November 2008

Holiday Decorating

by --Deb 11.30.2008
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Well, I did my holiday decorating! What do you think?

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And, the Winner Is…

by --Deb 11.28.2008
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And, about time I got around to announcing this, too (grin). With all the extra chances, I came out with 217 entrants to choose from. Then I went to Random.org to generate THREE WINNERS and came up with 75, 92, and 152. I compared those to my excel sheet, and the winners are….

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Honestly

by --Deb 11.23.2008
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Honestly, I haven’t forgotten about the contest …

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Contest Update

by --Deb 11.19.2008
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Okay, I’ve calculated the numbers of chances each person should have … at least, I certainly hope I haven’t missed anything! Next step? Choosing how many books I want to give away so I know how many winners to pick!

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Review: Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

by --Deb 11.19.2008
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Hats. Bags. Scarves. Sweaters. Afghans. Booties. Even toys. I wouldn’t say that this book has everything, but it has a really, really nice selection. The projects tend to be straight-forward and clean-lined … but then, with last-minute gifts, who has time for extra ruffles and things?

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Contest Math

by --Deb 11.16.2008
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Doing “Contest Math” … I DID know that this was going to get complicated, so I only have myself to blame! I probably should have taken Calculus in school, though!

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Review: Knitted Jackets

by --Deb 11.14.2008
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There is a difference between a knitted jacket meant to be worn as outerwear and one meant to be part of an outfit. Or one that’s a sweater. A daily outfit changes so often, you can switch from casual to dressy to serious to playful all depending on your mood. But outerwear is more constant–it tends to be something you wear every day, every time you leave the house for months at a time. It’s defining. It’s like the difference between buying eccentric, trendy furniture or buying classic furniture and dressing it with eccentric, playful throws, pillows, and artwork on the walls.

So–when you pick your outerwear, do you buy classic “furniture” or the flash-in-the-pan, trendy stuff?

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Review: Free-Range Knitter

by --Deb 11.10.2008
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Obviously, I liked this book a lot. It’s a good book to curl up with, with a cup of tea nearby, and maybe your dog on your lap. Or–even better–to have someone read TO you while you sit with your knitting. Because this is the kind of book that you should spend time with. It’s not about rushing through to see how a story ends, or about flipping through to see what patterns you might want to knit. This book feels like spending a long afternoon with Stephanie, just listening to her telling stories, and cracking jokes. Really, an ideal way to spend some time, don’t you think?

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Review: Knitting Classic Style

by --Deb 11.07.2008
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The author says in the introduction, “For me, both fashion and knitting serve a common purpose–the opportunity for creative, wearable self-expression–and it was in that spirit that I created this book.”

Job well done, is all I can say.

The patterns in this book are exactly what you’d expect from the title–stylish, and classic. Or, rather, inspired by the classic.

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Knitting Scholar’s First Contest!

by --Deb 11.02.2008
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Since several publishers have been kind enough to provide me with review copies, it seems selfish to keep ALL of them, so it seemed a good time to have a contest. In fact, it’s a multi-part contest! You’ve got more than one way to win! Here’s what you have to do. Either… 1. Link to [...]

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