Leap Day Giveaway

I have been planning a giveaway for a while now. I have this really cute little purple bunny I made and some Easter sweets to give away.

So I am entering a Leap Day Giveaway at Such a Sew and Sew:

My giveaway will start at 12:01 am on February 29th (EST) and go until 11:59 pm (EST) to allow for different time zones to enter. Hopefully I'm not just flattering myself thinking people from other time zones will want to enter. :p
So join! Hop on over to her wonderful blog and join this pary.

Here are the rules for the linky:
• Choose something to give away on Leap Day. Keep it simple. You can make something, give away a bit of your stash, offer a service, buy your favorite gadget to give away or offer something completely non-crafty. Your blog, you choose.
• To participate in the blog hop, your giveaway must start and end on Leap Day {February 29, 2012}. You can open it at 10:00 am and close it at 10:00 pm, or go midnight to midnight, or anything in between. Your blog, your rules.
• Post your giveaway and then link up at such a sew and sew. Please include the Leap Day Giveaway button {code found on her website} somewhere in your post. The linky will open at noon MST on February 28th and close at 10:00 am MST on March 1st, to allow for people in different time zones to participate.
• If you want to include the linky on your giveaway post so that others can link up from your blog the code is available below. If you choose to add the linky to your post, you MUST include the above rules so that it is fair play for all.

40 Days

Just today, and for the next forty days*, I gave up buying anything that isn't absolutely necessary. Which is about the hardest sacrifice I can make, including giving up chocolate and TV. I love shopping. No, I am addicted to shopping.
And wouldn't you know it, as I'm trolling Etsy for Pinterest fodder, I come across this:

(From Hingmade)
I know I am a grown woman who has absolutely no use for a mobile, but I love owls. I adore them. And I want that mobile! It may be a good thing I have given up spending, because otherwise it would already be on its way to me.
I am, however, deciding that these little guys are necessary, as my daughter does need an Easter present:

(Also from Hingmade)
Well, on a not so whiny note, I am going to be doing a giveaway soon. A handknit bunny with an apron, as well as some Easter / spring sweets. I have no pictures right now, but believe me, it's a cute giveaway!

*It's actually 46 days, but Sundays don't officially count. (But they do for me.)

Long Time...

Hi everyone! Long time, no post.
One of the better hotels on the island ordered a massive amount of stuffies from me for their gift shop (yay!) so I have been super busy with getting those done. Not even 25% yet. Plus my daugther's father is out of of the country for the winter, so no mini vacations (read - six hours on Sundays) for me. So, busy busy.
Plus, I was really smart and decided I needed to put the computer away for awhile, so dismantled it went into the basment. Without thinking of my Etsy shop or the fact that I need to check my e-mail most every day. Thank God for the Kindle Fire!
Now, I know it's Saturday, but I haven't done Favorite Thing Friday in so long, and I am itching to.
Today, (and it's been for a while) my favorite thing is the fact that my small island is so artist / artisan / maker of things by hand friendly. We have at least one artisan fair / farmer's market a week for half the year, we have church and school fairs all year round. And do most resort hotels really purchase hand knit stuffies for their gift shops? They might...I have just not witinessed it.
I just can not wait for them to open for the year. I am going to take so many pictures! And when I get a website going again (I had nataliesknits.com, but I was paying way to much to host it. So I think I am going to go for something like smilesarecontagious.com, so it's not so limiting, and use a host like DreamHost), I am so going to put a huge "NOW AVAILABLE AT THE WHITE ELEPANT GIFT SHOP!
Yay!

Angora Deliciousness

I have been dying for luxury yarn lately. Now, I love my merino and acrylic is great for every day projects. But I've been wanting to make something that could one day turn into an heirloom. Problem is, I can't afford $22 for 130 yards of yarn. So imagine the proverbial leaps for joy I did when I came across angora / superfine merino blend yarn - for $8! Who am I kidding, I was literally leaping. Not so much out of joy though, more to entertain the three year old who rules my life.

Two of the balls of yarn. (I am not sure if the actual term is spelled skein or skien, or if it even has a 'k' or a 'c' so I am going to avoid using it altogether, as I really don't feel like looking it up.) And of course, as soon as the box arrived, I had to start knitting.
And I got so many compliments on the stuffed elephant I made, that I decided to keep going with the theme:

I interrupted her coloring, look at that sassy face!

Hat, toy, and baby...who is really a toddler but refuses to be called such. So, I think angora is my Favorite thing right now.
Aaaand Holy Cow, I listed the pattern for that cap on Etsy an hour ago, and it already sold! Now I AM literally Leaping for Joy! (Notice the caps, that's how happy I am.)
Holy Cow times two! Within five minutes of updating this post, I sold a stuffed Zebra toy! I just about fell out of my chair.
Shameless plug - Like "Natalie's Knits" on Facebook to get 11% off your next order! Now through Christmas Eve.

Owl Washcloth Pattern

Owl Washcloth Pattern

(You can view the PDF here: Sorry the website is down, please e-mail me at sqquee@gmail.com for the pdf.) YARN: Knit Picks Dishie, less than one ball, any color. (Shown in #25404, Crème Brulee)
NEEDLES: US size 6 straight or circular
NOTIONS: Needle to weave in ends
GAUGE: Doesn't really matter
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cast on 50 stitches. Work chart, starting with five rows of garter border (K every row) and remembering to K5 at the beg and end of every row. BO. Weave in ends. (Remember, first row is the "right" side.)

Pattern © 2011 Natalie Gonzalez. Please purchase patterns available at my Etsy store if you wish to make these to sell. Do not reproduce and redistribute pattern.

Sock Monkey Hats!

Ps - anyone else confused by this new Blogger? PPS - I think I just figured out how to respond to comments.

Candy Cane Cookies

This has been reblogged: https://nantucket-knitter.com/2017/12/03/candy-candy-cookies/