10th anniversary give-away: Holiday Mice

I opened my first shop on Etsy, November 5, 2006. At the beginning, I was just selling toys I had knit, not patterns. Those only came when other knitters saw my toys, and wanted to knit some themselves. It's been a crazy, fun adventure of yarn and cuteness since that day! Sometimes I miss knitting toys for my shop. I'm so busy designing now, I can only manage to make extra toys for family and friends.

One of the first toys I made for my Etsy shop.
My designs have changed a bit since then!

For my final give-away contest, in honour of those first toys I knit, you could win a pair of Holiday Mice! The winner will be free to choose the colour of the mice, and the style and colour of the hats. You could even ask for a wee Santa Mouse, like this one by the Yarn Harlot (I'm still blushing a bit over that). I will pick the closest yarn I can from my stash. Hopefully, I will have them done and off to the winner in time for winter holidays!

Holiday Mice: what colours would you choose?

If you would like a chance to win this prize, please leave a comment below, with a way of contacting you (email, Ravelry name, etc. I've been asking for this because usually Blogger does not give me this information when you leave a comment). I will do my best to ship to anywhere in the world. I will draw a random winner on November 15.

Best of luck, and thanks for visiting me this week!

10th anniversary give-away: Knit and Crochet Toys magazine

For my third give-away, you could win a copy of Knit and Crochet toys magazine! I contributed two patterns to this special issue, and in addition to those, there are over 20 adorable and fun patterns to knit or crochet. You can check out the magazine here, and see all the patterns over on Ravlery.

As before, if you'd like a chance to win this gift, please leave a comment on this post, including a contact method (email, Ravelry name, etc).

P.S. I didn't mention on the previous post that I'm willing to ship to just about anywhere. If for some reason you win, but I can't ship to your country, I hope we can figure out an alternative prize.

10th anniversary give-away - Puss in Boots kit

Today I have a kit plus pattern to give-away! My Puss in Boots pattern was originally published in Knit Now magazine, and came with a kit, containing enough yarn to knit one toy. If you'd like a chance to win this kit and pattern, please leave a comment below, including a contact (email, Ravelry name, etc). I will draw a random winner on November 15, so you have lots of time to enter!

Don't forget to check yesterday's post, if you'd like a chance to win a free pattern of your choice. Plus, more give-away contests to come over the next 2 days!

10th anniversary give-away - Patterns

In addition to the free teddy pattern I mentioned yesterday, I will be having a few give-away contests this week. I'll announce each separately, and you can enter all of them, or just the ones you're interested in. To enter, please leave a comment here or on my Facebook page. If you comment in both places, you'll have 2 chances to win, since it would be too hard to sort out who's who. If you do comment here, please include a way for me to contact you (email address, Ravelry name, etc). I'll draw for all the give-away gifts on November 15, so you'll have lots of time to enter.

Today, the give-away is for a copy of one of my knitting patterns. I'll choose 10 winners (one for each year, of course), and you can pick whichever design you like. You can see all of them in my Ravelry store. (Please note that I have a number of other designs which I cannot sell myself, so the store is the best place to see what you could choose). I've even been working on my newest pattern, the Wood-Elves, so it's ready in time for the give-away draw.

Please check back later in the week, to see what else you could win! Or just come to see photos of cute knitted toys, I don't mind ;)

10 year anniversary celebration

I'm resurrecting this long-quiet blog, to announce a special 10 year anniversary event!

It has been ten years since I opened my first shop on Etsy, and I wanted to do something special to show all my lovely customers how much I appreciate you. To start off a week of fun give-aways, I've updated my very first pattern: a teddy with a sweet cardigan. You can download it for free, for the whole month of November! I'll announce a new prize each day this week, both here and on my Facebook page, so be sure to check back later! More details will be given each day, but the give-aways will remain open for a while, so don't worry about missing them.

Teddy Pattern

 I never thought I would still be designing knitted toys ten years after I started, as it was just something to keep me busy between jobs. I've learned so much over the years, tried lots of interesting things, and I am still enjoying creating cute toys for people to knit. I have some projects in mind for the next year or two, so if you enjoy my patterns, be sure to visit and see what I'm up to!

knit now give-away

I finally received my copies of the Knit Now issue in which my patterns were published. It's rather fun to see my patterns in this format: the little booklet is lovely, and the perfect size to fit in a knitting bag. I'm also looking forward to browsing the magazine, to see if there's any projects I'd like to knit.

They were generous enough to give me several copies. One I will keep for myself, and a few will go to my fabulous test-knitters, who help me without much compensation (maybe because they're my cousins). And I have one copy to give away to some lucky blog reader!

Inside a plastic sleeve you'll get a copy of Knit Now issue 24, the Woodland Friends booklet, a baby blanket pattern, and a set of cable needles. If you'd like to enter, please leave a comment here with a way to contact you (you'll have to write out your email address because blogger doesn't let me contact you via comments, but disguise it a bit if it makes you more comfortable). I'll cover the shipping cost to you by regular mail, anywhere in the world.

The give-away will be open for a week, and I'll choose a winner by random number next Friday morning, August 16.

Update (August 17th): Yesterday ended up being super busy for me, and I had no time to think about the give-away. I'll do the draw later today, and announce the winner below. (Bonus, you can still leave a comment to enter up until I draw the name)

Congratulations to colindabeertje! I'll send the magazine off to you on Monday, and I hope you enjoy it. To everyone else, thank you so much for leaving your lovely comments.

Give-away winners

Using a random number generator, I picked four numbers for the winners of the give-away. The first, winner of the little things I posted about yesterday, is MrKnitster! I hope you like all the things I chose. The other three winners will get a postcard from me, with a note or drawing on the back. Those winners are Jessicapiroli, Karine, and Robin Meng. I'll be emailing you all shortly, to get your mailing addresses.

I hope you all enjoyed the give-away, especially since it was a surprise, and even I didn't know what the gift would be!

I still have a few couple weeks of vacation here with my family, and then I'm off on a short trip to Portland with my husband! He has to work, but I get to sight-see, do a bit of shopping, and maybe visit with one or two people. Then it's back to Montreal: preschool for the boys, and work for the husband and me. That's right, starting in September Fuzzymitten will be back up and running again! I am very excited, and I have plans for some new toys, tutorials, and new types of projects.

I hope you all enjoy and make the most of the last few weeks of summer!

Little things

Here's what I found for the give-away, a few little things that make the place where I grew-up special. Some yarn from a local yarn shop (enough to make one cuddly toy), a bar of evergreen scented soap (for the evergreen forests that cover the mountains), a bar of chocolate from a local chocolaterie, a wind-up toy swimmer (because I love swimming in the local lake), a lavender sachet I sewed by hand with fabric scraps from my grandma's stash, and a little notebook covered with some of my favourite local wildflowers. I kinda wish I was keeping it all for myself! I will draw a name tomorrow morning, since I can't send it right away (I only made the notebook today, and it's still damp). I've also got three postcards, and I'll draw three extra names for those. Not much of a prize, but it's always nice to get a little note in the mail!

Give-away postponed

I haven't been able to find just the right things for my vacation give-away, so I'm going to postpone the draw for a week, until August 7. I have a few little fun things already (including some yarn), but something still seems to be missing. This corner of BC where I grew up is so beautiful and interesting, I want to find things that really remind me of the things I love about this place. If you haven't already entered the give-away, please go leave a comment on that post, since it will make drawing random numbers easier and more fair.

headed out west

Tomorrow morning we head out west to spend the summer with my family. A little town in the mountains of South-Eastern British Columbia, where my parents, grandma, and three of my siblings live. We're looking forward to sunny days playing outside, long hikes in the mountains, swimming in the lake, and visits with family. My husband and I are also taking a little side trip to Portland, Oregon. He has to go for work, and I get a few days on my own. I'm really looking forward to exploring yarn shops, books stores, and whatever else takes my fancy.

I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post here, but I'll try to share a photo now and then, so you can see how much fun we're having!

I also thought I would host a little give-away, to share the fun with you. I'll pick up some little souvenirs while we're in BC, so the give-away will be a surprise. If you'd like to join in, just leave a comment here. An email address helps a lot too (in my last give-away, 2 winners never got their prize because I couldn't get in contact with them). I'll choose the winner (or winners) at the end of July.

I hope you all have a beautiful summer full of adventures, and maybe just a little knitting!

give-away winners

I used a random number generator to pick 7 numbers between 1 and 116 (the number of comments - There were a few duplicates and deleted messages, which confused things, but hopefully the randomness of the numbers makes everything okay).

The first two on the list win a copy of one of my e-books: Bonnie and Bev (neither left an email, so I hope you both check back here!).

The following five get a single pattern of their choice: Wendi, Julianne, momoshari, Little Ol' Liz, and Karine (I'll be sending you all emails, so please check for them).

You can have a look at my Ravelry shop, if you're not sure which book or pattern you want. Please send me an email to let me know which pattern you will like, and I'll send you the download link via Ravelry.

Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment! I don't think I've ever had so many responses to a give-away, and I did read every one. I can't tell you how much it gladdened my heart to read some of your lovely and generous comments about my blog and patterns. It makes me even happier that I will soon have more time to spend designing and writing for you.

I hope all of you have a lovely day, and have a chance to do something you love with someone you care about!

Big hugs from the very first lambs I ever knit :)

missing you

You know, I've been missing this space terribly, as well as missing the creative outlet that my toys give me. I've definitely been doing a lot of making lately, both sewing and knitting, but I've felt the need for something a little more. Have you been missing me too?

In an effort to both encourage you to do a little bit of creative knitting, and to thank you for sticking with me through the past few months, I've decided to hold a give-away! To enter, please leave a comment telling me what toy you'd like to make. I'll also need your email address, since I don't get to see those via blogger. Otherwise, you'll need to remember to check back here to see if you won.

So, what could you win? I'll be giving away 2 copies of my e-books*, Fuzzy Knits and Festive Knits (if you win, you choose which one you'd like). I'll also be giving away 5 individual patterns, of the winners' choice. So that's 7 chances to win!

The give-away will close on the evening of February 13, so you have lots of time. Then 5 lucky people will get a happy surprise on Valentine's Day! (and if you live in the northern hemisphere, it helps to have good things to lighten up February).

*Please note this is the electronic, pdf version of my books, not the printed version

alpaca pattern winner

Thanks so much to everyone who left a comment for the giveaway! It was rather fun reading how much everyone loves alpacas. I haven't had much real-life exposure to them, but my friend's enthusiasm was enough to inspire me to design one.

The winner, chosen by a random number generator, is Melerie:

I love these photos. Love Angela Alpaca's hair - her most endearing feature. I just started to work with Alpaca wool and I love it. I'm a big softie so of course all wool I choose has to be soft, and this was surprisingly easy to work with. I think I would make it for my friend Angela. I know you named her after your friend so it seems fitting I would make one for mine...

Congratulations! I think I even still have your email, so I'll be sending a copy of the pattern to you as soon as I'm done here.

For those of you who might still like the pattern, it is available on Etsy and Ravelry. I can't wait to see other knitter's alpacas turning up on Ravelry!

test-knit alpaca

Thank you so much for all your kind comments about the new pattern! I hope all of you who bought a pattern already enjoy knitting your own alpacas.

I thought I would share with you the alpaca made by my test-knitter, ilovewool. You can see here she's wearing a lovely lacy dress while enjoying the summer flowers. While the dress can be knit in one colour, Maria chose to knit it in two (the pattern has instructions for both).

Here she is hanging out by a pool in her tankini. While Maria did knit a bikini top following the pattern, she also tried out her own version by adding some length to the bikini top. Perhaps if you ask her nicely on Ravelry, she will share how she modified the pattern.

And as a treat for all of you who continue to read my blog, even when I'm so busy, I'm giving away a free copy of the Alpaca pattern. Please leave a comment here (not on Facebook) telling me why you think alpacas are cute, or who you would knit one for. I'll choose a winner on Monday morning (Aug 9). As usual, please leave an email address, or check back here to see if you've won.

Happy weekend, everyone!

mama day give-away winners

Thanks so much to everyone who left a comment for my Mama Day give-away! I decided to draw one name for every 10 comments. Because many people left comments on Facebook instead of the actual blog post, I've added those names at the end of the list from the previous post. I've just drawn 5 random numbers:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

28
2
14
45
33

Timestamp: 2010-05-09 16:05:05 UTC

And the names of those commenters are the following:

Natalie Goulden (from FB)
Schmath
Kelly-Ann
Patricia Small (from FB)
Tipsy Cassaday (from FB) (sorry I had to edit this from my first posting - I copied the wrong name)

You each win a PDF copy of the toy pattern of your choice (the pattern books are not included). You can look on Ravelry or Etsy if you're not sure which one you'd like. I'll need your email address to send you the pattern, but I'll try contacting you directly once this is posted. If you don't hear from me soon, please contact me (barbara at fuzzymitten dot com).

Happy Mama's Day everyone!

mama day give-away

I was chatting with my girl-friends the other day about mothers and mothers' day (which is this Sunday in Canada). Throughout the conversation, I kept remembering little stories about all the cute or funny things Lev has done lately. One of my friends exclaimed, "Now I get why people have kids! They're lots of fun!" It's true that some parts have been difficult, frustrating, exhausting, and even scary (especially when he started climbing things) - and he's only a year and a half! But I believe I have laughed more in that time than I have since I was a kid. I love him to pieces, and I'm so lucky to be his Mama (or Mam, as he calls me).

Reading with my mom. I'm in the purple PJ's, and about 6 years old.

Sadly, I've forgotten to send my Mom anything, but hopefully a long phone-call will help. We don't talk as much as I'd like, since she works odd hours, and there's a 3 hour time difference between us. One of the things I love most about my Mom is all the things she taught me over the years. Reading first, then sewing and embroidery, plus cooking and baking. She was also my Girl Guide leader, and was always challenging me to learn more about all kinds of things there. I wish I'd nagged her more to teach me knitting, as I wonder how far ahead I would be with another 15-20 years experience, but at least it's now a hobby we can enjoy together.

Taken with the camera on my laptop, about a month ago.

We haven't made any plans to celebrate Mother's Day in our little family, but I think a trip to a greenhouse for plants to fill my flower boxes would be just right (wink wink). To continue my earlier story, I came home from visiting my friends, to discover Mr. Mitten working on a super special gift for me (he has a little talent that he doesn't practice enough). I was so surprised and overwhelmed I got a little teary. Maybe he'll let me share the drawing once he's finished.

To celebrate Mothers everywhere, the things they teach us, and the laughter they share with us, I'm running a little give-away. You just need to leave a brief comment sharing something you love about your Mother, or about being a Mother. On Sunday morning (May 9), I'll draw some names, and the winners will receive a free pattern of their choice*.  It will help if you leave your email address or Ravelry name with your comment, but if you don't want to do that, check back here to see if you won.

*If you happen to have all the patterns you'd like, I'd happily send the free pattern as a gift to whomever you choose.

thanks so much

I had no idea people would like my fabric toys so much! When they never sold, I thought there must be something wrong with them, so I never made any more. Now I feel like it might be worth it to make one or two, when I feel in the mood for something different.

It was very difficult to choose winners for the three toys, since you all left such lovely comments! The choice was also a little difficult because most people had a particular favourite, and I can't give the same toy to 3 people! So anyway, after some time with a random number generator, I cam up with these winners:

Gilda goes to shadows.slave (you will need to email me - barbara at fuzzymitten.com, since I don't have your address)
Betsy goes to Erin Starkie
Callum goes to Sara (sarloz)

Thanks so much to everyone for participating! There will be more give-aways in the future, so you'll have other chances to win Fuzzy Mitten stuff.

for the fans

I promised over on my Facebook fan page that I would have a give-away here if I made it over 500 fans. I'm a bit past that now, so here we go!

Gilda - also has a yellow knit vest

I've decided that the give-away prizes will be the fabric toys that have been hanging around my Etsy shop forever. I made these critters ages ago, when I was experimenting with fabric toy design. I only sold 2 of those I made, and I feel bad that these others never found a good home (they're just lounging in a box in the basement, poor things).

Callum

So to enter the give-away, just leave a comment on this post, telling me which toy you would like and why. I'll select the winners on Monday, August 3.

Betsy

As with my other give-aways, it works better if you leave a name, and email address if you feel safe doing so. If you don't leave your email address, remember to check back here in a week!

hurrah for Pat!

With the help of a handy random number generator, I've picked the lucky winner... she is Pat Yates! I don't have your email address Pat (unless you're the Pat I'm thinking of from Kent), so I hope you check here today and email me with your mailing address (barbara at fuzzymitten.com). Give-aways are so much fun, I thought it would be a shame to stop at just one winner, so I picked 5 more names! These lucky people get a free pattern, any one they would like from the many I have written (this doesn't include either book, though). The 5 are:

• annemarie (I've sent you an email)
• NLautner ("Thanks for the giveaway...")
• Sarah (of the Bubbly Bunny)
• Pam ("Oh, I'd love to have some scraps for one of your cuties!")
• Betty ("Would love to be part of the draw for the Scrappy pattern.")

Please send me an email with your choice, so I can email the pattern to you. If by some strange twist of fate there isn't any pattern you want right now, I'll honor the gift whenever you like. I'm sure to have one or two new patterns coming out later this year.

I hope the rest of you aren't disappointed. I like having giveaways, so there's sure to be another in a few months. If you want something sooner, why not sign up for the swap on Ravelry (under discussion topics, it's 'swap number 2')? I'll be participating, too! Of course, it's the weekend tomorrow, so that's something to cheer you up :)

I forgot to mention that we had patches made! These make my Girl Guide self rather pleased, and bring back such fun memories of camp... Anyway, these will be included in the kits, and will be for sale in my Etsy shop. I'm going to start listing things now, and depending on Lev, I should get everything in there by noon (EST).

scraps chaps kit giveaway

Holey moley! I must say, the last three days have been rather spectacular in my shops! I wanted to say thank you, and send out a huge hug to all of my wonderful customers. With a new baby, and having just bought a house, a little extra money is much appreciated in our house. I never thought that I could design and sell knitting patterns for a living, but my loyal customers have made my wishes real. I hope you all have tons of fun knitting scrappy chaps of your own, or for your loved ones. And if you need a little extra money too, remember our policy on selling toys made from my patterns.


Also, I've put together an extra kit to give away, as a thank you for supporting my little business! I don't have a photo of it, but it contains yarn and the extra bits to make a chocolate-coloured Scrappy bunny or puppy. I might throw in a few other fun things too. To enter, just leave a comment on this post, and I'll draw the winner on Friday morning (March 27). Include your name, and email address if you like (if you don't leave an email address, please remember to check Friday's post and email me if you get picked).

Edit: the giveaway is for anyone to join, Canadian (I'm in Canada, btw), American, and international too.

As for the kits and things, I have the tote bags all cut out now, so I should be able to find time to sew them this week. Maybe we can tentatively set Friday as the date for listing everything? We'll see. I'll let you know all the details when I have them ready. But I did want to say now that if you've already bought the Scraps Chaps pattern, but decide you want a kit too, I will refund the price of the pattern from what you pay for the kit.

Finally, I forgot to mention in my pervious posts about the Scraps Chaps pattern that the finished toys are bigger than my usual toys - about 27 cm (10.5") instead of 20 cm (8"). This means the clothing patterns probably won't fit them, unless you feel like trying to make the arms and body of pull-overs etc. long enough to fit. Because I designed the Scraps Chaps to be fun and interesting just as they are, I decided to not cover them up with clothes like my other toys.