Author Archives: ScoutJ

I’m a mama of two who just wants to wake up and have her espresso and knit a few stitches in solitude. Then I can conquer world peace. Is that too much to ask?

Sign-ups for Yarn Club 2010 & New Calendars!

March 2, 2010 – 2:07 pm

It’s that time of year again! Time for the FIFTH year of Scout’s Swag Sock Club. However, this year it is going to be called……Scout’s Totally Awesome, Radtastic, Superfantabulous Semisolid Yarn Club. Since many people do not knit just socks with my fantabulous yarn I figured it was time to rename the club. With this being the 5th year of the club I decided to put a spin on it. Not only will the colors be gorgeous semisolids from yours truly, but there will also be swag prizes for a lucky few, some free pattern suggestions and discounts on patterns that can be knit with the club yarn from some of the top designers out there in craft-land. Amy Singer, Kate Gilbert, Wendy Bernard, Rosemary Hill, Lisa Shobhana Mason and Miriam Felton are just a few of the participating contributors!! It’s really going to be a super fun club this time around with lots of cool swag. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!

As I mentioned last year, I have tried my hardest to keep the prices down but the last two years I have continued to be hit when USPS increases their shipping prices so I had to up the price by just a few dollars so I don’t lose money. I wish I had control over this but if every year the shipping prices increase, I need to increase the club prices as well, to cover shipping and Paypal fees.

This year there are 80 spots available. The spots available are as follows:

  • 6 Month Subscriptions ($170): 56 Spaces
  • 3 Month Subscriptions ($85): 40 Spaces
  • 1 Month Subscriptions ($32): 24 Spaces

To help the signup process move smoothly, and ensure that everyone gets a fair shot, a lottery draw will be used. I am also opening the lottery up for longer than 48 hours so no one misses out this time. Starting today, March 2nd, you’ll be able to cast your name into the hat for one of the spots listed above. The signup form will be up until 6 PM MST on Friday, March 12th so make sure and submit your name before then. There is a definite chance I will make the club bigger if the response is bigger. Last year I allowed over 100 spots…..so it just depends! Bookmark this page as it will be where the signups are.

To signup, simply enter your Name, E-Mail Address, and select the spot you are interested in. If you’re a member of Scout’s Indie Swag Round 4, then click the checkbox marked Round 4 Member. All existing members who sign up will be entered into the drawing twice. We will be checking this against the current member list, so please do not check that box unless you are truly in the club.

This year there will also be a box to check if you live outside of the US. There are additional shipping charges if you do. For each month you sign up the charges are roughly $12.00 more for Canada and $14.00 for any other country. For example if you live in England and get a 6 month spot you will need to pay an additional $84.00. I will only mail Priority Mail because with First Class you do not get tracking. I would hate for anything to get lost overseas and not be able to track it. Unfortunately the USPS rates go up every year and I have no control over this expense. I wish I did!

Please note that signing up on this page does not guarantee you a spot in Round 5 of the Indie Swag Club, it just puts you into the random drawing to determine the winners. Also, please don’t signup if you aren’t 100% sure that you want to join. Another point I would like to make is that anyone who signs up for a 1 month spot also takes the chance of getting yarn in ANY one of the following months. April, June, August, October, December, February. So there is a definite chance you won’t get your yarn until February 2011. I know that seems like forever away and want to make sure you understand that! Also, yarn is mailed the last week of each one of these months so you usually get it the by the 1st or 2nd day of the following month.

Once the signups are complete, the winners will get an e-mail, along with a Paypal Invoice for the cost of the membership. Then you can sit back and wait for your awesome yarn! Good luck everyone!

March 2010 DEsktop Calendars are here!

Simply click on the link to the larger image, right click and save to desktop!

We hope you like them!

Posted in Knitting | Comments (13)

Olympic Medals

February 12, 2010 – 3:03 pm

Well lookie what my dear friend Bev & I cooked up for the Olympics!

(taken from her blog)

Medal3

The thrill of victory.  That’s what we’re all after, isn’t it?  We’ve signed on to the Ravelympics or the Knitting Olympics to strive for something just a little beyond what we thought we could achieve.  There’s no easy here.

For 17 days you’re going to craft your heart out, pushing past the pain, past that decrease you forgot, past the 13 rows you had to tink.  All for glory.  All for knowing that, yes, you can knit a complicated lace stole in 17 days.  For knowing that, yes, you can knit, steek, and finish an entire sweater in 17 days.  For knowing that, yes, you can finish those seven UFOs that have languished on your project page since 2007. For knowing that, yes, you can triumph.

You’ll have your finished objects as a reward.  You’ll have your blog badges from Bobicus Maximus and the Yarn Harlot.  But you deserve even more.

Medal

Why not award yourself the kind of Olympic medal that means the most to a knitter:  a skein of limited-edition, hand-dyed sock yarn exclusively from Scout’s Swag.  Gold. Silver. Bronze.  It’s all there to mark your fortitude, to commemorate your achievement, to celebrate your craftleticism.

Only 80 skeins of Olympic Medals sock yarn will be created.  Each beautifully dyed skein will be 400 yards of superwash merino, enough for socks worthy of an Olympian, or even a shawl to wear as a mantle of your success.  Whether you want to reward yourself or a member of your team, Olympic Medals yarn will be shipped by February 22, just in time to mark your achievement.

Go ahead.  Anticipate the thrill of victory.  No matter what happens in the next 17 days, you’ve earned this medal.

Medal2

Posted in Buy this!, Call out, Cool Stuff, Hand Painted Yarn, Scout's Swag | Tagged | Comments (3)

Help For Haiti

February 10, 2010 – 8:39 am

My good friend Romi has designed a beautiful shawl to raise money for Haiti relief.


The pattern is knit using Tactile Fiber Arts sock yarn in colorway Tangerine, a simply gorgeous color, and perfect in the pattern.   She loaded the pattern into Ravelry on Saturday night, about 11 pm PST and has already sent off $1,000 in patterns!

The pattern is priced at $6.50, with $5 going to Haiti. She has decided to send off donations $500 at a time, and has already sent $500.00 to Doctors Without Borders! Her goal is to sell 10,000 patterns. Please link to this post and pass it on so we can help her reach her goal!





Statistics:

Yarn: 437 yard skein of fingering weight sock yarn from Tactile Fiber Arts
Needles: US 6 for body and US 8 to bind off
Construction: Knit from bottom tip to top, so it’s very easy to change the size smaller or larger
Price: $6.50, $5 of which goes to Haiti relief
Where to purchase: On Ravelry or Designs by Romi
Goal: Sell 10,000 patterns!
Favorite geeky detail: The bind off used is a reverse stockinette i-cord that looks like the body of the shawl but creates a nice firm tube that you can thread blocking wires through for a perfectly straight edge.

GO BUY A PATTERN!

THANK YOU!

Posted in Buy this!, Call out | Comments (5)

Happy February! Lookie what I have for you!

February 1, 2010 – 7:29 am

follow me @scoutsswag on Twitter!

Cynthia contacted me last month and said that since so many people were missing out on our calendars that she would keep doing them. From now on there are actually 4 of us behind the images:

Carol: www.carolbrowne.com
Robyn: knitpurlknitpearl.blogspot.com
Scout: www.scoutj.com
Cynthia: www.biggirlfeet.ca

Just like before all you do is click on the image to be brought to the desktop size. From there you simply right click it and save as desktop! Depending on your screen size you might have to adjust to stretch it or center it.  I’m so happy they are back!

Posted in desktop calendars, photography | Comments (42)

the Monroe & the Wallet

January 30, 2010 – 8:47 am

Shop Update with New Swag from Namaste…
the Monroe & the Wallet
Haiku Bags & Pick Up Sticks Clearance Sale too!

***I just finally got a twitter account so add me! - http://twitter.com/scoutsswag***
If you have yet to see the two newest items from Namaste they are GORGEOUS. Welcome the Monroe & the Wallet.

“Organize in style with the Monroe bag, featuring a unique 3-compartment storage design fully equipped with extra pockets and strong magnetized closures. This bag features a rear document pocket that’s excellent for toting your magazine or other important documents unharmed. Optional strap buddy to keep straps together so slippage off the shoulder isn’t an issue.”

It might just be my most favorite bag yet….. I know these will go very quickly so if they sell out please don’t worry! I will be placing another order on Monday, February 1st, and you can pre-order ANYTHING from Namaste. Simply respond to this email, let me know what you want, I’ll put it right up in the shop, you purchase it and as soon as it gets here I ship it right out to you. It usually takes less than a week for me to get it from Namaste and then from me it’s 2-3 days. You will have your swag within 1-2 weeks. It’s a very fast process.

The inside shots:

Also, Namaste brought back their Binders! These will be ordered on a custom order basis. If you would like one, simply email me and I will place an order immediately and get it to you as soon as they arrive. (There is one Eggplant binder in the shop!)

In order to make room for newer products I am discontinuing a few items in the shop. All Haiku Bags are now 25% off as well as all Pick Up Sticks Patterns & Kits. They make GREAT Holiday gifts!

There are a number of other items restocked in the shop.
Here are links to just a few of the items that have been restocked:

Knitter’s & Sock Rules
Magnets & License Plate Covers
Protect the Swag Sachets
Stitch Savers
Kitchener Dogtags & Sockblocker Keychains
Martini Sock Blockers
Soak Wash

As always I thank you for your continued support and as mentioned earlier, if there is anything that is sold out you are wanting, just drop me an email and I can get it for you.
Posted in Buy this!, Scout's Swag | Comments (2)

One Final Hurrah!

December 21, 2009 – 12:46 pm
My good friend Wendy, of Knit & Tonic, has a little blog post you might want to go and read. Something about 10% off right now when you purchase more than $15.00? Just go read it…..
In order to make room for newer products I am discontinuing a few items in the shop. All Haiku Bags are now 20% off as well as all Pick Up Sticks Patterns & Kits. They make GREAT Holiday gifts!
There are a few items that have been restocked just in time for last minute holiday shopping:
As always I thank you for your continued support and I wish you all a very happy Holiday season!
Posted in Knitting | Comments (3)

New Namaste Colors & a Sale!

December 7, 2009 – 9:05 am

I spent last week updating the shop with a huge order from Namaste. I know that many items will sell out immediately so please don’t worry because I can place another order right away and will have it within a week. Namaste has made everything they currently sell in the color red. There is the Laguna, Hermosa, Zuma,Buddy Case, Mini Clutch, Cozy & Mini Cozy. Pshew! Lots of new stuff! Here are a few images of them so you can see how gorgeous they are.

Also, Namaste brought back their Binders! These will be ordered on a custom order basis. If you would like one, simply email me and I will place an order immediately and get it to you as soon as they arrive.
In order to make room for newer products I am discontinuing a few items in the shop. All Haiku Bags are now 20% off as well as all Pick Up Sticks Patterns & Kits. They make GREAT Holiday gifts!

There are a number of other items restocked in the shop so make sure you poke around and see everything.

As always I thank you for your continued support and I wish you all a very happy Holiday season!
Posted in Knitting | Comments (0)

December Calendars!

December 1, 2009 – 3:29 pm

Hello everyone! Welcome to December. Here are three, very holiday-ish, calendars for the month. Cynthia and I hope you enjoy them. After much discussion we have decided that this month will be our last month working together to bring these calendars to you. We’ve done them for free now for almost three years and we’re just thinking it’s time to be done. I know this will disappoint people but there are lots of people out there who make cool desktop calendars. If I can figure out how she made them I might play around with them a bit and see what I can do but don’t hold me to it. I’ve been so busy with my photography business I rarely take any other pictures throughout the month! I’m still dyeing up a bunch of yarn but seem to always forget to shoot it before it goes out the door. So….with that said, here are the last three calendars from us.  We’ve really enjoyed doing it but we both just felt like it was a good time to be done with this little project.

Posted in photography | Comments (37)

November 2009 Desktop Calendars!

November 2, 2009 – 2:11 pm

Sorry for the delay but Cynthia actually does what I should do and takes the weekends off from work! I’ll apologize in advance to everyone for not having a yarn shot in this time. I liked these other ones a lot so that’s what you’ll get. What’s that saying kids learn in pre-school from that book? You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit? HAA!! Anyway, hope you can still find one you like. :D

Posted in Hula Swag, photography | Comments (17)

Pre-Holiday Sale! 15% off EVERYTHING!!!

October 30, 2009 – 6:42 am

In case you haven’t heard…

Never Been Done Before…..
Pre-Holiday Sale
15% OFF EVERYTHING
in the Shop!
In the almost 4 years I’ve run this shop I’ve never discounted everything in the store. Take advantage of this because you rarely get deals on the Namaste Bags and accessories OR the Haiku Bags anywhere! The sale is through this weekend only. There may be a few items that remain on sale after the weekend but definitely not the Namaste bags and accessories. If you have yet to see the new colors check them out below. They are gorgeous bags. I’m just making room for some new items so you get to benefit from my lack of space!


I also have in stock the new color of The Knit Kit as reviewed by Amy Singer in the newest Knitty issue as well as the new GoKnit Stitch Markers that can be worn as a necklace too.  I have to say I like this black version much better than the previous one.  Grab them while I have them as they are going fast since she reviewed it!
I have also restocked the Protect the Swag.

A few other items that have been recently stocked:
As always I thank you for your continued support! I hope you have fun shopping and can make a dent in your Holiday shopping! I’m not sure if there will be another sale before Christmas/Hanukkah…..so get what you need now. :D
Posted in Buy this!, Cool Stuff, Scout's Swag | Comments (2)