Congratulations to Facebook follower Tina Tiffin Williams – you are the lucky winner of the Hydra pattern PDF and yarn giveaway! Please email Me@GraceAkhrem.com with your full address and the size you would like to make to claim your prize by Monday, April 1, 2013.
Once upon a time this was a free pattern… but the site that was hosting it changed a few things around and the pattern was lost. But now its back baby! And its still free 
Just click on the link below to download and knit at your pleasure! Happy knitting!!!
The knitting/cyber world had buzzing about the new Clotheshorse online knitting and crochet magazine. I know what you’re thinking, “Oh no, not another knitting magazine.” But this one is different. I had the pleasure of seeing what was going into the magazine before it was published when I met up with Heather Dixon and Mindy Brown, co-founders of Clotheshorse magazine at TNNA in January. What makes this magazine different? Clotheshorse is a fashion forward and season appropriate magazine. The pieces in the magazine are inspired by current runway fashions. The selection of patterns are wonderful, they have everything from dresses to jewelry and knitting to macrame. Clotheshorse is fashionable and wearable, there is something for everyone!
The Spring/Summer 2012 Issue has 25 fashion forward patterns. Two of my favorite patterns are:
The great thing about Clotheshorse Magazine is that you don’t have to buy the entire magazine if you like just one pattern. The patterns are all sold individually so you can pick and choose what you would like to make. If you like one pattern in the whole magazine, just buy the one. If you like ten, then buy ten. That’s the beauty of it! Every issue offers a free pattern. In this issue the free pattern is Morea a macrame necklace that is done beautifully by Mindy Brown.
Not only does this new magazine have knitting, crochet and macrame patterns but they also have a great product review page where they reviewed products like Lavishea Lotion Bars, Soak, Knitter’s Tool Tin by the Sexy Knitter and more. What I enjoyed most about this issue was the Interview with Amy Small of Knit Collage. I love to read about how yarn companies were started and the inspiration and drive behind the yarns. Amy in particular has a fun and interesting story about how she got started and her production, make sure you read the interview with Amy Small! Another fun read was the “Shop Report.” We all know that Purl Soho is a wonderful place- but in the “Shop Report” Jennifer Wendell wrote about Purl Soho and about the texture and color to the point where it transports you there.
I hope you enjoy this issue and all the future issues of Clotheshorse Magazine. Mindy and Heather have been very generous as to sponsor two give-aways. Each winner will receive a free PDF of the pattern of their choice. To enter for a chance to win all you have to do is post a comment in this blog post by Sunday March 4, 2012 by 11:59pm Pacific Time. Good luck to all who enter!
Time for a freebie don’t you think? This is a quick fun knit and I hope you enjoy making it as much as I did. I used Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed and of course it has been discontinued.
I originally knit this up in Madelinetosh Bulky the one I bought from Imagiknit on my visit to San Francisco, but I call that one the “prototype.” That’s what I call everything that didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted it to the first time. Anyway that yarn too has been discontinued…. of course. Don’t you hate that? As soon as you discover a yarn and fall in love with it, its discontinued!
Another great yarn for this project would be (one of my favorites) – Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes (keep in mind this yarn is not a worsted). You would only have to use one hank of each color of this yarn to make the cowl. Some good color combinations would be:
Charcoal with Lagoon
or Rusty Orange with Putty
This is a fun pattern to choose colors for because one of the colors is your dominant color and the other one is a “peek-a-boo” color. But if you turn your cowl inside out then your peek-a-boo color becomes your dominant color and then there is just a little pop of the other color on the edges.
Have fun knitting this cowl, and hopefully you can get a little wear out of it before it gets too warm! See the link below for the free pattern!
