Knit Bracelets

After seeing so many different knit bracelets on blogs and Pinterest, I decided to knit myself a few! There are so many reasons why I now love knitting bracelets....

1) They are quick to make
2) They use up left over yarn
3) They make perfect gifts
4) They look lovely with fancy buttons (and I have hundreds of un-used buttons!)
5) They're stretchy so they can fit different sized wrists
6) They are so very pretty

If you would like a whole kit for making a knit bracelet make sure to enter the Valentine's Day Giveaway! 

Gingerbread Tea, Books, and Knitting

Today has been the dreariest day I've seen in quite a while. Practically all day I've been hiding away in my room drinking tea and studying. I've also been reading this lovely book called Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I absolutely love this book so far! What do you like to do on rainy, dreary days?

Valentine's Day Giveaway

In celebration of Valentine's Day, we are giving you the chance to win this Hugs and Kisses Bracelet Kit by Knit Outta the Box! You can take a look at this lovely bracelet kit here: Hugs and Kisses Bracelet

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This lovely bracelet kit includes:

• 100% cotton yarn produced in the USA (25 yards)
• double pointed bamboo knitting needles
• easy to follow pattern
• darning/cable needle
• yarn cutter
• fabric notions bag
• canvas project bag

This kit would be perfect for taking on a trip or as a gift for a friend who knits.

Laurie, the owner of Knit Outta the Box, has answered a few questions so that you can learn a little bit more about her company.

How did Knit Outta the Box begin?

The idea came to me at the airport back in 2008. My flight was delayed and I had forgotten my knitting. I scoured the airport gift shops looking for something to knit and came up empty handed. I was desperate to knit and probably would have paid anything for some needles and yarn. Once back home I came up with the idea of developing a knitting kit for the “desperate knitter.”  Soon my kits were available in hospital gift shops across the country.  Then they were picked up by the Uncommon Goods catalog and soon other on-line catalogs followed.  In 2009 my kits were selected as one of the Top 100 Products of the Year by Hybrid Mom Magazine and in 2011 my iMitt© Texting Mitten kit was featured in People Magazine’s Holiday Gift Guide.  The success of the kits allowed me to grow the company and in 2011 I started offering patterns, yarns and fair trade hand-knit items.

What inspires you?

People that are passionate about what they are doing and are successful at it.  And by successful I don’t mean just making a lot of money.  Success can be defined in so many different ways.  Just the fact that I wake up every morning knowing that I get to “go to work” on something I have a true passion and love for makes me very happy.  That’s my definition of success – though I wouldn’t be disappointed if the “making a lot of money” were part of the equation too. Ha!



What's your favorite part of owning Knit Outta the Box?

That it has exposed me to so many wonderful people, products and cultures. In fact, this spring I will be starting a new business called The Feel Good Yarn Company.  We’ll be offering fair trade yarns from around the world including mohair & cashgora from Tajikistan, cashmere from Afghanistan (which I’m already selling on my site), vegan silk from India, and if all goes well, a Bolivian alpaca.  I’m also in the process of producing my own yarn line here in the States which I’m VERY excited about, but can’t go into details just yet.

Thank you so much for allowing me to tell my story.  It still amazes me that I was able to create all this from the basement of my home. I truly knew nothing about running your own business when I started this (I’m sure if I did I wouldn’t have done it!), but now I can’t think of anything else I would rather be doing except perhaps knitting more!




I was so inspired by Laurie's answers and I hope you were too!

You can subscribe to Knit Outta the Box's email list here: Knit Outta the Box Email List


Make sure to enter the Giveaway and check back in on Valentine's Day!

Knitting on a Snowy Day

Here's a hat I've been knitting. It's such a lovely day to knit since the ground is covered in snow and it's too cold to venture outside. What have you been knitting lately?

Striped Turquoise Beanie

Here's an item that will be for sale in a few weeks! I love the gorgeous colors of this striped beanie.

Tips For Knitters: The Best Yarn Deals

"Life is too short to knit with cheap yarn." 

 Do you love to knit with good quality yarn but don't have the money to waste on ridiculous prices? Since I have a knitting business and am buying yarn all the the time, I don't want to waste my money on bad deals. Lately I've made it my mission to find out the best yarn deals so I could share them with you. Here are some tips on saving your money while getting the best yarn deals.

1) Order overstocked or discontinued yarn online 

About a month ago I found an online yarn store called DBNY. They have deals where you can buy what they call "bags of yarn." You can get 5 balls of yarn for $5 or 10 balls of yarn for $10.

You can find this website here: http://www.discontinuedbrandnameyarn.com/shop/

2) Always check the sale section of online yarn stores 

Though the sale section doesn't always have what I want at the moment, I sometimes stock up on yarn I might need in the future. This can save lots of money. Knit Outta the Box currently has yarn on sale for  50 cents! (needless to say I bought ten! haha)

You can find this $.50 yarn here: www.knitouttathebox.com


3) Sign up online for emails and updates from multiple yarn stores 

By signing up for emails, you'll be reminded whenever the yarn store has a sale. Sometimes you can even get codes for certain percentages off! This can save loads of money while yarn shopping. I've signed up for emails from KnitPicks.com. They often have great sales during the holidays.

You can see this store and sign up for emails here: www.knitpicks.com

4) Use coupons

I don't know if you guys are addicted to Hobby Lobby like I am, but I go there for yarn often. I never go to Hobby Lobby without taking their 40% coupon that you can print anytime. Whenever I'm near to Hobby Lobby, I stop by and just buy one ball of expensive yarn with the coupon. This can save lots of money!

You can print the HobbyLobby coupon here: http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/coupon.cfm


5) Always check the clearance section at yarn/craft stores

Hobby Lobby also has a section where they keep clearance yarn. Sometimes they don't have much but other times they have really nice yarn half-price. Whenever I go, I get some yarn on clearance and save it to use when I need it. (just don't buy yarn you don't think you'll use.)

6) Look for yarn on Etsy 

When I first decided to look for yarn on Etsy, I was a little skeptical. Though I knew that Etsy would have some very high quality yarn, I thought the prices might be ridiculous. If you type in "Yarn Sale" on Etsy, you can sometimes find great deals though! Change the page so that the lowest prices show up first and then scroll through till you find some yarn you like. I also love being able to help out small businesses like mine.

Here's an Etsy store with awesome yarn and great sales: http://www.etsy.com/shop/brokemarys

7) Become friends with other yarn obsessed people 

There are many perks of being friends with people who love yarn as much as you do. You can trade yarn, sell leftover yarn to each other, borrow knitting needles, etc. I don't have a particular friend I do this with, but many of my friends know I love yarn so they buy it for me as gifts. People occasionally give me their unused yarn as well (It feels like Christmas!).

Hope these tips were helpful! 

Emerald Slouchy Hat

Have you ever seen a ball of yarn and fallen in love?

So last week I was in the yarn section at the store. I was on a mission to get black yarn. I really just wanted to leave the store. Avoiding the people around me, I walked up and down the isle looking for a simple ball of thick, black yarn. My eyes were searching when something caught my attention. I did a double take. There, right before my eyes, was the most gorgeous ball of perfect emerald green yarn. It almost seemed to shine. This eye-catching yarn was beautiful. I only needed black yarn but this yarn HAD to come home with me. So it did. I grabbed the emerald ball of yarn, found black yarn, and got out of there. I rarely buy specific yarn just for myself. But last week I did. And I love it. I really, truly love it.

The Half-Knit Sweater

Here are some pictures of the sweater I'm half done knitting. You can't really tell but I've already knit two arm holes. Once I've knit the length I want, I shall knit the sleeves, add buttons, and be done!

Doctor Who?

Doctor Who is by far my favorite TV show ever. I've seen every single episode at least twice! My friends know me so well and got me these awesome items for Christmas. The shoes and card were even hand-painted by one of my talented friends!

Color of the Year: Emerald Green

So I've recently discovered that the color of 2013 is Emerald Green. This just happens to be one of my favorite colors! 

Here are some Emerald Green accessories to inspire you. My goal is to wear this color once a week! 

Christmas Presents

Here are a few of my other Christmas presents! This first is a feather hair comb. I can't wait to wear it in the summer with my hair in a bun. The other is a pretty pair of flower earrings. What wonderful things did you get/give for Christmas?

This Weeks Knits

Here are a few of the things I've knit this week. I've been brainstorming like crazy for my Spring Line on Etsy. I've been so inspired by Downton Abbey and many vintage knits I've seen on Pinterest. I've also read some really cool articles on knitting.

If you'd like to read about the health benefits of knitting, here's a wonderful article: Knitting Benefits

So here's the first result of my inspiration to knit more vintage clothing. This pretty blue shawl looks great with a simple, strapless dress.

I knit this pretty slouchy hat as a gift for a family member. I think I may need to knit many more in this style! I love it. 

Currently, I'm working on a pair of leg warmers. I'm try to gain more skill at using four needles before I start some socks! 

Last week I cut up a few old t-shirts and began to knit with them! It took me literally less than 8 minutes to knit this small washcloth that is perfect for scrubbing! I will no longer be throwing away any old shirt! haha