I have just been nominated for a WordPress Family Award by Sally at Soknitsome! How sweet is that?
This is my first blog award as From the Purl Side and I want to pay it forward with my 10 nominees, as Sally and the ladies below have been such a positive part of my ‘blogging life’ for the past… year.
It is crazy…I just checked dates to see when I started blogging here and it has been just less than a year! It seems like so much longer – in a good way. 😉
In no particular order, here are some of the folks that make up my regular blog stalking:
1. Making It Well
2. Today’s Agenda
These two blogs were my first intro to KALs and Jo and Gail have been constant sources of help and inspiration. Both blogs feature endless streams of knit and sewing projects and both ladies are both very knowledgeable and approachable. I regularly find myself queuing a new pattern after posts from these two…or just cursing them for their highly superior sewing skills!
3. Fringe Association
This blog also has a shop, Fringe Supply Co., for all your stylish knitting needs – and Karen’s slick blog is chock-full of drool inducing photos of knitterly things, useful tutorials (how to knit a top down sweater, anyone?) and a number of her own lovely free patterns. I love the regular posts on noteworthy new knitwear from fashion designers as well as the knitwear designers we are so used to seeing in ‘knitland’.
4. K-line
I have learned a LOT about fitting from Kristin’s blog. Another A-type personality, she makes me feel a bit more normal about all my endless detail obsession and froggings, as she is quite detail oriented herself (though she seems to have much more patience than I do)! This gusty lady is brave enough to tackle vintage knitting patterns and describes her process in quite a lot of detail so you can see what mods are involved. Very handy if you are brave enough to take one on… though I am still working myself up to it….!
5. Untangling Knots
Andy designed one of the first cardi’s I ever made, the lovely free pattern Miette (the project for my first KAL with Jo and Gail above, actually!), and it was a wonderfully gentle introduction to lace knitting. She is one of these people that seems to whip out gorgeous designs every few weeks with clear, concise patterns and, on top of it all, is fun blog reading. (Plus she sometimes features her cute dog and those who know me know what a sucker I am for a cute pooch!)
6. Lori Times Five
Lori is one of these prolific knitters with heaps of taste and serious photography skills that makes me WANT everything she makes. She also lives in California and posts some of the most beautiful outdoor photos of sunshine and blue sky…sigh.
7. Loop Knitting Lounge
This is the blog for my adorable LYS, Loop. The blog is fun and inspirational – as witnessed by a recent post with the aforementioned free sock pattern which has finally spurred me to knit a sock…maybe two! Posts are written by vivacious London designer Juju, whose fun shawl Pop Spots I recently added to my ever-growing queue for some early autumn knitting.
8. Harmonic Oscillator
Another Londoner, Christine is a talented budding designer with a new blog you will want to sign up to. She is definitely someone to keep an eye on as the designs I have seen thus far have high attention to detail and are gorgeous to boot! The things the girl can do with lace makes my jaw drop…
9. Champagne and Qiviut
Besides being a prolific knitter with regular interesting posts on events and projects, Alli has just organised London’s first Great London Yarn Crawl along with talented fibre dyer Porpoise Fur (aka the lovely Rachel) …which I am helping out with on Sept 21st! Sign up now and maybe you can be part of my group, or ‘sheep’ as I plan you call you, as I shepherd you to glorious yarn shops around the city! Baaaa! (All proceeds go to the charity Refuge.)
10. Where the Red-Winged Blackbird Flies
This whimsically titled blog is where Portland designer Bristol Ivy lives. Along with posting beautiful photos of her classic designs, she has also been generously sharing some interesting statistical data on knitting design – The State of the Stock(inette) Market – which has helped me get a larger picture on yarn usage for my business venture. (A huge thank, Bristol, for sharing your hard work with the world!)
If my nominees would like to pass on this award, there are just 5 simple rules to follow:
1. Display the award logo on your blog.
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family.
4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them.
5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people who have taken you as a friend, and spread the love.
Don’t feel obligated…but it is a nice way to share a bit of community spirit, even if you just add the 10 links and not write ups!
Thanks again for the award, Sally. It is appreciated!
From the Purl Side 