Giftalong

Happy December!! Are you guys all working on your holiday knitting? Or are you opting for a little less stress this year...hahaha! I'm busy working on a design deadline but I'm still hoping to get a few holiday gifts in. We'll see.

I can't believe this will be my 9th year of blogging! Happy blogiversary month! We've got a few fun things planned in the next few weeks for you. To kick it off, I thought we'd have a guest post! Erica is going to talk a little about some of her favorite designs she's seen over in the Indie Design Gift-A-Long. I'm so excited to be one of the Designers participating this year! And be sure to read to the end....we're starting blogiversary month off with some fun!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tick tock, tick tock...19 days left until Christmas. Can you believe it? I can't! I bet you want to knit a couple things and get them under the tree or in a stocking. Me too. I went searching through the Indie Design Gift-A-Long designs and thought I'd share my discoveries.

Mikkey by Lee Meredith



A chunky cowl using slip stitches, one of my favorite techniques for working with color that is deceptively simple with a super cool result. Imagine how striking it would be in black and white!

Snowy Woods Cowl by Michele Bernstein



I love the reverse stockinette design, leaving the tree branches highly visible. Fun, quick knit in Aran weight.

Faro by Jen Lucas



Slip stitches. Stripes. Aran weight. What a fun and fast knit!

Owl in the Thicket by Sara Burch



Cables and lace, with beads or buttons to accentuate the owl's eyes. Too cute!

Bluet by Bonnie Sennott



Cables and lace? How could you go wrong?

X-Intercept by Star Athena



Knits and purls that spiral! Simple technique, yet a striking striped effect.

There are 335 designers participating in the Indie Giftalong, with several KALs to participate in with oodles of prizes. It's not too late to join in the fun (details here) and get some gift knitting started and finished by December 31. Speaking of KALs, our Q4 KAL has started and the theme is Gift Knitting! Join in the fun here and also double dip by entering your WIPs and FOs into both ravelry group contests. I have SO MANY Irish Girlie favorites, as you may have guessed, but I thought I'd highlight a few of my go-tos for gift knitting.

Seamus by Irishgirlieknits



I can't even remember how many of these I knit. So quick and so fun because the cables are easy, plus you have a ton of vacation rows in between. I recently knit one for Padraig in a tweed and he is obsessed with how squishy it is!

Alpine Lake by Irishgirlieknits



This textured cowl is a dream to knit and works up in a flash in bulky. The loop is easily doubled for a warmer cowl and I love that the striking stitch pattern is unisex. I loved the version I knit in a bulky single



and I'm going to stash dive to whip up another for a quick teacher gift.

Rathmore by Irishgirlieknits



I love this for a gift knit! Stripes and lace make this a unique and impressive knit, that definitely delights the recipient. I knit this as a gift for a friend, and I must admit that I was a little sad when the knitting was done. It was such a dream to work up!

So tell me, tell me! What's your favorite IGK pattern to gift? And, hey, why not come on over and join us in the Irish Girlie Ravelry Group December KAL which is all about gift knitting to tie in with the Indie Design GAL! See you there. - Erica

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We usually celebrate blogiversary month with some fabulous specials and this time is no different. For the next two weeks, I'll be picking a few favorite patterns, with a little help from Erica and Tricia aka Cheeky Attitude, and marking them down for 50% off for 2-days only! So you'll need to check back here frequently so you don't miss out!

Erica's post reminded me of an old favorite, Alpine Lake. It really does knit up quickly in Bulky. The pattern is easy to memorize too! Don't have any bulky yarn? Double up some worsted and you are good to go...go up a needle size maybe if you aren't getting gauge.

So, from now until Dec. 8, 11:59pm PST, Alpine Lake is 50%, just $3.00! No coupon necessary!


Happy Knitting!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Grateful.

After spending a lovely holiday weekend with family and friends, I can't help but feel grateful. I hope you all had a nice weekend and are ready for the holiday season. I know I am! I'm sitting at my favorite cafe, with their lovely holiday decorations up, enjoying a cafe au lait on this chilly afternoon, listening to Adele (do you love her new album as much as I do?!).

A few favorites from this weekend....







We had awesome seats for the Notre Dame-Stanford game! And I finished my hat just in time Friday night. The yarn, Plucky Knitter Cachet, is absolutely divine! The pattern is going to be a new one....the Chugach hat, slouchy version.



The game was a heartbreaker....not quite enough luck for the Irish!









I think Lil' Guy liked his Grown-Up Keegan! Yes, yes....it has been forever since I knit him anything. We called this a cool skater hat and that seemed to help! What other 8 year old gets a Bello Worsted hat (that should read 45% cashmere!)?!?!

If you haven't had a chance to take advantage of my Thanksgiving sale, today is the last day.



And if you missed it, don't worry, December is blogiversary month! And you know we like to have some awesome specials for that!

I've also started a healthy for the holidays thread over in the IGK ravelry group! I'm starting the 21day fix program again tomorrow- serious commitment for the next 21 days! Feel free to pop over and join us as we share healthy tips and cheer each other on!



Happy Knitting!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Good things.

I've been writing this post to you for a few weeks now. So many blessings and happenings, and good things. I'm trying to savor each and every one and focus more on the good things than the stress and health stuff. But, I'd be lying if I said things are all sunshine and rainbows. Tonight though, we have good things.

1. Emmypie. I have no idea if this will be her blogname forever, but it was either Taco Salad, el bebe dragon, or Emmypie. Or Mouse. She is just the sweetest thing! We love her.


Naylor Street hat, Plucky Primo Sport




Keegan hat, Plucky Knitter Primo

2. Big sister, Magpie, turned 2!!





3. I'm still trying lots of new healthy recipes. This delicious pumpkin bread recipe is here.



4. I've released quite a few new designs. I was pretty inspired by Plucktober. I only have one of these designs left to release.



I love all of the new designs, but Ballydesmond has really taken off this past week! It was even featured on The Plucky Knitter's blog and newsletter this week (fyi.... update time!!)! The intuitive cables, the unisex nature of the design, and how quick these knit up certainly help. Plus, with the holidays coming up, I think everyone is thinking gift knitting (Tracey has already knit two pair this week for teacher gifts!).

5. Speaking of gift knitting, this year I'm participating in the Indie Design Gift-A-Long 2015! Plus I plan to try to get some gift knitting done too!



Here are a few of my designs that will be on sale, along with lots of other indie designers (over 300!) patterns. The Gift-a-Long starts tomorrow, Nov. 19 at 8pm EST. Use the coupon code: giftalong2015 to receive 25% off my select GAL patterns, as well as many other designers. The sale ends Nov. 27, but the gift knitting fun will continue until the end of the year.

6. Happy Halloween!






Man, I wish Lil' Guy lived closer. Look at that soccer star!

7. Chilly evenings and the first fire of the year. It is amazing to me that as the seasons change, I fall in love with each one again. But really, there is something about this time of year that I just love.



Yes, I'm stuck on fingerless gloves. These are in Primo Worsted Cold as Ice. Probably one of my favorite colors lately.

8. Our IGK Fall KAL. I love when the KAL just clicks and everyone is active and enjoying the KAL. This one has been a fun one and will be wrapping up at the end of November.....just in time for our Gift-Knitting KAL!



9. Notre Dame Football!!! Our entire family is looking forward to the Stanford-Notre Dame game right after Thanksgiving! It is here in Palo Alto, so we'll have another big turnout. Exciting that this game could be a make or break it for the Irish in getting into the playoffs. And I love knowing that there are a few of you who are just as obsessed with college football as I am. All the games are so exciting lately!!!

10. Sisters. I'm blessed to have a sister, brother, and sister-in-law. But there is something special about sisters. To think I used to not talk to my sister when she was little (I was a middle child. I guess I had issues.). She's my best friend now. I don't know what I'd do without her sometimes. And the past two months, seeing her with her new daughter, getting to spend more time with her while she's on maternity leave, it has been perfect. When I'm with her, I definitely am glad I didn't move to Alaska. I wouldn't want to miss moments like this.



There you go. A bit of a catch up. And so much to be grateful for this time of year. I hope your days are filled with good things too. I'd love to hear what you guys have on your needles or have been up to lately. I promise to be back soon.

Happy Knitting!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

A Post from the Anchorage Airport

I so needed this weekend. A quick weekend trip to Anchorage, Alaska to visit my guy was just what my heart and soul needed.



When I made this big leap of faith back in July, he was a big influence in my decision, and no matter where things end up, I'm forever grateful for that. But being back in Alaska, everything just seemed so perfect. I loved the rainy weather. Oh how this California girl misses it. The dark morning and early evenings. Of course, he jokes that I wouldn't love it in December, and he's probably right. But right now, when my head is killing me and the light doesn't help it, you know, I kinda love the vampire lifestyle :)



Look at that magical misty fog!



He cooked dinner Friday night, while I took care of snacks during the Notre Dame-USC game. Go Irish!!





Our drive today out on the Seward Highway to Chugach National Forest to see the glaciers was just beautiful!


Portage Glacier


Spencer Glacier





The Glacier from the Whittier side of the ONE-LANE TUNNEL....for 2 1/2 miles... under the glacier...with 5 safe houses....yeah...that freaked me out and I wanted to say, "But what if..." and he just said, "Save your scenarios. I don't want to hear them, even when we are out of the tunnel." You know...like what if there was an earthquake? A car accident? A nuclear war...are these the bunkers the president goes to??? What are in those safe houses?? Bezzie....tell me about this tunnel thing??? Ok, I just did a little research, but I'm sure Bezzie has more info for us :)

And a new hat I designed Friday morning....





I don't regret not moving to Alaska, although long-distance hasn't been ideal....he's moving back to the bay area soon though. But we both know we'll always have a plan B because we both love it here. And I can wear ALL. THE. HAND. KNITS.



Sorin and Aleyska.



Glaciers, hand knits, and a happy heart.

xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Bodacious

As I said, I found my knitting mojo. I had forgotten what it was like to knit on a deadline.

The kind of deadline where you take your knitting with you everywhere...the pool, to tea, knit nite. But the end result is worth it. Introducing...

I'm pretty smitten with this shawl because of the endless possibilities. Different weights of yarn. Leftovers. Gradients. Size. Change it up and have fun!

Bold. Audacious. Impressive. This shawl is the perfect vehicle to demonstrate just that. Show how plucky you are with your color choices. Whether it is one bold pop of color in the chevron pattern, such as the pink is used here, or a chevron of gradient hues, the possibilities are endless. This shawl also works well with a variety of different weight yarns too! Have fun with this. Be bold. Be plucky. Be bodacious!

Note: Instructions are written for a top-down shawl.  Both charted and written instructions are provided for the chevron edging.

Suggested Yarns: ~ 800 yards total of sport weight yarn or for 3-colors ~225 yards (Color A), 175 yards (Color B), and 400 yards (Color C) of sport weight yarn such as The Plucky Knitter Primo Sport

Materials:

·       Size US 7 (4.5 mm) or size to obtain gauge, knitting needles

·       Stitch markers

·       Tapestry needle

·       Blocking pins

Gauge:  ~22 sts and 30 rows= 4” over st st before blocking

Finished measurements: 72” wide and 28” long at center points, after blocking; note that the size may vary depending on the fiber content of the yarn and how rigorously the shawl is blocked.

Bodacious  

This shawl is one of the official SALs (stitch-along/knit-alongs) for Plucktober over in the Plucky Knitter Group on Ravelry. You can read more about it here. I can't wait to see all of the different color combinations you guys come up with! So excited that I'm even offering a special discount this week.

I'll be back with more exciting news in the next few days. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Happy knitting!

xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Found.

This weekend, while following doctor's orders to rest and ice my knee, I found a few things that I didn't realize I was looking for. Amazing what can happen when you disconnect from the internet for an entire weekend.

• my creativity 
• my knitting mojo
• my pattern writing mojo

The Plucky Knitter Primo Sport, colorways Petticoat, Twill, Tomboy

All good things to find, especially since I'm one of the designated designers for Plucktober, so I'm on a bit of a deadline. Here's just a sneak peak of something exciting to come.

And the Irish happened to find an offense AND a defense this weekend!! GO IRISH!! 

Before my internet disconnect, I did find some awesome pattern sales in the Plucktober thread. Be sure to check them out (including mine!). 

Have you found anything exciting lately? Here's to a short week ahead :)

Happy Knitting!

xoxo Irishgirlieknits