Introducing...
I suggest the "Aravis Cowl" - because I am reading "The horse and his boy" to my daughter, and I think Aravis would have loved a cowl like this - it has just enough femininity and mystery, and just enough practicality, for a well-bred Tarkheena like Aravis who is not afraid to take on an adventure. Also I can totally see Aravis looking good in purple. And she could have used the hood to hide in when she didn't want to be recognised. And there is no Aravis pattern on Ravelry, so you'd be original!
I read "The Horse and His Boy" as a child, but when Woolcat suggested the Aravis cowl, I decided to do a little research on the character. I headed to Wikipedia to read the account of Aravis, whose character did seem to be the perfect name for this cowl.
There were also some other names I liked, and I'll give those a quick mention here.
Monkeymama wrote:
I suggest the Ludington Cowl, since some of your patterns have location names and I just picture walking in a senic area while wearing that cowl.
But, Ludington is a top on Ravlery. Maybe the Madeline Island Cowl?
But, Ludington is a top on Ravlery. Maybe the Madeline Island Cowl?
I thought monkeymama must know me pretty well, because before I made this a contest, I was thinking about going with Ludington Cowl! I have named my other cowls after places I've been to, and since we just took a short trip to Ludington, this would be keeping with the theme. Tara also caught on to the places themed and suggested the following:
I love that you've named some of your patterns for things in Michigan, so how about Purple Rose for the theatre?
Jennie saw this and suggested:
I like Tara's comment on you naming things after places in Michigan. This cowl looks like something I would definitely wear on a perfect fall day like today. One of my favorite places to be in the fall is Kensington Metropark so I vote for the Kensington cowl. It also looks like the sky when sun coming up over the lake at the park!
Kensington cowl sounded so great, and I only live about 15 minutes away from Kensington, but unfortunately 'Kensington Cowl' already has a presence on Ravelry.
As mentioned in the original post, Woolcat will receive the new Aravis Cowl pattern along with a skein of Malabrigo Worsted to complete the project (yup- that's all it takes!).
All the others I mentioned here will also have the pdf pattern sent to them, just because I like the way they were thinking!
Also, as promised the first five commenters will also be receiving a copy of the pdf pattern. This includes: Lisa, Chelles, Beth, Joyce Laurie, and Three Birds Jewelry
If you don't hear from me by the end of the day, it means I have no way of contacting you. You can send me an email at melynda [at!] frenchpressknits.com to let me know where to send the pattern.
Thanks, and congrats to all the winners. Remember, it's not too late to enter the Never Not Knitting Pattern Giveaway! (and don't be surprised if you see another giveaway pop up tomorrow!)
***pattern should be posted and available for purchase later today, I will post again when it's ready to roll!***
Never Not Knitting Giveaway
As I said last week, to celebrate my first blogiversary- there are some exciting things planned for this week. If you haven't already cast your vote in the Name That Cowl Contest, it's not too late. The winner will be revealed tomorrow and the pattern will be available for purchase soon after.
Today I have a very exciting giveaway for all of you. Alana from Never Not Knitting has sent 5 patterns my way to give away to my readers.
Alana has recently redone all her patterns so they look like a cohesive collection. The printed patterns are only available through yarn shops (you can find one in your area by clicking here), but all patterns are available as pdf downloads on nevernotknitting.com.
Each pattern is uniquely designed to look like a page from a scrapbook- just take a closer look at this beautiful design work:
Alana's patterns were some of the first I found (and fell in love with) when I got on Ravelry about a year ago. Playful Stripes is one I'm planning on making for my child one day and was ecstatic she sent an extra copy for me!
Not only is Alana a super talented designer, she is also the host of the ever-popular "Never Not Knitting" podcast. She just kicked off a new season last week, but you can catch up on all the episodes here.
In order to enter, stop by Alana's pattern store to find which design you would love to knit up. Come back and share your favorite design on this blog post for a chance to win. For an extra entry, you may tweet the following phrase from your twitter account:
Just entered the giveaway on frenchpressknits.com for a chance to win patterns from @nevernotknittin .You should enter too! @frenchpressknit
Contest will close Thursday night at midnight (EST) with the winner being announced Friday, October 8.
If this is the first time you have seen Alana's work, I would recommend checking the rest of it out. Here's where you can find her:
Today I have a very exciting giveaway for all of you. Alana from Never Not Knitting has sent 5 patterns my way to give away to my readers.
Alana has recently redone all her patterns so they look like a cohesive collection. The printed patterns are only available through yarn shops (you can find one in your area by clicking here), but all patterns are available as pdf downloads on nevernotknitting.com.
Each pattern is uniquely designed to look like a page from a scrapbook- just take a closer look at this beautiful design work:
Alana's patterns were some of the first I found (and fell in love with) when I got on Ravelry about a year ago. Playful Stripes is one I'm planning on making for my child one day and was ecstatic she sent an extra copy for me!
Not only is Alana a super talented designer, she is also the host of the ever-popular "Never Not Knitting" podcast. She just kicked off a new season last week, but you can catch up on all the episodes here.
On to the GIVEAWAY!!
As I mentioned above, the giveaway consists of five of Alana's printed patterns. Among these, you will find: Sheepish, Playful Stripes Cardigan, Cosette Wrap, Cedar Leaf Shawlette, and Alana's newest pattern, Shawl Collared Cowl.
In order to enter, stop by Alana's pattern store to find which design you would love to knit up. Come back and share your favorite design on this blog post for a chance to win. For an extra entry, you may tweet the following phrase from your twitter account:
Just entered the giveaway on frenchpressknits.com for a chance to win patterns from @nevernotknittin .You should enter too! @frenchpressknit
Contest will close Thursday night at midnight (EST) with the winner being announced Friday, October 8.
If this is the first time you have seen Alana's work, I would recommend checking the rest of it out. Here's where you can find her:
Name That Cowl Contest
As I mentioned last night, next week marks the first blogiversary of French Press Knits. In honor of this occasion, today we will start a little contest that will lead into a new pattern release next week. I've been holding back this cowl for some time now:
With October Stockpile starting in the Malabrigo Junkies Group on Ravelry, I figured there's no time like the present to launch a pattern that utilizes just one skein (yes, one!) of Malabrigo Worsted.
This pattern is worked in the round with a classic fan and feather pattern. The hood is shaped with short-row shaping within the infinty-cowl style. Knit on size 10 circular needles, this is sure to be another great last-minute gift idea.
And here's where you come in. This cowl does not yet have a name, and of course it would love one. In the comments section, please leave me suggestions for a name. If I choose the name you suggest, you will win the cowl pattern upon release, and a skein of Malabrigo Worsted in purple Mystery to get your WIP started!
And that's not all! Be one of the first 5 people to leave a comment with a name suggestion, and you will automatically win a pdf of the pattern emailed and/or gifted to you on Ravelry when the pattern is released next week.
The winning name will be announced on Tuesday, October 5, with the pattern going live soon after. Comment by Tuesday morning for your chance to win!
Improv Hat and Cowl Patterns
Today I am two months away from my due date. I can hardly believe how the time is passing by lately, and the list of things to do before baby comes just keeps growing. In order to feel a little productive tonight after a long day of work, I decided to finally link my Improv Hat and Cowl pattern on Ravelry.
For those of you who have been around for a while, you may remember that I decided to take some time for me in January for 'Selfish Knitting Month'. So, with 5 skeins of Ella Rae Latte, I made myself a hat and cowl set that kept me warm until...oh, probably June!
The patterns are both fairly simple, and are still available here on my blog. I know there are some of you out there who have made the hat, cowl, or both, and now you can link them to a central project page on Ravelry. You'll find the hat here, and the cowl here.
For those of you who are new reader's- it's like a new pattern... exciting- right?!? How about we use this as a kick off for an exciting week ahead? I realized just the other night that I am coming up on my first blogiversary.
I started this blog a few days before I was getting ready to launch my French Press Felted Slipper pattern to the public. October 7th will be the first birthday of the French Press Knits blog- yay!
In leiu of such a joyous occasion, get ready for some exciting events- including a new pattern, a contest, and a giveaway...