DON'T WAIT!

Thanks to all who have supported ALL Knitwear so far this season! I have been knitting non-stop and have already made 283 stocking hats to send out into the world. This is my official message to remind you not to wait to place your holiday order! I will be shipping final packages between December 16th-19th, and while it should be plenty of time, please understand that I cannot guarantee delivery by December 24th. That's why you should place your order right now! I will be taking orders up until I absolutely can't take anymore, so don't be discouraged by the regular 2-week turnaround if you're last minute like me. And, I'll always be on the other end ready to communicate with you about the status of your order. Limited edition items available at the Designer Holiday Sale, preview below. Bye-Bye!

Holiday Shop

I am very honored to be participating in this designer holiday sale, coming up on December 10th in Chelsea. For this special event, I will have a limited edition of cashmere scarves available, as well as a selection of one-off hats and sweaters. Previews coming soon! I am so excited to meet many of the designers I have admired over the years, and anxious to see their work up close. I will be there all day, so please stop by to say hello if you are in the area, I'd love to see you!

Sunday at the Park

I feel refreshed after a very satisfying holiday and a quiet weekend spent lounging on the couch and crunching through the leaves at Central Park. New traditions were born at our first Thanksgiving in New York, and we were happy to spend the day with a few friends, slamming fistfuls of dice down on the table and screaming maniacally. We also visited Lady Gaga's holiday pop-up shop at Barneys, which I enjoyed very much, I highly recommend it. I picked up a few things, but was much more interested in the merchandising and in-store design, which I thought were executed beautifully (more here). I think I was 20 the first time I visited New York City all by myself. I stayed at a hostel in the East Village and the first place I went was Central Park because I didn't know anywhere else. I found Strawberry Fields and sat there reading books, imagining some day I would live in this city...

44 Of A Kind

Claire and Erica at Of A Kind were kind enough to ask me to do a second edition for their popular online boutique, which features exclusive and limited editions of products from an impressive range of up-and-coming designers. I made the La Giraffe Hat in a very special colorway, edition of 44. They just started releasing two designers every week, so their site is very active! Some of my favorite editions from past designers include this top from Upstate, and this necklace from Erin Considine. I think this hat is hilarious! I have to admit, it took a long time for it to grow on me, but I sincerely love it now and hope you do too. These girls managed to make it look chic, what will your flavor be?

The Super Multi Hat

The Super Multi Hat is now available in an edition of 5 at the Ship & Shape store! There is a wonderful selection of beautifully hand-crafted gift items, all from Minneapolis artists and designers. I picked up one of Crystal Quinn's Cosmic Wraps, and the Wooden Totem Necklace from Annika Kaplan, selections from a long list of loves. I can't wait to welcome them into my life! I plan to wear the scarf tied in my hair and the necklace with crisp white oxford, buttoned all the way. What will you do?

Cashmere Returns!

I had a pretty decent amount of cashmere left over from my Miami sweater, and finally decided to use the rest of it to make a limited edition of scarves for the holidays. There will only be about 10 available in different pattern variations and sizes, I will keep you posted on how to purchase if you're interested! In other news, I have two hat styles and a scarf now available at Madewell online, as well as in select stores. I am honored to be included in their holiday gift guide and upcoming catalog, check it out!

Ship & Shape

I have some exciting news about a great project that my friends in Minneapolis are launching on November 20th. Annika Kaplan, Erin Smith, and Maddy Nye will introduce Ship & Shape, an online boutique featuring limited edition, seasonal, handmade clothing, accessories, stationery, artwork, products for the home, gifts, and more. I am happy to have a never-seen-before stocking hat in the first round of editions, alongside many designers and artisans that I admire.

Reviewing the list of 15 contributors for their launch, I realized that I already own pieces from many of them and have incorporated the hand-made into my everyday life much more than I thought. This is a really exciting time for craftspeople, and our audience is growing as people become more and more disgruntled with mass market retail, and a greater importance is placed on the quality, longevity, and beauty of objects. Artists are elevating their products and branching out to explore larger retail concepts, and as consumers, these should be reasons to buy. Check out the shop when it launches on Sunday, and consider supporting if you find something you like. It's better made by hand!

Winners

Congratulations to Dell Stewart and Scoops, the two winners of the hat give-away! Thank you to the 69 people who entered, I truly hope your winters are warm and cozy. The image below is a still from some recent Super-8 footage, filmed by Sam Hoolihan during the fall hat shoot. Here, Derek Maxwell models Don's Hat. More to come for the holidays, have a great weekend! And don't forget...

Around the House

I've really been enjoying our new apartment, but we both quickly realized that we just couldn't go on any longer without a couch. Having a place to relax that's not sitting in front of a computer is really crucial for us, otherwise we can't unwind until we go to sleep at night. After a few days of pretty thorough web research on couches, we finally decided on an option that will be delivered to our place in the near future. There are a lot of bad couches out there, but I think we picked one that we will like for a long time. You won't have to wonder what it looks like for too long, I'll report back after it has arrived and we've had a chance to properly veg. I will point out one of its best assets, the fact that there aren't any individual cushions for crumbs to fall into, which is great for us because we love chips!

Win-Win Situation: Fall Giveaway!

The seasonal shift into Daylight Savings Time can be cruel for some, so to combat the impending winter darkness, ALL Knitwear is introducing a fall giveaway where two lucky winners will be selected to win the hat of their choice. Don't forget to check out my new fan-page on Facebook where I have been sharing news, unseen inspiration, outtakes, and other relevant tidbits from around the web. Here are the details for the giveaway, good luck!

-Enter your name and email address in the comments.
-Tell me, what are you most looking forward to this coming winter season, and/or which hat would you choose, and why? See here for hat options...
-Entries will be accepted through the end of the day Thursday, November 10th and the two winners will be announced on Friday, November 11th, a.k.a., 11-11-11!
-The winners will be randomly selected from the pool and notified by email.
-International and domestic participants are welcome, and the items will be shipped for free anywhere.
-Please do not email your entry, I will only accept submissions left in the comments, thank you.

*If you wish to gift your prize to someone else, please specify in your comment and be prepared with the proper info should you win!

Friday

Feeling cozy at home in my 2x2 Black on Cream Leggings, gearing up for another pot of coffee and knitting, knitting, knitting. I love the way the stripes ripple and twist, couldn't resist taking a few photos. I've been wearing my brand new Stegmann clogs non-stop since I received them in the mail, my second pair in this lifetime (the first pair lasted ten years). If you love felted clogs, you have to try this one, they feel divine and last forever! Have a zippy weekend wherever you are...

Color Inspiration

My mom sent me this book for my birthday, and it's pretty amazing. Each page has one color paired with ten different color options, showing you in advance what a color pairing may look like. I find I am often drawn to the same core colors year after year, some preferences don't fade, but newness can come with changing a color's surroundings. Sometimes I find myself knitting a sweater that only uses the colors I happen to be wearing that day and it seems wrong right away, too easy or something. But I get a kick out of it anyways and appreciate its inclusiveness in the end, I enjoy being reminded that humans are never thinking about just one thing. The socks seem to fit in quite nicely with the book, a purchase I made in one of my many shopping excursions recently. Stripes are so good...