoo DOT com, or you can private message it to me on Ravelry. My ravatar is Beadknitter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What I did on my weekend. Helped Sweet Hubby with a couple projects. Then we went shopping for the ultimate cell phone-for me. Taa Daa!


My other cell phone was so old that Verizon has been calling me for several months asking me to please update my phone-even going so far as to offer me free ones if I'd just update. I waited until they had a phone I actually wanted. Didn't get this one free, but I did get a mighty good deal on it. It's PURPLE! Hurray!

I am amazed at what phones can do now. This phone not only does the whole phone call thing, but it also has a 1.3 meg camera, a video camera, plays music like an Ipod kinda gizmo, has an alarm clock, an organizer, bluetooth so I can hook up to the internet and stuff wireless, and all manner of strange and wonderful things. Course, all I will probably use it for is taking or making phone calls. It's nice to know I can do all that stuff if I want to though. And it's PURPLE!

Have a nice day.

Blogoversary II

In honor of the second anniversary of my blog, I am going to have a contest. Here is what the prize will contain.

One skein of Montana by Interlacement Yarns. I raided the personal stash for this.


This is hand dyed by Judy L. Ditmore in color 204/Summer Fruit. (Note: I do not know who Judy is. That's what it says on the label.) Shades of purple, orange, and pink, it's very bright. The picture does not give it justice. An 8 oz. skein containing 400 yards of 42% Mohair/25% Silk/25% Wool/8% Nylon. There's no gauge on the label, but I'd guess worsted weight or thereabouts. I'm not sure why I brought this home originally. Must have been the colors that got me. I have no intention of ever using it. So let someone else adopt it who will give it proper use.

By the way, it comes from a smoke free environment, in case that is a concern.

One 4 oz. jar of very famous North Idaho Wild Huckleberry Jam.


Very tasty, made here locally. Nuff said.

A set of six beaded stitch markers in the color of the winners choice. Thus, I have no pic of them because they haven't been made yet.

The Rulz:

Contest entries will be accepted from now until 5 pm pacific time Saturday, March 7th. To enter, leave a comment in this post. ONE comment per person. No anonymous comments will be accepted. So if you don't have a Blogger screen name, please put your name in the comment.

On Sunday, March 8th I will write down the names of everyone who has entered on little pieces of paper and have Sweet Hubby draw the winning name from a hat.

I'll announce the winner on Monday, March 9th. Within 4 days that person will need to email me their mailing address so I can send them their prize. If I don't hear from them, I will draw another winner.

Have a great day!

WOW! Entry February 2009

I have missed 2 months of WOW!. How did I do that? Anyway, we shall start with this for 2009.


It's a yarn distributed by S.R. Kertzer called On Your Toes. I saw green and purple in the same skein. My two favorite colors! It feels a lot like Opal, so I suspect it's probably made by the same mill.

I think it's true. Spring is coming early. I'm sure of it. This morning my bird buffet was visited by some fellows I haven't seen in months. The Red Crossbills are back. They're a full month earlier than last year. The Junco's and Flickers are back too. I am so excited! Though the Junco's and Flickers wouldn't stand still long enough to get a picture, I did get pics of some of the other diners.

Red Crossbill (male)

Downy Woodpecker (female)

Hairy Woodpecker (male)

Last night I finished the first of the many flowers I'm making for Sarah's bridal bouquet. My first carnation.


The stem is too thin, so I'm going to have to add some strength to it. But other than that, I think I've got it right. Sarah and Frank love it. So I know I'm on the right track any way.

Tomorrow will be the 2nd anniversary of this blog. I am going to have a contest just like I did last year. So tune in tomorrow for the contest info.

Have a great day.

The Winner Is

When Sweet Hubby got home from work last night, the first order of business was to draw a winner from his hat.

The winner is: Heide


Heide, please email your mailing address to me at dljpark AT verizon DOT net

Please replace the words AT and DOT with the proper keyboard symbols. If I don't hear from you by Friday morning, I will draw another winner.

Yesterday I made the set of beaded stitch markers I promised would be going with the sock yarn and jam. So Heide wins these too.


I used semi-precious stones for the main beads. From right to left (like knitters do it), they are Snowflake Obsidian, Crazy Lace Agate, Hematite, Botswana Agate (from Africa), Bone, and Tiger Eye.


Hmmm....sunshine this morning. I might see if I can take a walk on the Parkarosa today.

Have a good one.

Contest

Well, I took off this morning, headed to Coeur d'Alene, to check out the new yarn shop that was going to open, but Murphy's Law has hit. The shop could not open today. The computer decided to go wonky and mess everything up for the owner. So we will have to wait a little longer. At least I got to see my friend Judy. We chatted for a bit outside the store. I didn't realize how much I've missed seeing her until today. Hey Judy, we gotta get together for lunch or somethin'!

On the way into town it rained and my windshield wipers did a very poor job of wiping, so I ended up at Toyota, getting new blades. That's a good thing, to get that taken care of now.

Now, for some big news. I've decided to have a contest. Here is what will be won.


Two 50 gram skeins of Steinbach Wolle Strapaz Cotton Effekt sock yarn in the denim blues and browns colorway.


A sheep needle gauge.


A 4oz. jar of very famous North Idaho Wild Huckleberry Jam.


I will make a set of 6 beaded stitch markers too. Just haven't decided what beads and colors I want to use.


The rules:

Contest entries will be accepted from now until 5pm pacific time Monday, November 17th. To enter, leave a comment in this post. ONE comment per person. No anonymous comments will be accepted. So if you don't have a Blogger screen name, please put your name in the comment.

On Monday, November 17th I will write down the screen names of everyone who has entered on little pieces of paper and have Sweet Hubby draw the winning name from a hat.

I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, November 18th. That person will then need to email me, within 4 days, their mailing address so I can send them their prize. If I don't hear from them, I will draw another winner.

Have a great day!

The Next Contest Winner

I never did hear from lanne, so we've drawn another name from the hat. The new winner is:

Marguerite!

Congratulations! You have 4 days to contact me by email with your snail mail address so I can send your prize to you. Please email me at:

thebeadknitterATyahooDOTcom

If I don't hear from Marguerite, then I will eat the chocolate and the jam myself, knit the sock yarn into socks for me, give the stitch markers to a knitting friend, and forget about having contests.

*********************

Now, for the really really really really BIG NEWS!

I got a call from daughter Sarah yesterday morning. Frank asked her to MARRY HIM!!!!!! She said yes.

HURRAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(and the clouds parted, the sun shone, and a chorus of angels began to sing "ALLELUHIA...")

[Insert picture of me doing the happy dance here.]

Can you tell I'm happy? I adore Frank. He treats my daughter the way a mother wants a young man to treat her daughter-with respect, kindness, tenderness, love, and respect. Yes, I said respect twice, cos that's what is lacking most in men toward women in our society. It's what I noticed about Frank first time I met him. He's a wonderful young man and I am thrilled to have him join our family. He's just nutty enough that he'll fit right in too. My daughter picked a keeper.

Oh wow! We've got a wedding to plan.

Yesterday afternoon I took daughter Ruth to a Rock and Gem show in Spokane. She being a Geology major and all, and me in the market for new cabochons. On the way we stopped at The Red Robin and had Banzai Burgers. There is no other reason to go there than the Banzai Burger. It's the best burger in the universe! You really ought to try it.

At the show we learned new things about rocks, and spent way too much money. I got 3 new cabs, Ruth got a tiger carved from a piece of Tiger Eye, and a couple fossils. She's really interested in fossils right now. Maybe a budding archeologist? Hmm.

On the way home we stopped at Barnes and Noble (both being book addicts) and spent too much more money. We picked up a Bride magazine for Sarah (heh heh!) and various books. I'll talk more about them another day. We thoroughly enjoyed our outing together.

In knitting news, I have started a new toy. Not a Gnome. I know,
really unexpected. But yesterday I bought this new toy knits book called Knitted and Felted Toys by Zoe Halstead. It has the most adorable toy patterns. I couldn't wait 2 hours to cast on for the Mermaid. I've already got her tail done.

Well, that's all the news for now. Have a great day.