Giveaway: Deluxe Edition of Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf

Alana Dakos (of Never Not Knitting fame) has written the most charming book about a little girl learning to knit I can possibly imagine. And it's not just the book that is wonderful- the puzzle, paper doll set, the stickers; there's even a little note from Annie that makes you feel like this gift set is truly just for you:

And the paper dolls (which I totally forgot to get a photo of, but see here for fabulous detailed photos) are all Alana's patterns! Get the book or the deluxe set  right here.

This deluxe edition is the perfect gift for a little girl, no question. The story is adorable- Annie's mom is a knitter, and one day Annie decides she wants to learn too, but finds it hard at first- her scarf gets holes that look like swiss cheese. I can totally relate, that's what learning to knit was like for me, too. I learned when I was 7.

How awesome are the illustrations?!

My baby is a little young for the set, but I did read her the story. She likes books, even at 8 months:

I don't think she can follow the plot, but she enjoys hearing it read and looking at the pictures.And yes, I'm wearing the fox sweater from this post again! It's from Old Navy. So is Lila's sweater.

Alana has very generously offered up a deluxe gift set for me to giveaway, how awesome is that?! To enter:

Please leave a comment here or on Facebook and let me know what your favourite detail is- the stickers? the paper dolls? the illustrations? Do you know a little one that would just love the story? Tell me about it, and don't forget to include your contact info. Contest closes Thursday at midnight, and I'll announce the winner on Friday.

Cream and Sugar Cowl

For those of you who read both my blog and Alana's blog, you've probably already seen this:

G and I did photos for Alana's latest pattern, the Cream and Sugar Cowl. I was so excited when I cracked open the package and saw how beautiful it was! This is cowl heaven- loose, luxurious cables, and a one skein project that is perfect for some treasured sock yarn you've got squirrelled away in your stash.

I've got the perfect skein of yarn already picked out for this pretty little thing. And how perfect would this cowl be for gift knitting?!

Never Not Knitting: The Shawl Collared Cowl

Some of you may have noticed that I've modeled another pattern from Alana of Never Not Knitting. I have to tell you- this is THE perfect neckwarmer. Seriously.  I'm going to knit myself one, and then I'm going to knit one for every one on my Christmas list. This is the perfect unisex pattern, too.

Check out Alana's full blog post here. If you make this pattern (and I sincerely hope that you will), you really must knit it with an alpaca yarn. This neckwarmer was so cuddly soft, so delicious against the skin, that if it had actually been cold out there is no way I would have returned it!! And considering that it was absolutely sweltering the day G and I shot the photos, that really is saying something.