GIVEAWAY WINNER! Biggan Design Yarns

Thank you to everyone who entered to win the Biggan Design Yarns Stash Bag!

The winner was drawn by Random Number Generator.

Here are your random numbers: 7

Congrats to the Urban Hounds Mom! I can't wait to see what you create with this color-filled bag.  As soon as you get me your snail mail addy, we'll send it off.

Stay tuned for more reviews coming soon!

Sheep, and Fiber, and YARN - oh my!

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!  I've got lots of fibery goodness to share with you today, so let's get started...

The NH Sheep & Wool festival was last weekend and the cute furry critters did not disappoint.  This is my absolute favorite shot.  I've titled it "Hey Lady, Come Here Often?"

I met a lot of sheep...

 

Saw some adorable babies...

 

Pet some uber soft alpaca...

 

And saw some amazing yarn and fiber, although I only managed to snap these two shots of my friend Heather's Mad Color Fiber Arts booth.  (If you haven't checked out Mad Color yet, be sure to click through to her site and have a looksie for yourself)

 

Now for the haul... the itty, bitty haul.  Seriously, who goes to a sheep and wool festival and walks away with one hank of yarn?  That would be me... on a budget.

I was hoping to have a skein of yarn jump out at me, just screaming to become my vacation knitting socks in July.  It really wasn't hard to find several colorways talking to me at the Mad Color booth, and with the help of my ever so patient honey, I chose this hank of Wicked (100% SW Blue Faced Leicester Wool) in the colorway Canyon.  What do you think - does this look like Alaska to you?

Now, being on a budget means I have zero right to step inside a yarn shop, correct?  Did you answer no?  I hope you said no, because you see, I had to drive  over to Nashua and sign some paperwork for the graphic / web design training program I will be starting next week and there's a new yarn shop over there I've been wanting to check out... and I needed size 6, 36" circulars, so...

I stopped at Twill Fabric & Yarn and not only did I find lots of pretty fabrics (sometimes I wish I sewed), prettier yarns, and tuns of coziness, I also met the two wonderful owners.

The owners are very welcoming and the shop is quite lovely.  There are several inviting places to sit and knit, lots of sewing machines set up for classes (someday I just might), and their displays are just delightful.  I think that was one of my favorite things about the shop - the displays using unexpected pieces of furniture and shabby chic-ish looking shelves.  Even the plain 'ole bamboo needles looked cool, displayed in glass jars instead of on a rack.

I found the circular Cubics I needed, and while still keeping my extreme budget in mind, I also took home this cute little project bag and a skein of Madelinetosh DK in the sweet Teddy Bear colorway.  I wasn't going to buy any yarn, but I kept returning to this skein.  Normally I go for the purples and blues, but something about this simple brown/taupe colorway kept calling to me.  Now to find the perfect one-skein cowl for it - any ideas?  As for the project bag, it was a steal at just $5!  The construction is very simple, but I love the fabric and the drawstring handle allows it to hang from my wrist while working on socks.

Now, guess what? I even have a finished object to share this week!  It's just a simple rolled brim hat, but it is something off the needles!

I hope to get some baby blanket knitting time in this weekend.  How about you - weekend knitting plans? 

Foster Baby Updates

Time to get Wordless again.  Today it's all about things that make me smile... foster baby updates!

Maverick

Maverick

Izzy

Cotton & her human baby brother

Belle, showing off a Casey Jones Bones treat at the race track
* CJB is a sponsor on our race car this year *

Belle

REVIEW: Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Treats

Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Treats - Sweet Potato & Venison Formula

Where to Find: Chewy.com

When our friends over at Chewy.com asked if we would like to try Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Treats, the Lapdogs answered with unanimous tail wags!

Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Treats are designed with a limited number of protein and carbohydrate sources ,and are scientifically formulated to provide high quality nutrition to optimize a dog's skin and coat.  They are perfect for all life stages - puppies and adults alike will enjoy these tasty biscuits - which makes them a great staple item for multi-dog households. 

Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Treats are available in six flavors: Potato & Duck, Sweet Potato & Fish, Sweet Potato & Venison, Sweet Potato & Bison, Sweet Potato & Chicken and Brown Rice & Lamb Meal. 

We opted to try the Sweet Potato & Venison Formula Treats, which I think was the perfect choice given the Lapdogs reaction!  As soon as I tore open the bag, they were lined up waiting for a taste.  These treats are completely grain-free and made without common protein sources that often trigger allergies in dogs - and they smell good too! 

All four Lapdogs gobbled up these biscuits quickly, which must mean they're quite tasty!  Even picky Zeus, who must sniff and inspect any new or unfamiliar treats, munched this one right up!  The humans like the fact that they are a good size treat for medium to large dogs, however you can easily break them into smaller pieces if you need to. 

If you are looking for an economically priced grain free treat, be sure to check out Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Treats at Chewy.com, where you will always receive free 1-2 day shipping on orders over $49!

Disclosure: Chewy.com sent a bag of Natural Balance L.I.T. Sweet Potato & Venison Formula Treats to Lapdog Creations, free of charge for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Do I Look Like a Frog?

Happy Monday!  We hope everyone had a nice Mama's Day yesterday!  I was surprised with the most beautiful Gerber Daisies (my favorite flower) from Zeus, Lola, Tut & Sophie.  Aren't they gorgeous?  Just look at those colors.

Of course, no Monday is complete without some mischief.  Here's a sampling of what went on at the Lapdog household over the past few days...

Zeus, "No Mama, I swearz I dun knowz where ur NAP pillow and blankie are.  Maybe u goz to da Brookstone and buyz nother?"

Lola, "You haz cookie fur me?  Cuz I haz kizz fur you!"

Tut, "I foundz da sun spot and if my sista won't moooove, I'll sitz on her!"

Sophie, "Hey Mom, do Iz look lik da frogz?"

The kids wanted to make sure all of the dog moms out there saw our review of Brew Buddies last week.  After all, it's playoff hockey season and they're sure the pups would love to share a cold one with their humans.  Plus, for all you doggy mamas who like to play with string, make sure you enter our Biggan Designs yarn stash bag giveaway!  Even Tut is mesmerized by the vibrant colors!

Black & White Sunday: Kickin' Back

The Lapdogs are wishing all the Moms - of both 2 and 4 legged kids - a very Happy Mother's Day!  We hope you all are kickin' back today...

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Biggan Design Yarns

Biggan Design

Where to Find: Biggan Design

If I had to sum up Biggan Design in just two words, that would be simple vibrant color.

Biggan Design is the creative brain child of Swedish knitwear designer/Australian transplant, Biggan Ryd-Dups.  Unable to find the broad color palette she yearned for, Biggan decided to create her own.  She and her husband spent a month searching for the right mill to collaborate with, then two years getting the twist, weight, softness and color palette just right.  The yarn made it's public debut in April 2005 at the Autumn Craft Fair in Brisbane.  Two years later, BigganDesign.com was launched and in 2008, this beautiful line of yarns had knitters all over the UK grabbing their needles, ready to stitch something colorful.  Since then, this can't-help-but-make-you-smile line has been spotted on needles all over the world - including the USA!

I was first mesmerized by the vibrant colors and intoxicating Biggan Design yarn in October 2012 at the Interweave Knitting Lab in New Hampshire. The colors made me stop and look, and Biggan's wonderful accent made me stay and listen.  She is one amazing lady with a knack for color and design like no other!  There was just one small issue -- she wasn't there to sell her beautiful yarns, she was just there to show them off and get the word out in the states. I left and kept thinking back to those stand-out colors that I knew all of my knitting friends would love. I had to do something to spread the word, and after a few emails with a wonderful lady named Eleanor at Biggan Design, a gorgeous little package arrived on my doorstop from Australia.  Inside I found three of the softness, most colorful skeins of merino wool I had ever seen - two DK Merino First Cross (100% Australian Merino First Cross Pure New Wool, 50 grams, 115 yards) and one 4 Ply Merino First Cross (100% Australian Merino First Cross Pure New Wool, 50 grams, 196 yards). 

My first reaction was literally OMG... this yarn is absolutely stunning!  Eleanor even took the time to look at my blog and notice my love of all things fall -- notice the color palette she sent?  That little bag looks like someone took a perfect New England fall day and wrapped it up.  If fall colors aren't your thing, don't worry... just wait until you see the rainbow of colors available!  Jewel tones have never sparkled so brightly as they do from Biggan Design. 

This review has been more than a few months in the making, which is not typical, however I seriously had to sit down and decide just what to knit up with these beauties... and the timing had to be just right to tell you all about my new favorite yarn line!  I thought the holiday season had us all too busy to pay attention, so I waited... Now that Spring has officially sprung here in New England, I felt it was time to spring Biggan Design on all of you!

My first project with Biggan Design yarn is a pair of fingerless mitts using the Cool Little Llama-Silk Mittens pattern from Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders.  This DK Merino may not be llama-silk yarn, but it sure as heck is soft as a llama!  The beautiful golden color is shade 350, and it is knitting up like a dream.  The yarn feels great as it glides through your fingers and easily slides across your needles.  I'm a little disappointed in myself that these mitts aren't finished yet, but they will be a perfect addition to my Fall 2013 wardrobe.

Now, what to knit with the other two skeins?  Decisions, decisions.... and no, I'm not just sitting here petting the skeins.  Well, maybe I am.  Don't judge me, you would be doing the same.  In fact, I have a wonderful opportunity for you to to pet and knit with some Biggan Design yarn of your very own!

GIVEAWAY! How would you love to see, touch and knit with some Biggan Design yarns of your very own?  I have a beautiful Stash Bag to give away to one lucky reader!  The Stash Bag allows you to sample a range of vibrant colors (and yes, I'm very jealous... I'd be turning these little balls into one very color mini-blankie).  To enter:

~ Follow Lapdog Creations publicly (see "Followers" on the side bar)
~ Leave a comment below telling us what you love most about color in your knitting and what you plan to do with this Stash Bag from Biggan Design

To be eligible to win, you must complete both steps above. Please be sure your entry includes a way to contact you (i.e. link to your blog or include your email address).
** You can get extra entries by sending your friends here to enter (be sure to have them mention your name).... blog, Tweet, Facebook and text away! **

Winner will be selected by random number generator. Deadline for entries is Thursday, May 16th at 11:59pm EST (midnight)

Disclosure: Biggan Design sent the above noted yarns to Lapdog Creations, free of charge for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.