Winners!

First of all, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who posted a comment about what or whom they loved. From shrimp to yarn to cats to kids - we covered a lot of ground! And I think we put a lot of good karma out there - it made my day to read them.

Congratulations to Karen and Kris! [Kris - I sent you an email!! Hello! Paging Kris!! You need to get in touch with me so I know where to send your yarn!] They are the winners of the Valentine's Day yarn and Twisty Toe-Up Tube Sock giveaway!

(I'll stop with the customized conversation hearts. I love making them, but Valentine's Day is over! Want to make one? Go here!)

Valentine's Day Giveaway!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Let's celebrate love!

Of course, there are many years when we don't have a special someone, and so society's tidal wave of candy and decorations and cards and flowers seems over-the-top and plain old depressing. I know I spent many a Valentine's Day alone and told myself it's just another day. And it is. But we all love something sometime, so let's celebrate that!

To celebrate love, in all its crazy magical forms, I'm giving away some beautiful red and pink sock yarn and two free copies of my Totally Twisty Toe-Up Tube Sock pattern. Here's the yarn:


2 skeins of Koigu in an appropriately pinky-red colorway

and one skein of Anne sock yarn (already wound! enough for a pair of socks). (PS - for those of you with allergies, my yarn is normally kept in cat-proof containers, but I thought that plunking down the yarn next to an admittedly surprised cat made for a more interesting picture.)

To be eligible, leave a comment in the comments or on the Momogus Knits group on Facebook and tell me one thing or person that you love and why. My loyal assistant will pick two winners at random. (Remember if you comment here, to leave your email address or I have no way to get in touch with you!)

I'll start:

1. I love my husband, because he makes me laugh out loud every day
2. I love my son, because he's goofy and intense and sweet
3. I love salt and vinegar potato chips, because they satisfy two of my favorite cravings: salt and vinegar!
4. I love baseball, in every iteration from T-ball to the bigs.

You get the idea. Tell me who or what you love! Let's share the love!!

Crafty Monday - Make Your Own Stitch Markers!

Welcome! It seems to be Crafty Monday around these parts! For some reason, I got a lot of crafty stuff done today, but I'm going to parcel out crafty tips over a few weeks so you all don't get overwhelmed with the craftiness.

Today's topic is stitch markers. I, like many knitters, am always looking for new gadgets and tools and enhancements to my knitting experience. Specifically, I'm always looking for good stitch markers. I've bought and received as gifts those stitch markers that look like jewelry - the kind that hang off a loop that sits on the needle.

As pretty as some of these are, I find them a pain in the patootie to knit with. They keep getting stuck in between stitches or they need to be flipped to the front or back of my knitting depending on what stitch I'm doing.

We're pretty, but we don't work well!

I wanted markers that were circles, like those ubiquitous plastic ones that we all have. I've never attempted to make stitch markers before, but I saw some online that looked like just the ticket, so I thought I'd try to recreate them. And let me tell you, they are the easiest things in the world to make! And they work! And they're pretty!

We work! And we're easy to make!

Yep. That's it. You need 10mm jump rings - the kind that are a single circle, not a coil - which you can purchase at any big box craft store or bead store, and size 6 (or E) beads, also widely available all over the place. (If you are like me, you have trillions of these beads lying around from various beading and knitting projects.)

You don't even need pliers to make these. Simply pry the jump ring apart with your fingers, slip on a bead, and then pry the jump ring back together. Voila! That's it! You're done! I took these out for a spin on a pair of mittens I'm making (Shelburne from knitty.com, if you must know).

(Terrible picture, but seeing the cat's feet made me crack up)

Those mittens are on a size #9 needle, and the markers work perfectly. They had smaller jump rings at the store, but I like markers on the big side, even if I'm using small needles. I'm going to troll Etsy and see if they have even larger ones.

No more plastic markers! Make some pretty ones of your very own today! And think of what a nice gift for your knitter friends a set of these would make!