Fun with Skacel

We're happy to announce that Karin Skacel's visit has been rescheduled for June. So we only have to wait a few more months to get to play with Art Felt.

In the meantime, Skacel has other ways to keep us happy. There is a national knit-along contest celebrating 20 years of Trekking yarn. Each month there will be a new pattern and technique on the KnitPurlHunter website. The contest started on the 1st of January, and runs through the first six months of 2011. Each month features a specific color of Trekking yarn that can be purchased at specific participating local yarn shops. The prizes in this contest are really sweet. The grand prize is a trip to Seattle to visit the Skacel warehouse where the winner will get a $1000 shopping spree in yarn and needles of her choice. Five great prize winners will receive a year of Trekking -- i.e. a new skein sent each month for a year. It's a sort of yarn-of-the-month club that I think would be welcome by any sock knitter. Each month of the contest, there will be at least seven winners. One will win an addi Clicks needle set of her choice -- Turbo, lace, Natura, or crochet . Two will win a stuffed promo bag. And at least four people who have been to the websites will win other random goodies. For full details on the rules and prizes and yarn availability, follow this link.

The second contest is for us AKG members. Karin graciously sent us a generous supply of red Skacel shopping bags. Inside each bag is a skein of Simplicity yarn and a color card. Karin also included a letter with instructions. She is looking for more patterns for this yarn and would like AKG members to submit design ideas. She plans to gather at least five of them into a pattern book! So members, if you'd like to call yourself a published knitter, here is your chance. Karin lays out in her letter what she needs in terms of swatch, drawing, and other information. She needs it all mailed to her by the 4th of February. So as long as we are all snowed in for a couple days, here's your excuse to swatch a little with the new free yarn you just got at the meeting! This yarn is budget-friendly and washer friendly while still being soft and knitter-friendly.