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Knit Kits ’

A Peek Inside

Madison Hand Warmers Kit!

I was packaging the Madison Cowl and Hand Warmers kits up the other day and I was blowing myself away with how amazingly cute these things are!

I mean that in a non braggy way, of course. It is kind of like when you finish knitting something and someone compliments it, and you yell out immediately, ‘I know! Isn’t it amazing?!’ Because you are just so surprised it turned out so well. Kind of like you weren’t even responsible.

As you can see, this kit here to my left is about to get packaged up! It’s a gray hand warmers kit.

The hand warmers take about half a skein of yarn, so that ball is wrapped up with a Sweatshop tag. The laminated instructions (see that laminated shine?), designed by Tara, is popped into the drawstring project bag.

Buttons!

I was always terrified I was going to forget the buttons every time I packaged a bag up. I’m pretty sure I double checked every bag.

Ready to Go!

See the cute Illinois stamp in the corner? And that the color of the draw string is the color of the kit? Yeah, we kinda thought of everything.

Madison Cowl Kit

For the Madison Cowl Kit, each project bag gets a full skein of yarn, again with our cute tag!

Instructions!

Buttons!

Again, laminated instructions and fabric covered buttons round out this kit!

One of my favorite parts of this project was pairing the fabric for the buttons with the colors we chose for the cowls.

See all the button/cowl match ups here!

Ready to Go!

Our tag on the bag makes it happen! This kit is ready to go!

We got our first feedback yesterday! Lori said:

I love everything about it! The bag, the pattern with your notes, all the tags, the buttons, everything! You and Tara did such an excellent job on those!

Thanks, Lori! Order your own kit on our etsy page.

And the Winners Are…

Thank you all for entering my Madison Cowl and Hand Warmers kit giveaway! I say this every time I have a giveaway, but this was our biggest response yet!

The winner of the Madison Cowl Knit Kit is Katie! Who said: “Red, Gray, Blue ahhh decisions, I LOVE them ALL!! I think red is my favorite. The cowl would go wonderfully with my black coats!!!”

And the winner of the Madison Hand Warmers Knit Kit is Beth! Who said: “Happy Blogversary! It is one of my favs and I already have it in my RSS google reader. I like the hand warmers, my self.”

I’ll be emailing both of you right now to get your info.

Thanks again to all who entered and stay tuned for more fun Madison Knitting Kit info soon!

No Rest for the Wicked

I’ve been working like a crazy person this weekend to:

1) Finish knitting my Dollar and a Half Cardi, my February sweater, before the Ravelympics start and I have to knit all those projects. On Friday. *shakes head*

2) Put together all of the Madison Knit Kits so I can start dishing them out!

When I’m explaining all the stuff I do on my weekends to my grandma she always says, ‘No rest for the wicked! or, for you!’ The wicked, or knitters, I think she means. I’m ok with it.

Be sure you enter my Kit Giveaway! You have until tonight to enter! The winners will be announced tomorrow.

The Sweatshop of Love Introduces Knit Kits!

The Sweatshop of Love Introduces Knit Kits!

Madison Cowl and Hand Warmers!


I could not be more excited to launch The Sweatshop of Love’s Knit Kits! This is a project I’ve wanted to do for years, and with the help of Miss Tara Shade Sweatshop Knit Kits are a reality! Take a peek at our Etsy page for details about the Madison Cowl Kit and the Madison Hand Warmers Kit.

And if you are thinking of taking my Madison Cowl and/or Madison Hand Warmers classes, buy a kit and get the class for $10!

AND be sure to check out the Sweatshop Blog tomorrow for a chance to win a Madison Cowl and Madison Hand Warmers kit!

Sign up for these classes now! Spots are filling up faster than they ever have before. Tonight’s Beginner Crochet class, Sweater Club Thursdays, and Toe Up Socks are all full! Sweater Club Sundays starts February 7th and only has two spots left!

Be sure to email me if you have any questions about these classes or if you want to sign up. I look forward to hearing from you!

See you soon,

Allyson

Winter Classes:

Sweater Club: *Thursdays are full! Only two spots left for Sundays!* All hail the return of Sweater Club! Signing up for this class gets you one or two classes per week over the course of eight weeks. The goal is to finish your sweater by the end of the class. If you are with me on my knit a sweater a month quest, knit two sweaters in class with me! Winter session of Sweater Club starts Thursday, February 4th and/or Sunday, February 7th. Sweater Club continues every Thursday night 7-9 and Sunday morning 10-12 until Thursday April 1st and/or Sunday, April 4th. There will be a one week Sweater Club Break the week of February 25/28 for some knitting catch up. The one class per week option for eight weeks costs $75, the two classes per week option for eight weeks costs $120. Email me at allyson@thesweatshopoflove.com if you have any questions or to sign up for this class!

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Toe Up Socks: *FULL! Keep an eye on future emails for the next Toe Up Sock Class* Once you knit a sock you can knit anything. One ball of sock yarn makes one tall knee sock. With the toe-up sock you just knit until you run out of yarn! Part One is the toe, Part 2 is the heel. Mondays February 8 and 15, 7-9pm. $40
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Knitting Needle Knitting Bag: I’ve knit a couple of these for other knitters and they love them. They are intended to be for your knitting projects, but I’m using mine as a purse! Pam Allen’s Knitting Needle Knitting Bag is the perfect project to help show off your knitter status. Part one is the berry stitch body of the bag, part two is assembly. Please note the classes are two weeks apart so you have time to finish the body of your bag! Wednesdays February 10 and 24, 7-9pm. $40

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Granny Square Workshop: Another way to use crochet! Granny squares are fun stash busters that you can’t mess up because they are supposed to be ugly, these little guys can be used for anything. Bags. Coasters. Blankets. Change purses. Granny Square Slippers. Saturday February 20, 1-4pm. $40 with materials

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Granny Square Slippers: Know how to crochet granny squares and want a fun way to use them? Did you take my Granny Square Workshop and want to use all the knowledge I dropped on you? Crochet up some of these fun Purl Bee Granny Square Slippers. Part one is granny squares, part two is assembly. Tuesdays March 9 and 16, 7-9pm. $40


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Bow Headband: Quick, easy, and adorable, this double moss stitch Bow Headband is the perfect way to start working hand knits into your wardrobe! This is a great project for beginner (and knits up ridiculously quick if you’ve got some experience under your belt!). Monday March 15, 7-9pm. 2 hours, $20

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Ruffled Crocheted Bib Necklace Workshop
: Ok the crocheting is out of control this season! Put this whole Stefanie Fail of A Common Thread Ruffled Bib Necklace together by the end of this three hour workshop! Saturday March 20, 1-4pm. $40 with materials

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Madison Cowl: A little daintier than the my Cabled Cowl, this cowl is great for staying warm during the Chicago thaw and unbuttoning for some stylish warmth inside. The Madison Lace pattern is fun and intuitive, and the buttons add a fun pop! And don’t forget to knit up some matching hand warmers! Wednesdays April 7 and 14, 7-9pm. $40 And buy the Madison Cowl Kit here and get the class for $10!

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Madison Hand Warmers: No more mittens! Quick to knit, a great introduction to lace pattern-work, and the perfect last minute gift. Wait, what am I saying?! WE AREN’T KNITTING GIFTS! You know you want a pair of these cute hand warmers for yourself to match the Madison Cowl you just knit yourself. Thursday April 15, 7-9pm. $20 And buy the Madison Hand Warmers Kit here and get the class for $10!


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Beginner Knitting: Did you get on this mailing list in the hopes that eventually you will have the time to learn? Sign up for this beginner knitting class and learn how to cast on, bind off, and knit and purl. Monday April 12, 7-9pm, $25

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Beginner Crochet: *Tonight’s class is FULL! Sign up now for Tuesday, April 13th’s Class!* This is a great opportunity to learn the basics of crocheting! In this class we will learn to make a chain, single, half double, double, and treble crochet stitches, and how to crochet in the round. Use these mad skillz for Ruffled Crocheted Bib Necklace, Granny Square Workshop, and Granny Square Slippers. Tuesday April 13, 7-9pm, $25

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Group Knitting and Crocheting: Come get help starting a project, finishing a project, picking a project, picking materials, or learning something new! 2 hours, $15

Tuesday February 16, 7-9pm
Wednesday March 10, 7-9pm
Monday March 29, 7-9pm
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Knitting Book Club: Our next book club meet up will be Monday, March 1st at 7pm. We are reading When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro! If you are interested in joining the book club, send me an email. Please don’t come with knitting questions as I won’t be teaching anything (so the book club can be free of course), just come to knit and chat about our book


Please note all classes are held at New Wave Coffee at 2557 N Milwaukee Ave / 3103 W Logan Blvd in Logan Square unless otherwise noted.

Wait, What?! Sweatshop Knit Kits?!

I could not be more excited to introduce to you The Sweatshop of Love’s latest endeavor: Knit Kits!

The Sweatshop of Love, along with the ridiculously talented Tara Shade, are ready to premier our first batch of Knit Kits – the Madison Cowl and Madison Hand Warmers!

Take a peek to the right at our Etsy Mini Store! These kits are all available at our Etsy store, or send me an email at allyson[at]thesweatshopoflove[dot]com and I’ll hook you up.

Madison Cowl and Hand Warmers!

You’ve gotten a little peek of these patterns in the newsletters because both the Madison Cowl and Madison Hand Warmers are classes in April. This is the perfect opportunity for knitters not in Chicago to get in on the Sweatshop fun!

Madison Cowl Kit

Gray

Green

Red

Blue

Madison Cowl Kit – (rav page) As fun to knit as it is to wear, the Madison Cowl is a super cute way to work your hand knits into your wardrobe! Using a seed stitch boarder and an intuitive lace pattern throughout, this Cowl is a great way to master chart reading and lace work. Never read a chart pattern? Our easy to read instructions will make it a cinch.

Finish the Madison Cowl with handmade fabric buttons designed to stand out no matter which color Madison Lace Cowl kit you decide on.

Included in this kit is:

An easy to read pattern
Yarn
4 handmade fabric buttons
A nifty drawstring project bag

You will need:

Size 7 needles
Stitch markers or scrap yarn
Yarn needle

Madison Cowl!

Need this Madison Cowl around your neck immediately?! We know you do! This kit is only 36 bones! And don’t forget the matching Madison Hand Warmers. Need the full set? Get both Madison Kits for $54!

Madison Hand Warmers Kit

Madison Hand Warmers Kit- (rav page) A great introduction to following a chart pattern, these Madison Hand Warmers are a super quick knit and fun to wear! And handmade fabric button accents make these hand warmers stand out from the crowd.

Knit on straight needles and seamed around a thumb opening, the Madison Hand Warmers are perfect for beginner and intermediate knitters looking for a quick, fun, easy to wear project. Never read a chart before? No problem with this easy to read pattern with step by step instructions to get you some cute hand warmers with no head aches.

Included in this kit:

And easy to read pattern
Yarn
2 handmade fabric buttons
A nifty drawstring project bag

You will need:

Size 7 needles
Yarn needle

Madison Hand Warmers!

See yourself rockin’ these adorable hand warmers? We do to! This kit is only $24. And don’t forget the matching Madison Cowl! Need the full set? Get both Madison Kits for $54!

Now can you see why I’m so excited?! These kits rock! And this is just our first round. Stay tuned for more Sweatshop Knitting Kits in the near future.