Be Beautiful, Keep Warm

Hallie of HalPal28 on Etsy crafts some adorable and super warm stuff. She's local, too!

Today's giveaway comes from the lovely and talented Hallie from this Etsy shop. She features hand-knit hats, scarves, and headbands that have been knit on Chicago buses. Adorable!

For the Winter Extravaganza, Hallie's offering a custom gray and chartreuse earwarmer. Perfect timing for this giveaway: we're seeing flurries in the Chicago area today!

Wonderfully inspired knits.

Here's Hallie's description of how she was inspired to make it:

The pencil sharpener in the photo was the inspiration for this vintage treasure. My grandfather recently let me dig through boxes of his things, looking for treasures. I found this magnificent old chartreuse and steel pencil sharpener, with led marks all over it. After a few days of staring at it on the shelf, I realized I had colors of yarn that matched it perfectly. I ran to my yarn chest and then held them up to the pencil sharpener, and to my delight, they were identical. 

Talk about awesome crafting inspiration!

See below to win this earwarmer.

Here's what Hallie has to say about her shop: 

Everything in my shop is hand-knit by me, all around the city of Chicago. I knit on the bus, I knit on the El, I knit on benches by the river or blankets on the beach. I try to waste almost nothing-- finding a way to reuse even the tiniest scraps of yarn, recycle vintage buttons, and package knits in paper from grocery bags or leftover muslin from window curtains. 

I am inspired by color-- especially slightly unusual color combinations. I'm also inspired by the people who wear my creations. I love the idea of people I don't know in places I've never been to wearing things that I knit. I'm hoping to someday unexpectedly run into someone wearing something I made. 

Hallie's incredible shop also features hats for men, women and babies!

Hallie will be staying local this holiday season. She's excited to experience the city of Chicago in all its dazzle and delight.

As she says, "There's so much light, spirit, and good food!" She'll be dabbling in craft shows, selling her creations in a few stores, and visiting The Elmhurst Art Museum, which now carries a few of her things.

Hallie's goal for the new year is to find a way to sell handmade items in person and meet her customers more often. 

To win the gorgeous gray and chartreuse earwarmer above, please:

• Leave a comment below with a story about how you survive the winter's cold.
• Check out Hallie's etsy shop and tell a friend about her beautiful handmade knits.
• Heart HalPal28 on etsy. If you buy something from her shop, you'll get five entries into this contest!

Also note that Hallie is offering 10% off to all Alive in the Fire readers. Just enter "YOGA2010" as a coupon code when you check out. Thanks, Hallie!
Reminder: if you click "follow" on the blog or tell a friend to follow it, you'll double your chances of winning!

 

Congrats to Shuling, who won the Water Bobble from Healthy Green Goods. Enjoy!