Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Here in Canada our Thanksgiving is but a distant memory of delicious foods and cozy naps on the couch. But in the United States, the festivities are just beginning.

Part of the U.S. Thanksgiving tradition is Black Friday - so called because it's supposedly the day that most retailers start making a profit for the year (out of the red ink in their ledgers and into the black). On Black Friday, many retailers open their doors early and offer special discounts, creating a stampede of shoppers looking for bargains. Cyber Monday is the online version of that, taking place on the Monday after Thanksgiving.

The knitting world is no different. There are tons of deals to be had on all things fiber related. One designer, Marly Bird Knits has put together a list on her blog of designers and retailers who are offering special Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Check it out and plan your strategy!

And yup, yours truly is on the list. All my individual patterns will be 30% off Nov 29th to Dec 2nd. The new release "And Then There Were None" isn't included because it's already discounted. And the e-books aren't part of the discount either, since they already offer a discount over the individual patterns.

Tin Can Knits BOGO pattern sale

Tin Can Knits' Low-Tide Cardigan,
knit by me

If you've followed along over the past year, you know I love Tin Can Knits' designs. I've test knit for them in the past and their designs are top-notch. In fact, I was just wearing their Low-tide Cardigan yesterday.

Well, they're having a Fall sale: buy one pattern, get one free. The details (along with some amazing photos of Scotland) are on the TCK blog.

What it boils down to is this, the sale runs Thursday, September 19th for one week only, until Thursday September 26th.

Copied from the TCK blog: 

"Simply shop on our website (or ravelry.com), add 2 or more products to your cart, then enter the following coupon code: BACKTOKNIT – the lower-priced item will be free!  The Small Print ::: The coupon applies only to products for sale via the Tin Can Knits Ravelry store, the full list is here: http://www.ravelry.com/stores/tin-can-knits-designs – please note that print books are excluded from this promotion."

I also made a Low-Tide Cardigan for my daughter.

New shawl pattern released (sale!)

I've just released a new shawl pattern, the Joanna Lymstock shawl. This is a crescent shaped shawl which can be knit in either fingering or lace weight yarn. The lace portion is simple yet engaging, and the stocking stitch section makes this a very portable project. This is a perfect lightweight shawlette for a summer’s picnic or that special evening out. It would look fantastic held closed with a shawl pin.

The pattern accommodates both lace and fingering weight yarns, providing instructions for both. There are charts and written instructions. Also, I provide modification guidelines for customizing the size of the shawl. Approximate size of the shawl (based on the pattern) is 59" x 16".

The pattern was originally called the Dayflower shawl, since that's what the lace motif is called. But I've taken to listening to Agatha Christie audiobooks whilst knitting. While designing and knitting this shawl, I was listening to The Moving Finger, set in the town of Lymstock, in which Joanna Burton is one of the characters. Joanna is a pretty, carefree girl who is used to city life (ie, London) who relocates to the tiny town of Lymstock to help her brother recuperate from his war wounds. This shawl reminds me of Joanna Burton: delicate yet strong, interesting yet straight-forward and (by the end of the novel) equally at home in the city or the country.

This pattern will be **50% off ($2.50)** on Ravelry between July 16th and July 23rd, 2013. After that it will be $5.00.