Solo Feature: Somer Knits + Giveaway!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself! I am an avid knitter and have been for years. (I am also bi-craftual, so I crochet sometimes too. In fact, I learned to crochet before I learned to knit.) I am also a lucky girl, wife to a wonderful man, and momma to two crazy little dogs. I'm also expecting a baby, of the two legged variety, in January! I love to read, hit up craft shows, and be out in nature. I love coffee, although I am stuck with decaf right now.

2. What made you decide to start your shop & blog?   I started the blog when I moved from Thousand Oaks, California, back to my home town of Tulsa, Oklahoma. I wanted a good way to keep in touch with all of my fantastic knitting friends in California. I was part of the best knitting group ever and I didn't want to lose touch with them.  Over the years, it has evolved and grown. As for the shop, I opened it a lot more recently than I started my blog. For years, people had been telling me I could sell the things I knit. I always said I didn't have time, but once I really got pushed to try it, I found that I really love doing it. I like having an etsy shop, but I especially love doing craft shows. I love to have a good excuse to buy fun yarns and let them tell me what it is they wish to become.

3. What are your favorite things to blog about? Favorite posts? I blog about knitting the most, but I also like to blog about food and life in general. I definitely find knitting the easiest thing to blog about. I just have so much to say about the shows and the things I am making.  I admit that I have slowed down a bit since getting pregnant. The first trimester, I was just too tired to get motivated, but I am starting to get my blogging mojo back.

When I am in truly creative mode, I love to post free patterns. I love to see other people's interpretations of my designs, so I always ask people to send pictures if they try my patterns. Ravelry.com is a fantastic knitting site that I always share links to my patterns on it. If anyone is interested in the free patterns, there is a section on my right hand sidebar with links to all the free pattern posts.

4. What are your favorite things to make for your shop?   I love to both make and wear cowls. The bigger and fluffier the better, although I do make some smaller ones for my shop because I know not all customers' tastes will run the same as mine. I also make hats a lot. I love to try different yarn and color combinations.

5. Favorite pass-time? Oh my, I stay so busy. I am a member of a fantastic group called make:Tulsa and I love being involved with everything they do. Right now I spend all of my free time, that isn't spent knitting, cleaning out the nursery and making baby plans!

6. What is on your current wish-list? Yarn! Oh wait, that's always on my wish-list. Ha!  I have a number of handmade goodies on my wish-list and a very long etsy favorites list.  I also love vintage hats and vintage replica hats. (On my things I need list, is a car that can hold a car seat!)

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7. Favorite blog reads? I love to read a variety of blogs. I like to get crafty inspiration and ideas for my home.  I also really love to read blogs of people I know in real life; it's like getting a different perspective of that person from the one you might see out in public. I love to read HollyRocks' blog. She is one of the most awesome people I know and her jewelry is super fun. Sunshine and Carousels is another fun girl that I like, both knowing in real life and catching up with online. And for my knitting fix, I love Knit & Tonic. I love MaieDae too!

8. If you had three wishes, what would they be? 1. Happy heathy baby born absolutely painlessly with no drugs. (Ha!)  2. Never ending supply of cashmere!  3. The world's largest closet full of everything I could ever possibly want to wear; including ball gowns (and to have balls to wear them to.)

9. What's your favorite meal?  Chinese food!  Especially egg rolls.  Right now baby also likes giant bowls of Oat Bran, Quinoa, Steel Cut Oats, and Cracked Wheat mix. Yum.

10. What inspires you the most? Everything around me, really. A lot of times, though, I just hold or look at a yarn and I have a good idea of the thing or things that it wants to be.

Find Somer Here:
Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/somerknits
Blog: http://knit-o-matic.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SomerKnits/189980124360253
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/somerknits

Upcoming Shows:
Indie Emporium: September 30th & October 1st - Tulsa, OK
B.A.zaar: October 22nd - Broken Arrow, OK

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Giveaway Time! -- Somer is offering one winner $25.00 credit to her shop, Somer Knits! Pick between some beautiful pieces to get cozy for the fall.

Main Entry:
1. Leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite item from Somer's shop!

Bonus Entries (please leave one comment per entry):

1. Become a follower of Knit-O-Matic via GFC

2. Become a follower of MaieDae via GFC (on the right) or Bloglovin

3. Tweet about it! Just copy & paste this: Win $25.00 shop credit to Somer Knits @MaieDae! http://maiedae.blogspot.com/2011/09/solo-feature-somer-knits-giveaway.html

One winner will be selected at random and announced THIS Thursday!! Thank you, Somer, for a wonderful interview & giveaway! :)