Of course, design things are busy here at chez Voie de Vie. They always are! Initially, I started a very laid-back maker a-long in my Ravelry group - the Well Adorned Neck. As you might guess, we will be focusing on any of my designs that fit around or otherwise highlight the neck. I have put together a bundle of my knit and crochet designs that can be worked up during the a-long, which runs through May 11th, and yes, there will be a few prizes awarded at the end. People are focusing on cowls and necklaces at the moment, although scarves, shawls and some garments are included in the bundle.
I decided to host this maker event because I have a few new designs that have recently been published and, of course, they focus on the neck! The first one, released at the end of March, adorns the cover of Knit Picks' latest crochet shawl collection Color Crush. Three Stitch Samba is rated intermediate (there are increases and picked up stitches along a portion of the edging), but an adventurous beginner could definitely give it a go, since only three stitches are utilized throughout the entire shawl. Each of the six wraps in the Color Crush collection are relatively easy to complete, yet pack a big color and style punch. The book is almost 50 pages, and includes schematics as well as (for select patterns), charts for all those visual learners out there.
Knit Picks has also generously donated two prizes for me to give away: the Hawthorne Fingering three-skein color cocktail seen on the cover, along with a copy of the print book, which will be an awesome for one lucky winner who completes a project in the maker event and posts a photo of it in the appropriate thread.
I also have an additional copy of the book + a set of 8 of Knit Picks' radiant wood crochet hooks, which prize I am currently taking comment entries for in my Instagram feed:
If you want to enter to win this most excellent prize, you have until the end of the day next Monday, April 15th, to hop on over, follow my feed (if you don't already), and leave a comment. Of course, if you do win it, you should feel free to add yarn and join us over in my Ravelry group and make the Three Stitch Samba. See what I did there?
Of course, I also provided the second sneaked chapter from my upcoming second self-published book coming out this September. The chapter contains the Casual Lace Topper, and I am super pleased in how this design turned out. Check it out to the right - isn't that just the best little cardigan for transitional weather? Worked in just three pieces and some tunisian crochet 3 x 2 ribbing along the edges, this scoop neck piece is meant to be thrown in a bag and worn over most anything. It's worked up in baa ram ewe Titus, which comes in a flock of beautiful colorways. Of course, only those who purchased the pre-publication package have received this chapter (along with the one I sneaked last month). There is still time to get your very own pre-publication package, which will get you the first two chapters plus one more that will drop May 1st.That's enough for now, my crafty maker friends - I told you I've been busy.
