Well, we're on to the fourth giveaway already out of five! This month is going by faster than I'd like and I'm enjoying myself dyeing yarn for the next weeks prize! Thank you everyone for entering so far. I have really enjoyed reading all your answers and hearing about the places that are special to you. I must admit wanting to visit the grand canyon now for the spectacular scenery and that 'take your breath away' feeling!
So without delay, I will announce the winners of the variegated yarns from last week:
First up was the lavendar Blue and the winner drawn totally at random is Rachel O! Which is totally weird given you were convinced you would win this, Rachel!!
And the winner of the Deep Fushia, again drawn completely at random, is Sylvia!
Well done to you both and if you could contact me at labellehelene@btinternet.com and send me some contact details I will endeavour to get these yarns off to you as soon as possible.
Aquamarine
For today's giveaway, I have some semi-solid yarns for you. These have just enough subtle differenciation in the tones to give the colour a lift but also won't take away from a detailed lace or cable pattern. Cookie A's sock patterns would look very nice in either colour. A definite statement:-) Or a delicate lace shawl like Ysolda's Ishbel would look lovely too - more subtle and intricate. The yarn is fingering/4ply supersock yarn - 75% merino wool & 25% Nylon - for better wear and less felting when washed!
Deep OrchidSo todays competition question - Whose work inspires you the most or has been the greatest influence on you? Is it a well known artist or designer, or maybe your mum or family members making away when you were small? There are so many people's work I admire, and I find inspiration from a lot of different types of work like quilting, fine art, collage and knit that its hard to narrow it down to a few or just one. So I'll be trying to think of an answer to this one as well this week!
Again, the competition closes this sunday, 30th August and you can enter for both yarns:-) As the next monday is just inside august, we will also have a final grand giveaway starting on the 31st and finishing on the 6th Sept. I'm thinking a few more prizes than normal to be won......
Good luck to all and I look forward to hearing about your source of inspiration! If you have a link to a picture or website for visuals, that would be wonderful. (I know the comments don't let you add a hyperlink but we can always cut and paste;-)
Aquamarine
I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. And I am so excited to have won. The yarn is soooo gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThanks for picking me.
I was feeling like it was just too piggy to enter again, but then I thought, oh well, I am piggy when it comes to yarn so why not? Elaine (or elaine) can always just throw out my entry, right?
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt, my mother is my biggest knitting inspiration. She has always knit and taught me to knit and I know that I'll never be as accomplished as she is, but it does give me inspiration.
And as before, I'd love either of the two prizes.
You are just too generous! Not one but 5 give-aways, most with multiple prizes and you're talking about the last one being even bigger!
I just came across your competitions, how generous of you to do this every week! I was trying to think of one favourite, but I'm sorry I can't, there has to be 3...Arthur Rackham, (http://rackham.artpassions.net/), whose artwork I have grown up with,my mum, who is an astounding woman, always positive, always helping. Musically, I have to say thanks to Tom Waits (http://www.tomwaits.com/)...I feel like I'm doing my Oscars speech...
ReplyDeleteBoth are verry pretty!
ReplyDeleteI have had several inspirations. Crochet is my 1st passion but knitting is taking root pretty quickly.
Poverty and generosity are what got me started. I needed hats and mittens for my little girl and couldn't buy them and a generous lady donated her time and hooks to a shelter we were at and tought a couple of us ladies how to crochet. And I sat many nights with a book in my lap facing a mirror to better teach my self the stitches (I'm a leftie and it's hard to learn from right handed diagrams).
And my lace works have mostly been inspired by Terry Kimbrough. She truly has some gorgeous patterns! And also by Hass Design (on line site) and he designs some wonderful filet patterns that have had me venturing into some very small threads and hooks )you can see my curtain in my blog).
And my knitting was finally inspired by a yarn. My grandma had knitted for years and it fascinated me but I just could never grasp it then I had a yarn in my stash I wanted to knit instead of crochet and that was all it took. Most everything I have made that is knit has been my own creations out of my head but I"m getting the hang of the patterns.
I can think of a few designs in both knit and crochet that these would look gorgeous in!
And i have my Great Great Aunt Gracy's Tatting supplies so that will be my next venture, though that is VERRY time consuming!
Almost all of my fiber related inspirations have come from many, many hours of browsing the internet. In particular one designer I find incredibly inspiring is Brooklynknits. Not only is a male knitter/spinner/etc, like myself, but he creates beautiful, beautiful patterns and I definitely want to do that myself some day!
ReplyDeleteI'd really like to win some yarn to makes socks from. The only sock yarn skein I've snagged is for a pair of socks to be good. I want to make a pair for myself! The green skein would be perfect!
Both colours are gorgeous. I'd love to try a cookie A pattern on them - I've never done one before. Who inspires me...Well, at the moment I've been really inspired by Elizabeth Glibert's talk on nurturing creativity. In case you haven't heard it yet, it at
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html
Both colors are beautiful. I'd be thrilled with either.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest inspiration these days is Hanne Falkenberg. I love her designs and, although I haven't bought her kits, I have knit things which might be thought of as "Odes to Hanne".
If you've never seen Hanne's work, take a look at www.knit.dk. The biggest downside is that she only sells her patterns in kits and, at least in the US they are VERY pricey.
It is now time for me to enter this week's contest since I have gotten so good at entering and using the computer.
ReplyDeleteI love both colors and would love to win either.
My knitting inspiration was my Aunt Lily. She taught me to knit when I was a little girl. Aunt Lily was very talented and designed knitting patterns for various knit companies. She also owned a yarn store and was a very talented artist. Elaine recently found an article on the computer that described an award that Aunt Lily won in 1912 when she was a student at the Art Institute. This was before even I was born. She always taught me it was important to finish whatever I knit well because sloppy finishing ruins the entire piece.
I love both of the semi-solid yarns. Very pretty and very generous to be doing all these giveaways.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite designer is Norah Gaughin these days. Very interesting designs. But there are so many people doing interesting things if you poke around the web alot that it's hard to just pick one.
Hi Sis, Don't panic, I'm not entering the competition. (wouldn't be able to make a thing from your fine yarns!) but I just wanted to say that although I am pretty challenged in the knitting department, you are my complete inspiration for all things knitted, quilted, crocheted and woven. I never knew it could look so trendy and cool.Thanks for de-granifying (sp?) it for me. Plus, i get lots of lovely gifts all the time too..lucky me!!
ReplyDeleteHi Sis, De-granifying:-) I like that!! Yes, I think a pair of mad, brightly coloured socks are due your way:-)))) Which reminds me I haven't finished the wicked vest which could be a challenge for me to fit across the chest! SO that may have to be gifted as well! But we'll wait and see.....
ReplyDeleteSO difficult to name only one person... my answer could be different on any given day but for today, inspired by the beautiful colours of your yarn, I'll say it's the artist Grant Leier. (http://www.westendgalleryltd.com/dynamic/artist.asp?ArtistID=7) Grant's art is saturated with vivid colours and patterns and a sense of fun, and it always makes me smile. It's a feeling I would love to be able to incorporate into my own creations, no matter what the medium.
ReplyDeleteYour aquamarine yarn is absolutely gorgeous!! But so is the other one! I can't decide.... please enter me (greedily) for a chance on both, thanks!
I'm going to go slightly off track and say that my three best friends in high school were a definite inspiration to keep crocheting. As a teenage guy in a small town in the 70s I wasn't secretive about my crochet, but I didn't broadcast it either. However when my three freinds saw a sweater I made for myself, each of them wanted one too. It was great to have my male friends accept and appreciate my craft instead of ridiculing it, and gave me confidence to really keep at it.
ReplyDeleteBoth colours are just gorgeous! I'd love to enter for both. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to pick just one designer. But if it has to be one, I'd say Norah Gaughan. She is the designer who shows me there are so many different ways and special interesting ways to construct a garment. Her designs are genius! They combine the architectural concept of construction and deconstruction.
Cheers,
Agnes
I love both yarns. Please enter me for both.
ReplyDeleteMy knitting inspiration? Currently it's Jill Vosburg (Just One More Row). She has something in common with both Norah Gaughan and Hanne Falkenberg who have already been mentioned in their very interesting engineering of designs. Although I would never mistake one of their designs for another, still there is something similar about them. If you aren't familiar with any of these designers, do give yourself a treat. Ravelry or google will help.
Hi, Finally managed to make this work! I love the colours! I think Howard Hodgkin and Patick Heron have to up there in inspiration terms. And my nana with her red leather case full of needles and hooks, at the time I had no idea what they were for but now I treasure the few of them my mum passed on to me. both my mum and nana tried to teach me, but I couldn't get it then I met someone at work who was really enthusiastic about any thing textiles! and I caught the bug!
ReplyDeleteI love looking at the old patterns from the 40s thru 70s for inspiration. I also love Kaffe Fasset's colorwork to look at, though I would probably never make or wear any of it. Sitll, it has kept me from being totally monochromatic in my knitting.
ReplyDeletePlease enter me in both drawings.
ReplyDeleteI'm a color junkie and absolutely love Kaffe Fassett's work. I was thinking about what to write and read the last entry so this is not a coincidence. Although I never followed his patterns, I did a lot of knits that were reminiscent of his or what you might think of as variations on a theme, though it's been a long time since I've looked at his work (once he went off into quilting I lost interest)
I love both colors.
ReplyDeleteI discovered today an amazing pair: Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer AKA Woolly Thought. They're a husband/wife team of former math teachers. ALl of their designs are amazing!
They are my new inspiration. I'm obsessed.
Love the deep orchid.
ReplyDeleteKaffe Fassett was an inspiration from way back - I have a kit of one of his designs that I still haven't finished - kept getting distracted by small children [they're all over 30 now teehee] - love Anne Hansons lace and also Ysolda's work - have knit 2 Ishbels so far.
Just found your blog.
ReplyDeleteWhat got me started in knitting was Knitty Gritty. I saw a beautiful lady (Vickie Howell) talking about this business of knitting and was so excited about the crafts that these designers were making and I just had to see what this was about. The other inspiration was from Amy Finlay (knittinghelp.com). Again a beautiful lady ... I must admit that knitting ladies have a special place in my heart ... should I seek professional help?
I love both yarns.
ReplyDeleteMy inspiration is my mother. She taught me to knit when I was very young - 5 or 6 which started one of the greatest pleasures of my life.
Both of the colors are so wonderfully intense. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone mentioned the designer Patricia Werner (Dazzling Knits). Her use of color is astounding. I've never made one of her patterns but love looking at them for inspiration.