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. 

Looking for Prizes?

Me too!  Today is Knit Michigan. . .and I'll be running the knitting contests at 11:00.  You'll be able to try your hand at speed knitting, knitting blindfolded, with a partner and all sorts of other silly things.  We have a couple of events cooked up for spinners and hookers too!  Prizes abound!  There a some really great knitting bags as well as lovely fiber and interesting books. . .all you need to do is compete!  I can't win, so I hope you show up and show everyone just how quickly you can knit with garden gloves on. . .

Have you been to Knit Michigan before?  Our guild sponsors the Learn to Knit area every year, and it's an event many of us look forward to.  This is the fourth year of Knit Michigan, and they've donated over $80,000 to local cancer charities.  I love the philanthropic part of it, knitters giving back to the community.  The vast majority of the food sold, classes taught and items auctioned are donated by local folks or solicited from vendors across the country, and last I knew, even the school we meet at cuts Knit Michigan a deal on using the space for the day.  The overhead for this fabulous event is next to nothing, so nearly ALL of our money heads right to the people who need it.  However, it's not without benefit to those of us who love fiber.  For me, my donations get me a full day of fiber fun with my friends.  The day is packed with classes for you to choose from, many vendors tempting you with samples, kits and new products (several vendors are from the opposite side of the state so we can see all sorts of things we rarely do), a silent auction, LOADS of hand knits, contests, meet-ups, and more!

An event that was new this year was a chemo cap design contest.  My friend Matlie and I designed two cute hats and are hoping you'll come and vote for us today!  She fell on Thursday and broke a leg. . .and could use some good news!  This will be her first year missing Knit Michigan and she's feeling a little blue! A fibery prize would be just the thing to perk up her spirits!  One more thing to put on your list for the day:  Vote for Matlie and Tanya. . .

The entire day filled with fun is yours for only the $10 it costs to get in the door.  If you're in southwest Michigan today, I'm not really sure why you're still reading this blog. . .get in the car and join us!   You'll find directions here.