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The Crochet Express National Crochet Month Blog Tour
Welcome to Crochetville’s fourth annual National Crochet Month (NatCroMo) blog tour, taking place each day of March 2016. Join us as we take a virtual tour on our passenger steam train, The Crochet Express, visiting crochet designers, crochet-friendly local yarn stores, and yarn companies, and offer some fun giveaways.
Today’s Posts: Lori M. Carlson | Marty Miller | Natasha Robarge | 3 Kittens Needle Arts | Kraemer Yarns | Daily Giveaway
Want to Chat about the Tour?
Part of the fun of taking a passenger steam train trip is talking with your fellow passengers. This year, we’re providing two locations where our passengers can get to know each other. We’d love to hear about your favorite things you’ve discovered on the tour and see photos of your current crochet projects. You’re invited to join us daily for virtual cocktails/appetizers and dinner. (We’ll be sharing links to some fabulous recipes!)
[button-blue url=”https://www.facebook.com/groups/nationalcrochetmonth/” target=”_blank” position=”center”]Facebook: Click Here[/button-blue] [button-green url=”http://www.crochetville.com/community/forum/469-the-crochet-express-crochetvilles-4th-annual-blog-tour/” target=”_blank” position=”center”]Crochetville: Click Here[/button-green]
March 15 Daily Giveaway
Special thanks to Patti Ryan, owner of Sheep Thrills Yarn Store, for sponsoring today’s Daily Giveaway on The Crochet Express. Patti has generously donated:
- 1 skein of hand-dyed yarn by The Fiber Seed: Sprout in the colorway Sheep Thrills
- 1 copy of the book Classic Crochet the Modern Way by Tove Fevang
- 1 Brittany crochet hook carved from Birch wood
Approximate retail value : $60
Because we love crocheters and Crochetville, we are excited to be giving away a wonderful prize package for three days in March (March 7, March 15, and March 31). The prize package includes 1 hank of gorgeous, hand-dyed yarn by The Fiber Seed, which is a Florida company. The yarn is Sprout, a Sock/Fingering Weight 90% Superwash USA Merino Wool, 10% Nylon blend. The hank is 480 yds of glorious yarn in the Sheep Thrills colorway. To accompany your lovely yarn, we are including a copy of the book Classic Crochet the Modern Way by Tove Fevang. You will have enough yarn to complete one of three shawls in the book. Finally, we are including a very special crochet hook for you: A Brittany crochet hook carved from Birch wood. We are excited to be offer this prize package to you and we hope you will visit our blog and website. We love ewe!
Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the Entry Form and Terms and Conditions.
Find Sheep Thrills Online:
- Website: sheepthrillsknitting.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/sheepthrillsknitting
- Twitter: twitter.com/SheepThrillsFL
- Pinterest: pinterest.com/sheepthrillsfl
- Instagram: instagram.com/sheepthrillsfl
- Blog: https://sheepthrillsfl.wordpress.com/
Enter the Giveaway:
Additional Blog Tour Information:
Links to All the Info
Daily Giveaway Schedule
Daily Designer Schedule
Daily Local Yarn Store Schedule
Daily Yarn Company Schedule
Discussion on Crochetville
Discussion on Facebook
What a wonderful combination!
I usually just leave it becaus I dread it so much. Maybe if I had a winder I might feel differently.
I would so love this!
I don’t have a ball winder so it has to be by hand–not dreaded but not particularly enjoyed.
one of the first things I bought was a Stanwood swift and their10oz ball winder. It was a big purchase but well worth it and I use them all the time!
When I buy a yarn hank, I usually use a ball winder for more consistent balls.
It’s a job I enjoy, especially with a yarn that has a great colorway.
I use a yarn winder and I rather enjoy doing it. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!!!
I typically get the hanks at my LYS, and they offer free winding. Otherwise I will use my winder 🙂
i always buy balls, never a hank.
I rather enjoy the process of winding a hank of yarn with my swift and manual ball winder. It gives me aa preliminary feel of how the yarn will work up when crocheted.
I windby hand. I actually don’t like the cakes a ball winder makes. I enjoy it. Very soothing to on me.
I do have a ball winder, but it’s not a very good one so it seems I end up winding a lot by hand anyway.
I finally after 40 plus years broke down and bought a swift & winder. OhMy what a wonderful thing I did for myself. I will never go without either of these again.
This yarn in the giveaway is crying out to be made into a lovely scarf or shawl. In trying to find the patterns within the book I can’t – guess it will remain a mystery until/unless I should win a copy. ♥ Brittany hooks!
Thank you for such a wonderful giveaway
I wind using a ball winder and a swift. If I’m on the road I may wind by hand. I find it relaxing just think of the project I’ll be working next.
Again another great giveaway 🙂 I so wish I’d win this one! That book is on my wish list! <3
I like to get it wound into a ball at the yarn shop purchased at, if that’s not possible I do it by hand. It is like a project in itself before you can start hooking!
I use a ball winder. The only dred I have is when I end up with an “evil” hank that is not properly tied and won’t wind smoothly
Love the hook, book, and the yarn!!
Wow this would be wonderful to win. Thanks for the opportunity.
I wind a hank by hand into a ball as I do not have a winder.
I use a swift and ball winder. It is so much easier that way.
I use a swift and ball winder. I thoroughly enjoy doing it 🙂
I enjoy winding yarn into balls!
I don’t have a ball winder and so I wind all yarn by hand. I enjoy it! And I’ve learned to it with a center pull!
how lovely and that yarn is beautiful!
I have yet to unwind my hanks that I have but I will probably have to do it by hand because I don’t have a ball winder and I think if my boyfriend is patient I will enjoy doing it by hand :]
I did it by hand ONE time. I bought a swift and a winder and now enjoy the process.
I have a yarn swift and a ball winder, which I love! I look forward to the winding and it goes so much quicker with the swift and winder. This prize looks wonderful! Hope I win! 🙂
wow! Great giveaway
I do it by hand (well hubby do it) he likes to do that. 🙂
I try to stay away from hanks because I don’t have a ball winder and have to do it by hand. I kind of really dread it because it takes forever
I wind by hand…. I enjoy it but I don’t do it very often!
I use an umbrella swift and a ball winder. I’m pretty neutral, I don’t love it, but I don’t dread it either. I guess if it goes well, it’s enjoyable to ball up my hank.
I ball yanks by hand, but if I had the opportunity to purchase more yanks in the future I would probably get a ball winder. I enjoy the task because it humbles me. I cant go fast or the ball will mess up and not work correctly
Great question! I think a winder would be a faster way to go, but I still do it by hand. Thanks for sharing!
Love this yarn and what a creative name for a yarn store 🙂
I will wind it by hand. I do not usually purchase hanks since it is an inconvenience, but I like when places offer to wind at no additional charge.
I use a ball winder because I find the chore of hand winding too slow and tiresome. However, if I get a tangle or when I worked with ribbon yarn I hand wind.
Unfortunately, I have to wind it by hand, but I am looking into purchasing a ball winder later this spring. I love this yarn. If I don’t win, I will be looking to buying some for an upcoming project.
I have help balling it by hand.
Now that I have my own swift and ball winder, I enjoy the process. Before, when I was doing it by hand, I ALWAYS ended up with a big mess.
When you buy yarn that is in a hank, do you use a ball winder or wind it into a ball by hand? Do you enjoy the task or dread it? I use a ball winder and a yarn swift, I like to make my hanks into cakes.
I enjoy winding by hand. I would like to try a yarn winder sometime in the future.
No ball winder for me and I do like winding myself – getting to know the yarn!
I am still winding by hand. I don’t dread it as long as I am occupied in another way at the same time, i.e., a movie, sitting on a bench in the garden.
I don’t have a ball winder at home, so I always have to wind my yarn into balls by hand. If I want a center-pull ball I use my nostepinne.
I wind it by hand. I usually enjoy the task.
Thanks so much for he chance ..How exciting.. 🙂 This is fun
Thanks for the opportunity to win this beautiful yarn, hook and the book. I put skeins on my antique reel and wind into a ball by hand. I have a relatively new (but purchased used) ball winder, but haven’t used it yet. I put off doing this task, but unless I am in a hurry,once I start it I find it meditative and cathartic.
I use a ball winder and I LOVE the task….
I usually use a ball winder to wind my yarn. Recently when I was on vacation I wound several balls by hand. I found it to be a very relaxing thing to do.
Cool giveaway!!
I’ve never bought a hank of yarn!
I use a ball winder. I dread the idea of a hank that doesn’t wind easily, but don’t mind the winding if the yarn isn’t tangled (at least, not for the first 400 yards).
I put it on the back of a rocking chair, and wind it in a ball. I do not mind it at all. I think of it as exercising my arms. 😉
I wind it by hand and I always dread it until I do it. There is a rhythm to it I enjoy.
The gifts have been awesome! Would love this one!
I wind yarn by hand because I don’t have a winder. But I wish I had a winder because winding by hand is so tedious.
I’ve only ever bought a hank at a store that has a ball winder to use. I don’t mind it. I hand wind low skeins and I enjoy it.
No ball winder. Rarely buy yarn in a hank.
When I buy a hank of yarn, I wind it by hand using a large crochet hook as a nostepinde.
I love to see the yarn cake taking shape.
I tend to wind hanks into balls by hand. The main problem is that I have to have another thing to occupy me while I do this because the task is so…B-O-R-I-N-G…..but…I’m too cheap to purchase a ball winder, and too distracted to make my own! :+ lol
I now wind mine by a ball winder. Use to dread doing it by hand, but now it is much easier with my electric baall winder.
After helping me wind 6 hanks by hand, my husband practically insisted that I order a swift and winder. 😀
Wound by hand. Don’t mind the task at all.
I did destroy one hank once upon a time, but that was a lesson learned as I never dealt with hanks before, so I now I am fearless using my yarn winder without the aid of a swift.
I wind by hand, and I find it relaxing.