Last month, I started a giveaway of a custom cross stitch kit and any pattern from my shop. It got big. It got a little bigger than I ever thought it would, thanks to social media and Rafflecopter being awesome.

So I added on a prize of a free pattern from my shop, and extended the dates. I had a whopping 300 separate entries, which I never even imagined.

So here they are--congratulations to Erin, who won the cross stitch kit, and who chose the Pennsylvania Dutch Bird as her prize, and to Heather, who won the free pattern, and chose the cocker spaniel as her prize!

Thanks again everyone for entering, and ladies, I hope you enjoy your stitchin'! Stay tuned; later this month I'll be giving away another prize pack of as-yet-undetermined awesomeness, as well as showcasing a couple of fantastic new items.

Remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr to see all of my maximum-fun adventures (and the super-secret sales!)

And since you read this far, here is a cookie:
(Protip: Click on the cookie; it'll take you to the recipe for Magical Marvelous Memorable Cookies, over at Food52--my favorites. <3)

...and to make a bad pun, of course.

I've been experimenting with Kool-Aid dyeing for a while now (thanks to Knitty's article about the completely addicting properties dyeing proteins with citric acid and colorant), and I think I may have this magic down to a science. I'm using Cascade 220 (it's always on-hand at my local yarn store), and whatever Kool Aid packets I can get my hands on--and it's good, non-toxic, electric-neon fun.

In the photo to the right--this is a skein of Cascade 220 (non-superwash) in white that I dip-dyed in Kool-Aid Pina and Lemonade flavors, then partially hand-painted with more of the PIna for a stronger ombre effect. I like how the lemon yellow really flows through the skein, with the bright white contrast pops. I'm going to wind this into a ball and knit a swatch in stockinette to see how it turns out. If I like the way the color works, I'm going to do a few more with the same formula. If not--the great thing is that I can dye right over it for a brighter yellow, or even add some greens and blues. 

Also: by not using superwash, this is totally feltable. Can you imagine a felted purse out of this? If you had this skein, what would you do? Share in the comments below!