giveaway #67

The Grand Prize winner of the Stripe Study yarn + pattern giveaway is:

Katie

And, the 3 Runners Up who will each receive a PDF copy of the pattern are:

Stranded Things, Donner & Tish

Congratulations! Please contact me at yarnonthehouse@gmail.com to collect your prizes.


The summer is slowly coming to an end and I'm gearing up to head off to Mexico this Saturday for a family vacation!! It'll be a lovely change from the Sunless in Seattle days here. Alright, we've had a couple good ones... either way I can't wait to kick my feet up by the pool and sip on a Margarita. Hope all my knitting friends are having a good summer!!

The sponsor this giveaway is a fantastic online yarn store owner by the name of Sandra Singh. Sandra was a featured guest last year as well, but she's returned with a fun pattern and yarn giveaway this time that will get you ready for the Fall knitting ahead. Check out my "catch up" interview with her:





1. For those followers that don't know about you and your shop Sandrasingh.com, why don't you start out by telling them who you are.

Hello Ve and Yarn On House readers! I'm so happy to be here and appreciate this opportunity to talk with you and sponsor this giveaway.

I'm Sandra Singh, the Sandra behind Sandraisngh.com. I opened my yarn shop's virtual doors in May 2005 and have been open 24/7 ever since. My website was inspired by my joy and commitment to helping fiber artists transform their creative inspirations into beautiful realities, I love helping knitters & crocheters find the right tools so they can create, grow and learn and ultimately love their craft. And the idea of running my own website was ideal when I first began, (Ravelry hadn't been invented yet) and everyone was just beginning to shop and connect online, it was the perfect way to reach knitters worldwide.

2. In the last year or so since you were on the blog last, what have you been upto?

May 2010 was my site's 5th Anniversary and I introduced my own yarn collection. It all happened rather quickly, even though producing my own yarn line had been a goal since I first opened. I knew from the start, when I touched my first skein of merino wool yarn, that this squishy soft fiber was the one I wanted hand painted in custom colors. I was finally able to realize this dream when a fellow fiber enthusiast put me in touch with a family from Uruguay who had been working with Uruguayan Merino Sheep for nearly a decade. Upon sampling their 100% merino wool yarns I discovered they crafted some of the softest, most supple yarn available and all of a sudden my ambition had taken on a life of its own!

As some of the knitwear designers I work closely with, and I, began to work with these yarns we found they were smooth to knit and produced finished fabrics with well defined stitch definition and lovely drape. They washed and blocked nicely, holding their desired shapes and all were soft enough to be worn next to the skin.

For several years this family had been working with local Uruguayan artisans to hand paint their fibers in stunning, brilliantly saturated colors. My line of colorways include some of the most unique semi solid and variegated hues available, colors that appeal to men, women and children. I'm proud to offer you a Lace, 1 Ply Merino Worsted and 3 Ply Merino Worsted, all crafted of 100% Uruguayan Merino Wool and put up in very generous skeins.

3. How has the yarn line been doing? What's new and what's to come?

My yarn has been well received and I have many repeat customers, knitters, and crocheters, especially love the Lace and 1 Ply Merino Worsted. And the pattern for this giveaway was among the first to be written especially for my yarn. I continue to grow my Sandrasingh.com Exclusive pattern collection and right now a couple of designers are working on projects for my Lace!

4. What are some of your most popular colorways?

For over a year now many of my customers have been knitting sweaters and vests in my Sandrasingh.com 1 Ply Merino Worsted. For these larger, staple garments all the colorways in the Blue family have been really popular, deep blue shades were most used by fashion designers this year and for so many skin tones blue is such a flattering and easy color to wear. Some of the favorites are the darker shades such as Midnight Blue and True Blue and the medium to lighter shades Turquoise, Sky and Neptune. Also many of my customers have been attracted to the really rich jewel colorways such as the Green shades Deep Emerald, Forest Green and Highland and the Purple and Burgundy colors Wine, Burgundy Spice, Cinnamon Girl, Black Plum and Athena. There has also been a return to neutrals, which is so adaptable to your existing wardrobe, making Blue Grey, Khaki and Charcoal also popular.

5. Tell us a bit about the pattern and yarn that are being sponsored this time.

Nothing makes me happier than singing the praises of those I work with and with Lisa Ellis there are so many wonderful things to say! Not only is she the creative genius behind Hooded Scarves and Cowls she's also a very talented knitwear artist, a knitting instructor and the owner and designer of Lisa Ellis Designs. I've had the pleasure of working with her since 2008 and my customers are huge fans of her patterns.

This past Spring I asked Lisa if she would like to design a garment in my 1 Ply Merino Worsted and I was thrilled when she immediately said yes, I mailed her 5 skeins and she instantly knew that the yarn's softness and texture would translate beautifully into a hooded scarf and into a cowl, and of course I agreed to what she thought best. This pattern includes four different, but complimentary styles, 2 hooded scarves and 2 cowls. The hooded scarf designs are simple to knit either from top down or bottom up and the cowls are either knit in the round or flat. Pick your style and skill level, nothing is too complicated but all are extremely satisfying knits.




In May I also did a giveaway for this pattern and yarn on my blog and at that time I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa, if you're interested in learning more about this talented knitwear artist please stop by, knittingwithsandrasingh.blogspot.com.


Thank you, Sandra, for being our wonderful sponsor this giveaway! Here's a look at the awesome yarn that's up for grabs...



One Grand Prize winner has the opportunity to win 3 skeins of Sandra Singh 1 ply Merino in the beautiful color Black Plum and a PDF copy of the Hooded Scarves and Cowls. That's not all! One Runner Up will also receive 2 skeins of the same yarn and the PDF pattern, and one additional Runner Up will receive a copy of pattern only.


I would like you to do the following if you would like to be entered into this week's giveaway:


1. Read over the rules if you have not done so already.

2. Leave a comment on this blog post by the end of Sunday, 8/28/11. What's your favorite Sandra Singh colorway? Check out all her unique colors here and click through each base to see which you like.



I'll randomly pick the winners in 2 weeks and post the results along with the new giveaway, so be sure to check back. Good luck everyone.

Sincerely,

Ve