Mar 7, 2016

Guest Blog: Erica Owens

Even though Erica and I live less than a mile apart, we don't see much of each other, and our interactions are primarily online these days.  There has been a flurry of email and text messages lately as we approach St. Patrick's Day.  We've collectively watched the response to Saint Padriag's re-release, and I thought you might enjoy hearing from Erica what her thoughts about the design are.  Enjoy!


My son adores shamrocks. I'm sure it's somewhat forced on him, because I love them too. St Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays - I love the food, happy family time and explosion of green and white decorations. Last year I wanted to surprise my son Padraig with a shamrock-themed handknit. Tanya and I put our heads together and Saint Padraig was born. 

We cranked out a bunch of samples and my family donned hats for the Detroit St. Patrick's Day 2015 parade. Padraig loved that we all had different versions. 



We wore them a lot last spring and dusted them off again in September for...you guessed it..HALFWAY to St. Patrick's Day. The last month I definitely have shamrock fever all over again. I had Tanya make custom knitting bags for me and my mom and we took them for a spin at Pints and Purls, a knit night at Patrick J's Irish Pub in Berkley.



The fever doesn't stop there. I'm knitting a cowl in Wooly Worsted by Ewe Ewe Yarns 



and another shamrock cowl in For Better or Worsted by Anzula Luxury Fibers.



I love how both are knitting up! It seems like every couple days a friend is texting me a pic of a recent finished object.  

Cathy knit this for her grandson



and has cast one on for herself.



And how cute is Kathy's version in two purples!? I love how it looks like violets. So Springy!



Jane knit a wee one for her niece and has already cast one on for herself.



Tanya and I can't thank you all enough for the kind words about our Saint Padraig pattern. It's a great "my first fair isle" project and your positive feedback shows that! To show our extreme gratitude, we're having a CONTEST! Leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered in the drawing for a custom shamrock bag!



Buy the Saint Padraig pattern  and you get TWO entries into the drawing (don't worry, we're throwing your name into the hat if you already purchased one). Sign up for the newsletter , and follow MaybeaCrafted on Instagram, and Facebook, to earn additional chances! We'll draw a winner on March 11, 2016. 

Keep those pics coming on social media. We love it! Tag them with #maybeacrafted and #saintpadraig to be sure we find them. 

Happy Knitting, 
Erica

Thanks for the purchases, comments and follows. . .from 181 entries, we used a random number generator to select a winner.  Number 156, Beth H, has been notified and will have a small Poppins bag headed her way soon. 

9 comments:

  1. I can't wait to share with Lindsay and her grandma that Sadie's pic is on a blog. You inspired my interest in knitting, Erica, when you knit a baby sweater, hat and booties for me to give a friend. I didn't think I'd ever be able to do it but a few years later someone asked me to join a knitting group. I'm hooked. I LOVE the St. Padraig pattern. It was my first chart! Jane

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  2. I love the Saint Padraig pattern and am heading over to Ravelry to purchase it now. The bag would be perfect for storing it when it's a WIP. Erica, you and your family are super cute sporting your hats!
    Dana N

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  3. Your pattern is lovely and I'm just about "there" to try my hand at two color/fair isle knitting.

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    1. You can do it. I had never done a chart and it went so quickly. It is very clear and so rewarding. I can't wait to try other colors. Jane

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  4. Love it!
    Linda (Tuesday night super easy)

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  5. Love me some shamrocks! I am going to be buy the pattern too. I have seen it on Erica's instagram before and almost bought a bazillion times. Super cute!

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  6. I bought the hat pattern last year and kind of bugged you about the cowl -- and was so excited when you sent out the update! Now however it is supposed to be in the high seventies here next week so I will be in search of some cotton yarn so I can still make it for this year -- or I will give up and use stash Kelly and cream and be ahead of the game for next winter! I follow both of you on IG AND I signed up for your newsletter -- crossing my fingers and looking for four leaf clovers to improve my chances haha! Love the bag, off to your etsy store just in case. . . .
    Debbie4 on Rav, dashmcp at gmail dot com

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  7. Love the pattern and purchased it a week and a half ago, and now I need to get yarn! Shamrocks aren't just for St. Patrick's Day!

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Thanks for reading, I'm eager to read what you have to say in response. Your comments help me feel that I'm not writing into a void. . .keep them coming!