Isthmus Itty Bitty Article & Little Giraffe!

photo by Sharon Vanorny

Hi, Knitters,

I hope you are doing well. December is going by quickly and there is still no snow in Madison. The temperatures have been pretty mild for the most part. I always love it when there is snow on the ground for Christmas so hopefully this week we will get some. Fingers crossed.

I am fortunate enough to be featured on the cover (photo above) and inside the Madison weekly newspaper called the Isthmus this week. That has been a fun experience. And about that photo, I was actually sitting on that porch swing in a Madison neighborhood so that part is true. The little animals were also sitting on that porch swing with me, most of them are about 6-10 inches in height at best. So when I saw the photoshopped knit toys that were made huge it was a little startling. The photo has grown on me though, I love the playfulness and creativity the it evokes. It does catch your eye for sure and that is good for a cover photo.

Click here to read the article and see more photos online from the Isthmus newspaper! 

The article is well-written by Linda Falkenstein and it includes interviews with Evan Anderson, Jaala Spiro of Knit Circus, and Paula Emons-Fuessle of the Knitting Pipeline. 

I met with Linda to for the interview in person and she had a lot of good and different questions for me. She is about my age and is also a lifelong Madisonian so I think in some way that added to the interview in a good way. It was fun going down memory lane and also talking about all of the recent developments in my knitting life. 

photo by Sharon Vanorny

I love it that Evan was part of the article, too, and that they featured Barrett Wool Co. We are actually sitting at my sister's table here. 

Anyway, check out the Isthmus if you are interested. It is a true Madison staple. 

photo by Carrie Bostick Hoge for Making Magazine

Now for some knitting news. The Little Giraffe pattern is now available for individual download on Ravelry. The pattern was originally in Making Magazine No. 3 / Dots. 

To celebrate the pattern, I have set the price at a discounted $4.00, no code is needed, until December 22, 2017. Then the regular price will be $5.50. 

Click here to see the pattern for Little Giraffe on Ravelry! 

But even better, we brought the Little Giraffe Kits back to Barrett Wool Co. in some fantastic new color choices. The kits include everything you need to make the Little Giraffe except the stuffing. You get the yarn, pattern (if needed), safety eyes and black yarn to stitch the nose.  

The Little Giraffe Kit is so sweet. Click here to see more about the Kit on Barrett Wool Co.!

The kit above is in the Strawflower pink and Folkstone gray colors in Home Worsted Weight yarn.

photo by Carrie Bostick Hoge

The Little Giraffe measures in at about 10-inches in height. The toy is knit almost completely seamlessly. The feet, arms, and ears are knit first and then as you knit the body and head the appendages are knit right in as you go. There is no guesswork at all. The only seam is to stitch the head to the body. 

photo by Carrie Bostick Hoge

Anyway, it is an awfully cute toy and I love the size on this one (even though it isn't as life-size as in the first photo), it is kind of perfect for kids to snuggle and hold.

Have a great day, Knitters, and I'll be back soon with more.

xo ~ susan