It’s been a wonderful week for Ryan and I as we’ve loved seeing your entries, reading your heartfelt captions, and seeing your gorgeous creations made using our patterns! I know some of you silent readers have never left a comment or reached out (I’m a silent reader of many blogs too!), so it’s been amazing hearing from those of you who entered, particularly those who have followed us for so long! With this giveaway, we really wanted to reward someone who has been a loyal supporter and reader of the blog. We received an astounding 80 ENTRIES (way more than we expected) and it was hard choosing our favourite one! We tried to base our decision on the creativity of the photo, how many projects were included, and the story behind the photo. We ended up choosing one grand prize winner (who will win the grand prize shown HERE), two runner-up’s (who will each receive 1 free crochet pattern from each of the following stores: Bubbles & Bongo, Lakeside Loops, and Two Girls Patterns), and an honourable mention! And so, without further ado, here are our winners!
Our grand prize winner is Tori of @toririnator on Instagram! I love how she made so many of my projects, ranging from amigurumi to other items such as the Knotted Headband and mustache coffee sleeve. She wrote a pretty sign congratulating me on my 5 year blogiversary, and I love how she posed Minion so that he looks like he’s crocheting Pony! Tori even included a mug from the Lambert Collection and some of my favourite items that I’ve recommended and blogged about, including the Clover stitch markers and pom pom maker! Tori shared that she donated some of the teddy ornaments to the Japan House at the University of Illinois for their annual bazaar and even created a stop motion video of them making traditional Japanese tea to help promote their educational facility and the event! Thank you for being such a loyal follower, Tori! Your creations are all gorgeous- congratulations!
One of the two runner-up’s is Myriam of @flower_myriam on Instagram! Myriam is a 22 year old crocheter, and I was very touched by her caption: “I am very happy to have found this creative hobby since it’s the first time I really feel I am accomplishing something great and fun in the artistic side of life. Stephanie and her blog have really helped me to discover more about the world of crochet and I am so in love with all her projects.” I think it’s so creative how Myriam used yarn to spell out “5 Years” to show off her amigurumi and congratulate me on my blogiversary!
Another runner-up is Mandie of @gingersnapmandie on Instagram! I love how Mandie is posing with her son Wes while wearing her crocheted creations and many of them are displayed around them too! She writes, “Dressing a toddler in the winter- the struggle is real! My connection to this wonderful blog has a lot of firsts in it. It’s the first blog I started following after learning how to crochet, the Knotted Headband was the first item I ever made for myself, and my son’s Cabled Slouchy Beanie (now too small!) was the first thing I ever made for him before he was born.” Thank you for taking the time to snap this photo, Mandie! We DEFINITELY know how hard it is to include toddlers in photoshoots 🙂 I still remember seeing a photo of Wes as a newborn wearing his Cabled Beanie- it’s lovely that I get to see your children grow up too!
An honourable mention goes to Al S. of California who entered via e-mail! I was so touched by his story, and he really stood out as the only male entry in this giveaway! Al works in law enforcement and deals with a lot of stress at work. Two years ago when he was feeling overwhelmed at work, he noticed a secretary crocheting. Seeing her crochet reminded him of his mother who taught Al how to knit when he was only six years old and she later passed away when he was seven. He asked his co-worker to teach him how to crochet and she recommended a book. Al soon learned the basics and began crocheting during his lunch break as a wonderful stress relief- he kept at it even when his male co-workers made fun of him for crocheting! Half a year later, Al came across my blog and discovered the world of amigurumi. He read all the technique posts and soon began crocheting items using my patterns and tackling projects that I recommended! Al attached this photo of his beautiful wife wearing and holding a sample of the projects he crocheted! Al is SO GOOD at crocheting as you can see by all his impeccable amigurumi and lovely wearable pieces as modeled by his wife. He says that he is in love with crocheting, especially amigurumi, and that it helps tremendously with his stress! You are really breaking down stereotypes and encouraging people to do what they love doing no matter what other people say or think about them. You are an inspiration, Al!
It was such a hard decision choosing the winners as we had so many amazing entries- here are some of them below! We want to thank each and every one of you who took the time out of your busy lives to photograph your creations and send them to us with such heartfelt messages! I will try my best to respond to each one over time! We really appreciate your constant encouragement, support, and love, and we hope to continue creating and blogging for many years to come!
