When Good Phones Get Washed

Yep. I'm an idiot. I washed my cell phone. This is not the first time a piece of technology has taken a ride on the spin cycle, but it's the first time that the fault was all mine. I never took it out of my pocket and then never checked my pockets before commencing washing. *sigh

Once the schmuckiness that I felt had dwindeled down, I sucked it up and went in to buy a new phone. Yeah...that did't go so well. Turns out that because I just bought my phone in July that I'm not elgible for any of the discounts for another 6 months or so. But I could get the "free" phone for the low, low price of $150 or get a used "free" phone for $80. Hmm...no.

Perplexed and defeated, I went back to work and told my woes to Miss Therese--WHO just happened to have bought a new phone and had no use for her old one and was happy to give it to me. Now that's luck! But I didn't want to just take it for nothing. So we made a phone/knit goods swap.

In exchange for her cell, I knit her a winter hat and scarf set in raspberry.

The scarf pattern was so fun. It's called Grecian Plait stitch and can be found in Mary Thomas's Book of Knitting Patterns.

Here's the scarf in all it's glory. The scarf is knit on two different needle sizes. One is small and one big.

And here's the raspberry beret...er, beanie. The pattern is called Odessa.

I'm a Winner...Again!

Kelly over at Knit.Frog.Repeat (I love that name...so funny), just inforned that I am the winner of this stunning Brassy Apple Bunchy Scarf (but in teal...not purple). Isn't it great? She won two scarves from Portabellopixie and decided to give one away to a lucky winner. And that was me! Woohoo for contests and giveaways. I have to do more of them!

Thanks, Patty!

Houston, we have a house! After two years of searching, five failed offers, and a lot of hopeless feelings, Shane and I have finally found a home we can call our own. Our awesome realtor Patty was with us through it all, and we couldn't be more grateful to her for sticking in there with us. As a thank-you gift, I knit this scarf using the remaining yarn I had from the Upstairs Shawl. The pattern is the Pyrifera Scarf that came with the lace sampler pack.

Thanks again, Patty!

Happy Birthday, Mommy Rose!

Who is Mommy Rose? She is my wonderful mother-in-law (and I don't mean that in any sort of sarcastic way!). I started calling her Mommy Rose after Shane and I got married. I felt weird going from calling her "Rose" for eight plus years (Shane and I were together a very long time before we got married) to calling her "mom," so I started calling her "Mommy Rose." When she asked what I wanted her to call me, I replied instantly with "Baby Girl." So that's who we are "Mommy Rose" and "Baby Girl." We rock.

Anyway, Mommy Rose's birthday is today, and of course I went the handmade route for her gift, right down to the card we gave her.

Below the big quote, there is a little strip that says "count your blessings." Mommy Rose has dealt with a lot of obstacles in the past few years, which is why the card I made took more of an inspirational direction. I know she'll appreciate it.

Here's the gift as a whole. It's what I'm calling the "Think Spring" winter wear set. I used Cascade Venezia worsted yarn in Granny Smith. This yarn is super soft because it's a mix of wool and silk...yum!

Included in the set is a beret made using the Baroness Beret pattern.

Using the chevron lace established in the beret pattern, I knitted a button-up scarflette.

And since you can't have a hat and a scarf without any mittens, along came this matching pair.

The Past Weekend and A Bit More Obama

Sorry if you've had your fill on our new president, but I promise I'll take a break after this post.

I mentioned that I was in Chicago over last weekend, but I never actually expanded on the festivities. The weekend was planned so that I could reunite with Katy and Porsche, two of my oldest and dearest friends from grade school. The three of us went to a private grade school together. They went on to the private high school, and I went on to the ghetto public school. =) Despite how close we all were, getting settled in high school led us to losing touch with another, until the wonders of Facebook brought us back together again. They both live in the city, so I traveled down to have dinner and spend the night with them. It was great catching up and talking about old memories. I was a bit out of my element having been in laid back Wisconsin for so long--going out to dinner in Madison is WAY different than Chicago...like night and day different. In fact, despite frigid temperatures in both Madison and Chicago, people in the city don't wear layers and layers of clothing like us Sconnies do. Then we got to the heavily packed restaurants and I realized why. My Smartwools underneath my jeans about killed me. I almost went to the bathroom to take them off, but standing close to the door helped from passing out. I'm a serious dork. Still, getting out of my comfort zone is a good thing, and in the end we had a lot of good laughs and more memories to add to the bank.

Prior to heading to Katy's place off the train, I made a short stop at Loopy (as I mentioned in this post.) I already told you about all the knitters there who had donated hats, but I didn't share these pics:

I was welcomed into the group with this pin when I first arrived at Loopy (not like a ceremony or anything...just a gift). One of the knitters had made them for everyone (sorry, I can't remember which one).

I bought this beautiful yarn! It's Malabrigo lace weight yarn in "Col China." I'm not sure what I'm going to make with it, but it was too beautiful to pass up. Plus, I wanted to say thanks to the yarn shop for hosting our group...a win, win all around!

This was one of the knitter's puppy, decked out in red, white, and blue Obama gear. The puppy wouldn't sit still for very long, so I couldn't get a picture of her pin, which read "Bitches for Obama." I need one of those!

When I returned back home from my weekend getaway, I wanted to mark the big inauguration day with a special knit to wear. Below is a picture of the scarf I made using hand-dyed cotton yarn that was an RAK gift from "hypercycloid." I also added my KFO pin for a bit of Obama bling. =)

A Gift for Rachel

Over a year ago, I made a scarflette for my friend Therese. Over Thanksgiving, Therese was visiting her first-grader niece, who asked to wear that scarflette to her big brother's birthday party. She was so proud to wear something of her aunt's, that Therese thought she deserved one of her own. I couldn't agree more. So here's the quick little scarflette I knit for Miss Rachel. The cool big buttons are from Therese's vintage stash. I love that most people I know keep their buttons in old tins. Hmm...that seems like a future post idea: people's button bins. But I digress. Here's the scarflette:

It's the Happy Birthday Giveaway!

Today, December 11, is my birthday (YAY!!!), and what better way to celebrate than to be lavished with gifts! Not me...YOU!

In honor of my special day, I'm giving away a special prize pack to one person. The pack includes: one orange cozy cowl neck scarflette, Mimi the recycled sweater Christmas mouse, and two handmade snowman note cards. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment by noon on Sunday December 14th telling me your favorite birthday or favorite birthday gift or both! It's that easy. Then, check back on Monday December 15th to see if you've won. See...it's easy!

Wait...one chance to win isn't that fun, let's go for more! Ok, win five extra entries if you blog about this contest...and use any photos you like (be sure to leave your blog address so I can come visit where you live). Win ten extra entries if you add a link to a flickr photo (or other photo) of you doing anything birthday related. And win 50...yes 50!!! extra entries if you submit a video of you...your child...your family...your dog...whoever...singing Happy Birthday. Ah...now that feels like more fun!

Paper and Stitch Giveaway

Brittni over at Paper and Stitch is having a big ol' giveaway on her site...and one of my scarflettes is part of the fun! Here's the info:

How to enter: It’s simple, visit the papernstitch site (either the homepage or products page) and find a product that you love (it doesn’t have to be a product or seller from the giveway, but it be great if it was). Post the link in the comment section of this post and tell why you like it (just a sentence is fine). You can enter more than once if you like, if you have more than one favorite product. You have until Friday, November 14th at midnight EST to enter and I will announce the winner on Saturday, November 15th (the day that the second exhibition kicks off). Be sure to check back on Saturday to see if you are a winner!

Good luck to all!

Birthday Scarflette

Not sure why, but I know a lot of people with birthdays between October and February. So, in a sense, this month kickoffs the time when I need to start making or buying lots and lots of gifts. First up, is my step-mom's birthday. (I'm pretty sure she doesn't read this blog...if so, sorry Suzi for the spolier!). Last year, I was a total jerk and missed her birthday (like sent an e-card a week after...ugh!). I hate it when I do that, so this year, I'm hoping to make up for a little lost ground with a handknit scarflette. The yarn is Claudia & Co. in John B. color. Obviously, the season inspired the color. The stitch is a fan and feather. Now I just need to find a pretty brooch to finish the gift package.

My First Etsy Set

I've added my first set to my Etsy shop. It's a scraflette and fingerless gloves combo. I really like the color yarn. Then again, I'm partial to orange. The cool thing is that the yarn is more a twist of yellow and pink that give off the appearance of orange.

Two New Etsy Adds

I really was on scarflette roll when I was preparing for the contest, so I decided to add a couple more pieces to my shop. Here are some pics. And don't forget about the sale!

Drum Roll, Please . . .

First, thank you to everyone for playing along in my first ever contest. As I mentioned, I wanted to find a fun way to celebrate the season, but I never expected to get so many great stories and creative pictures. So thank you very much for making me smile! Everyone did a wonderful job! And while you are all winners in my eyes, I did say I would choose three people to have warmer necks. So without further ado (adieu?), the winners of the Fall Scarflette Giveaway Contest are . . .

Winner of the Arbor Lace Scarflette is Jennette! I loved how "sweet" this picture was with the juxtaposition of the dressy skirt and shoes next to sugary goodness. So pretty.

Winner of the Fireside Scarflette is Sharyn! Sharyn calls these boots "swampers" but I've always called them duck boots. Living in the midwest, I'm in boots for most of the year. And the mixture of the boots, a great rug, and pants that look wildly comfortable won me over.

Winner of Chocolate-Covered Cherry is Acute Lung Injury Journal Club...I mean, Andrea! =) I loved the composition of this photo where the summery shoes in the background are almost accidental. The blueberries, the grass, the denim capris, and the cute shoes speak volumes about the kind of summer day this was. Simply beautiful.

(Winners...please e-mail me your mailing addresses at carrie[at]carrieanton.com.)

But wait...there are constellation prizes for everyone! Now through end of day October 19, I'm offering free shipping on everything in my Ruffled Feathers Etsy shop for U.S. residents or 20% off all items to those outside of the U.S. and friends to whom I can just drop off items. Just mention the Fall Scarflette Giveaway Contest (even if you didn't actually play) when ordering!

(EDIT: When paying, you can either subtract the shipping or 20% on your own, or wait for me to send you the amount to pay.)

See...everyone really is a winner! Thanks again for playing. I hope you had as much fun as I did!

The Final Countdown

Today is your last day to enter the Fall Scarflette Giveaway Contest! You have until 11:59 p.m. to add your foot picture link to the original post. So get those feet moving!

Scarflette Close Up: Arbor Lace

The last of the three scarflettes you can win in the Fall Scarflette Giveaway Contest is called Arbor Lace. Arbor Lace was knit with a soft angora yarn. The color is a chocolate brown, but has hints of lighter and darker browns, too. I used the same waffle stitch as I did with Fireside, but check out how very different the two scarves look. I finished this piece with two silver square buttons that matched the delicate look of the scarflette pattern.

Scarflette Close Up: Fireside

The second of the three scarflettes you can win in the Fall Scarflette Giveaway Contest is Fireside. I knit this warm and striking scarflette using a bulky wool and acrylic blend yarn and a waffle stitch. There are two raspberry colored buttons sewn on with red thread to pull in more colors from the season.

Scarflette Close Up: Chocolate Covered Cherry

The Chocolate Covered Cherry Scarflette is one of the three scarves you can win in the Fall Scarflette Giveaway Contest. It was knit from two strands of a soft angora yarn, one in brown and one in a dark red. I used a seed stitch to edge the scarflette and a stockinette stich in the middle. I used a burgundy leather toggle button to finish the look.

Fall Scarflette Giveaway Contest

I'm happy to announce my first ever Ruffled Feathers contest! Yay!

With the fall season fast approaching (or already here, depending on where you live), I wanted to do something to celebrate this amazing time of year. Like many people, I'm always inspired by the changing colors of the leaves and the crisp cool breezes. And the only way to go out in the chillier weather to play in those leaves is with a new scarf in the season's colors.

So now's your chance to add a fall touch to your wardrobe with a new scarflette. What is a scarflette, you ask? It's simply a shorter scarf. All of mine have buttons so that they can be worn with coats to keep your neck warm, or paired up with your indoor wear for those who run a little cold.

I made three scarflettes for three separate people to win. (In the coming days you can check back on the site for close ups of each.)

But let's get to the heart of the matter...how do you win these beautiful wares? Well, I'm glad you asked. I mentioned in a post a while ago (I would link to it if I knew where it was), that I've been loving pictures people take of their feet standing in different places with different shoes, or even just barefoot. Some are of pretty shoes in grass. Others are of flip flops in sand. Some are just bare feet on cement. Here are some examples:

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take a picture of your feet (with or without others), and upload it to Flickr. Then, add a comment to this post with a link to the Flickr pic by end of day Sunday, September 28. I will choose three winners from the entries either by how great the picture is, or if I can't decide, by drawing random winners. Winners will be announced on this blog sometime next week (hopefully Monday or Tuesday).

What are you waiting for? Go grab some great shoes or use this as an excuse to treat yourself to a pedi! Good luck to everyone!