Tempest (review and giveaway)
My love affair with SweetGeorgia yarns is well documented. I’ve used it in three of my books (it’s on the cover of the most recent one), and there may well be a SweetGeorgia project on one of my sample knitters’ needles right this very moment. So, when I heard that Felicia Lo (yarn mastermind at SweetGeorgia) and Holli Yeoh (designer of deliciously modern knitting patterns) were teaming up to create a book of patterns for SweetGeorgia yarns, I expected grand things. And, now that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Tempest in person, I can happily say it’s even more delightful than I expected!
The collection includes 4 sweaters (each offered in a truly impressive array of sizes), 1 poncho, 4 cowls, a hat and mitt set, and a blanket. The garments all manage that magical casually elegant vibe. They are the sort of pieces you can imagine wearing just about anywhere, which means you’ll wear them everywhere. I could see myself just about living in Stormwatch, and the ombre effect on Haven is sure to make it a favorite. The double garter stitch technique on Breakers is new to me and something I totally want to play with. And of course, all the patterns do a wonderful job of being interesting in their own right while still allowing the hand-dyed yarn to shine. You can see all the patterns in detail on the book’s ravelry page.
The book itself is every bit as beautiful as the patterns. When you make books, you get picky about these things (well let’s be honest, I was always inclined to be the picky type), but Tempest really gets it all right. The photos are inviting, and there is a lovely mix of glamor shots to draw you in and detail shots to help with the knitting. The sweaters have detailed schematics (which makes it much easier to figure out what size to knit), and any potentially unfamiliar techniques are explained with detailed photo tutorials. The book feels much like a skein of beautiful hand-painted yarn; something special, just a bit indulgent, and clearly a labor of love! You can get the physical book from the SweetGeorgia website.
One of you will be lucky enough to win a copy of the electronic version of the book for yourself. If you think it should be you, just leave a comment telling me about your experience working with hand-dyed yarns. Do you love the depth they give to a project? Or find them a tiny bit overwhelming? Or are you waiting for just the right project to try them for the first time? There’s no right answer, just tell me what your experience is.
Comments left between now and the end of the day (eastern time) Tuesday, October 21th, 2014 will be entered to win. I’ll pick a winner, contact them to get their addresses, and arrange to get the goodies to them. If you’re leaving a comment, be sure to use a real email address so I can contact you if you’ve won (I won’t do anything with those email addresses besides notify the winner). If I do get in touch with you, I need to hear back from you within 72 hours or I will pick a new winner and contact them. And, because e books are astonishingly easy to move around, this is open to folks anywhere in the world.
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