I'm BACK

It seems like I haven't written a post in a MILLION years. Things have been so busy over the last few weekends with wedding showers!!! I've been so blessed to have all these special showers and wonderful people who wanted to come and spend these special moments with me. I never thought that I would enjoy blogging so much but I have really missed writing to all of you! Here's a picture of one of the coolest cakes I've ever seen and it was at my lingerie shower!

A friend of one of my bridesmaids made it and it was amazing! She does it for fun on the side and it was just as amazing in person as it is in this picture, not to mention it was DELICIOUS. 


I've officially started knitting up some jewelry. It's still winter now (according to the groundhog) so it's still chilly enough for scarves and hats and all those traditional knitted items but the warm season is right around the corner and I'm getting prepared for the season! It's not done yet so I can't show you yet but imagine a red cowl-like necklace with lots of texture and shape! I think many of you will be surprised with how this will look and I can't wait to share it with you guys.


Since I've written last I've also finished the bearded beanie and it's gotten over 100 views just this week. I'm very excited and wanted to give you guys a special thanks because ya'll are the people that make it happen! 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/92300743/bearded-beanie-hat-hand-knit-and-crochet

Now that I have all of my showers out of the way I should be back to blogging on the regular until it gets to my wedding! Speaking of my wedding I want to remind you guys again that the store will be closed a bit from March 8th -22nd for my wedding and honeymoon. 


I'll be taking some pictures to get some assignments done for my photography class tomorrow. I'll share the fun and pictures from it soon if not tomorrow as well! I started taking the class out of necessity to get good photos for my store and have started to really enjoy it as more of a hobby. Hopefully I will have some cool things to show you. If all else fails and they all suck (which is quite possible I'm a newbie) I have been turned onto some very cool people and blogs as I have been learning this thing called photography and will share them with you as well. 

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Showers & Knitting

This week has been particularly busy and it's only going to get busier from here! In the last 7 days I have had a wedding Coastie shower, second dress fitting, photography class, a fraudulent charge on my credit card and lots and lots of knitting! I haven't gotten quite as much knitting as I would have liked this week but I am gonna keep this post short so I can really tackle some yardage on my projects today :)


I was very blessed and excited to have my very first wedding shower yesterday. This shower was a little different than your usual shower in that this was all about meeting my new Coastie wife family! It was so much fun getting to know the girls that I will be moving around the country with in my adventure of being a military wife. They were all wonderful and I am so glad to join the clan. 


My second dress fitting was a surprise all in itself. I was planning on just trying it on and bringing it home but of course that would have been easy. I ended up having to have it taken in (which I wasn't originally doing) and re-doing the bustle. Now I'm totally paranoid that I'm going to gain like 2 lbs and never be able to get back into it lol! This sucker is tight. I think it will be much better (as long as I don't have any cake between now and March) though. Hopefully I will be picking it up and taking it home in a few weeks.  On the down side I realized that the veil I hand knitted in lace will not work well with my dress!!! I spent a ton of time on it and in the end the color just doesn't match my dress right so I'm just going to let that be my something "borrowed" from a friend. Looks like I may be starting my wedding veil line a little earlier than I anticipated.


As far as knitting goes I haven't popped out any new product but I sure have been knitting up a storm. I was planning on having the bearded beanie out by the end of this month but it may not be until the beginning of February before it hits the store. Here's a sneak peek of what it will look like:

I'm getting ready to close up the top and start on the beard. These really are so much fun. 


The second project I currently have on my needles is the cardigan. If any of you know anything about the shaping of a garment here's about where I am ~ I've done all the decreasing for the waist and now I am doing the increases for the chest! Pretty much means I'm a little more than half way done with the body.

At this point it's kind of hard to tell what it is but to help you out it's worked from the bottom up so the ribbing is the bottom of the cardigan and it's not quite to the area where the sleeves will be.


I am quite aware that Valentines day is coming up right around the corner. Now is a good time for you fellas to get your lady something nice and original or you ladies to treat yourself  to a little something like a hand made ear warmer:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/89216117/hand-crochet-ear-warmer-with-pinwheel

I currently have this and 2 other colors in my store. On top of that if time permits I want to add some hand knitted jewelry to the store before then. I know, I know "hand knitted jewelry"?? Just trust me on this one, it's a good idea.


And last but not least I'm starting to post on my Twitter account! If you have a Twitter account you can find my there @Innov8iveKnits or click on the follow me button on the top right of my page! I'd love to follow you.


Hope all has had a safe and fun week. I'm off to knit!

And the winner of the bearded beanie is....

First of all I want to take a second to thank everyone for their support and participation in this giveaway. I am thrilled to have so many new people in my knitting "family" and I can't wait to share with you all of my new projects and experiences. This truly wouldn't have been the same without all of your support. 


After all of the entries were totaled I put each entry on a same sized sliver of paper and folded them all the same way (no special treatment) and put them all in a bag to pull out at random. Here's the results: 





Contact Me- with your address for me to mail you your bearded beanie!


 If you didn't aren't the winner, you can still get a chance to put your hands on one. I have one for sale in my etsy shop right now! Not only do I have one for sale I am taking custom orderes for them as well. You can get just about any color your heart desires for $40.00. I will warn you though if you want it by Christmas I will need to know within the next few weeks to make sure I can get it done in time.


This giveaway is the first of many to come. Keep in touch for future events and don't forget to follow my blog for exclusive sale codes and giveaways!


Thanks again everyone!

Weekend Wrap-Up ~ end of giveaway & speial trip

Weekend time with some of my favorite people. As you can see, we have a slight internet addiction :)

This weekend my fiance and I drove up to Auburn to vist one of my best friends to celebrate my birthday weekend! I took Friday off of work and just have been enjoying every second of it. I could get used to spending all of my days knitting and blogging.

As usual I have a project on my needles for the 3 hour trip up and back. I have gotten to the point where I can't even go to bed without knitting or I get all anxious. It has turned into some type of wind down thing that I have to do to sleep lately. It is so nice to get out of town for a few days and just sleep in, veg out with a pair of knitting needles, and just basically do whatever the heck I want while surrounded by my favorite people.

What do I have on my needles this weekend you ask? I have officially started the mardi gras scarf! I am so excited with how this is turning out. This scarf is very light and lacy which is great for southern winters (it rarely gets too cold for a bulky scarf) and this one has some really fun beading. What says mardi gras more than beads? Now it's not those cheesy plastic mardi gras beads, I've got more class than that now. I can't wait to get it finished and blocked. This pattern is turning out just how it's supposed to which is a welcomed chance in contrast from that stupid tie I have been fighting the last couple of days! 

 Also this weekend is the end of the bearded beanie contest. I can't wait to get all the entries together in a little sack to do the drawing and see who wins! This is the first giveaway that I have done for Innov8ive Knits and I have been so pleased with the results and how supportive everyone has been. I am thrilled to share the wealth with a lucky someone winner :) The bearded beanie has been one of my most popular viewed items. I thought that the newsboy cap would be most popular but my Etsy stats beg to differ. I am still patiently awaiting my first sale through the store, but I think that will be more likely when I get most items into it. (like the mardi gras scarf)

by the way... if you haven't noticed already I have made some changes to the website. I hope you like it. Feel free to leave your comments about it.

GIVEAWAY ~ The Bearded Beanie

This has been such a fun project to work on. Watching this take shape has been so entertaining! Don't you love it? Well it can be yours for FREE! This is the first giveaway that Innov8ive Knits has done and I can't wait to give someone the opportunity to take a new product home! This hat is great for a gift for yourself, or for a Christmas gift.  It's that season where you start stashing gifts in preparation for Christmas.

Want one? Here's how it works:
Refer a friend to like Innov8ive Knit's Facebook page. Once they like the page, they post on my wall who referred them (you) and that gets you one entry! There is no limit to how many entries you get so refer all of your friends because each "like" gets you another chance to win. The more entries, the better the chance you could be the next proud owner of a bearded beanie! It's that simple!

 The GIVEAWAY starts today and extends for 14 days. That means it ends on November 12th. Shortly after that date I will post a new blog with a video of me drawing the name out of a bag to announce the winner!!



Hat Details:
This hat is made out of a super wash merino wool. This means it's washable and not itchy like regular wool but just as warm. The beard has button holes and there are buttons on the inside of the hat so you have the option to wear with or without the beard whenever you want! As great as having a beard it, it's not appropriate everywhere. LOL. The size is made for an adult male head. Sorry ladies, this hat will probably be a little too big for you.

If you don't win(sad face), there are other ways to get your hands on one! I am currently working on another just like it that I will be putting up for sale on my Etsy Store in the very near future. I will post it on FB when the listing is made available for purchase. Also, if you are a local customer I will be making a special coupon for FREE SHIPPING and will meet up with you to hand deliver.

In addition, I am taking custom orders for these to be made in time for Christmas. This means you can pick out your own colors (to match football teams, certain outfits, or favorite colors). Christmas is coming fast and so are the order requests, so I won't be able to offer these guaranteed by the holidays for long. Message me ASAP if you would like to have one for a stocking stuffer or special gift this year.

Special thanks to my fiance, Blair for being such a cooperative model!

Good luck!!!

Future Friday ~ all about the facial hair

Apparently I have developed an obsession with facial hair. Funny thing is, I hate when my fiance doesn't shave! I've already made a bearded beanie, which is mostly for the men folk. Now I want something fun for the ladies… facial hair for ladies & fun in the same sentence? Why yes I did! 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/incognito

I mustache you a question! Who wants a warm neck and some mustache fun?!?! I do! This is just TOO cute and funny for it's own good! It's an excellent way to keep your neck warm in a super unique way. It is SURE to turn heads. It can be done in a ton of fun colors to suit your wardrobe too.

This will for sure be making it's way to my Etsy store in the near future!

Weekend wrap-up ~ Treasury, Pinwheel hat, & bearded beanie

I just love the weekend, and hate how quickly it goes! This weekend I started the bearded beanie hat. I re-wrote the pattern to make the hat have stripes and changed it into knitting insted of crochet (I personally like the cleaner look of knitting over crochet in this case). It is coming along well and the details on the giveaway will be here before you know it!  I can't WAIT to finish it and show you guys how awesome and fun this hat is going to be! There will be 2 made so if you don't win the giveaway, you can still get one.

Today I did a photo shoot for the pinwheel hat w/ flower. This hat is just so precious, especially after adding a little bling to the flower.

I also made my first treasury this weekend. I think this is something that I am going to do on a regular basis to share special things that I come acors that I really think are great finds. These aren't knitted things in particular, just things that I find are wonderful, a bargin, or unique! I like to share my style and hopefully you find that it is great too. Maybe do a segment called "Treasury Tuesday"! Here is this week's in advance!

White as snow!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62192799/yafah-swans-organic-bone-earrings?ref=tre-942738343-1

I am very sad to see this fab and productive weekend come to an end, but here it is once again. See ya next time, there's a very good chance this time next month the bearded beanie giveaway will just be getting started!!