It's time to vote - Battle of the Stitches! (And a little giveaway from us for fun!)

The Battle of the Stitches designs have been revealed!  It's time for fan voting!  Which design do you think is 3 Boys & A Ball of Yarn's?  Go to this link and vote today!  

**Giveaway - 3 patterns of your choice PLUS our BOS design.
Once you have voted, head over to 3 Boys & A Ball of Yarn Facebook page and comment on the post pinned to the top of the page. BOS and pattern pack winners announced on December 31!



Good luck, love and best stitches,

Melanie

Thanksgiving Sale - 50% off!

We at 3 Boys & A Ball of Yarn are thankful for YOU!

 

Enjoy 50% off all patterns in our Ravelry shop through close of day Saturday.

...No coupon code required...No limit!

 

What's better, leave a comment on the original FaceBook post, pinned to the top of our page, telling us which 3B&BY... pattern is your favorite and several lucky winners will receive a FREE pattern of their choice on Black Friday!

Many thanks for your support and encouragement!

Love and best stitches,

Melanie... & the "3 Boys" family

Battle of the Stitches...Surprise! Big News!!

SURPRISE!! BIG NEWS!!! I have been selected as one of the 12 challengers to compete in round 4 of Battle of the Stitches!  BOS is a crochet competition much like Project Runway on Tv. 12 competitors are given a crochet stitch and theme. In 2 weeks, we must design a pattern to be judged by an elite panel of veteran crochet artists.

I.Am.Humbled!

...and a little nervous! Hope I can live up to the level of incredible artisans in this group. There are some amazing ladies who have been crocheting for over 40 years, as well as some up and coming newbies who have just entered the scene.

If you are interested in following the competition, head over to 3B&BY on Facebook, "like" the page, and make sure you have selected "Get Notificataions."

There are going to be lots of yarntastic prizes & giveaways, as well as special sales & promotions.

I would be ever so grateful if you would leave me a comment of encouragement & share this blog post  to show your virtual support.

We need all of it we can get before the battle begins!

http://3boysandaballofyarn.blogspot.com/
http://www.battleofthestitches.com/

Coming next...the stitch and the them...any guesses on what they will be? The anticipation is killing me!!

Battle of the Stitches - Challengers 9 & 10

Folks, we are almost there! Today Battle of the Stitches challengers 9 & 10 have been announced! 

I'm so excited to have all the challengers revealed so the competition can get underway!

In the spotlight first today is Michelle from Two Brothers Blankets.

A mom of two boys (y'all know I love me some boys!), Michelle is a self-taught crochet artisan. She has been crocheting for four years and sold her very first pattern this year!

I love the classic simplicity of her Simply Textured Cowl and Bootcuffs! Crochet elegance at it's finest! This would be a great "go-to" gift pattern this holiday season!

 

 

 

 

Introducing challenger #10 ...Christine from ChrisCrossCrafts!

 

 

 

Christine has been crocheting for over 40 years and has been writing patterns for over a decade!

Can you imagine the wealth of crochet knowledge she brings to the competition!

 

 

 

Christine  has eight children and four grandchildren (with one more on the way!)

As you might imagine, she is most inspired by her family. 

This Fall Romance Shawl is one of my favorites!

 

 

 

Be sure you stop by Two Brothers Blankets and ChrisCrossCrafts on Facebook to keep up with Michelle and Christine during the competition...and while you are there, leave them a bit of encouragement for the upcoming competition!

 

Only two more challengers left to be revealed! The anticipation is killing me!

 

Until then, love and best stitches!

 

XOXOXOXOXO,

 

Melanie

 

 

Battle of the Stitches - Challengers 7 & 8

Challengers 7 and 8 have been announced at Battle of The Stitches! Until now, all the challengers have been returning competitors from previous rounds. What makes this announcement exciting is that these two ladies are NEW to the competition! 

As with last week, there is a fun "Factoid" game and a chance to win a yarn-tastic prize! Be sure you are following BOS on Facebook for details on how to enter.

First up is Sheri from The Country Willow. She is a mother of SIX and has been crocheting since she was 12!

Her new Woodland series of sweaters is outstanding! Sheri prides herself on using new stitch combinations in all her patterns. Please stop by to like her Facebook page and wish her luck.

 

Next we have the lovely Samantha from Silver Dragon Crafts & Critters.

Samantha loves, dragons and crafts and *may* be slightly obsessed with Dr. Who. She jokes that every once in a while she lets her "inner-geek" come out in her designs. I love how she owns her geekness and obsession with the tardis by saying, "Everyone has a story...make it a good one."

You may recognize Samantha's recent smash-hit of a pattern, the Angel Lovie. I know the first time I saw it, I had to go find out who the designer was....and now we all know!

Please stop by Silver Dragon Crafts & Critters Facebook page to  welcome Samantha to the competition!


Who will the next two challengers be...you will have to stay tuned to see! It won't be long now folks. The competition stitch and theme will soon be announced! Do you have any guesses as to what they will be?  Until we find out,  stay calm and craft on, Y'all!

Love and best stitches,  

XOXOXOXO,

Melanie

Battle of the Stitches - Competitors 5 & 6 Announced

Did you hear! Battle of the Stitches competitors 5 and 6 have been announced!

 

First up is Donna from Articles of a Domestic Goddess

 

 

Donna learned basic crochet stitches when she was 8, but when her children were born, she was inspired crochet more proficiently.

She began selling her finished crocheted items about 2 years ago, and about a year in, she realized her love for designing.

Since then, she’s put out 35 patterns and that number is steadily rising!

 

Competitor #6 is Jacqualyn from The Crafty Geekette!

 

 

 

Jacqualyn is a legacy crafter!

Both her mother and grandmother being talented crafters and creators.

She has a hodgepodge of craft talents, but her absolute favorite thing to do is design.

If you like Ami, you will want to check out her "Always Deer" pattern in Ravelry!



 

So the first six competitors have been announced.

There are six more to go.

Are you getting excited yet! I know I am!

 

Be sure you visit their sites and "like" them so you don't miss a moment of the competition.

Also, be sure to follow Battle of the Stitches FaceBook page for games and prizes!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend and stay tuned for the remaining six participants to be announced next week!

 

Love and best stitches,

 

Melanie

 

 

Battle of the Stitches: Competitors 3 & 4!

I am SUPER excited to tell you who the next two competitors are in

Round 4 of Battle of The Stitches!

 

 

Although she doesn't know it,  

Rebecca from Desert Diamond Crochet is one of my all-time favorite designers!

 

 

Rebecca is well known for her amazing Character hats, but she's ready to keep you guessing as she decides on something unique to design for this round.  In round 3, she designed the beautiful Braided Scoodie Wrap!

 

 

 

 

Competitor #4 is Ms.Stacey from of Busting Stitches!

 

 

 

 

Stacey has been knitting and crocheting for three years.

She also spins and dyes yarn!

 

I

It's going to be hard to top her Round 3 design of the Winter Princess Dress & Hat!

It was definitely one of my favorites!

 

 

 

 

So there you have it...the first four returning competitors have been revealed!

Only two more returning challengers are left before moving on to the new participants.

Who do you think they will be?

 

TGIF!

Love and best stitches,

 

Melanie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battle of the Stitches Crochet Competition

Battle of the Stitches is one of my favorite crochet competitions! 

Twelve designers are given one stitch and a theme. 

Within two weeks they must design a crochet pattern to be judged. 

It's like Project Runway for crochet!

The first two competitors have just been announced. And, if they are any indication of who the other participants will be, this round is going to be EPIC!

First up  is the lovely Lisa from the Pink Snail Boutique. 

She is a returning competitor from round 3! 

Do you remember Lisa's beautiful braided cable poncho from last time? 

I was so impressed that Lisa had only sold her first pattern the month before joining the competition! 

 Next is Sonya from Blackstone Designs.

Sonya is also a returning competitor. 

Her "Chilly Cables Coatagan" was fan favorite for a reason.

 Isn't it amazing! Who says crochet can't be truly fashionable! 

You can read more about the Battle of The Stitches competition, enter to win crafty prizes, and keep up with all the fun at the Battle of The Stitches blog and the BOS Facebook page.

I can't wait to see who they announce next! 

Happy Crafting!

Melanie 

Costume Patterns

Need a good crochet costume?

Check out a few of the patterns we have available!

(Click the underlined words to view pattern details.)

FRANKIE BOY SET

SCARECROW SET

JUNIOR ASPARAGUS

KICKIN' COWBOY SET

PIKACHU POKE-BOY

Bring on Fall! Bring on Savings!

Fall is my favorite time of year!! 

After sweltering in the Tx heat for 3 long months, that first cool day is extremely energizing!

Soon to follow is the aroma of pumpkin spice...leaves changing colors... and the holidays.  

Ok, I'll admit it...that's not the only reason Autumn is my favorite. 

I also turned 40 this year (cringe) and I am hot...ALL.THE.TIME. 

I'm not talking "luke" warm or daintily glowing. 

I'm talking ON FIRE from the inside out...sweat dripping from every pore on my body...cold showers and changing clothes multiple times a day...and, yes, I've been known to shove bags of frozen vegetables in areas no veggie should every be (so sorry for that visual)! 

My misery is YOUR gain! 

I am ushering in Fall with open arms, fingers crossed and a 

BUY-ONE-GET-ONE-FREE PATTERN SALE!! 

Here's the deal... 

Buy this top selling Scarecrow Set for $5.99

(Includes boy and girl hair options, hat, leggies, shorties with suspenders and sunflower)

And get this Johnny AppleSeed Set for FREE

(Includes Hat, leggies and diaper cover)

Click on this RAVELRY link to purchase. 

No code necessary. 

Just put the Scarecrow set in your cart and the AppleSeed set will automatically be included!

(Through Saturday, August 16)

Here's to an early Fall and being crafty! 

Enjoy and share (pretty please)! 

Melanie

If you haven't already died of cuteness overload, here are a few more pics...