Introducing Purl Bumps: Win a Shawl Or Cowl Kit!

What a fun Giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered, please make sure to sign up to follow my blog,
there is no limit to the number of times you can win!

Now for our winners, drum roll please...
Nanny Jean Knits - 1st place Amberwell
and 2 skeins of Shibui Knits' Sock
Roaming Knitter - 2nd place Skein of Geese Shawl
and 1 skein of Malabrigo Sock
Wild Thing 1058 - 3rd place Mercy Bay Cowl
and 2 skeins of Malabrigo Silky Merino

Winners email me at Sandrasingh@sandrasingh.com to claim your prizes!

2012 continues to be an exciting year. I'm happy to introduce the second new knitwear designer to join Sandrasingh.com this year, Judy Marples. Marples is the creative force behind the Purl Bumps' Pattern Shop which she began two years ago when she aimed her needles at design work. She was ready for a new challenge and happily discovered a fresh passion that has taken over her knitting life. She likes to craft her love for literature together with her knitting skills to create unique designs that are influenced by her favorite authors, characters, settings and lives.

Meet Judy Marples: Marples is a knitwear designer who was born and raised and still happily lives on the beautiful west coast of Canada, near Vancouver. Her favorite place to knit is on the Ferry going to Vancouver Island.

After a career in the financial industry she decided that she would rather calculate gauge than mortgages. She now works at her LYS and teaches knitting classes there to eager students. She began designing knitting patterns in 2010 when she opened her pattern shop Purl Bumps on Ravelry. She likes her patterns to be intuitive for the knitter and spends a lot of her time fussing over the details.

You can find her on Ravelry as spinnyknitter and at her blog www.purlbumps.wordpress.com

After seeing Marples entire collection I just had to ask her, "How does literature influence your work?" Judith confided..."I love books as much as I love knitting!" And she added..."I love collecting books, reading books, visiting bookstores, well, you get the picture. It was always a toss up when I had time to spare, do I read or do I knit. A few years ago I discovered audio books and began listening to books while knitting. The best of both worlds. And because I was knitting while "reading" books they began to influence each other. Certain passages in books would inspire me with a knitting design and sometimes, became the setting for the design, as in Amberwell. Nothing nicer than designing and knitting a gift for your favorite literary character!"

"With the design Poetry Gloves, the pattern came first. As I was working on the first sample I began fantasizing about who would wear these gloves and where? And a lot of my favorite books came to mind to fill in the blanks for me. Waldenwood Shawl is my bow to Thoreau's Walden."

"I've always loved Great Britain and reading novels set there and that lead me to design the Dover Castle Shawl. So much fun! I like my designs to have little lives of their own to give them personality and some whimsy. And to entertain myself while I knit."

Marples has very generously donated 3 patterns for this giveaway, and Sandrasingh.com added the yarn! Instructions to enter are listed below.
1st place Amberwell and 2 skeins of Shibui Knits' Sock
2nd place Skein of Geese Shawl and 1 skein of Malabrigo Sock
3rd place Mercy Bay Cowl and 2 skeins of Malabrigo Silky Merino

Knitting a Purl Bumps' shawl or accessory pattern is to experience poetry in motion. Her beautiful textures come to life knit in the exquisite hand painted fibers of Malabrigo, Madelinetosh and Shibui Knits. Her well written patterns often include both charted and written instructions. Everyone could use a dash of poetry to liven up their day, begin with her elegant lace fingerless gloves Poetry, these easy to knit, practical gloves are done in the round and the only stitches used are knit, purl, yarn over, k2tog and ssk and are knit in Madelinetosh Tosh Sock.

Poetry Gloves

Inspired by the novel of the same name by DE Stevenson Amberwell is an easy lace shawl project worked in one piece from the top down. Designed to be knit in a fingering weight yarn Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light, Malabrigo Sock or Shibui Knits Sock do this pattern justice. The pattern includes instructions on working the edging as deep as your yarn quantity allows.

Amberwell

If you like interesting construction and feminine styling you will love knitting and wearing the uniquely shaped shawl Waldenwood. The top border and central lace pattern are knit simultaneously, from the top down, the right border is then continued sideways across the bottom of the shawl, casting off as you go, making for a relaxing knit and no grafting required. The stitch patterns for the body and the pretty border are simple and quick, allowing you to follow the pattern on the needles easily. The curved shape hugs the shoulder line perfectly. You can easily adjust the sizing by working more or fewer main pattern repeats and 1 skein of Malabrigo Sock is all you need for this summery wrap.

Waldenwood

Dover Castle Shawl is an easy relaxing knit that becomes very rhythmic, the stitch pattern is easy to memorize and your knitting will be easy to read. The shawl can be knit with only one skein of Malabrigo Sock, but can be easily expanded to a larger size with more yarn. It is top down construction beginning at the neck edge with just a few stitches.

Dover Castle

Did you know that geese flying in a V formation are called a skein of geese? Look at my cute little stitches flying north for the summer. They are dreaming of wading in the warm Pacific along a sandy beach. Who can blame them? The Skein of Geese Shawl is an easy top down knit with a quick to memorize stitch pattern and its also knit in Malabrigo Sock.

Skein of Geese Shawl

Malabrigo Silky Merino creates the beautiful fabric of the top down lace shawl Daylily. The sample shown is scarf/shawlette size and has five repeats of the lace pattern. You may easily alter the size by working more repeats of the main lace pattern, you will require more yardage for a larger size.

Daylily

The Mercy Bay Cowl is knit in the round and is an easy lace pattern suitable for all levels. The pattern includes instructions for the sewn bind off and knits up fast in Malabrigo Silky Merino yarn.

Mercy Bay Cowl

The Sunshadow Tam and Gloves set are delightful The hat is ever so slightly slouchy with an interesting texture stitch. Block it flat as a tam or block it rounded for a cute little hat. The matching fingerless gloves come in two sizes, ladies small and medium/large. The texture stitch features a twisted stitch, no cabling required.

Sunshadow Tam and Gloves

And its all in the details, Sweet Details is an easy, top down girl’s cardigan that features a textured yoke and fine finishing details. Knit in one piece with no seaming whatsoever in Malabrigo's buttery soft merino wool yarn Rios. Tutorials are included for all the techniques used in the pattern. You will want to make more than one of these for the little girls in your life!

Sweet Details

There will be 3 winners for this giveaway and they'll be announced on Friday March 2nd. All 3 patterns will be emailed to the winners as PDFs.

Enter this Giveaway: The more ways you enter, the more chances you have to win. Make sure to leave a comment(s) under this blog post telling what you did to enter. And please make sure to leave your contact information.
1. Tell us which Purl Bumps' pattern is your favorite.
2. Tell us why you should win this giveaway.
3. Blog about this giveaway on your blog & link it, leave a comment under this blogpost with a link back to your blogpost.
4. Join my Ravelry group, Sandrasingh.com and introduce yourself in the "Welcome tell us about yourself..." thread.
5. Announce this giveaway in your Ravelry group, or in a Ravelry group that allows you to announce blog giveaways.
6. Friend me a Facebook: Sandra Singh and write a comment on my Wall about this giveaway.
7. Announce & link this giveaway on your Facebook Wall.
8. "Like" my Facebook Page, Sandrasingh.com
9. Follow me on Twitter: Sandrasinghcom
10. Announce this giveaway with a link on your Twitter page.
11. Follow this blog.
12. Sign up for my Newsletter on my Home Page.