Don't miss the Hitch! Trunk Show this week

Our very own Karin Wilmoth was recently published in a really cool book called "Hitch" - patterns inspired by the films of Alfred Hitchcock. All this week and during our party, we will have a trunk show of samples from the book so you can see them in person (Brenda Castiel's Riviera Nights Stole is soooo lusciously soft)! We hope to have copies of the book available for purchase during our party, and we will be taking orders for copies if we sell out.

Countdown to Knitmas: Day 4!

Have you accumulated a long list of loved ones to warm with knitted gifts? I am anticipating some busy and tired fingers as we work them to the bone. So, to care for your hands as you work through that list, I would like to share a couple of resources for hand stretches.

(Could not resist including the cutest hand that I have access to.)

The first one is called ergocise.com.

The second one is called Finger Yoga.

Both have a great variety of exercise, good pictures, lots of info, and detailed descriptions of each exercise.

Happy Holiday Needling,
Anne

P.S.
There is also an important disclaimer here that I am going to quote right here:

Please note - we are not trained physicians, nor do we claim to be.
We are simply suggesting stretches which may or may not help your physical condition.
Please consult a health care professional before attempting any of these exercises.

Thank You, The ergocise folks

Countdown to Knitmas: Day 3!

Today, I want to share with you 8 cute t-shirts, tote bags, and other products I found while surfing Pinterest the other day that you can use to express your love of knitting or crocheting, or to say the things you would love to tell people if you weren't too busy counting. Wear them and tell people how you feel.

1.

I know it's true for me! You can find this cute t-shirt from the fun Etsy Shop Ice Cream Tees.

2. 

Don't you hate that? ;-) Another cute shirt from Ice Cream Tees.

3. 

This shirt cracked me up. You can buy it here from Cafepress.

4. 

For all you Happy Hookers out there! This is available on Cafepress as well, and you could also get it as a T-shirt, Coffee Mug, and lots more. Click here.

5. 

The movie buff in me loves this tote. This tote is from another fun Etsy Shop called KellyConnorDesigns.

6. 

If you are feeling particularly sassy today, this may be just the knitting bag for you. You can find it here. This Etsy shop also sells a crochet version, for those of you who crochet so you don't kill people.

7. 

Maybe you prefer something a little less extreme than that tote bag above. This mug perfectly reflects how I feel many days. Just pour me my coffee, hand me my knitting, and back away slowly...

8. Last but not least!

I NEED THESE. They crack me up, especially "Real Live Knitter. No you can't touch me." and "Must stash". These cute buttons are from SlippedStitchStudios, a SUPER POPULAR Etsy shop that sells Handmade project bags and supplies.

Countdown to Knitmas: Day 2!

I hope that your favorite Christmas tunes are blaring in your cars and homes, as have been in mine since a little before turkey o'clock at my abode.

One of the highlights at our house is the opening of the Lego and Trader Joe's Advent calendars. I am always wishing for one with treats for me. This jar of fun looks like just the thing to get my holiday fiber festivities rolling. Last Advent, this cute countdown tutorial was given life at the blog Poppytalk. Those are little felt balls in there and they give you detailed instructions on assembly.
 There are not details on how to make the felt balls, though. For that tidbit, you can turn to this tutorial from the blog NaughtsandCrosses.

I was playing with the roving we have in stock and daydreaming about fun color palettes -

When you are done with this fun, you can then try out needlefelted toys and designs to use up what remains of your roving. (Or make a second one for someone else in need of an advent calendar.)

Happy Holiday Needling,

Anne

Countdown to Knitmas: Day 1!

Hi everyone! Today is December 1st, which means that today is the beginning of our Countdown to Knitmas!

If you are new to our blog, Countdown to Knitmas is a fun way that we like to celebrate the holiday season here at AnacapaKnits. Me (Kaity) and Anne will take turns writing new blog posts everyday in the month of December up until the 25th! You'll see Holiday themed posts including tips, tricks, patterns, music, and just general holiday fun!

We'd love for you to follow along, stay tuned for all the fun!

If you'd like to check out past Countdown to Knitmas posts, you can click here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to take a second and wish all of our wonderful blog readers a Happy and Joyful Thanksgiving. Thank you for reading our little blog, and for all the nice comments we get, both on our posts here and in person. We are thankful for each and every one of you!

Who to Knit Gifts For

I have knit a lot of gifts over the past few years for friends and family, and I've come to learn that there are people that are worth knitting for and there are people who's presents I buy instead. Making a handmade gift, knitted or crocheted, takes time and effort. Of course it is so much easier to swing by Target and grab a gift card, but knitting something for someone is special, and you shouldn't waste your efforts (not to mention time and money!) on someone who doesn't appreciate it.

With the holidays coming up and gift making on lots of knitter's and crocheter's minds, I thought I would break it down for you who gets handmade presents and who doesn't. I've broken it into 3 major categories of gift recipients. I'll explain each one and we'll determine - To knit? Or not to Knit?

The Appreciative One

This is the person who - no matter what the gift - raves and gushes over it when they open it. They say things like "This is amazing!" "I can't believe you made this!" "This is so thoughtful!" We all love giving gifts to these people because all that appreciation feels good!

These people though, at least in my case, don't always get a knitted gift. I only want to make something for someone if I know they'll use it. Who needs another thing in their closet that they don't wear taking up space? Regardless of how amazing of a gift receiver they are, they might be just as amazed and appreciative with something you picked up at a store they like. If you know that they will wear or use whatever you make them, make them all the things!!!

The Knitwear Lover

When the weather turns chilly, this person will be wearing a hat. They might have dishcloths that their grandmother gave them in their kitchen, or maybe a granny square afghan on the back of their couch. This person appreciates a good knitted or crocheted item, because the know how great they are!

In my case, this person ALWAYS gets something knitted as a gift. I'll make hats for every birthday and Christmas gift if I know the person will wear them! Nothing warms the cockles of a knitter or crocheter's heart more than seeing someone wearing something they made them. Recently, a friend of mine asked me to make her husband a new pair of fingerless gloves for his birthday because his other ones I made him years ago had worn out, he wore them so much. Of course I'll make you a new pair!

The One Who Doesn't Seem to Care
This gift recipient is hard to figure out. They may not seem to care that much about your knitted gift at the time you give it to them. Maybe they say thank you and tell you that they appreciate it, but you never hear anything about it again, or you never see them wear it. There's always the possibility that they are just bad at receiving gifts, but they secretly love what you've made them, but chances are they just may have been just as happy (or more happy) with something you bought off their Amazon wishlist. I don't want to seem cynical, but I know for the time and effort that I put into making a gift, I want a little something back.

This also brings up the idea that, when you give a gift, you don't have any hold on it anymore. If you don't see them wearing the scarf you gave them, you can't ask for it back and give it to someone you know will wear it. You just have to think about that next time their birthday or the holidays roll around, and pick up a gift card instead. I will say, in my experiences, most people are ecstatic to get a handmade gift that they know took time, effort, and love! Get your needles and hooks going, there's only 41 days until Christmas!