Roll on October !!

I can't believe we are entering into the final quarter of this year already, 2010, and in a few short weeks will be starting anew in 2011 !!

October is shaping up to be a pretty busy month in our household, and a busy month of knitting too. I have just completed the first summer knit for my youngest girl, which leads me to some exciting news - I am now licensed to knit the gorgeous Rainbow Dress pattern by Georgina Hallam at tikki fabric addict.

So that is a total of three patterns that I am able to do custom knits for, and whilst the two custom spots I had offered for September are now closed, I will be opening more in the next fortnight or so and am hoping to run a competition / giveaway soon if I can get our Facebook page up to 200 'likers'.

I have two orders to complete in the next little while, one from a neighbour and of course the hats won by Tina for her gorgeous twins from my last giveaway, after that though I will see if I can get some stock items knit up.

Last but not least, I have discovered a bunch of beautiful license-free patterns by the incredibly Talented Shannon Passmore of Crafty Desires (over the ditch in Aussie), so if any of her patterns such as the Ultimate Longies, Breezy, or Versa vest appeal to you - please contact me to discuss your requirements for a custom knit.

Go Gently,

~ Jax ~ XOXO

Taking custom orders - two spots available !!

I've been mulling this one over a fair bit the last couple of days, I've had a couple of baby knit projects to complete as gifts for friends that are due in the next few weeks, and have made more progress than expected.

In either a moment of genius or perhaps insanity, I have decided to open up two custom order spots for this month (September). This is on the basis of selecting from the wool I already have in stash, as depending on the size of the garment it may take a little longer if I have to order the wool in especially (though I am open to this if needed).

So if you're interested in ordering a Milo vest or Pinwheel beanie you can comment here on the blog, leave a message with me on Facebook, or email me at: jacquie.bird@windowslive.com

I'm also planning on writing up a basic tutorial on 'blocking' knitted garments, for both my own reference and those of you out there who may be curious as to how it works / what it is needed for - so watch this space.

I look forward to hearing from you, and getting the needles going!

Go Gently,

~ Jax ~ XOXO

And the winner is...

So I managed to do the draw for the free custom knitted Top Down Pinwheel Beanie pretty much on time, and using the free random number generator at Random.org and a numbered list of entrants into the draw, the winner selected was Tina Snow !!

Congrats Tina, I'll be in touch soon to have a chat about details of size, colour etc - I can't wait to get knitting for you !!

In the meantime please keep sharing the Facebook and blog love, I may even have another giveaway / competition idea in the works for when I reach 200 'likers' / fans ;)

Go Gently,

~ Jax ~ XOXO

My first giveaway !!

Earlier today I reached 101 'likers' on Facebook, and as I am so ecstatic about it I figured I'd best post here too and let y'all know about my celebratory giveaway - a custom knit Top Down Pinwheel Beanie !! You can head on over to my Facebook page and comment there, or leave a comment on this blog entry to be in the running.

I will draw a winner at around 8pm this Saturday night through Random.org, and then contact the person to discuss sizing and color choice.

Go Gently,

~ Jax ~ XOXO

One giant leap!

So I don't know how suspenseful I managed to be with my last update, but I couldn't hold out any longer.

My BIG NEWS is that I now have a Facebook presence! You can find me HERE.

When I get to 100 fans or 'likers' I will celebrate with a giveaway, most likely to be a custom knitted item ;)

My second lot of news is that I am shortly going to be an officially licensed knitter of Milo vests - pattern by Georgie Hallam. It comes in sizes from newborn to 5yo, plain or with a number of decorative cable options, and I have a large variety of wools in my stash to knit them with.

You can contact me here on the blog, on Facebook, or via email to discuss your requirements (colour and pricing etc): jacquie.bird@windowslive.com

I am so excited to be taking this next step but as you may understand have other facets of life to juggle along with it, including my two beautiful girls, so forgive me as I get the ball rolling if things are a little erratic ;)

Go Gently,

~ Jax ~ XOXO

BIG NEWS !!

Watch this space ;) I have some VERY exciting news coming soon !!

Go Gently,

~ Jax ~ XOXO

The Best Needle Case EVER

So I have to make a BIG shout out to Jo from Crazy Crafter NZ - she has developed the most amazing (knitting) needle case pattern *ever*, and also makes them up to sell to those of us too lazy to make our own!

I actually got mine a couple of weeks ago, but it took me until last night to get all my stuff organised into it. Just so you can see how cool it is, I took a few snapshots as a pictorial guide to how it works.

On the outside (button closure)

Open (full view)

'Top' pocket, L-R: my crochet hooks, scissors, and long tips.

'Middle' pocket, L-R: my bamboo DPNs, short tips, permanent marker & a couple of fixed circulars.

'Bottom' pocket: lots of bits & pieces - measuring tape, darning needle, cables, short fixed circulars, cable caps, pen, stitch holder.

'Sneaky' side pocket ;) - Needle gauge, stitch markers, another measuring tape, & some needle caps.

I think it is just the most amazing thing ever, and am really impressed I got *all* of my stuff in there with plenty of room for more (and there will be more!). It will fit quite nicely in my knitting bag too I think, which is always important!

You can find Jo at her blog (as mentioned above) or on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/CrazyCrafterNZ

Go Gently,

~ Jax ~ XOXO