Happy Valentine's Day + a Mollie Makes Giveaway + more!

 

Edited to add: I want to send out a huge, enormous thank you for all of the pattern love for the Bunny Love, Bunny Love Modifications and for the Mini-Bunny Loves patterns. Oh my gosh, have these patterns ever been selling like crazy. I couldn't be more pleased to find out that you love knitting bunnies as much as I do. Hooray for knit bunnies and I wish you a sincere thank you for the support.

Hi, Knitters,
First from my house to yours, I want to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day. As a small token of appreciation for all of you faithful Susan B. Anderson blog readers, Sew Bendy Bags on Etsy is offering an exclusive sale to only you. Use the discount code 214LOVE at checkout.

Thank you to Melissa and Jenn for this discount that amounts to around $5.00 off or so on any purchase over the next week. That's a good deal for some of my favorite little project bags. You have heard me mention these bags more times than I could count and way before project bags were even popular. I use these sweet project bags more than any others. They are cute, simple, portable and well-made. I highly recommend them.

Click here for the Sew Bendy Etsy shop!  Please give the ladies my regards if you order!

Now onto a couple of fun crafty things around our house for the season. This year TC made this wonderful cupcake liner wreath, in the first photo, to hang in our front window. She saw this on display at the Wisconsin Craft Market and we immediately bought the supplies so she could make her own. We also picked up the pretty LOVE ribbon to hang it.

Click here for general instructions on how to make a cupcake liner wreath!

We have had the wreath hanging in the window but with the lighting this morning I took it down so you could see it better. TC really stuffed her wreath very full and I think it took a little over two packages of liners to cover the styrofoam form. She worked so hard on it and she is really proud of her work. I love it, too.

TC also made the beaded heart garlands we have hanging around in various windows. These were made with cut cardboard paper towel rolls, paint (the hearts are a metallic red), string and beads. She is a good one for making seasonal decorations. What would we do without her?

 

For more fun topics today I have something excellent for you. In my last video blog (click here to see it), I shared the Mollie Makes craft books I am crazy about. Whenever I review something that was sent to me I always send a courtesy email to the publicist or company to let them know I mentioned what they sent me. By the way, if you are reviewing something sent to you, you should do this, too, because they want to know.

Anyway, the publicist I contacted asked if I would like to host a giveaway for a set of all 5 of the Mollie Makes books!! Of course I jumped at the chance so one of you could be the lucky winner.

These books are published by Interweave/F+W Media and the jacket art photos below are all provided by Interweave. The photography and instructions inside the pages are colorful, clear and helpful. TC loves these craft books and looks through them all of the time as they sit on our coffee table.

The books are adorable and have a similar look and appeal as the Mollie Makes Magazine, a UK publication (pick this magazine up if you haven't yet). Click here for the Mollie Makes Magazine website! The books are like old-school craft books where there is a little bit of everything included, crochet, knitting, paper craft, sewing, felting and more. I love these traditional-style craft books of yore. They are just so much fun. The books are full of inspiration and doable craft projects for adults, teens and kids, there is something for everyone. And I'll tell you, I'd love to crochet a blanket just like the one on the cover of the crochet book. It is gorgeous.

So here is what one lucky winner will have sent to them, one copy of each of the following books:

Mollie Makes: Christmas

Interweave / F+W Media; 12.95

http://bit.ly/11VQXo9

Mollie Makes: Crochet

Interweave / F+W Media; 12.95

http://bit.ly/16dYawj

Mollie Makes: Woodland Friends

Interweave / F+W Media; 12.95

http://bit.ly/18vymxx

Mollie Makes: Weddings

Interweave / F+W Media; 12.95

http://bit.ly/1lCMD6f

Mollie Makes: Feathered Friends

Interweave / F+W Media; 12.95

http://bit.ly/1899cFS

As you can see, the books retail at just below $13.00 so this is a huge prize. One winner will receive a copy of all 5 hardcover books. You will love these books. To enter to win, please leave one comment that includes your Ravelry ID or an email address (this is a must in order to win!). Be patient for your comment to appear and please don't enter more than once! I will randomly select a winner in a couple of days. The mailing address has to be U.S. only for this one.

I'll be back with a second big giveaway, way bigger in fact, in a couple of days! So keep a look-out for that.

Quickly, I have been working on a sock for my son. I was going to make him a simple stockinette pair of socks but then he threw out the idea of a chevron pattern and I thought that sounded kind of fun. I had picked up several balls of the Patons Kroy Socks sock yarn at the WI Craft Market so I thought I'd try a chevron stitch pattern with this stripey yarn.

You can try many different 2 round chevron stitch patterns to achieve this same look. I used a 12 stitch repeat for one round and then knit the second round. Look in your stitch dictionaries, or look at the free Jaywalker sock pattern (a hugely popular sock pattern by Grumperina) on Ravelry to get ideas. I am not writing up this pattern because all it is is sticking in a stitch pattern into a regular sock pattern. You can do that on your own and you can vary the stitch pattern for the number you like to cast on.

Here are a couple of online chevron stitch patterns for you to try:

Click here!  Click here!  Click here!

I did go up to a 2.5 mm US size 1 needle and I cast on 72 stitches. I thought this would be big enough for my son but it's not going to fit him. It fits me and it fits snuggly so I will be keeping these or giving them to TC. In the photo above I am working on the heel flap. I have now finished the gusset and for this pair I will continue the chevron pattern on the top of the sock.

My son just loves the sock so far, so I will start another pair for him and pick up more of the yarn. For him I will cast on 84 stitches and go up to a US size 2 for the chevron pattern. I may or may not include the chevron stitch on the top of the foot. If I do the foot in stockinette only I might then decrease to 72 stitches at that point. Or I might only include one chevron over 12 stitches on the top of the foot. That might look cool.

I'll keep you posted.

I made these no-bake granola bars last weekend and they were a huge hit. I will be making them again.

Click here for the recipe!

Here's what it looks like around here, wintery and cold, but still as beautiful as ever. We have been snowshoeing and skating quite a bit despite the bitter cold temps. It is going to get up to 30 degrees in a few days. That sounds downright balmy to me. I'll take it.

By the way, I look things up all of the time, like phrases and words and word usage. Today for this post I looked up "in spite of" and "despite" and how they are used correctly. Here is what I found that I didn't know for certain:

For prepositional use, despite and in spite of are interchangeable. 

Despite is thought to be a gentler version because the word spite can be used as vengeful.

I love words and writing and maybe you do, too.

I'm sending love to you all today. Be well and I'll be back soon with more.

Let the comments begin. Good luck if you enter to win the set of 5 craft books.

best, susie