And the Winner is...

Congratulations Melanie (aka pgb)! You've won a free pair of hand knit fingerless gloves in your choice of "Diamond in the Rough" or "Cascade" syles. Please check out the colors available and choose the one you'd like. I will make a custom listing for you in my Etsy shop. Just head over and "buy" it, and leave a comment with your choice of style and color! I hope you'll love your new gloves!

It was so inspiring to read everyone's suggestions for how they "live life softly". I will be compiling some of my favorites over the next few days and I'll post a list here! (If anyone would rather I not share their suggestions, please let me know)

The winner was chosen using the random number generator at random.org. This is a true random number generator that uses atmospheric noise rather than predetermined algorithms to come up with its number.

Live Life Softly Give-Away (Last Call)

I thought I'd forego my Etsy Monday feature today to remind everyone that today is the last day to get in on the "Live Life Softly" blog give-away! I will be drawing the winning name tonight at 9:00pm PST and will announce the winner tomorrow morning.

Up for grabs is a free pair of fingerless gloves in your choice of "Diamond in the Rough" or my new "Cascade" style. As further enticement, here are the colors available:

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on the original post telling us how you "live life softly". Good luck to everyone who entered!

Cascade - Hand knit wrist warmers

I'm so excited to list the first pair of my new "Cascade" wrist warmers in my Etsy shop today!

I've had a few pairs done for a while now in a handful of different colors, but I had no one to model them for me. I finally convinced my best friend Sam to give it a shot - isn't she beautiful? The best part is she really had fun, so we're going to be doing it again. I'm really looking forward to scouting out cool locations around her house in downtown Vancouver to take our pictures throughout the spring and summer!

These are knit with the same soft Superwash Merino yarn as my "Diamond in the Rough" gloves. I am in love with this yarn - it is incredibly soft and warm and there are so many great colors available. And it's made in Canada, which is very cool! I'm really happy with how these gloves turned out. The eyelet pattern reminds me of a waterfall, hence the name. They're feminine and pretty without being overly frilly.

And don't forget, these gloves (along with the Diamond in the Rough gloves) are up for grabs in the Live Life Softly give-away going on now! If you haven't already, be sure to enter for your chance to win a free pair!

The "Live Life Softly" Give-away

Black Mustard Fiber Arts has a new look! One of my priorities since New Year's was to finalize my logo and branding for my Etsy shop and blog, and I'm really happy with the result. So, wherever you find me hanging out online, you'll see the Black Mustard blossom.

I've also come up with a new mantra. Following along the lines of the ideas I talked about in my "Perspective" post, I set out to pinpoint the things that are important to me, the reasons why I do what I do and what I hope to share through my work. To distill everything that I work toward into one powerful statement.

To me this means being gentle with myself and others. It means taking the time to do the things that make me feel peaceful, loving and connected. I think that's why I love knitting and spinning so much. They're relaxing and wholesome. They connect me to a tradition that was borne out of necessity and has evolved into a luxury, and a form of creative expression. There are many other things that make me feel this way: my morning walks, going to yoga classes, playing my guitar and singing with my brother, spending quality time with a friend, or with my cats, doing something kind for someone who doesn't expect it...

As a philosophy for Black Mustard Fiber Arts, it means a renewed commitment to using materials that are eco-friendly and wool that comes from happy, well-treated sheep. I love finding local folks who raise their own animals, and I'm fortunate that the owner of my favorite yarn shop shares my views and only stocks yarns from companies that meet certain industry standards for the humane treatment of their sheep. Living softly includes treading softly and it feels wonderful when I can make something that is good for the planet without sacrificing quality and style. I'm looking forward to exploring the ways that I can apply the "live life softly" philosophy to my work and life.

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So, welcome to the new and improved Black Mustard Fiber Arts! To celebrate, I'm holding my very first give-away. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post sharing the ways in which you live life softly. One person will be chosen at random to receive a free pair of fingerless gloves from my shop in the color of their choice. They will be able to choose from either the "Diamond in the Rough" style or the new "Cascade" style gloves, which will be going up in the shop this weekend. There will also be a new range of colors to choose from! The drawing will take place on Monday, February 9th at 9:00pm PST and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, Ferbruary 10th. Good luck!