Thank You Giveaway!

As a thank you to all my wonderful customers, I'm having a Christmas B.A.M. giveaway.  You must own at least one KnittingsMyBag project bag to enter.  Here is what you need to do to win.

1. Join the KnittingsMyBag Ravelry Group http://www.ravelry.com/groups/knittingsmybag and leave a comment with a photo of one or more of your KnittingsMyBag project bags in the "Christmas B.A.M. Giveaway" thread; AND

2. Follow me as "KnittingsMyBag" on Instagram and put a photo of one or more of your KnittingsMyBag project bags on Instagram http://instagram.com/# with the following hashtag: #knittingsmybag

 3.  You may enter as many times as you like as long as EACH photo is of a different project bag.

You MUST do BOTH steps 1 AND 2 TO WIN.  THE DRAWING WILL BE HELD ON JANUARY 1, 2014 through Random.org and I will post the winner on the blog, the KnittingsMyBag Ravelry Group and Instagram.

This is a $60.00 Christmas B.A.M. (you can read details on what you will receive by going to my BigCartel shop at www.knittingsmybag.bigcartel.com 

Thanks to all my wonderful customers for a great year and I look forward to great things in 2014.

CONGRATULATIONS! Dragonfly7673! YOU WIN!!

Congratulations to Dragonfly7673 for her winning entry in the StitchPrayLove lip balm contest.  Stay-tuned for the next blog giveaway coming soon.

Closin' in on Christmas

Wow, another year quickly coming to an end. Christmas is upon us and once Thanksgiving is gone -- BAM I feel overwhelmed with Christmas responsibilities.  Who puts this pressure on me…..ME.  It's crazy!  My family is so low-key it's ridiculous yet I run around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make each Christmas more spectacular than the last.  I'm nuts!!

Take time to enjoy the season: force yourself to stop and smell the mistletoe this year. Watch some classic Christmas movies with a big 'ole bowl of popcorn (with butter, of course), wrap gifts while Christmas music is playing in the background, have a cup of Peppermint tea and a sugar cookie while you knit away on that knitting project (not a last minute Christmas gift you are trying to whip through). Enjoy all the many blessing we have in our lives.  And…………..

If you are lucky enough to live where there is snow……. maybe you can just sit and look out your window and watch the beautiful flakes fall to the ground in COMPLETE silence.

Hahahahah, LOL, ROFL, if only you could! It's a nice thought isn't it. But this is reality so get your butt out of those pajamas, shower, go over your 8 page "To Do" list and hit the mall.  Oh, but before you do that, go over to www.knittingsmybag.bigcartel.com and pick up those last minute items for your knitting friends and swap partners!  I'll be updating the shop every few days with new items so go back often and check out what's on the shelves.

Ready, set Gooooooooooooooo……..

Next Up: KNITMAS BLACK FRIDAY UPDATE

I'm going to have a super fun and different update in my big cartel shop on Black Friday, November 29th 2013 starting at 12:0l am.  I'm going to have lots of great items I have NEVER listed in the shop before as well as some items that haven't been around in awhile.  I'll be posting most of the progress and a list of what will be included in my blog so stay close.  Some of the items aren't even knitting related - just fun, fun, fun...

Preview listings are up for 2013 Christmas B.A.M. sets

Go over to www.knittingsmybag.bigcartel.com and see the preview listings with complete descriptions and more photos for the Christmas B.A.M. sets that will be available on November 14, 2013 at 10 AM EST.  PLEASE KEEP IN MIND that on November 14, the Comfort & Joy option will have individual listings due to the fact that the yarn is slightly different for each set.  PLEASE LOOK AT ALL the photos associated with the listing before you purchase. The yarn listed WILL BE the yarn that you receive.

Sneak Peek - Christmas B.A.M. 2013

“Winter Wear” is a self-striping skein of sock yarn dyed in colors reminiscent of the colorful outerwear of a Maine winter. Each stripe is approximately four yards and is semi-solid in color. The stripes are Beanie Red, Scarf Green, Mittens Orange and Gloves Blue.

Striped Maple Sock Yarn 
Our self-striping yarn is a lovely, thick fingering weight (almost a sportweight) yarn comprised of 100% SW Merino. Each skein has three happy plies, tightly twisted to create a lovely dense sock yarn. You may need to go up a needle size from your usual for sock knitting. 
Content: 100% SW Merino 
Weight: 100 grams, 320 yards 
Yardage: ~320 yards 
Gauge: 6-7 sts/inch on US 1-3 
All fibers from Highland Handmades are dyed with professional dyes and heat set, then rinsed in plain water.

There will be 12 sets with It's A Small World fabric and 12 sets with Sheep in Knitwear for a total of 24 sets with Winter Wear self-striping sock yarn.

No Two Flakes 
“No Two Flakes” is a kettle dyed colorway that is as unique as the snowflakes that inspired it. A combination of the kettle dyeing process and the specific dyes used means that your skein is different from any other skein dyed - even one from the same pot! The result is a watercolor-esque skein of yarn that ranges from snowflake white to winter blue, interspersed with dainty flakes of dark blue throughout. The yarn was reskeined to better demonstrate how it will look when knit.

Sugar Maple Sock Yarn 
One skein of Sugar Maple Sock Yarn is more than enough for a pair of socks or a small shawlette. It is machine washable and dryable, but you may want to wash by hand and line dry in order to extend the life of your knit object. 
Yardage: 425 yards 
Composition: 75% SW Wool, 25% Nylon 
Weight: 100 grams, fingering weight. 
Gauge: 7-8 sts/inch on US 1-3 needles 
All fibers from Highland Handmades are dyed with professional dyes and heat set, then rinsed in plain water.

There will be 24 sets of Comfort & Joy fabric which will include No Two Flakes sock yarn.

The official drop date and time: November 14, 2013 at 10:00 AM EST.  These are going to be popular so get your fingers ready for fast checkout.

StitchPrayLove - A Review & Giveaway

I was fortunate enough to find a lovely Etsy shop called StitchPrayLove operated by a wonderful customer of KnittingsMyBag, Julie.  Julie is a fellow Mainer so it's a Win/Win for me.  I love to support folks from my beloved Maine but it was a fabulous surprise when I got my order and found out that her lip balms and lotions "ROCK".

Right-off-the-bat, when you go to her shop you can see the attention to detail.  I love her graphs.  She offers tons of choices in scents/fragrances and the packaging is sweet. You even get your choice of labels!

Her prices are so reasonable and they make great gifts for swaps, knitting groups, and stocking stuffers. Now for the important information: how does it feel.

I purchased the Lip Balm Set which comes with a stick lip balm and a jar lip balm.  I chose Raspberries & Cream.  I balm is incredible.  It floats over your lips and soothes them right away.  The scent is just right: not overpowering.  Some balms go on with a waxy feeling but this is more like a lotion for your lips.  The jar is equally lovely.

I also purchased the TRY ME! 3 Solid Lotion Bar Set.  I like to keep lotions in my knitting bags because as we all know, even one little hangnail can get snagged on your yarn.  The scents that I chose are: Pears & Berries; Warm Vanilla; and Amazing Grace: all of which are like the lip balm - just right when it comes to the amount of fragrance.  The little surprise is that they are in the shape of a heart.  Bonus!  How cute is that!  The lotions go on smoothly and they are not greasy like other, more expensive, bar lotions.  This lotion soaks right into your skin and prepares your hands immediately for touching the most delicate of yarns and fibers.  I now keep one next to my ladybug as well because all spinners know that rough hands make for more difficult spinning.

For the price point, you can't beat these wonderful products for handmade gift giving or for purchasing in bulk to have in all your knitting/crocheting project bags. Her customer service is superb and I received my order very quickly.

My review results is 2 Needles Up for StitchPrayLove  Go to her shop and order now ahead of the crowd because once the word gets out, I just know it will be difficult to get her products.

Here is a photo of what I received. **

**NO COMPENSATION WAS GIVING WITH REGARD TO THIS REVIEW. ITEMS WERE PURCHASED THROUGH REGULAR RETAIL CHANNELS AND THE ABOVE COMMENTS MADE ARE SOLELY MY OWN.

GIVEAWAY:  I'm giving away a Lip Balm Set from StitchPrayLove.  I will allow you to go to her shop and choose your scent, let me know and I'll order the set and have it sent directly to you.  Here are the rules of the giveaway: 1. You must subscribe to this blog; 2. You must join the KnittingsMyBag Ravelry Group and 3. You must follow the link to the StitchPrayLove shop, choose your scent and post it in the comment section of this post.  This giveaway will run through November.  I will select one entry through Random.org on December 1, 2013 and order your set on that day.  Thanks for visiting my blog and my Ravelry group and best of luck.

Pump It Up!

KnittingsMyBag has now been around since December of 2009 and, although my little company has been growing each year, it has been growing at a snail's pace.  I'm now at an impasse.  I need to decide whether I want to "Grow" the business or just be satisfied with the way it is now.

After much thought and prayer, I have decided to "Pump It Up" for the next year.  That's right; give it all I've got for one year and see what happens.  This all sounds great, right.  The only fly in the ointment is that my daughter, Hillary, will be getting married in May, 2014 and although they have decided on a small family wedding, it is still taking place 3,000 miles from California and I'm in charge of planning. So, with all that being said, I'm going to be a busy lady for the next year.

Here are some of the ideas I have for KnittingsMyBag in 2014:

Work on branding by products (website, blog, social media);
Expand my selection of project bags;
Add more knitting accessories;
Create a NEW club for my customers;
Pump up my Ravelry group by offering more giveaways and contests;
Institute a VIP customer program;
Add more professional packaging;
Create a KnittingsMyBag newsletter;
Blogging on a regular basis;
*Thinking about a KnittingsMyBag Video Podcast

I hope that you will subscribe to my blog and watch my progress over the coming year to see what is in store for KnittingsMyBag.

Hitting the Road!

Well, it's FINALLY that time of year! Time to travel to my favorite place this side of heaven: Maine. From the moment I leave, I start to dream of the day I will get to return to the lake. There is no more beautiful place to spend time then our little cabin on the lake and I use the term "lake" very loosely. The lake, actually named Echo Lake, known as Puffer's Pond to the locals is only one wide and less than ten miles long. To me, it's as big as the ocean.

This year, my daughter, Hillary, and I will be making the trip by car. That's right, by car.  Our 16 year old bichon, Wilby, is no longer able to make the trip by plane because of his arthritis coupled with the fact that he is now totally deaf and almost blind.  His Vet feels that it would be too stressful for him and could be the end of the poor old man so it's off we go!

I'm certainly NOT one for road trips. I hate being trapped in a car.  Even with knitting to keep me occupied, all I want to do is sleep! With that being said, I'm going to look upon this trip as a once in a lifetime chance to spend 48 hours in a car with my daughter traveling COMPLETELY across the country. 

For me, even with the invention of the GPS, a AAA TripTik is a must.  It may not "speak" to you but the additional it gives you is so valuable.  Our TripTik tells us that it is 3,334 miles from our "house" in Southern California to our "home" in Maine. WOW, now that IS a cross-country trip!

Well, I'm choosing to view this trip as an opportunity to spend some well needed time with my daughter. We have so much fun together. I know that there will be screaming (SLOW DOWN), crying (I'm sick of this), and weight gain (pass those potato chip - I'm bored) but there will be more laughing than anything else.  A trip of a lifetime. A cross-country road trip. Awe, what we do for the love of our pets.

We plan on videoing lots of our adventures so there may be a clip or two on the blog. If not, there will certainly be photos.

I'd ask you to wish us luck but I don't believe in luck. Your prayers would be very much welcomed!

Photos: Hillary, Echo Lake, Lobsters, and Wilby