Etsy Love - Persnickity Knits

I love taking my knitting with me everywhere, and I usually use a fabric project bag for outings, shoving them into my regular purse. However, there were occasions, usually when I was going to be outside, that I wished for something a little heftier. Then I discovered these amazing and totally stylish knitting clutches from Persnickity Knits.

I bought myself this Little Lulu clutch in super sexy black. It is the perfect size for socks and other small projects. I've been carrying mine with me everywhere. I even took it camping! The faux leather stood up to dust and even a little rain, keeping my knitting perfectly protected.

Needless to say, I totally love this product. Even better, when I told the folks at Persnickity Knits about the upcoming Socktoberfest contest, they graciously offerred to donate a FiFi Knitting Clutch as a prize. This one is their medium sized clutch, a bit larger than the Lulu (perfect for stuffing full of other knitting prizes). To the right is a photo of the inside. My favorite features are definitely the wealth of interior pockets for knitting notions, and the lobster clasp like hook, perfect for running your yarn through, but easy to open up and take out your yarn when you want to move your project somewhere else. (I love it when you can be noncommital with your project bags!) The hook helps keep your yarn in the bag while you're knitting too.

So be sure to check out Persnickity Knits, and to keep an eye out for our Soctoberfest contest running October 1-31 for a chance to win a Fifi Knitting Clutch stuffed with Knit it Up goodies.

Knitty Feature (holy crap!)

Yep you read the title right, I just heard from the Knitty folks that they are going to feature my gift tags in the fall issue! Wowza! I am thrilled since I'm a huge fan. Look for them in the "Cool Stuff" feature.

I love to knit gifts, but I always forget to include fiber contents and care instructions with my gifts, resulting in more than one felted catastrophe. Such a waste of my beautiful yarn and precious knitting time! I had seen other knitting themed gift tags on the market, but nothing that included room for this important information. So, like any good DIY maven, I created some of my own (and of course I offered them for sale in my shop too)!

I'm stocking up in case the Knitty feature results in crazy sales, but if you want some of your own you may want to snag them now before the fall issue drops in early September!

I'll be adding some more tag designs soon. I recently joined the Selfish Knitters group on Ravelry to try and inspire myself to do more selfish knitting, and I can't believe the horror stories I've read about people being so unappreciative of handknit gifts. So I've also created Selfish Knitters Gift Tags that will be up in the shop soon. Similar to my other gift tags but with a special note that reads

"This project took hours of my precious time to make. You may now ooh and aah and wear it every single day for the rest of your life."

Some people just need a reminder, you know?

Here's another little something I created for gift knitters like me: The Knitter's Giftdex.

I just got so tired of asking my mother-in-law about people's favorite colors and fibers every November when I was gearing up for my procrastinated gift knitting extravaganza. Now I just fill out a rolodex card for each person, along with their birthday info, likes and dislikes, wish list, etc. I put it into a rolodex along with cards detailing which knitted gifts I've already given them. I keep it in my stash closet surrounded by squishy yummy yarn. Oh glorious organization!

Name That Skein!

I've been missing doing contests lately, they're just too fun! So, here's one where you can help me out with what is always my biggest dilema - naming skeins.

This one was inspired by the Snow White Dwarf Dopey - but that just doesn't sound like the right name for it now that it is done.

Leave a comment with your suggestion for a name for this colorway. Whoever's colorway name I pick will get a free skein! Go crazy too - it can be Snow White related or totally different.

Contest closes August 6th (so I can add these skeins to my August 7th shop update).

Leave your email or Ravelry username so I can contact the winner.

(Enter as many times as you like!)

Member's Choice Vote!

There were so many amazing suggestions on the Ravelry forum for our Member's Choice month that I couldn't even pick which ones to have you vote on. So, I wrote every mention down on a slip of paper and had my 2 year-old do a drawing!

Check out the poll on the left hand side of this page and cast your vote!

You get to choose between:

Breakfast at Tiffany's,

When Harry Met Sally,

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,

The Nightmare Before Christmas, and

Girl With a Pearl Earring.

Don't worry - if your favorite didn't make it onto this list, it still has a chance for our vote for May's selection.

The polls close on July 31st so be sure to make your choice before then!