Friday, December 18, 2015

The 11th Day of Christmas

On the 11th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Rhymes with Shawl for 50% off!!!


If you'd like a chance to win the pattern for free, head on over to VANGY Knits on Facebook.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

The 9th Day of Christmas

The 9th day of Christmas is a pretty big deal! It's the 9th day of Christmas, and you get 50% off Elwood!!


Head on over to Ravelry, put the pattern in your cart, and you will get the discount!

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Sunday, December 13, 2015

The 6th Day of Christmas

Don't get me wrong, I love designing for boys, but every once in a while inspiration strikes, and I just have to knit a dainty little something!  

The most recent of these dainty somethings was Lacy Loo, and today, on the 6th day of VANGY Knits Christmas, you can get it for 50% off! 


Name all 4 patterns in the collection that Lacy Loo is part of, and win a copy of the pattern for FREE!  

Saturday, December 12, 2015

The 5th day of Christmas

Walton is the perfect sweater for a first time sweater knitter, or a more experienced knitter wanting to customize. It's totally seamless, knit with Aran weight yarn, so very quick. Enjoy it today for 50% off!

Friday, December 11, 2015

The 4th day of Christmas

You get 50% off Smocked!!!  Grab it today! Just put it in your Ravelry cart to see the discount.  And, for your chance to win a copy, head over to my Instagram.


Thursday, December 10, 2015

The 3rd day of Christmas....

Today, for the 3rd day of Christmas, you can get Thom with a "TH" for 50% off!  Just throw the pattern in your cart to see the discount.  


And, if you'd like a chance to win the pattern for free, check out my Ravelry group to answer a trivia question about the pattern.  

Thanks!!!

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

On the Second day of Christmas....

You get 50% off Circe!!!  Just place it in your Ravelry Cart, and the discount will apply.


Tuesday, December 8, 2015

The First Day of Christmas


It's no partridge in a pear tree, but it is 50% off Grow Old With Me today, and today only!!! Head on over to get the discount, now!

Monday, December 7, 2015

12 Days of Christmas

Christmas is almost here, and I want to have a little party!



Starting tomorrow, VANGY Knits will be hosting a 12 Days of Christmas Celebration. 

Here's how it works:

Each day from December 8th to 19th a different VANGY Knits pattern will be on sale for 50% off!  But here's the catch: I won't be telling you which pattern will be on sale until the day of the sale.  So, you will have to watch my Ravelry Group, Facebook, Instagram and this here blog to find out which pattern to check out.  And, by playing along you could win one pattern a day!

So, come back tomorrow to see which pattern we'll discount on the first day of Christmas!!!


Friday, December 4, 2015

Designing with Children

This morning I have the rare opportunity to be home with only 2 of my 5 littles.  And, I've got the littlest of the littles, to boot!  My husband took the day off to take the oldest three to the opening day at the ski hill, and so I will spend the day "stranded" at home with no car, two kids that are happy to just play all day, and knitting needles in hand.

On every other day I homeschool those oldest three children, which means my days are spent on a schedule to make sure that my kids get all the work done that they need to.  Math worksheets, writing assignments, science experiments and piano practice fill every moment of my life, it seems.

Finding time to design amidst the chaos that is my life is difficult, at the best of times.  I sneak in a row here, a row there, usually while sitting in front of Netflix late at night with my husband.  I see inspiration in all the world around me, and have filled notebooks with rough sketches and ideas that will probably never come to fruition, because I just don't have the time. I've turned down direct offers to collaborate with yarnies, because I know that I can't live up to deadlines.

But, in my crazy days I still do find time for it, because I love it. I love the process of seeing something that inspires me and working out in my mind and on paper just how it would look coming off my needles. I love knitting, and re-knitting until my vision and my project actually work together.  I love seeing my kids wear my sweaters, and brag that their mommy made it. I love hearing from people on Ravelry how much they love my designs.  I really do love what I do!

So, what's the secret?  To be honest, if I want to design more, I have to do less elsewhere.  That's the reality.  I don't read much anymore (Audible is my best friend!)  My floors have not been vacuumed for longer than I care to admit, my bedroom is a disaster, and my laundry is never, ever done.  It's about priorities, and I just value knitting over a tidy house, I guess.  Don't judge. Of course, my house gets a quick once over every time my mom comes to visit!

An and example, let me give you a tiny sneak peak (without the peak) of what I've been working on for a while.  Since September I've been knitting two sweaters for my new design. I've run out of yarn on both sweaters, and had to order more. Then they shipped lace weight instead of worsted.  A million other things came up, and a design I meant to publish on December 1, is still on my needles, with a release date more likely in February.

And such is the life! I promise it's not a complaint, it's just the reality. And, I love it. I love every part of it: the designing, the knitting, the homeschool, the mothering, and even the frantic cleaning when my mom drops by!

So, look forward in a few months for Harvey, my next installment of my Little Old Man Collection. And, if it takes a little longer than that, forgive me!