On November 26 I posted my stranded colourwork picks for this year’s Indie Designer Gift-A-Long but I had so many selections I decided to break it into two posts.  Here’s part 2.

The Kentigern Blanket by K.M. Bedigan

Clouds of Luxury Fingerless Gloves by Tabi Ferguson

Stairsteps Tam by Stephannie Tallent

Dark Passage Socks by Beverly S.

Tourbillon by Kris Carlson

Hyde Park Hat & Mittens by Becky Herrick

Sirona by Emmy Petersson

Modern Tartan by Elizabeth Green Musselman

Elektrocute by Emma Welford

Cats in the Garden Socks
by Sonja Launspach Kunstwerk Designs

Estri Cardigan by Meiju K-P

Tiled In Cowl by Sarah Jordan

What is the Gift-A-Long? The GAL is a big knitting and crochet designer promotion with prizes and more than 5,000 people participating in a giant KAL/CAL. Come join the GAL group on Ravelry!

I find literature a great inspiration when designing.  In fact, I’ve designed several pieces based on works of fiction: Sargaço Shawl, Whitman Cowl, Taming of the Fox, and Stacks Socks.

Here are my picks of some other #giftalong2016 designs inspired by works of fiction.

Eyre by Renée Kies

Shirley Keeldar shawl by Elizabeth Felgate

Georgiana Newbury by Teresa Morey

Petit Prince and Little Star by Aurélie Colas

The Tale of Little Rabbit by Olga Beckmann

Persuasion by Christal LK Designs

Interview with the Vampire by Lily Go

Ranganathan’s Mitts by Sharon Fuller

Scheherazade’s Tale by Nim Teasdale

The Yellow-Gartered Dude Abides by Elizabeth Green Musselman

What is the Gift-A-Long? The GAL is a big knitting and crochet designer promotion with prizes and more than 5,000 people participating in a giant KAL/CAL. Come join the GAL group on Ravelry!

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As we get further into December, there are some very grey and dreary days. Gift-A-Long has some fantastically cute and funny patterns, the perfect thing to combat an overcast day.  The challenge here was paring the list down to these selections.

One Fish, Two Fish, Three Fish by Stana D. Sortor

Celtic Cabled Mandala by Tatsiana Kupryianchyk

Meow-Meow Hat by Mjuk

Lady of the Lake by Lotta Groeger

My Little Slug by Selina S.

a tapir for you, a tapir for me by bunnymuff

Venn by Ella Austin

Woolbringer: A knitted sword by Emily Ringelman

Zombie Knitster by Julia Swart

Karen by Tanja Osswald

Mullioned Hat by Katy H. Carroll

Flidais Stole by Stephannie Tallent

What is the Gift-A-Long? The GAL is a big knitting and crochet designer promotion with prizes and more than 5,000 people participating in a giant KAL/CAL. Come join the GAL group on Ravelry!

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Whether you’re a fan of Harry Potter, Doctor Who or Firefly, the Indie Gift-A-Long has something for everyone.  Here are some of my pattern picks that celebrate various fandoms.

Venomous Tentacula by Jennifer Dassau

Space Cadet Sweater Vest by Nicole Montgomery

Doctored by Gabriella Henry

Shoggoth by Lee Meredith

No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die. by Barbara Benson

It’s Them Aliens! Socks (Doctor Who Inspired)
by C.C. Almon

Jayne Cupcake by Kathleen Sperling

The One Ring by Renée Kies

Guinan by Akua Lezli Hope AkuaDesigns

Mithrandir by Amy van de Laar

Calluna Brae by Sally Oakley

Omar Alien by cheezombie

What is the Gift-A-Long? The GAL is a big knitting and crochet designer promotion with prizes and more than 5,000 people participating in a giant KAL/CAL. Come join the GAL group on Ravelry!

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I love period dramas and will happily watch a marathon of Downton Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, The Miss Fisher Mysteries or The Paradise. Many of these feature fantastic knit or crochet garments and all have inspired designers with their aesthetic. Here are some of my picks for those who desire a bit of vintage style with their knitting/crochet.

Flapper Cloche by Megan Nodecker

Pride and Prejudice Mittens by Christelle Nihoul

Sanguinaria yarn bag by Naomi Parkhurst

Paris 1925 by Marie Greene

Parisian Delight by Andrea Rangel

Ninetta Neckwarmer by Nina Machlin Dayton

Phryne Fisher’s cat’s whiskers cape by bunnymuff

The Dauphine’s Stockings by Emma Welford

In Case of Draughts by Hunter Hammersen

Nola Cloche by Hilary Smith Callis

Bellocq by Marnie MacLean

Lady Sybil’s Crescent by Michele DuNaier

What is the Gift-A-Long? The GAL is a big knitting and crochet designer promotion with prizes and more than 5,000 people participating in a giant KAL/CAL. Come join the GAL group on Ravelry!

The worlds converged – Gift-A-Long2016 and Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday are all happening at once this year. Want to find the best deal on my designs? All the details on my sale, which coupon to use and links to the designs are here.

Thank you for all your support of my designs and small business.

I adore the look of stranded colourwork pieces but not the process of knitting them.  Stranded colourwork and intarsia aren’t my “happy place” knitting-wise.  However, there are so many stunning designs in the Gift-A-Long that I had to share. Here are the ones currently making my heart sing – now I just need to find someone to knit them for me!

Deco Dots by Virginia Sattler-Reimer

Persian Dreams by Jenise Hope

Fancy Hen by Ella Austin

Fox Crossing by Simone Kereit

The Woodcarving by Aurélie Colas

Shawinigan Scarf by Natalie Servant

Maurits by Andrea Rangel

Reykjavik by Carol Sunday

Locksley by Emily Ringelman

Burghal Hat by Cheryl Chow

Short Circuit by Jo Torr

Höstlöv by Anita Grahn

What is the Gift-A-Long? The GAL is a big knitting and crochet designer promotion with prizes and more than 5,000 people participating in a giant KAL/CAL. Come join the GAL group on Ravelry!

I don’t know how to do much more than a single crochet chain but I can appreciate the beauty of a great crochet design.  To kick off the Indie Designer Gift-A-Long blog post series, I decided to share my top picks from the Gift-A-Long crochet designers.

Amigurumi Nativity Scene by Justyna Kacprzak

Inca Blocks Wrap by Beth Graham

Dancing Owl by Tatsiana Kupryianchyk

Rippling Arctic by Elena Fedotova

Gathering Leaves by Lily Go

Winterlaced Hat and Cowl by Yuliya Tkacheva

Hardware Heaven by Sarah jane Jackson

Threaded Colors Chevron by BabyLove Brand

Lace Labyrinth Scarf by 10 Hours or Less

Lona by Julie Blagojevich

Robijn by Susanne Visch

Cowl Neck Sweater by Natalia Kononova

The 2016 Indie Designer Gift-A-Long has begun and the forums are buzzing. I have selected 20 of my designs that are 25% off from today until November 30 at 11:59 pm with coupon code giftalong2016. The collage below is the one I developed to promote my bundle of sale patterns.

Join today! There are thousands of prizes to be won, lots of chatting in the GAL threads and holiday knitting/crocheting to be completed.

From the Ravelry Group:
What is Gift-A-Long? It’s a multi-designer promotion to help you kick your holiday gift-making into high gear!

The Indie Design Gift-A-Long is a 6 week long KAL/CAL of holiday gifts made from patterns designed by a rather extensive list of independent designers. From November 22, 2016 at 8:00 pm US EST to December 31, 2016 at midnight US EST there will be fun games, contests, and 8 KAL/CALs that will help you get your holiday knitting done with companionship and fun! From November 22, 2016 at 8:00 pm US EST to November 30th at 11:59pm US EST tons of indie designers will be discounting between 5 – 20 of their patterns 25% for this event.

You can find a list of the 335 participating designers, with photos, here. For easy searching on Ravelry, view the bundles here.

Once you’ve got your Gift-A-Long patterns, we encourage you to join a relevant KAL/CAL! (For instance, if it is a cowl, please join the cowl KAL/CAL.) To join, simply write a post in the KAL/CAL thread you want to join, including the pattern name you will be knitting and a link to your project page. KAL/CAL participants are eligible for lots of lovely prizes but you’ve got to post to win!

KAL/CALs will run from November 22, 2016 at 8:00 pm US EST to December 31, 2016 at midnight US EST, plenty of time to knock out all your holiday knitting and crocheting. We have tons of prizes and great conversation, plus a lot of other fun, so pull up a chair and join us!

80skeins collated all the stats and created the amazing infographic below. The organizers have put a lot of effort into this event, I think we’re going to blow last year out of the water.

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