I wasn't quite sure how I should start the whole website / blog thing so I decided to go with weeble, something I had tried a long time ago (before blogging was so popular, actually).  Anyway got the website going, the blog all set up .... and now I find out that the weebly blog does not work quite like other blogs.

I can't tell :
How many follwers I have, or even if I have any for that matter.
and setting up all those cool links people have at the side, isn't an easy option either.

So I've been reading up on Blogger and wordpress ... but I'm not sure if I can actually get a website out of those, how annoying though, more reasearch required I guess.  Godd to know knot though before the launch of "the Republic of Kingston Organics"

I'm really loving discovering all of the things one can do with crochet.  I've been knitting piles so was used to that, but man with a crochet hook, the sky is the limit.  As you have probably noticed, I have become a bit obsessed with animal hats (I've now started some monsters too)

I've been doing circles, ovals, triangles and recently the cone.  They're all standard shapes, and so far I've been sticking to the four basic stitches:  the single crochet (sc) , the double crochet (dc), the half double (hdc), and the triple crochet (tr).  You would think then that these shapes would be basic too, but there seems to be a hundred differnt ways to do each.

The oval for example.  I initially tought of it as a flattened circle. 

For a circle"
ch3, (dc in 2nd from hook) 8 times, join, ch2
R1) (2dc in each st), repeat to end of rnd
R2) (2dc in first st, dc in next st), repeat to end of rnd

So I thought ...
For an oval,
ch 3, (sc, hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc,sc, hcd, dc, tr, dc, hdc,dc) join, ch2
R1) 2sc in first st, 2 hdc in next st, 2 dc in next st .... and so on

But then I found a lot of people think of it as a fat line / chain, so they do:
ch 8, and then go around and aound it in a circle.

Strange, but we both get the oval !!

My favorite shape thouh has to be the cone, I used it to make the little horms on my monster hat (still being test knit)

I mailed my sweater sample and pattern to Knitpicks.com right in the middle of the Christmas rush, so I'm surprized that they received it as fast as they did.  I received an email earlier this week to say that my sweater was in (i.e. accepted into their IDP program) and that it would be online in a few weeks .... imagine how surprized I was to see that it went live today !!

Here it is in Knitpicks Blue/beige and again kniw using Lamb's Pride, in a rainbow of colors for Matthew.  Matthew likes to be an individual, no plain colors for him.

This is my very first gievaway ever, so bear with me ....

It will run from now until next weekend (January 13th, 2013) at midnight.

To give away is my finished crocheted sample of my lion hat ($40 value), as well as a pdf copy of the pattern ($3.99 value).  The sample's size is large.  The dimension of my large hat is:  9.5 * 7.5"  (24 * 19cm).  This sample, as well as all of my other samples, is done in 100% natural fibre (wool in this case).

Free shipping only to Canada and the US.

How to enter.  Like my facebook page (www.facebook.com/impassionedyarn), share the contest facebook post and then comment on my blog which you prefer knitting or crocheting.  (Current facebook likers only have to share the giveaway post and post to my blog to be entered)

If you don't use facebook, simply post to the blog stating that FB is not for you and I'll enter you into the giveaway as well.

I will be using rafflecopter to determine the winner.

I think that should be it.  Please contact me with any questions.

Good luck to everyone !!