Announcing the winners of the TKGA/Yarnmarket Design Contest

I'm thrilled to announce the winners of the TKGA Design Contest. We had a lot of fantastic entries this year -- as always -- and are excited to show you the ones that were selected for prizes by our team of judges: Penny Sitler of TKGA, designer Nicky Epstein, and Jan Gratz of Yarnmarket.

We presented the awards last weekend in Minneapolis at the TKGA Event and the crowd was really impressed by the display of prize-winning designs.

We had two separate competitions: one for Masters and one for Members of TKGA. Masters were required to provide the pattern for their creation and we'll be offering those patterns free on Yarnmarket once we've photographed the items and uploaded all the information. For now, you can see larger photos simply by clicking on the ones I've posted here.

In the Masters Category we awarded three prizes:

First Prize - $500 Gift Certificate at Yarnmarket
The winner is Stephanie Hatfield for her absolutely stunning "Vineyard Cardigan." This cardigan not only has pretty decorative features on the front, back and sleeves, but inside is knitted a quote from Galileo: Wine is sunlight, held together by water. Isn't that brilliant?

Second Prize -- $350 Gift Certificate at Yarnmarket
The winner is Nancy Vandivert with her beautiful "Lilac Festival Bag." This bag is in mauve, purple, green, yellow -- a garden of glorious colors. It's big enough to hold a lot and so pretty that you'd want to carry it everywhere. We know this is going to be a popular download once we post it free on Yarnmarket for our shoppers. Nancy did a fantastic job and we congratulate her on her award.

Third Prize -- $200 Gift Certificate at Yarnmarket
Yes, baby buntings are all the rage. Arenda Holladay created this family heirloom piece that has the Nordic pattern treatment that's also very popular this year. I think Arenda's "Bye Bye Bunting" is going to be another very popular pattern for downloads because it will make a great shower gift to be handed down from generation to generation.

Regular TKGA Members were not required to produce patterns for their entries, but I'm hoping we can get them. I'll let you know once I've spoken to the winners.

First Prize -- $300 Gift Certificate at Yarnmarket
Susan Abed created this pretty "Cabled Vest" with a high neck zipper front. Imagine wearing this with your autumn wardrobe. Wouldn't it be perfect on crisp fall days? We thought she did a terrific job with the cabling and that it was a style everyone would want.

Second Prize -- $200 Gift Certificate at Yarnmarket
Emily Armstrong created this "Aran Sampler" afghan. We thought it was a clever design that could be recreated in any color to match virtually every decor. I'm hoping we can get this pattern from Emily because it would be great for any knitter who'd like to perfect her cabling skills.

Third Prize -- $100 Gift Certificate at Yarnmarket
It's become almost a tradition. Every year Britt Raubenheimer thrills us with her outstanding designs and each year she wins an award. This time, her prize-winning piece is a pretty summery pullover with bursts of beautiful colors. The "Searose Beach Pullover" is another pattern we're hoping to be able to offer our shoppers.

Please be sure to join TKGA if you'd like to learn more about the craft of knitting. It's a great organization with lots of benefits including the annual design contest with Yarnmarket.