Introducing: Knitspiration

Hello? Is anybody out there??

For now, we will ignore the date on this post as it compares to the date on the previous post in order to introduce you to my newest pattern: The Knitspiration Hat.

This is a little something that has been in the works for a few years now, and I’m excited to finally share it with other knitters. As you may know, I have been home with my kids, as a full-time, stay-at-home-mom for three years now. Now that I have multiple children in school, I always seem to be scrambling to find the perfect teacher gifts this time of year. Teachers give so much to our children; cultivating their lives daily, helping them grow and learn when parents are not around. I would love to be able to lavish them all with expensive gifts and Starbucks trips and Target runs, but our budget doesn’t allow for that these days (plus I have a way to get my kids involved… keep reading!).

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This pattern was born out of necessity, using resources I have: time/desire to knit, lots of yarn… and lots of “help”.

Each year, for the past few years, I have drawn out a picture of a plain knit hat, having my kids color it in with a design from their heart (along with a little guidance from mom).  I then interpret their “designs” into a hat for these important people who pour so much into their lives. 

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And now, after much tweaking and input, I have a way to share this concept with you!

You start with the card template, shown above. Your child (or even you if you would like to tackle the project solo) “designs” the blank hat. There are colorwork charts in the pattern to get you started, but the sky’s the limit. If you don’t feel comfortable with colorwork, get out your stitch dictionary to incorporate cables, lace, or texture. Interpretation is up to you!

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A blank workspace is included for you to plot out your design, stitch by stitch, along with three different options for crown decreases.

The Knitspiration Hat is now available for download on Ravelry and because I would love to help you all feel “knitspired” this holiday season, I am offering the pattern for free for the first 2 days of launch.

So who inspires you?  A teacher? Grandparent? Aunt? Uncle? Mentor?  

I’d love to see what you come up with. Tag your project on social media with #knitspirationhat to share your ideas with others and tag me @frenchpressknits on Instagram to get featured!

My 2018 teacher gifts are underway and I’ll be sharing more specifics soon!

Snow Tamaracks Errata

Version 1.0- Round 1 of Crown Decreases should be “Knit” instead of “Purl”

Version 1.1- In Crown Decreases section, you you are instructed to “Repeat [Rnd 1] 3 more times”, it should read “Repeat [Rnd 2] 3 more times.

Giveaway- Take Care Mohair

Welcome to 2017!  I hope the holidays treated everyone well and much merriment and rest were both experienced!  We're finally getting back to a routine after taking things pretty easy for a couple weeks.  

And is there any better way to kick off a new year than with a yarn giveaway?  I'm glad we agree!

For the past few days, my hands have been wrapped in the coziness of mohair.  WOOL AND THE GANG'S "Take Care Mohair" has been my ideal cold weather companion- warming and comforting me with all consuming cozy fuzziness!  I was so inspired that my nails ended up matching my project :-)

Take Care Mohair is sourced from South Africa, and the yarn is 100% traceable to it's origin, which means that every purchase supports Mohair farming communities and a 200 year old tradition!  To read more about the fiber and the goats it comes from, hop on over the this blogpost.

And thanks to the generosity of the folks over at WOOL AND THE GANG, you can get your hands on two skeins of mohair in the color of your choice!  All you need to do is comment on this post with your favorite color (see all colors here).  Giveaway will be open until Sunday,  January 15, 2017 at 11:59 EST.Winner will be chosen and contacted this weekend- make sure you leave a way to contact you (Rav ID, Instagram name, email, etc), and best of luck!

UPDATE:  Giveaway closed- Congrats to Katie (rnmamaon Ravelry)- you are the winner of two skeins of Take Care Mohair- I hope your daughter loves her new hat!

New Pattern- **Mill Street Mittens**

Over a year ago, I was contacted by Laurie Gonyea of Feel Good Yarn Co. about being a part of their "Year of the Designer".  Every month this year, FGYC has worked in conjunction with a designer to release an exclusive pattern designed for SilverSpun® yarn.   I couldn't be more excited to close out this special year with brand new pattern, designed with two colors of SilverSpun® Sport.  

The Mill Street Mittens are that perfect last minute holiday gift knit!  With a classic wintry feel of the houndstooth pattern, and minimal increases & decreases along the way, the mittens knit up quickly and more mindlessly than you might expect!

SilverSpun® Sport is an American made cotton yarn that is spun with pure silver, which makes it conductive.  It doesn't feel like a typical cotton yarn, as there is a certain amount of elasticity in the fabric it creates, which helps the mittens really 'hug' your hands.

The pattern can be purchased as part of a kit on the Feel Good Yarn Co.'s website (with free shipping for email subscribers!), or as a Ravelry download.   Treat yourself to the comfort of SilverSpun® American cotton this holiday season!

How do you #knitcomfort ?

Since we're on a roll with giveaways here on French Press Knits- how about another one this week?  

This one will be Instagram focused:  I want to see how you #knitcomfort . 

#knitcomfort is a hashtag I've been using for labeling stockings from the Comfort & Joy Collection via social media.  So, by tagging a photo with #knitcomfort via Instagram, you will be entered to win one of 4 copies of "Comfort & Joy"- sound like a plan?!  Contest will be open for the next two weeks- winners will be chosen and contacted via Instagram on 12/20/2016.  So pose your yarn with your cuppa, cozy up the fire, or bokeh that Christmas tree, I'm ready to see how you #knitcomfort!

PS- international entries welcome!