Partnering with Stitch Red and The Heart Truth®, the event promises to be a one-of-a kind experience, and we don’t doubt it. A historic bus tour, champagne, beautiful dresses and a silent auction designed for knitters. Among the items up for bid: an original Nicky Epstein painting, a bound leather case of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s own needles and a trip to Scotland and Iceland on the 2012 Vogue Knitting Tour featuring Alice Starmore and Ysolda Teague valued at $6,000.
We’ve donated a Rio as part of the auction, which will benefit the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health in support of The Heart Truth® and women’s heart health education and research.
Have you seen the latest Knit ‘n’ Style? It’s got a really cute sweater design in it called Getting Ready for Spring by Sandi Prosser. And what else is in there? The Rio in blue lapis!
The Rio does know how to pose for a fashion shoot. Thanks to Knit ‘n’ Style for the love: “fashion-forward” and “gorgeous” are very nice compliments indeed! Who knows? Maybe I’ll be toting around the yarn for the Getting Ready for Spring sweater in a Rio soon!
But really, our bags have more stamps on their passports than we do! We just shipped a full selection to a LYS in Iceland and the L.J. Kaelms just made its way to New Zealand for a review from entangled.
Entangled has some great things to say about the L.J. Kaelms, in particular about the construction.
“I have to say I’m quite impressed with the quality of the materials used. The red faux leather of my L.J. Kaelms has a nice pebbled effect with a matte finish … The findings (zips, buckles, etc.) used are very solid and obviously good quality – these make or break a bag in my eyes.”
It’s great to hear feedback on things like that, because Jordana puts so much time and effort into designing these details; it’s good to know it gets noticed!
You can read the rest of the review and the magazine by subscribing here. It’s a great issue, with an article about high fashion hand knit design finding its way into patterns we can knit. There are also loads of pictures and stories from places like England, India and New York: more places for us (and our bags) to travel!
There’s a phrase that goes, I’ll know it when I see it. When it comes to buying something online, seeing isn’t always believing because colors can look different on monitors, and although Jordana does a nice job of showing us what’s inside with her product videos, you don’t get to hold or open the product.
That’s why having our products in LYS across the country (and the world) is so important to us. And just in time for the holidays, 3 Kittens Needle Arts in Mendota Heights, Minnesota is hosting a giant cash and carry trunk show of Jordana Paige’s handbags. From December 2-23, you can see the exact colors of our bags, open and close them and envision yourself knitting fabulous things with your spectacular bag.
If you’re anywhere near the Twin Cities, I highly suggest checking this out, and not just because I’m a extremely biased JP fan. When I head back to Minnesota, 3 Kittens is definitely on my short list of LYS to visit.
I adore their Desperate Gifters series for Knitters and Crocheters, and members of their loyalty program, the 3K Club, get 20% off their retail prices at trunk shows. Check out the blog for what’s “mew” and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
But most importantly, head on over to the shop during the trunk show December 2 through December 23. When it comes to finding the right JP bag for you, you’ll know it when you see it.
There’s nothing like the feeling of a job well done, especially when you get complimented on it by someone else. That’s part of why it’s so nice to read reviews about Jordana Paige products — when someone likes a design and writes about it, it’s like a giant pat on the back.
Glenna over at Knitting to Stay Sane recently posted a review of the Rio, complete with empty and full photos. We love that because it shows just how much you can carry while still being organized and toting around your knitting.
“Even when the bag is stuffed full, it still sits on my shoulder comfortably. That is pretty darned cool … This bag is not fooling around.”
You can read more about Glenna’s experience with her Rio and while you’re there, check out some of her other blog posts. There are so many good ones, but check out her greatest hits listed on the right.
And don’t forget to leave a comment if you’re compelled. Every good pat on the back deserves another. Thanks Glenna!
While there is something so wonderful about the process of knitting, as far as I can tell, one of the most satisfying parts of the project comes from giving the gift and seeing it worn. And in the case of Kristie, her gift just kept on giving.
She knit this sweater for her daughter and entered it into the Celebrate Color contest and won! The sweater and the color are amazing, although her daughter completes the package.
You can see more photos on Kristie’s blog, as well as some other really great stories, like where she teaches her children to knit.
Congratulations to Kristie, who has won a Jordana Paige Rio, among many other fabulous prizes! You can read all about it here. Enjoy your bag Kristie: may it help you knit many more wonderful gifts!
With November officially underway, many people are starting their gift shopping for the holidays. While I love giving gifts (finding that perfect thing is always so exciting!), receiving is always a little harder. I never know what to tell people I want.
Annie Modesitt writes about the conundrum many knitters have when asked what they’d like for the holidays. She talks about the easy backup (the gift card) but also suggests a few things and our own L.J. Kaelms is among them!
“I love to ride my bike, and this fits beautifully into my back basket with all of my knitting stuff, wallet and my biking stuff – bam! Right there behind me! There are a lot of pockets, a detachable change purse (I’ve been using it for stitch markers) and it wipes clean very easily (ask me how I figured that out…)”
Thanks Annie for the shout out! She’ll be posting some more gift ideas for the next few weeks, so stay tuned for more. What’s on your knitting wish-list this season? What are you drooling over these days?
Now that fall is here, there are plenty of opportunities for knitting projects. Based on what we’re seeing on Twitter and Facebook, everybody’s got projects coming out of their ears.
That’s why we’re so excited to be a part of the Celebrate Color contest for October. Basically, the good folks over at Stitched in Color want to see your special projects that are filled with your favorite fall colors.
And by showing them off, you’ll be entered to win all sorts of awesome prizes, like our Rio in blue lapis. Check out the list of other great prizes as well. (We’re working on getting the photo changed to a Rio — whoops! That was my mistake!)
Oh and it’s not just for knitting. So if you’ve got something you’re sewing or embroidering, you can enter those categories as well.
So get your craftiness on, head over and enter Celebrate Color and you could win our fantabulous Rio. Happy knitting!
Have you ever been to a restaurant where the menu is just enormous? Yes, me too. And I tend to not go back, because really, I’m not good with choices.
So imagine my delight/terror when Jordana said I could choose any bag as a reward for being a rad employee. (Sidenote: Isn’t that *awesome*?)
But then I had a decision to make. I picked the Bella in bronze because I’m just learning to knit and I have a feeling my first projects won’t be that big. Plus it’s absolutely adorable and goes with everything.
But now I’m thinking, what about when my knitting projects get bigger? What then? It’s good to think ahead right? Because I am going to need another one sooner or later. I’m narrowing it down to the Rio and the L.J. Kaelms. And I talked to Jordana to get the inside scoop in comparing them.
Rio in Black Onyx, L.J. Kaelms in Lucky Green
Let’s start with the hard facts … the dimensions:
Rio: L 14″ x W 6.5″ x H 10″
L.J. Kaelms: L 11″ x W 7.5″ x H 12″
Rio is an East/West bag so it’s longer than L.J. Kaelms but not as tall. L.J. Kaelms is a North/South bag so it’s size is in it’s height. However, both can hold a magazine or file folder. In Rio the magazine sits horizontally and in L.J. Kaelms it sits vertically.
Both bags have the trademark circlets to keep your yarn from tangling and a row of pockets for all of your needles and tools. The Rio has nine of those, while the L.J. only has eight. While I’m sure eight would do just fine, I’m a big fan of the number nine, which might sway me in my decision.
L.J. Kaelms has yarn pockets below the circlets and Rio does not. Oh, and the Rio has an eyeglasses pocket, which I’m also partial to although it’s not necessary.
“The bottom line,” Jordana said, “is your preference. The bags have really similar features and function in the same way. For some it comes down to the fabric or a favorite color.”
L.J. Kaelms is offered in two fabrics; a supple faux pebbled leather in Red and Lucky Green which make for a slouchy bag, and a more structured faux snakeskin in Deep Taupe and Teal.
Rio is made from faux croc, making it really sturdy for throwing on the ground and knitting straight out of.
But what if I like them both? Indecision can be such a pain. Oh well, a girl can’t really have too many purses, can she?
Can you believe it’s August already? I don’t know about you, but if I don’t pay attention, weeks can go by in the bat of an eye. That’s why I thought it would be a good time to start talking about what you can make your kids, siblings, friends or yourself as a back-to-school treat.
I’m thinking the Emmery makes an adorable addition to any wardrobe, and it transitions nicely from summer to fall to winter (throw a cute long sleeve underneath for those really chilly days).
Or if you’re looking for something quick and easy, you can never go wrong with Mila. And if knitting isn’t on your radar right now (in some areas people can’t even look at yarn without sweating), the Knitter’s Messenger Bag is a great bag for the college-bound knitter. It could hold up to a 17″ laptop (although we recommend putting it in a padded sleeve first).
Being a student is tough and sending them off with well-made, thoughtful gifts might not make algebra easier, but it will definitely brighten their day. What about you? Are you knitting a gift for a student? Or are you a student who got a great gift (or has a good idea for a gift you haven’t gotten yet)? Spill! I’d like to know!
Vogue Knitting LIVE happens this weekend in New York, and although we’re not going to have a booth there, we’ll be there in spirit as part of the Cocktail Reception and LIVE Charity Auction on Sunday night.
