milo may prizes

Today I wanted to share with you the lovely businesses who have so generously donated prizes for milo may. These businesses are all small indie businesses located in the Southern Hemisphere, either Australia or New Zealand. We have a small knitting population comparatively to that in the Northern Hemisphere, and the isolation from the majority of the knitting community can at times be tough, particularly when there are images of TNNA flashing all over the inter webs.

 Having said that, the wonderful thing about our Down Under Knitting Community is just how supportive it is; from the indie yarn dyers, to the designers, to the sheep farmers and indie wool companies, to the knitters themselves. The tyranny of distance really does sometimes work in our favour.

So a huge thank you to all these lovely businesses. Please visit the links and give them our love. Without them we would not have the community we do.  xx

Little Plum Yarn

The lovely Sharon from Little Plum Yarn has been a long time sponsor of Milo May. Sharon dyes the most amazingly vibrant colourways; colourways that really do make other knitters ask, "Wow! Where did you get that yarn?" Her dyeing technique adds an amazing amount of depth and tone to her colours that is rarely seen. It is no secret that I am pretty smitten with Sharon's work. 

Sharon runs pre-orders for her colourways through her Ravelry group and also stocks on her Facebook page.

PRIZE: 2 skeins (200g) of glorious DK Superwash Merino in a colour way to be selected by the winner.
This prize will be randomly drawn from all those who complete a milo and post a photo. For each milo you complete, you get an extra entry. 

Little Plum Yarn in action... look at that lovely stitch definition!

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Gradient

Briony from Gradient has managed to achieve the enviable task of moving her business from one country to another. I think that's a pretty amazing feat! As her business name suggest, Briony spends her business hours creating gorgeous gradient dyed yarn, an incredibly time consuming process. I really love her grey gradients. Stunning stuff! Briony is also just about to launch into the realms of design, with patterns designed to match her yarns being launched this May. 

You can purchase Briony's yarn from her etsy store as well as follow her progress in her Ravelry group and on Facebook. 

PRIZE: A special Rainbow Pack: 200g of hand-dyed gradient in "Spring Rainbow" (pictured below) on White Gum Wool 8ply and a pdf copy of the Rainbow Dress pattern. The winner for this prize will be chosen by the Rainbow Girl for the best use of colour. 

Spring Rainbow. How lovely is this gradient from Gradient! Can't you just imagine it knit up as a Rainbow Dress!

PRIZE: 100g of hand-dyed gradient in a boyish colour (TBA) on White Gum Wool 8ply.
The winner will be randomly selected from all those who complete a milo.

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Zippy Wippies

I have known Fiona for many many years. She used to live in the same country as me, 20 or kilometres away. Our eldest daughters are the same age and we spent many hours chatting about knitting, sewing, cloth nappies and the like. She's loads of fun and a very talented crafter. She once taught me how to work a long-tail cast on. I keep trying to tempt her to move back to Australia with reminders of how beautiful and perfect our coast line is.  Fiona makes super wonderful project bags and she usually has current stock available for purchase at any time.  These are the perfect size for a milo and have one awesome feature that I love, they are zipped. I'm a beach knitter and let me tell you those zips have protected my knits from a bucketful of sand on many an occasion!

You can purchase Zippy Wippies via the Facebook page.

PRIZE: One custom made Zippy Wippy bag. 
The winner will be randomly selected from those who complete a milo.

A Zippy Wippy in action; looking after my precious Little Plum Yarn "Intensity" and my Knit Pick needles.

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Koru Designs Aotearoa

So check this out. Paula hand-dyes her own yarn to sell, designs her own patterns AND home schools six children. Paula has been a wonderful supporter of Down Under Designers and Dyers over the years, and it is so exciting to see her launching her own career. Her yarns are stunning and her designs thus far are beautiful.  I love the way she seeks to capture that seaside New Zealand essence in her designs. I also love that Paula tells me milo is a staple garment in her household! 

You can follow Koru Designs Aotearoa on Facebook to find out when Paula is stocking as well as keep up with all the things Paula is creating on her Ravelry group.

PRIZE: 200g hand-dyed skein of DK Superwash in colourway 'Carol'

PRIZE: 200g hand-dyed skein of DK  Superwash in colourway 'Dagda'.

A gorgeous Koru Designs Aotearoa colourway being knit into a Granny's Favourite

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Nunnaba Artisan Fibres and Handspun Yarn

I discovered Jenna's yarns recently via White Gum Wool. I will openly admit to doing a bit of stalking of the indie dyers who dye using this base. When I visited her etsy store I couldn't help but order some yarn. She had a pre-order for her yarns of the month, beautiful grungy manly colours named the Man Cave. So earthy and beautiful. Jenna also dyes art/spinning batts. 

You can find Jenna's lovely yarns in her etsy store and Facebook page.

PRIZE: 2 skeins (200g) of hand-dyed gradient on White Gum Wool 8ply.
 

The delicious Man Cave colourways from Nunnaba.

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Red Riding Hood Yarns

Hannah and I have had a long association in this yarnie lark. I'm designing two patterns for her Winter Yarn Club this year just as I did in 2012. Quite a few of my samples for my patterns have been knit in Hannah's yarns over the years. Not surprisingly, given her name, she dyes the perfect red. Hannah's colourways are vibrant, generally following a themed release. It's always fun to see what she comes up with and her yarns are exceptionally popular, selling out in a flash. There's a good reason for that.

Hannah stocks exclusively on her Facebook page where you'll get all the goss on her updates. You can also keep up via her Ravelry group.

PRIZE: 200g of hand-dyed yarn on the "Bon Worsted" base in a colourway of the winner's choice.

An riot of Red Riding Hood Yarns colour. Just dive in! I dare you to.

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Little Brown Owl

Lori has been a cottage licence holder of mine for many years, so if you're ever looking for someone to knit one of my patterns up for you, she is one of the go-to ladies. Lori is also the face behind the Milo May Market; a huge market full of milos that happens at the end of May. (More details to come.) When she's not busy knitting and child wrangling, she also manages to whip up a few project bags for sale. These wee drawstring bags are all one-of-a-kind and sell out very quickly!

You can find Lori on her Facebook Page.

PRIZE: one small size custom made Project bag. This bag is big enough to hold a 200g ball.

An example of Lori's custom made Project bags. Check out those penguins! A bit cute!

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Colour By Me/Tres/

Agnes has quite a unique business idea. You see, she custom dyes yarn to your exact yardage specification. No more leftovers, no excuses for it hibernating in your stash waiting for the perfect project. The philosophy behind Colour By Me/tes/ is that you begin with the project you want to knit, and she can create the right amount of yarn for that project. Her gradients are bright and vibrant with subtle and gradual colour changes. I'm looking forward to seeing a milo knit up in this yarn!

You can find Agnes on Facebook where you can order custom dyed yarn. She also has a Ravelry group. 

PRIZE: Custom length Spectrum gradient suitable for milo (120 - 348m) on 100% Superwash Merino DK.

Sensational colour in this Colour By Me/Tres/ Spectrum gradient.

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Tansy Yarn Company

Deanne is going to be a very busy bee this month. Not only is she busy dyeing up yarn for her business but she's also participating as a business for the Milo May Market. Tansy Yarn Company stock a wide array of products from hand-dyed yarns to Pom Pom Magazine to hand knits to buttons and project bags. Some of those hand knits you will find there, are those from my patterns as Deanne is a licence holder. 

You can find Tansy Yarn Company at their website www.tansy.com.au and on Facebook.

PRIZE: 200g of hand-dyed yarn and buttons to match. 

Some of the stunning colourways of the Tansy Yarn Company.

Let Them Knit

Casey from Let Them Knit says two of her favourite things are yarn and cake. Could you have guessed! Casey custom dyes gradient yarns as well as variegated yarns. You can purchase them either in-stock through her regular stocking or have them custom dyed. 

You can find Let Them Knit on Facebook.

PRIZE: 100g hand-dyed gradient yarn.

Gradients Galore; a selection of Let Them Knit's colourways.

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Li'l Red Webs - Handcrafted

Moni from L'il Red Webs - Handcrafted specialises in handcrafting fabric creations that make knitters' lives easier; project bags, stitch marker pouches, yarn tidies and tablet cushions. Her fabric selection is bright and whimsical. L'il Red Webs operates on a custom made basis, so you can choose the fabric that is just perfect for you!

You can find and order from L'il Red Webs - Handcrafted via their Facebook Page. 

PRIZE: Project bag

A beautiful literary inspired Project Bag from L'il Red Webs - Handcrafted.

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Lete's Knits

Justyna is not an Aussie or a Kiwi but I am really really stoked to have her on board as part of this Knit-A-Long. Justyna is a knitwear designer from Poland and I adore her work. She is a terrific supporter of other designers, which is so refreshing and lovely to see. Her designs have a beautiful asthetic, mixing texture and colour superbly. 

You can find Justyna's designs on Ravelry. You can also find her on her website www.letesknits.com, Facebook as well as a host of other social media sites. Visit the Lete's Knits webpage to find all the links.

PRIZE: one ebook of winner's choice.

PRIZE: three single patterns of winner's choice.  

Justyna's newest design (just released!). Peachick Eyes Cardigan. And yes! She does have an adult version too!

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Meraki Studio New Zealand

I have known the lovely Jo from Meraki Studio for quite some time. She is one of those super talented people who has a finger in lots of craft pots. She knits, she dyes yarn, she sews, she makes sells gorgeous needle cases and she has just recently released her first knitting pattern! My Knit Picks tips and cables still live in an needle case that Jo made for me many moons ago. 

You can find Meraki Studio New Zealand on Facebook as well as keep up with all things Jo is creating via her Ravelry group.

PRIZE: custom dye spot for the colourway Eden on Dewdrop sock.

the glorious Eden on Dewdrop sock.