Little Crochet Giveaway!

Edited to add on April 6, 2011: The giveaway contest is now closed. No further entries are being accepted. Thanks to everyone who entered.

Hi Knitters,

I have a wonderful new book to share with you today. But first I have a couple of announcements I have to quickly make:

Tomorrow, April 5th, I am having a Tweet Chat on my Twitter account from 1pm to 2pm Central. You can write in questions or just read along. It will be a question/answer type thing in a chatty sort of way. If you don't follow me on Twitter already click here for the link.

Second on the list, I just received notice that the Woolie Ewe is carrying complete kits to knit up Spud, Chloë, the barn and the fence from the Spud & Chloë at the Farm book and at a great discounted price! The shop is also hosting a knitalong for the book starting Apr. 11th.

Click here to see the knitalong information.

Click here to check out the Spud & Chloë kit offer from the Woolie Ewe!

Okay, with that business being taken care of, let's get down to some Little Crochet business. Linda Permann is the author of this exciting new baby to toddler crochet book. I have to say that I am genuinely impressed with the crochet projects being offered in Little Crochet. The booties on the cover are completely enticing enough but the book includes everything from blankets, pillows, toys, a bib, leg warmers, boys and girls garments, a sweet mobile, a bunting, a rug, and a few adorable embellishments for add-ons to store-bought or knit or crochet clothes.

Click here for more information on Little Crochet!

Click here for Linda's fantastic blog!

Click here to see all of the Little Crochet projects on Ravelry!

I am a big fan! Let me take you through a little bit of the book. I marked my favorite patterns to share and just know that I tend to favor little girls' garments but there are plenty of little boy options as well.
The book starts out with an in-depth informational section about crochet tools, yarn, pattern information, taking baby measurements (I adore that photo above, just look at those thighs!), gauge, skill levels, stitch abbreviations and how to read crochet charts. Little Crochet packs in a huge amount of information, including a very clear technique section at the back of the book. If you haven't crocheted before this book is a great resource for solid information AND excellent patterns. It's a winner.
Linda has a tasteful eye when it comes to her garment design. I can't get over some of her little girl garments. They are incredibly fresh and springy. Kind of just what I needed to see right now. The garments look light, not heavy like some crochet can look. Linda has an innovative touch that I think is crucial to making crochet new and modern and appealing. Linda also steals my heart with her embellishments. She makes everything so sweet.
The dress above is one of my favorites in the book. Isn't that the cutest little dress? The colors are perfection. Congratulations on this one, Linda. I would love to make this dress someday.
I think the little three button lace cardigan can't be beat. It's the perfect little throw on for any little girl in any sort of climate or season. Layering is the best for little kids because someone always seems to be hot or cold at any given moment. The cardigan fills a need for sure.
Linda offers several embellishments that could be applied to ready-made clothes or added onto other knit pieces or crochet pieces. There is also a rocket in addition to the flowers above that is super boyish and cute.
Adorable!!! Linda also has made very thoughtful yarn choices throughout the book. Everything works well and you can see the effort that went into the styling and photography. There are multiple, clear photos of each project including detail photos that are very helpful.
This one is fairytale-like in the best way. What little girl wouldn't love to wear this adorable cape and hood? What an awesome design. Linda shows her cleverness, expertise and genuine know-how on every page of the book. She takes the reader right along through the steps to create each project. I am not an advanced crocheter but I am convinced I really could create these projects with Linda's book by my side.

Of course, I have to share Linda's fantastic giraffe! It's just so good.

Be sure to check out Linda's book trailer for Little Crochet. She made this on her own and I can't imagine the amount of work that went into creating this video. It's super cute and sweet.

I would love to see more people crocheting out there, even if it's simply learning the basics. It's these little projects that lend themselves to crochet and learning how to crochet so perfectly. Linda is on a mission to get people crocheting and seeing how beautiful, fast and functional crochet can be. I agree completely.

I am the first stop on the Little Crochet blog tour. I am honored to help celebrate this beautiful new book! Thank you, Linda.

Here are the rest of the dates of the blog tour if you are interested:

Week 1
April 5 Susan B. Anderson
April 6 Carrie Lundell, This Mama Makes Stuff
April 7 Natalie Zee Drieu, Craft Zine
April 8 Diane Gilleland, CraftyPod
April 9 Joanna Johnson, Phoebe On the Road

Week 2
April 11 Stefanie Japel, + fun with Mary Beth Temple/ Getting Loopy (podcast)
April 12 Shannon Mullet-Bowlsby, Shibaguyz
April 13 Alice Merlino, FutureGirl
April 14 Brett Bara, Manhattan Craft Room, + an interview on the Knit Picks Podcast
April 15 Kristin Nicholas, Getting Stitched on the Farm

Week 3
April 18 Drew Emborsky, aka The Crochet Dude
April 19 Robyn Chachula, Crochet By Faye
April 20 Laurie Wheeler, Crochet Liberation Front
April 21 Guest Post on Whip Up
April 22 Vickie Howell
April 23 Cal Patch, Hodge Podge Farm

Week 4
April 25 Susan Beal, West Coast Crafty
April 26 Kristin Omdahl, Styled By Kristin
April 27 Floresita, Feeling Stitchy
April 28 Allegra Wermuth and Brandy Fortune, Petite Purls
April 29 Marlaina Bird will interview me on her Yarn Thing Podcast
April 30 Faina Goberstein, Faina’s Knitting Mode

Now onto the giveaway. If you would like to win a copy of Little Crochet please leave one comment on this blog post (please do not email me). Please leave your email or Ravelry id so I can easily get in touch if you win. This will be a short giveaway contest so enter quickly! I will pick a winner in a day or two.

Hope you are all well. We are still hoping for some real signs of spring in my neck of the woods. I hope you are getting a good dose of spring in your hometown.

best, susie