If I Had More Hands IV....

Time for another "If I Had More Hands" Post! 

I've got sweaters on the brain... which makes absolutely no sense as it's finally summer here!  Want to see what I'd be knitting if I had more hands?

Beach Street Park by Kirsten Kapur
I've got the yarn for this one standing by...

Washington Sqaure by Melissa Werhle,
one of the designs in her new book Metropolitan Knits!
I think I have yarn in stash for this one too!

Remember Mythos?  Mine is trashed cause I love wearing it so much...it's really time for another! 
Thinking maybe Quince and Co. Sparrow, a linen which would be perfect for summer!

I'm also itching to cast on another version of June's Mystery KAL pattern I am doing with Craftsy.... hoping to be caught up enough to cast on for that while everyone else is knitting it too!

NEW Ribband Kit Colors, and More!

I hope you all had a lovely mother's day weekend!  I spent two precious days with my Mom at a spa last week and joyfully discovered how important having R and R with her is!  Really, this is the woman who has known me longest, and our chats were the best rejuvenation I could have asked for.

With that, I am ready to hit the ground running this week!  In this post I've got new colors for the Ribband kit to tell you about, a winner of the Inpsinknity Blocking Wires to announce, and a little update on the book! You ready?

Behind the scenes I've been working on new kits for Fall to release at TNNA at the end of June.  While working on them I noticed I was getting a fair number of e-mails asking me to add new colors to my line of Ribband Kits.  Ribband has always been one of my favorite super simple jewelry designs and it was definitely time to give you all some more color choices in it!  Remember the post where I asked you to help me choose beads?  Well, those new kit colors are ready!  Want to see?

I've added the kits to my website, Etsy shop, and wholesale listings... if you are a retail shop and would love to carry them please get in touch, I have them in stock and ready to ship!

Ready for the Inspinknitty Blocking Wire Winner?  There were ALOT of comments! I ran a random number generator, and congrats to #58 Sarah  Get in touch so we can get your wires out to you!!!! 
Remember (if you didn't win): Inspinknity has offered a coupon code to you all!  NELKINGIFT will be active through the month of May. It will take $3.50 off any order placed now through 5/31. It is only good for purchases made at www.inspinknity.com.

Oh, and want to hear some good news?  I don't want to jinx myself, so I'm knocking on wood as I type this, but I am over 80% done with the knitting for the book.... HOME STRETCH!  The first section has already been tested/tech edited and is being tested again.  I might just possibly be starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!  Maybe?  There is still ALOT of writing to do, but WOOT!  I just had to get excited for a second with you!  (ok, thanks for letting me get that out of my system)

My Ravelry Group & why they CRACK ME UP!

We are deep into knitting Juego (this spring's Mystery KAL) in my Ravelry group and so it was time for me to run my traditional "What in the hell do you think we are knitting?" contest.

Well, these creative knitter's really put there thinking caps on.... we ended up with 108 different potential knit outcomes, see?

• Hooded Shawl
• A Net for Catching Cheeky Knitted Object Stealing Children
• A Baby Carrier Sling/wrap/magically-turns-into-something fabulous for Mom to wear to cover up the baby spit up down her back when she has to run to the store-thing!!!
• Bull Fighters Cape
• There are no words for this…
  
  
• A Superhero Outfit with a magical beaded patch over the heart … like Iron Man, but way cooler! We can all be Juegowoman (or Juegoman, it’s an equal opportunity superhero project) and go off bringing beads and knitting to the world!
• A Bed Canopy! Oooo La La
• Water Chair
• Car Cover
• Custom floor mat to hug the bathroom commode
• Cover for our Space Ship
• Diaper cover, or a Depends cover up, depending on how big it is
• Belly Hip Scarf
• Salsa Dancing Skirt
• Mini-Cabana Cover
• Super Knitters Hero Cape
• Mariachi Hat
• Fancy Bib
• Halter Top
• Fancyass Toilet Seat Cover
• Very Fancy Doily
• Beaded Car Seat-Covers
• Magic Carpet
• Bolero
• Convertible Dress
• Cushion Cover for a seat at the Mariachi Band concert
• Horseshoe Crab Cover
• Beehive Poncho
• Beaded Lampshade
• Spare Tire Cover for a Jeep
• Cover for a Chest Freezer
• Tray Cover for a High Chair
• A Costume
  
  
• Tardis Cover
• Poncho
• Straitjacket
• A Very Fancy Yurt
• A Beaded Cat Suit
• Round Afghan
• Beach Umbrella
• A Designer Cover for a Weber
• Veil for a Bride getting married in a traditional Indian ceremony
• Hula Skirt
• A Skirt to Dance the Flamenco In!!
• A Foreign Legion Style Hat
• Jodhpurs
• A Colorful, Beaded Balaclava!
• A Fancy Shade for a Stained Glass or Fan Shaped Window
• It’s a cat toy!
• A Giant Dream Catcher
• A Hammock
• Mayan Headwear
• A Monkeys Hammock
• An Amazing Shawl
• Table Centerpiece
• a Hooded Cape
• Bun Warmer for Nikki Minaj
• A Beehive Bover
• A Cat Hammock
• An Apron, the kind you wear when you go outside to BBQ in the winter!
• A Babushka (head covering, not a grandma!)
• Pantalones
• A Shrug
• A Beaded Batwoman
• A Plant Cover
• A Knitted, Bead embellished password protector!
• A Yarmulka
• A Bib for the Jolly Green Giant
• A Shawl for a Beekeeper
• A Chicken Sweater
  
  
• A Mill Game
• Giant God's Eye
• A burro serape or saddlebag
• A backpack for knitting retreats!
• A Taco Warmer?
• A Parasail
• A Fairy Wing Cover
• A Bicycle Basket
• A Stash Hammock
• First Designer Golf Bag Cover
• Halter Top
• A “Juego my Eggo” Waffle Catcher- (okay you have to read this post, it has a poem!)
  
  
• Really Cool Bathing Suit Cover
• Lamb Pajamas
• Carrying Case for the Guitaron in my Local Mariachi Band
• A Large Stuffed Squid
• A Pizza Box Cozy
• A Sarong
• A Market Basket Cozy
• A Sling for my Aching Arm after all this Knitting!
• A Wine Rack for holding the bottles of wine for drunk knitters
• A Horse Caparison
• A Shawl for a Beekeeper
• A Christmas tree skirt
• Grannie Panties
• The Top of a Bassinet
• A Glamorous Accessory that turns into a safety device when evacuation measures are necessary at high altitudes? Yes, it’s a A Lovely Beaded Parachute!
• A Bootie Bag
• Hairpiece for Donald Trump!
• A Sun Catcher
• A Child Sized Cloak of Invisibility
• A Thingy
• A Bib
• Loin Cloth
• Fanny Pack
• A Cape for Darth Juego
  
  

  
  It was SO HARD choosing a winner, I mean, really Darth Juego is TOO much!  But, I'm afraid the grand prize goes to the jet-lagged, poetry writing, "Juego MY Eggo" brainchild, LKGervitz... looks like I am sending some of my bead stash to Brussels Belgium : )!

A Craftsy Knit-A-Long Workshop!

I’m thrilled to announce my latest project with Craftsy, aka my latest OBSESSION! After teaching 3 lace classes with Craftsy I have designed a brand new summer pattern for Craftsy's June Mystery knit-along!

Craftsy Mystery Knit-A-Long's are a bit different than the ones I run in my Ravelry group. When you sign up you will receive in the mail one luxurious skein of yarn before June 1st. Then on June 1st you will be granted access to a special workshop I have designed just for the yarn. This workshop will contain the pattern, in-depth instructions and high quality close-up photos of each step. Even more, I will be responding to questions and providing help along the way.  I hope to inspire your summer knitting, expand your skills, AND create a new obsession while having FUN with Craftsy!

This mysterious design will be perfect for cool summer days and evenings… expect to create something light, ethereal, and wearable while building your knitting skills! Note: The pattern will not be delivered in clues... but all at once on June 1st!

I can't show you a "real" photo from the shoot... but I can give you an idea of just how windy it was the day we took the photos!