Hi, Knitters,
All of the photos today have been provided by Nancy Walker of Talking Clay.
I have a special surprise for you today. When I was in Seattle at Vogue Knitting Live, I had a lovely, young, bright knitter in one of my classes named Amanda. I noticed in class that Amanda is a very talented knitter, very quick. Later in the marketplace Amanda stopped by my book signing with her equally beautiful mother, Nancy. We chatted for a bit and I couldn't stop staring at the unique pin Nancy had gathering up her sweater. Let me see if I can describe how this looked.
Nancy had on a brown, handknit boxy-style sweater, drapey stockinette and simple. She had artistically gathered up a bit of the excess fabric in the front and had run a shawl pin through the gathers to hold it in place. I just loved the look of it. I asked her about the pin she had used and she took out and unrolled a fabric holder that contained a bunch of these pins. She explained that she is a potter and that she was starting up an Etsy shop to sell her shawl pins.
When I saw that fabric unroll to expose her exquisite pins my heart kind of stopped. These pins are charming, elegant, sweetly humorous, simple and stunning all at the same time. I love the white clay with the copper rippling wire. The combination is simple perfection. I asked right away if I could purchase one of the pins she had with her. When she said yes I was thrilled. The Rooster Pin I bought was the only thing I came home with from VK Live in Seattle. Nothing could really top it. I asked Nancy if she would stay in touch with me to let me know when her Etsy shop opened up and if I could feature her artistic pins on my blog. Now that is happening!
By the way, I wasn't alone when I fell in love with the now named Talking Clay pins. None other than Trisha Malcolm of Vogue Knitting Live and the Vogue Knitting magazine empire loves the pins just as much as I do. Talking Clay shawl pins are being featured in the issue of Vogue Knitting magazine being released September 2nd! If you want one of these pins I would get one now before the rush comes on in September!
Click here for the Talking Clay Etsy Shop! Attention shop owners: Nancy does wholesale orders!!!
The front side (seen in the first photo) of the Talking Clay pin is more of a picture of something like a sheep, rooster, angel, rabbit, stork or fox (currently in the shop). The backside of the pin, shown above, is the knit side of stockinette stitch. I love it.
The design of the pin makes it versatile. It can be worn decoratively or to hold a shawl or sweater in place. Above in the photo is the lovely Amanda, Nancy's talented daughter.
Here you can see the front and back and the rippling wire coming out of the bottom. The pins kind of look like floating balloons with the strings trailing behind.
Here's one of the best parts. The pins have a message imprinted on the side. These say, "K2P2" and Knit Me. Other messages include, Be Patient, Rise and Shine, Be Ready, Be Clever, Take Care...... and so on. I enjoy a little surprise like this on the side. It is an added detail to make the pin even more special.
Today I get to offer you the opportunity to win one of the new sheep Talking Clay pins! Isn't it cute?
This pin you could win says, "Knit Me" on the side and has the knitting on the back! Please leave a comment on this blog post to enter to win. Leave only one comment please and be patient (as the pin recommends) for your comment to show up on the blog. I have to approve all comments to prevent spam and that takes some time if I am not at my computer. Also, it is a must to leave either your Ravelry id or an email address so I can get in touch with you if you win.
Good luck if you enter and I know you will love these pins. If you can't wait to get one, jump over now and snap one up for yourself. I have the rooster pin and Nancy is generously sending me one of her beautiful house-shaped pins as a gift. I can't wait! Click here to see all of Nancy's pin designs which include owls and houses in addition to the rounded pins featured on this post.
Good luck and let the comments begin!
best, susie
