April/May Contests

Posted by Emily in contests

April’s haiku contest addressed the theme of crafting and the weather. Not an obvious link, but we had faith you all would come up with something brilliant. And we were not disappointed. In fact, though we’re the first to admit that we usually go for the funny poems, this month Brianne swept us off our feet her very lovely and perceptive lines. We both just love this haiku and think Brianne is quite talented.

Rivulets of rain
make cables down my window.
Inspired, I knit.
-Brianne P.

Now for May’s contest, which is NOT a haiku at all. We’re looking for a slogan for Twisted. Think “Got Milk” or “Just Do It.” Something appropriate for t-shirts and bumper stickers. Something fun, funky, and fresh. Something that encapsulates the Twisted vibe. Feel free to submit crazy and/or bawdy slogans, as we’ll surely enjoy reading them, however the winner will be something that your mother would not be embarrassed to read on the bumper off the car in front of her while stopped at a red light. For this month, multiple entries will be allowed. Again, this is NOT a haiku contest this month! No haiku slogans, unless they’re exceedingly clever. To enter, click here. This month’s prize is a t-shirt and bumper sticker with our new catch phrase on it!

Finally, thanks to all who entered April’s contest:

Scorching summer day,
Twisted needles knit and purl
Cool Christmas presents.

Rainy, windy days,
Demanding knitted sweaters.
Greys and Greens and Blues.

I love summer. But,
long days cut my knitting time.
No knitting till dark.

Season is changing
Warm sun between the cloudbursts
Eyeing stash cotton!

rain drops, no stitch drops
knit, purl, stay warm
the throw now reaches my toes

Bamboo’s cool to knit
Perfect for hot, summer days
Sweater done by fall.

Short stop at the park
Sunshine filters thru the trees
Yarn flies on needles

When it is dreary
I knit inside dreaming of
Days full of sunshine!

I still knit wool socks
Though it’s seventy degrees.
The rain will return.

Yarn Harlot visit

Posted by Emily in contests, books, events, charity

Just in case you haven’t already heard, the Yarn Harlot is coming to Portland, courtesy Blue Moon Fiber Arts, and fun is sure to be had.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the beloved Yarn Harlot herself, will be at the World Forestry Center (Miller Hall) on April 22 at 7:00 pm. She is sure to keep us laughing and knitting as she shares her knit wisdom and wit. We are celebrating the arrival of her new book, Things I Learned from Knitting…Whether I Wanted To or Not. She will be signing this book and her other titles. Doors open at 5:00 pm for book sales and seating. There will be plenty of room and books so, no worries, reservations are NOT needed. A very special Socks that Rock lightweight will also be on sale! All profits from book sales go to Knitters Without Borders.

In addition, BMFA has put together an “Inexplicable Knitting Behavior Scavenger Hunt” to celebrate the Harlot’s visit and, since Earth Day is April 19, the Earth. Click here to see all the details of the Scavenger hunt. It is a printable pdf. Basically, on either Saturday 19th (Earth Day) or Tuesday 22nd (the day Stephanie is speaking) you and some knitting buddies are challenged to run around town taking pictures with a sock in progress at assigned locations. It is sure to be a blast and, for participating, you get a cool pin custom made for the event.

Think Outside the Sox

Posted by Emily in socks, contests, knitting

Have you heard about this yet? Knitter’s Magazine, XRX Books, Skacel, Cherry Tree Hill yarn, Addi Turbo needles, and many other sock-yarn-related companies are coming together for a great new contest – Think Outside the Sox! If you’ve always wanted to be a sock designer, then now’s your chance.

The contest started in February at STITCHES West 2008 and will run until January 1st, 2009 (just before STITCHES West 2009). There are a bunch of different categories for different yarns, techniques, and styles. The sponsors have contributed over $20,000 in prize money, with the grand prize worth $6,000! Imagine how much totally guilt-free sock yarn that could buy! The winning sock designers are going to win prize money AND get the chance to be featured in Knitter’s Magazine as well as in an upcoming book from XRX Books. Big time, baby!

So, long story short, come on down to Twisted and pick up an official contest entry form, or check it out at the Think Outside the Sox website. As an official Sox Hot Spot, we’re here to offer you help designing, knitting and entering your sock in the contest. Portland is waaay crafty enough to have at least one, probably more, winners hail from our fair city, so start swatching, folks.

March Haiku Winner, April Theme

Posted by Emily in contests, knitting

March’s haiku contest winner was crafting for pets, and the prize was the book Stylish Knits for Dogs, by Ilene Hochberg. The winning entry is from Alessandra, Faye, and the Sockettes (the nom de guerre of our Sunday Studio Class).

As ardent readers of our blog will already know, I have a much-adored, much-pampered French Bulldog named Carat who is the dirty, shedding, vomiting, slightly smelly center of my world. Alessandra also has a Frenchie, named Bucky, who is similarly doted upon. For the past few weeks (months?) Alessandra has been trying to persuade me to knit Carat a lacy “party dress” from the book Dogs in Knits by Judith L. Swartz - photo to the right.

She has even gone so far as to start planning Bucky’s “bark mitzvah” so that Carat will have an occasion requiring formal attire. I am currently knitting a sweater for both myself and my mom, so one - especially a lace one - for my dog has gotten on the Ravelry queue, but hasn’t made the top of the list… In any event, here’s the haiku:

Bucky’s sweater rocks.
What about his naked friend?
Carat needs a dress!

Bucky, in the lovely sweater Alessandra knit him.

Carat, naked and alone in this cold, cruel world.

Now for April! Your theme: crafting and the weather. Does it inspire you? Thwart you? Lure you outside in the summer? Trap you indoors in the spring? Click here to enter your best haiku. This month’s prize: The book Knitty Gritty Knits, by Vickie Howell.

And, last but not least, here are all the other crafting for pet themed haikus from March. Thanks for entering!

There’s a trail of yarn
With suspiciously wet ends
Leading to kitty

spayed, funny cone head
fancy, stylish puppy paws
sedatives, sleepy

As the rising sun
Peaks over the horizon
The day has begun.

Only reason to
get a dog is to knit it
cute little sweater

Black cat, yellow yarn.
Untangle, must knit my socks.
Now he hunts the pair.

the monkey climbs tall
his tail a string in the wind
he is really hot

Chihuahua winters
garbed in thick handspun jacket
knit with dreams of sun

Nice dog, lots of drool
My sock is covered in slime
Where is your owner?

He ripped all I knit,
entwined paws and tail in twist;
called ‘Brave Dachshund’ this!

I love that cotton.
Hidden? Ha. My nose will find.
Hung from fan? You win.

Your dog will love you
Whether you get gauge or not
Bark! Bark! Bark! Knit on.

Ocean, old and gray.
My girl you’ve been, loyal true.
Fall dog socks, fall down.

Made you a cat bed
But, well, you seem to prefer
Anything but that.

Perfect dog sweater!
(The chihuahua disagrees
And rolls in the mud.)

New puppy is here
Two skeins of Lorna’s Laces
One eaten, short scarf!

You liked chewing it
until I knit your sweater -
Why growl at it now?

Knitted dog coat just so cute;
Itzie will keep warm.
She’s hiding under the bed!

Feb winner and March theme

Posted by Emily in contests

Big thanks to Carrie G. (a.k.a., Big Alice… we’re not sure why) for February’s winning haiku on the theme of crafting for someone you love:

Just for you, my love,
I knit plain socks in black yarn
in February

Carrie wins a lovely red Silk Dragon tote bag to carry her knitting around in style. Perfect - even plain black socks will look sexy and exciting in this bag!


Now for March’s contest. It’s a good one: crafting and pets (dedicated to Alessandra). So, this month, tell us all about the funky sweater you made for your Pomeranian, or about the cat that just wouldn’t leave your yarn alone. The prize is funky little book about knitting for your dog: Stylish Knits for Dogs by Ilene Hochberg.

To enter the March contest, visit our haiku contest page.


Finally, thanks to all that entered and here are the poems from February:

my knits keep you warm
you smile and do not judge FOs
with this stitch, be mine?

knitting for daughter
college students are picky
please picky it out

knitting for long time
sleeves like mountain gorilla
enjoy gift my love

A present for you
Yes it should fit that way dear
You better wear it

Strange brain chemistry
Laughing under electric stars
I’ll make him odd socks

Precious little fingers
Toasty warm in pink mittens
Her smile is sunshine

Exceptional man I hold dear,
For you from my heart I knit
an everlasting symbol of love.

The gleaming smile
The bear hug
Makes it worth the hand cramps

Knitting for husband
He does not like the color
Satisfying – not

Purl, Knit, Seeds of love
I weave my heart into yarn
Hoping my love approves.

Knit for you
Love abounds
Care and warmth envelop all.

Valentine desires handknit gift:
the ring is old
no sweater curse

For you my dearest
Tender yarn, stiches of love.
A halo, my gift.

I knit these red socks
Warm thoughts of love and joy
Lonely heart’s desire

Working my needles
The perfect labour of love
Just for my pumpkin

love in ev’ry stitch
the yarn runs through my fingers
I hope you’ll feel it.

Cold rain drizzles, love grows
snuggly hat warms head
with bursting pinks, red, and blue

The softest voices
Who are speaking the Highest Truth
Are heard the loudest

Sweater on size 0’s
Cables and fair isle in silk
It is true - love hurts

Gather yarns, patterns
perfect idea for him
oophs not correct fit

lovers’ heartstrings looped loosely
tug tight on these threads
make love warm; like red mittens

Never miss a stitch
Knitting my love with needles
To keep my love warm

Hard pointy-head You
Soft bright pliant flowing Me
I knit what we are

Valentine’s Day
auntie asks if she has knitted
her words correctly

Oh so cold bear toes
Tug at heart threads and yarn balls
My needles flash click

Valentine Bear Hug
Knitting warm mittens with love
Keeping Bears Cozy!

Just for you. Weeks spent
planning, knitting, then seaming.
“Oh, it was nothing.”

Knit boyfriend sweater
Lots of money, lots of time
Better not be cursed

Contest report…

Posted by Emily in contests

January’s winner was faaabu. It’s Andi C. and here’s the haiku:

ORGANIZATION!
Must bite bullet and face stash.
Need patience, liquor.

Thanks, Andi! That definitely embodies the Twisted spirit. Haahaa. I crack myself up. Now then, before you can claim your prize we will need to see a valid government-issued ID verifying that you were born before today’s date in 1987…

February’s theme, in honor of Valentines’ Day, is knitting for someone you love. The prize is especially cool and Valentine-y as well - a silk dragon tote. Perfect for your current knitting project with lots of pockets and such. Click here to go to the contest page and submit your haiku!

And now, for your perusal, are all the other January haikus… Thanks to everyone who entered. We sure love reading these!

The unraveling
strand connected to the past
tempts and torments me

to knit in a place
whose wind tastes of my hands need
to know this wool skein

I should try new things.
Cables, lace, Fair Isle. Maybe
after this last sock.

I will let my sweet
shinny addie turbos sing
to use up my stash

they are worn to tear
why tiptoe on feet so bare?
the twined snuggly pair

Peering sternly from
The pile of unfinished work
Half done projects call

Clean slate. This one first!
Almost done, then next from bin
Someone’s at the door.

I vow to complete
This crazy baby blanket
Before he is grown!

This year, no false starts.
Work each project ‘til it’s done–
Wait! Is that new yarn?

A promise to me
Live my passion through my needles
This one I will keep

My resolution?
No more than 3 U-F-O’s.
Already broken.

go forward, no frog
a KAL, a FO
will work for more yarn

Completed with care
Their hats, scarfs, mittens, sweaters
Now I knit for me!

Fair Isle, intarsia
daunting, but if I learn them
my palette expands.

Winter’s still here
knit more
It’s cold outside

Completion is king
No more unfinished objects
Really I mean it

Dec haiku winner/Jan contest

Posted by Emily in contests

Our December haiku winner, on the theme of Holiday crafting was Lucy Anne T. She wins a ball of Trekking XXL color 150. Congrats, Lucy Anne!!

Knit, purl, don’t worry,
Christmas stockings make lovely
Valentine presents.

So very, very true. Your next mission for the January contest: New Year’s crafting resolutions. And no saying yarn diet. Who isn’t on a yarn diet?! The prize this month is the Winter Knits Kit, by Sara Lucas and Allison Isaacs. Just click on the contest link to submit your haiku.

Finally, here are all the other wonderful holiday haikus we received. Thanks to everyone!

Rush of the ocean
Calm the people around it
With its soft, sweet sound

Hats Scarves Socks Afghan
Why’d I think I could do it
All by Christmas Day

Oh grand intentions!
My stocking doesn’t look right
and cost more to make

Late nights, bleary eyes
Why knit Christmastime away
for sis’ dog sweater?

stringing up popcorn
berries for our christmas tree
toddler chewed them all

Lights strung through the trees
Reminds me of my yarn stash
Calling me to knit

Working late at night
Knitting, sewing sugar plums
Dreaming of morning

it’s snowing again.
christmas sweaters can be ugly,
but mine have tassels.

Five hats still to knit
Why didn’t I start in June?
Reach for the red wine

Homemade gifts, I pledge
Chunky hats, a single sock
It’s the thought that counts.

I hate the mall. So
I knit Fetchings, sweaters and
toys. Merry Christmas!

Do you feel lucky?

Posted by Emily in contests

Dirty Harry asked it first but, who knew, it also applies to knitting. That’s because, in case you haven’t heard, Knitting Daily is holding a fantastic contest to support local yarn stores.

Enter the Knitting Daily Yarn Spree at your LYS contest online and you could win up to $300 worth of yarn at our store! All you need to do is visit: www.knittingdaily.com/yarn-spree before December 31, enter your name and e-mail address, and mention that Twisted is your favorite spot to shop. You could be contacted by Knitting Daily in January to drop by and pick up a gift certificate for $100-$300 of FREE merchandise!

First place: $300 gift certificate to Twisted
Second place: $200 gift certificate to Twisted
Third place: $100 gift certificate to Twisted

Good luck!

November winner, December contest

Posted by Emily in contests

My theme today: colons.

Congrats to Leila W., our November haiku contest winner. The theme: teaching someone else a craft. Her haiku:

tongues sharp as needles
drool at alchemy of yarn
nephews think I’m cool

I mean, this involves teaching not just one person, but multiple young boys. That, in itself, deserves a prize. And a prize Leila shall receive. The book Lacy Little Knits.

And now, on to December. Your mission, should you choose to accept it: a haiku about holiday crafting. An inspirational story: my mom once pulled two all-nighters in a row leading up to Christmas, hidden away in her closet, folding, gluing and fancy-shaped-scissoring together photo albums of their childhood for her two brothers. True story. We crafters do crazy things for the holidays.

So, tell us your crazy, inspiring or heartfelt holiday crafting story for the December Haiku Contest. The prize? A ball of Trekking XXL color 150!

october haiku contest winner (FINALLY)

Posted by Shannon in contests

yes, yes, we know, we know, we are late on this announcement. whoops! we had some fabulous entries for the october contest, and, although it was difficult, an experience i had last week helped propel bob into winnerdom (and, yes, i DID just make that word up, thank you very much)!

if you’ll remember, the theme of the october contest was horrifying crafting disasters.
the prize? two skeins of Frabjous Fibers banana silk in tangerine and their pattern for a mitered squares bag.

and, the winning haiku, by bob s.:

Wet drive, knitting drags:
Like trail of crumbs work ravels
To show my way home

we had a bunch of silly, creepy, funny, and scaaaaary haikus this month, and once again want to share all of them with all of you

Darning a blue eye
the doll’s ghoulish face
stains with pin-pricked blood

Googly eyeballs fall
Glue guns ooze, bubble, and scorch
Eyeless monster cries.

Lead foot lies heavy
Green thread entangles fabric
Like a sprawling tree

Concentrating on…
orange and black and owls and cats
I scared… myself

Knit to be a box,
you did not cooperate.
Fine. Cut into pieces.

Cat walked through the paint
Black doesnt come off of white
Now what do I do?

endless colors to please
a blank and inviting muse
fiber travles thru wooden maze

Boo! Goblins and ghouls
Frankensteins, skeletons too
Scares of Halloween

From armpits up to neck,
Twice as long as it should be!
Who’s this for, a giraffe?

Yarn left on the swift
Too tempting for the kitties
Bouclé chewed to bits.

popsickle log house,
with matching fence all around -
glue gun stuck in hair!

Oh the memory:
Our matching sweatshirts made with
Day-Glo Puffy Paint!

Alpaca-
Once bulky, now laceweight.
Well fed moth.

Knitting in the round,
Excited for my first hat…
…a Mobius strip

A dragon, he says
Pattern, fabric, thread, tears, sweat
Just carry the tail?

White cotton blocking…
A proud sight at breakfast. Crash!
Give up coffee NOW!!!

now that you have been inspired, get thee over to the contest page and WRITE A HAIKU FOR US!!!

This month’s subject: Teaching someone else a craft…
This month’s prize: Lacy Little Knits by Iris Schreier.

2310 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232     *     503-922-1150     *     info@twistedpdx.com