knit.shan.knit

May I Introduce...Baby Junior

2011-07-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here he is, Baby Junior.

A small version of one of my first amigurumi I made for our 3rd son.

He named his large ami bear 'Junior'......hence Baby Junior.
This little guy is a custom, repeat order from a good friend.
She bought a monkey amigurumi named Mon-Kee.

Trademark heart...I actually have to do a heart replacement
on Baby Junior's monkey brother Mon-Kee this weekend.
Baby Junior and Monkee will be so happy living at the same house.
Mon-Kee has had his heart loved off by my friend's darling little son.
He must have his monkey at night and rubs the heart to fall asleep.

Kill me with cuteness!

Here's a side sitting view...Clarence Giraffe also sits up well.
I think I have a good thing going with the body to leg attachment.
I love Baby Junior's posture! His tail is very cute too.

Front view with a scarf I whipped up...
he's a blue doll with chartreuse stripes.
Something orange had to be involved.

I had a lot of fun making Baby Junior.
His pattern is mostly written.
I would love for you to make one of my dolls for yourself.
I also do a lot of custom work.
Send me an email and we can scheme something up.
I can add you to my queue. xo

Bye for now :) Thanks for looking!

A Giraffe and a Lakenvelder...

2011-06-28T23:16:00.000-07:00

Introducing my newest giraffe amigurumi...Clarence.
I designed him for my good friend's who are
having their sweet baby son ANY time now.
I will be selling the pattern to this as well as my other amigurumi creations.

-My- heart is in every ami...handsewn on.
Just found out a mini monkey ami I made has been a nightly rut for friend's sweet 2 yr old. Said monkey also needs a heart replacement because their little E rubbed the heart off by caressing it each night to put himself to sleep. Awwwwwe!!!

Honestly, photo taking this time was rushed. I probably could use a new camera. I will probably hold off and buy an iPhone 4 when their price drops. For now I found and LOVE LOVE LOVE Instagram... it's an iPhone app that will make me procrastinate buying a real camera, probably forever.

More spots on the tush. By the way, toy giraffes are only mostly like a real life giraffe...sort of like apple or watermelon jolly ranchers. It's our interpretation of the animal or the fruit. Circle spots are widely used on toy giraffes, but their spots are not so circular. Also, their head was a little challenging with their horn thinga-ma-jigs.
I did not install a tuft at the top of the thinga-ma-jigs...my only regret.

A good shot of Clarence and his 20 inch height.

Clarence's tags...

Almost simultaneously, I finished this little gem.
A Lakenvelder chicken mama amigurumi.
I designed this chicken mama to go with a present
of baby chick amigurumi in March. (pictured below)

-This- is a Lakenvelder chicken. My beloved friends have 27 of these beauties.

Alpaca crochet circles on top and bottom of a wool/wool-silk blend ball.
I tried to get an irregularity in the top crochet circle. I was mostly successful.

Here's chicken mama...big heart, ready to take care of AT & Baby C's chicks.

Six baby chicks...the one in the bottom of the picture is the baby lakenvelder.

My new business cards till I can place a moo card order. I can't wait for my cards.
I started an order late one night. It was a lot of work trying to pick out what photos I want for the front side. I've been asked for my business card more lately...
so I just need something in my wallet for now.

Covert Stitch Making

2011-06-14T01:09:00.000-07:00

This fine day I added a ladder to my knitting and crochet notions. The other large notion I have is my pug Phoebe. My tool kit is pretty diverse. Fortunately/unfortunately, the ladder wasn't tall enough. It served as a good 6 foot tall holder for my basket.

I was eager to head into the city to help artist Suzanne Tidwell in her efforts to yarn bomb Occidental Park-Pioneer Square. Charisa, president of our fine knitter's guild (Snohomish Knitter's Guild) had put out a call on Facebook for knitter's to come and assist with the installation. I had been meaning for -at least- a year to dive into yarn bombing. With Charisa's and other bomber's encouragement, I finally took the plunge.

The weather was stereotypical for Seattle. I knew I was going to be terrifically cold AND happy while I worked. The grey skies weren't bumming me out at all. It is different being out of the house looking at the clouds.

So, I arrived at Occidental Park and this was the scene. Suzanne wrapping these well deserving trees in earnest, stitching away merrily. She had Ikea totes of knit panels and a nice tall ladder. Right away I felt welcome by my fellow knitter. I have been enamored by yarn bombers for a long time and this was my first face to face. We chatted a bit and then I unloaded my gear. I had been cranking on my panel for a week and did the bulk of the knitting in 4 of those days. It was so sweet to have it there complete.

This was one of my favorite pictures from the day. It rained the whole time we worked...this is my wee little knit-kit in an altoids box. I have a mobile studio cart, but when I'm in a hurry I can grab this little do-hicky and be on my way.

This picture is from my first attempt at wrapping my intended light pole. Here I am on my 6ft ladder. Because of the rain and the weight of the panel, my 97 inch long fabric had now stretched into a glorious 132 inches. All of the sudden, it was too long for it's intended target.
We looked around at the park for another taller pole.

Here's the view from Suzanne's 9+ foot ladder. Keep in mind it was raining, a lot. I had to be quite intentional about where I was in the world while maneuvering on this ladder. I did get woozy at one point balancing at that height fastening the top of the piece. I had done a lot of rock climbing in my 20's, so I dialed into that frame of mind.

Here's my beauty...

And from another angle... So pretty. I miss my piece.

Here I am...giving one last snuggle to my pole. It felt good to be done and see my work.

The gorgeous Suzanne Tidwell in her element. I love her tree wraps. They start looking like painted stripes. I am sure they look that way from a distance. Then there's the puzzling fact that it's knitted. The funny question I get a lot is *how* you get the fabric on the tree. I guess all those hours of finishing over the years have paid off. It's fun making it look seamless...mysterious :)

Now on to my city...

The following Saturday was International Yarn Bombing Day. If you are a yarn bomber, then, this is a holiday of yarnie proportions. I felt like a holiday to me. I had planned to stay up ALL night Friday night, but, alas I did get in bed. I stayed up till 3am. I was so tired that I didn't hear my alarm go off though. So, I unfortunately I lost a bit of my covertness...especially with the first tree wrap.

This first tree wrap is crochet with two strands of Red Heart yarn. I used the biggest crochet hook they make (I think). This was supposed to be wrapped around a stop sign. Right away I realize I had more width than I had planned. Also, a woman stopped and reminded me that the police don't really like stuff pinned to stop sign poles. So I looked for another target.

My son Li-jo (Eli) was with me, filming and taking pictures. We looked together for a new location and noticed a good light post over by the library. After we got over there I saw this tree. It was PERFECT.

After I had been working for a few minutes we realized that the city council was having a meeting that morning. YIKES! I was talking with different members as they arrived. Then, all of the sudden, my son says, "Hey Mom, it's the mayor!" We talked a bit while I worked and I answered her questions about yarn bombing/knit graffiti. She asked if I was going to do all the trees. I told her I had some other things planned. She said I should wrap the other trees, too.
I'm like YAYAYAYAYAY! It meant so much that she was supportive.

Here I am working away...

Eli having a well deserved mocha

A railing at my church's office...made from an entrelac UFO (unfinished object). I raided my ufo box that day before to see if I had some pieces I could use.

Finished

This might be one of my favorites. The doggie do station wrap. Our skate park is fairly new and I thought it could use some color. I was going to wrap a tree with this piece, but it wasn't wide enough. These squares were in my ufo box, and I crochet them together.

This is probably my favorite one so far.
I had dry skies that morning. I was thinking that if it rained I would use it to my advantage like I did with the Seattle piece. It seemed to help the fabric stretch. Like I was blocking it on the post.

Last but not least, the absolute most covert part of the day was the flower bombs. I made 7 tawashi (japanese crochet washcloths) Click here for the Super Simple Tawashi Flower Pattern and others I made one for each gutter at the library/city hall. Each one had two strands of cotton and one strand of sock yarn.

Here is one in action.

Here's some of the tags for the tawashi flower bombs.

I had my men come with me for the last installation. They were so excited to 'help' under the cover of darkness. This definitely felt covert. These flowers were gone easily by noon the next day.

Thanks for reading...I hope you have a great Worldwide Knit in Public Week. I know I started it off with a bang. Tomorrow I take 3 of my boys to knit in the city with our guild. It's gonna be great fun!

Overdue Baby, Over Due Present... WORTH IT!!!

2011-05-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

My good friend's little baby came and her knitter friend (me) was backlogged by amazing Christmas custom orders. A happy and hard place to be. I wanted to make her something no matter how long it took.

I am a little granny on the inside...
I WANT WANT WANT to make presents for all the little babies
in the whole world.
At this stage of life tho: sort of impossible.

I know some people think I might not love their baby...but I do :)

This baby hat is a variation on a lot of baby hats I make. I don't know what it is about baby hats. But baby hats and amigurumi dolls are so fun to make. Probably because I can finish quickly with a big 'ol splash. I asked my friend if I could use some non-traditional baby colors for her baby. I think I was going to make it brown/fushia/orange, but was basically done when I remembered. I think the grey sets off the bright colors well.

The 6 point star decrease is becoming one of my trademarks. I did a little experiment with stripes in the decrease this time. It worked out JUST GREAT!!!

A little close up of the colors and stitches...all the yarn is Stitch Nation by Red Heart and a Stitch and Bitch Nation product. The grey is Alpaca Love and the fushia and orange are Full O' Sheep. Pattern may be available from me soon soon.
I am writing patterns for three amigurumi at the moment :)

Here is the top down baby cardigan I finished for my delicious nephew. He was a few days late and seriously, I can't believe I finished this for him. My sister loves celtic things, so I added the cute little pewter buttons. The yarn is Bernat Alpaca Blend in 'tundra' and 'ebony'

A close up of the killer buttons.

VERDICT:
Overdue babies AND gifts...
...worth the wait!!!

Cats On Parade, At Last!!!

2010-11-27T23:02:00.000-08:00

Here are the infamous Maneki Neko Cats I finished Tuesday night. Oh holy moly this was a big order BUT they are done and I am celebrating a job well done.

These very lucky cats were ordered by my friend M.G. last month. I broadcast on my Facebook business page that I had room for two custom orders before Christmas. M.G. did not waste any time booking those two spots plus one. She asked me if I had heard of Maneki Neko cats. I had not, so I looked up some images. I pulled 8 images that I liked. I made some sketches and M.G. purchased a custom order listing through my etsy shop.

The listing and sale can be viewed by clicking here...
M.G.'s Maneki Neko listing and sale

The two cat's images that she picked were quite spherical, which is a good thing for designing an amigurumi pattern. It took me a month + 1 day to complete the design & pattern for my Lucky Cats. This includes crocheting all the parts and construction. I also have most of one more doll's parts made. I am relatively quick knitter and crocheter, but I have 4 busy sons that I homeschool. My boys are 13, 11, 8 and 2.5 yrs old. I don't have much continuous time to work...but I will have more time in the future. I didn't even give M.G. a deadline for when her dolls would be done because my life is nuts right now. So a month and a day is pretty good for accomplishing these little beauties...especially when I do most of my work here at home.

So here are my Cats On Parade... enjoy. I will be creating a listing for the 4th doll and making a pattern by chance in the future. Please let me know how you like these :o)

All my amigurumi have heart...these gals have theirs hiding under their medallions.

Two of the little gals...you can see their facial details are embroidery. I had to learn to back stitch in a hurry. Hurry is not a word I like to mix with crafting, EVER!!!

I am learning to carve outs time during my day to knit or crochet. I am going to be sewing some clothes soon, which stops life around here.
I won't be able to clean or think about anything else.

The lucky cats are doing a super hero thingy with their super cool upright hands.

MEOOOOW x3

My baby talking to the cats and trying not to touch them.
He really did well...and did touch them.

Lucky medallion...hopefully I didn't mess up the Japanese lettering...

A little packing shot. I am still loving my yellow yarn, most passionately.

We've got tags and we're complete !!!!!

Three sweet cats with their tags. I cannot wait for these little gals
to get to their new home and get out of the box.

Thx M.G. for the special custom order.
These guys were so theraputic for me to complete.
Stay tuned for the 4th doll to be on sale in my shop.

I cannot keep my eyes open any longer...will check for typos tomorrow.
xoxoxox
shan

p.s. Update 11/29 via MG via knit shan knit on Facebook
'The Cats have landed' plenty of time before Christmas where they will
be given as gifts... What a fun thing to be a present...

Will Knit For Pugs

2010-09-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Heylo...I am stealing a few moments to write and share photos this evening.

WOW, it's been a crazy 5 months here.
Celebrating 15 years of marriage, remodeling, organizing after 10 years being in our house...summer, kid's birthdays...kids, kids, kids.......

This summer had some family fun, sleep overs, and one great trip to Oregon to see our amazing cousins. Our 11 year old also went on his first camp for 5 days. That was a growing time for me as a mommy for sure. He had the time of his life!

Now, fall is here...sigh. My favorite season of all...a time to retreat.

In puppy related news...
Earlier this summer I was looking for a pug breeder who had the brindle colored pugs. Fortunately, I found my puppy sooner rather than later. All the sudden I needed a good handful of money to get her home. All of the sudden doesn't work too well with a one income family.
I did a lot of ebaying/Craigslisting/Facebooking to procure the funds.
I knew I wouldn't be able to sell crafts for her total purchase price.
I thought it would be cool though to sell one item to go towards her purchase.

I finished a pug amigurumi that had been in my basket for some time. I wasn't totally into the bright colors but I thought I would push my palette a little and add some bright colors in with my usual love and staple, gray.

Phoebe Pug Amigurumi was finished promptly and listed. She sold just 8 days after I listed her in my etsy shop. I was so happy.

All my amigurumi have heart...

A month after contacting the pug breeder I was able to take Phoebe home. We love our little gal and Li-jo is a serious pug fanatic.

Phoebe is quite attached to me...she fell asleep on my feet while I was cooking soup one day.
Doesn't her natural dog slop and cottage cheese look delicious, ew! She is well fed for sure.

There is a photo in The Opinionated Knitter by Elizabeth Zimmerman of Elizabeth by a car that she bought completely with money from knitting. That was so inspiring to me. One of my main goals is to pay for the rest of my arm tattoo with knitting money. I am already paying for half a yarn crawl called Yarn Train that I CANNNNNOT wait for in January. January will be here before we know it...12+ hrs of Portland Yarn and city goodness.

The tattoo will happen. Hopefully before my kids are grown.

knit shan knit!!!

Fortunately, this isn't the end...stay tuned...

Baby Amigurumi For Bella Bonita...

2010-04-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

I am not quite sure how I am finishing ANYTHING these days, but I did finish my sweet niece's dolly, Dolly Lama 2 (named by my darling brother, Ron) Dolly Lama 1 is already at their house and was blogged about a loooooooong time ago.

Dolly turned out really sweet and snuggly, 15 inches tall...Dolly Lama 1 is about 8 inches tall...

This pic of Dolly's heart is washed out because I persist in trying to use my iPhone camera for all my pictures. I do have an actual camera, BUT, there is a part of me that thinks that my iPhone can do it all ALL the time. This isn't the case. I did manage to get my real camera back from our sons...they are youtube film makers. HILARIOUS!
Here's the little lady...I think she looks like the old fisher price little people I use to play with. I wasn't trying to infringe on their brand, it just emerged :o)
Dolly is soy/wool for her head, hands, and feet/legs and an alpaca/acrylic blend for her body. She is stuffed with shredded organic cotton batting (a pain in the rear to make) I am buying a couple new fleeces for stuffing soon...until I get a different source for non-plastic fill for my toys. I dosed my jumbo pug amigurumi with lavender essential oil and I hope that keeps the moths away.
Here she is again, ready to be wrapped! I think she looks friendly and hug-able.
I loooooooove making amigurumi....I love making toys for people.
My amis get lots of smiles and I sort of miss the ones I've made...like adopting out critters :o)
And alas here is my sweet niece Bella Bonita opening up her Dolly.
She loved it and my bro and sis in law were touched.
sort of anti-climatic, my bowl of organic cotton shreds.

Look Mom!!! Lookie What I Did!

2010-03-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

So, here as promised, the jumbo pug amigurumi pix

My dreams have come true,
Bigger IS better
You CAN have it all...........in amigurumi land.

Mr. Pug is amazing and was lovingly received at my friend's 3rd birthday. He was the perfect gift. I dosed him up with lavender essential oil and a bit of patchouli. He was gift wrapped in a handy basket with my fave yellow tissue paper.

We liked hanging out with Mr. Humungous Pug after I finished him. My menfolk thought he was cool and wanted to keep him.

My pug amigurumi design came from my love of the breed. I am in love with pugs. I think pug owners have to be so well acquainted with all of your dog's nooks and crannies it made for good model making. I could make the nose wrinkle a little deeper under the nose for old time's sake. My pug dolls are available for custom order, I make three sizes. Please email me if you would like more information. knitshanknit at comcast dot net

So here is pug kicking it on the photo op couch.......he's loving life!!!

He has a humongous heart!!!

This is a great pic to show you Mr. Pug's girth, a whopping 20 inches tall....don't even get me started on the circumferences of limbs and head! Actually if you would like all of the measurements I can get those to you.

The tail end :o)

Mr Pug watching over the neighborhood...

knitshanknit at comcast dot net

Hmmm....I wonder what this is !?!?!?

2010-03-07T21:14:00.001-08:00

my first thru 4th attempts...

email me your guesses knitshanknit @ comcast dot net

Wee Bebe Kimono

2010-03-07T20:50:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite sweaters to knit. It is knit in one piece then folded and sewn. So easy and adorable. I made this one from brown fishermen's wool for my sweet friend's baby. He's due any day.
I am learning to make my own buttons...so for now I am making crochet or braided ties. Safe for little ones, no choking hazard. The almost spring sunshine made lovely natural light for my photo shoot.

knit for peace...

2010-03-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

My new friend Katie has a knitting for peace group. I finally got to join them, after my husband's work schedule changed. I actually couldn't believe I was at last driving to an evening knitting get-to-gether...

A few months ago Katie gave me some of her personal handspun yarn (click here for Katie's etsy shop) I decided I would knit two adult or youth hats for Take the Next Step Ministry.

When I got to the group, Katie had two big bins of yarn she offered up for charity knitting projects. She had received a grant and had spent it wisely!!! I found an alpaca blend and a red superwash merino for a couple projects. The project I decided I would start that night was a hat for a chinese orphan. It had to have a little acrylic in it to make it easily washable. I passed up a ton of sweet fibers. This particular orphanage has requested little sweaters for the babies. If you would like to knit along with us lemme know... Katie and her husband are taking the knit goods to the orphanage when they go there to pick up their new daughter in May!!!

The finished alpaca blend hat...cabled and tassled...oh and baby YaYa's orange ball...

Very soft and warm!

It's Been A Little While...Working on Mount Cardigan and Setting Up Shop...

2009-12-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Something I am knitting to felt up, stay tuned!!! Nice sparkly darning needle in this photo :o)

I haven't posted in awhile, I have been Facebooking and Tweeting a lot. You can find me on both those networking sites as follows, for my custom knitting business called knit shan knit or follow my personal stitches as I log them........I am also offering knitting classes in 2010 and new knitter kits filled with goodies from Knit Picks and etsy.

knitshanknit on Twitter
knit shan knit on Facebook
knitshanknit on etsy

I know it's really original!!!

So lately I have been trying to get my head around knitting more, taking time for designing projects (not fun because no actual knitting happens) and working in creative time whilst taking care of all my awesome menfolk. There is time to be found and I do find it, but it takes a lot of caffeine and organization.

Tonight if the baby allows it, I will start working on a lace pattern out of the second Mason Dixon book. I am going to use huge needles and bulky yarn. Stay tuned for that. It's the shawl that is doubled over and worked in two colors of mohair. Do you know the one I mean?

Soon, if a certain online shop would get my order to me. I won't mention names because I'm not like that and they are a cottage industry like me. I may give them another chance just to make sure it wasn't just an off day or someone over there. But, soon, I will be starting my long lost cousin's snow hiking hat. I am going for glorious. Her request, chic not hippy, so I think I know where I need to go. I am making sure I am using really beautiful wool and researching the cable sequences I'll use. I can't not put cables in this hat. I am pretty sure it's going to be complicated. I don't care!!! This is my sweet cousin T that lives in Connecticut. She blissfully paints away her Saturdays, carries around her Boston Terrier Bernie Mac and has two great daughters. We have always lived on opposite sides of the states, but thanks to Facebook we are getting to know each other. I am supposed to knit for her little pup soon........I love knitting for dogs. Especially dogs I love or know I am gonna love when I meet 'em.

So tonight I have a sick baby...he is either attached to me or to Blue's Clues this fine evening. I am letting him watch his video a little late due to his feeling bad. I think I am going to steal a few stitches while he's finding some clues with Blue.

I will end on this note...I started reading a really sweet book about fine gauge knitting called: Knit So Fine, Designs with Skinny Yarn. This book is going to act as a support group for my cardigan project I started earlier this year. I bought a huge amount of alpaca yarn from Pancake and LuLu on etsy.......started a top down raglan sweater. It is 7 stitches per inch. It's beautiful. I have 7+ inches knit on the raglan. I have a sanity marker to show how many rows I have completed. It is hundreds of stitches at this point because the body and sleeves are being worked at the same time. Here is what it looks like right now. It is gorgeous and will be worth it in the end.

One thing the fine gauge knitting books says is to blog about your progress, so you may get to join in my cardigan support group. I am a half inch or so away from putting the sleeves on their holders, then this blob will start to look like something. By the way, the roll on the outside edge is 3 inches of fabric rolled up, it will lay flat once I block it, etc, get the sleeves on the holders...........I am getting so close. I had to knit an 8 inch raglan and it has an almost boat neckline. I took the Magic Raglan pattern that you can google and changed it to my tastes....wide neckline with 3/4 length sleeves and cropped. I decided cropped is totally back in so why waste time knitting a whole darn sweater at 7 stitches per inch gauge.

Alright, thanks for being patient if you stop by often and I haven't posted since August like a lame-o. Go join my page on Facebook so you can stay in my loop and see what's up with my etsy shop.

shan
Will Knit For Tattoos!
http://www.knitshanknit.etsy.com

My First Custom Order:: My Etsy Shop

2009-08-14T10:26:00.001-07:00

Well here it is, my very first knit.shan.knit Etsy order for my friend, Fancy. I used bright yellow tissue and yarn. I think yellow and recycled brown paper will be my store's packaging.
I have tags that I can write the personal details on, picture below. My logo turned out great and translated crisp even on an itty bitty tag.
I totally got blessed today by the manufacturer of the rubber I use on the soles of my baby shoes. Their minimum order is $150 for the natural rubber sheeting. The rep I was talking to today totally shocked me when she said she would send me a few yards free as samples. I had already had their small samples sent to me......now I will have PLENTY of materials for zillions of shoes. She wanted to see pictures of what I use their product for. I sent her to my etsy shop and she said she'd be back for baby shoes!!! What a cool lady to just make a way for me to have their product and then giving it to me for free.

This is one of my favorite yarns. Lamb's Pride worsted in yellow. I love this ball of yarn.

Along with Puggie I also made my big boy (just turned 12!) this amigurumi. He named him Mr. Happy. My son came up with the design for this little guy. He feels great and was fun to make. The picture below is our amigurumi family minus Mr. Happy. He wansn't completed when I took the 'family' picture.

So, left to right we have Sagelei's 'Wasabi', 'Puggie'-Li-Jo's Pug, 'Junior'-Shiny's bear and 'Monkee'-Baby Ya Ya's wittle monkey amigurumi.
Li-Jo and Puggie...

Big Boy and his Mr. Happy the rotund monkey amigurumi.

Ok, there's hope, two blog posts this week.

Holy Moly, I have neglected my blog, but not the kids or stitches....

2009-08-13T02:08:00.001-07:00

Introducing my Pug Amigurumi....His color is a little muted here. He was Eli's bday present and is very loved.

So, here I am posting to my blog, who would have thunk'd it.

Here's a couple pictures because I am up way too late tonight but the insomnia is helping fuel this post.

Below is my 'studio' most days while I'm trying to make time to clean an work in my actual studio...
Here is Sage's Monkee....he put in a special order for this little guy. I think Monkee turned out great.
Planning a sweater, I think for my friends Zech and Bethany's baby::to be born soon...so sweet!!! This isn't all the colors that the sweater will have, but it's a good start!

More Puggie, kicking it on the couch!!!!

2009-06-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hi there,
I have neglected my blog lately...it's sad, but baseball, school and our family has taken precedence over any blogging I could even hope to do. Now that schools done and baseball is finished I have been catching up with my own crafting ambitions.

I got my etsy shop set up. The graphic above will click through to my site.

I hope you had a glorious first day of summer today. We started the day with clicking on the heat a couple times, weird!!! Now at least our spinach in the garden will grow a little taller with this break from the heat.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding my shop or custom ordering.

Warm regards,
shan
p.s. Most people know that Sit and Knit is on break for the summer. We'll be meeting in September through the following May.

Amigurumi Family

2009-04-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

Here is my little amigurumi family I have been working on since Christmas. Learning to make these little dolls has been such a fun experiment......and a totally new hobby for me, for sure....

From left to right we have Mousy, Junior, Egg Cozy, Penguin and Chloe the Chihuahua. Mousy, Chloe, Egg Cozy and Penguin all live at my friend Stef's house with their family. Junior, the large bear amigurumi lives here with my 3rd oldest son, Shiny.

You can find all sorts of patterns for amigurumi by google'ing or looking on ravelry.com. You do need to know how to crochet. It was hard to find amigurumi with knitted instructions.

BTW: Amigurumi are japanese crochet dolls.

I hope you're having a great sunny, spring day like we're having here in Washington State.

shan

Busy Bee...

2009-04-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

Balls are fun to knit and felt. I put a jingle bell inside to make it extra special.One of my offerings waiting to be listed on etsy.com. My etsy and ravelry id is knitshanknit if you wanna check-me-out! I am also available for custom orders. This scarf is knit in the Dream Swatch pattern from Manos de Uruguay wool. Rustic and cheerful!
The humble beginning to my knitted wool/soybean soaker. It is a newborn size, I think and will most likely be for sale on my etsy store.
And last but not least, here is a ballband washcloth from the delicious Mason Dixon Knitters. I am using a mysterious multicolored yarn from friend's stash donation. I think it has a bit of cotton in it. The white is Peaches and Cream. This pattern is actually from the company that manufactures Peaches and Cream.
That's all for now friends. Please stay tuned. I took some pictures of our last Sit and Knit nite and the process of blocking my Manos de Uruguay scarf.

I am thankful for the new knitting friends that God has brought my way. You know who you are M, S, R, K and J. Thanks for bringing the party to the last Sit and Knit...... 5 people that have come before couldn't this time, get it on your calendar so we can hang out and not get pre-empted by other activities.

Cabled Baby Hat Finished and Sunshine...

2009-03-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

The cabled hat torture is over. I worked VERY hard to get this hat just right. Ann from Mason Dixon Knitting dot com compared a sweater that she is working on to backyard wrestling. You should check it out it's hilarious. They are hilarious.

I completed, CONQUERED this cabled hat. Completing it once (ie: hershey kiss baby hat in earlier post here) Started again, ripped it out 6 or more times halfway. I FINALLY completed it with help from a cable hat tutorial here....bless you Bohemian Knitter Chic.

Please enjoy a couple photos of Baby Yaya in his handsome hat.

A picture of a happy Momma with her baby boy, who gets to knit something else for a change! Thank you God!

Sit and Knit:February and other fun...mostly pictures...

2009-03-03T22:43:00.000-08:00

Why not start with Baby Ya Ya, he's amazing and brightens up any ol March day!!! My gift to you is his magnificent smile!!!
My birthday gifts were delightful.....I am complete now with both Mason Dixon books! I can't wait to try the mitered square/quilt.
A couple of my new best friends bought me this ball winder. What a neat surprise and so handy. I feel like a professional now that I have this piece of gear!
Gretchen's heart valentine to me. I love her and her knitting.
My birthday card to Gretchen. A crochet hand dyed heart........
A fun red cross cable, easier than I thought, still challenging though......I made a index card cozy out of the swatch for my dear friend Gretchen.
Christmas yarn and my new book...
A french press cozy I knit. I had started a log cabin blanket and lost interest, so, i felted the little bugger and added some velcro straps to the back to help it stay on the french press.
Voila, hot coffee a little longer.
Sit and Knit:February. A find gathering and another proper knitting circle.
Project roll call:
K: impossible but possible because you are doing them booties
G:Royal purple shawl, I honestly cannot remember what you were working on that night....lemme think!?!? wow!!!
L: Pink, brown bag, very cool crochet stuff
L: Grocery bag double strand cotton
M: Felted purse/bag
Me: my alpaca cardigan
M: shawl/scarf thingy, our new knitter!
C: Hat/scarf, used the new ball winder for the first time!
Gretch brought banana cake and Ms. L brought yummy chicken enchilada dip. It was heaven!
Here's our ladies, we were missing some fine folks this time, but we'll catch up with you in March.

Superbowl Live Blog:Knit Along...

2009-02-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

6:59 See you all later, this live blog is concluded for now.......................big hugs..........

6:37 Baby Ya Ya is still on my lap and I am trying to knit. He's zonked. I am on Facebook
right now too. Add me: Shannon Stainer mention the blog and I'll add you to my
knitting group on there.

6:29 Superbowl preempted by boys wanting to play Halo. Hub and Saugelei going to youth
youth group. Thanks to all who stopped by on the live blog. Hat unfinished, but I'll
continue going this evening. Email or Facebook me if you finished anything.
God bless.

6:27 Getting tired. Brain softening, hulu.com
Missing my usual Superbowl nap.
hahaaa, hulu commercial is icky and hilarious.

6:20 Score the same, baby ya-ya asleep on my lap.
I'm thinking about a recap post for last night's Sit and Knit.
My sweet Mommy is making dinner while I blog and hold the sleeping ya ya....

6:11 Heinken is yucky.

6:05 Pittsburg is up by 13............

6:03 reboot and we're back
careerbuilder.com commercial haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

5:53pm even live blogs must pause when the live blogger is a mom of 4. Hubby and Sau-ge-lei have to go youth group. Itty bitty baby wants to wack my keyboard
with his teething tablet bottle.
He is not goiNG To put up with live blogg\ing]] much longer. He's adding to this post with his \wee little handS.........]p
Babies and keyboard.s
The score is unchanged.

5:44 pm Here's my Superbowl project. I am trying to finish it. We'll see.
Omgoodness, the Office commercial. hahaa......
Here's some of my men watching the game. Li-Jo is feeling better about watching the game. Shiny is playing legos in the background.
The Budweiser Scottish commercial was dumb. Sheesh. Someone got paid for that? Hmm....

Bridgestone commecial was wicked awesome. Cyprus Hill: Get up, Get up, Get Down!!!!!!
Denny's commercial, haaaaaaaa Free Breakfast this Tuesday.
Monster.com Moose butt. hahaaaa..........

Knit Shan Knit Live Blog Knit Along...Superbowl Knittttting......

2009-02-01T16:29:00.001-08:00

5:26 also, buffalo chicken strips (by Tyson, yucky) the honey bbq ones are to die for.
Li-Jo and Shiny had regular chicken nuggets. I am fighting disappointment over not
refrigerating the chili ARRRRRRRRRGH. I hope I can recover and make dinner tonight.
Oh, I'm gonna knit now. Li Jo cannot handle how long it's taking for us to watch the
Superbowl....he's really disappointed.

5:24 Menu today: Forgot to refrigerate chili last night after Sit and Knit, so no chili today HOORAY!!!!!!! Renee's trail mix, green grapes, and a Mighty Arrow New Belgium. Good combo.

5:19 The cool thing is the musicians in the Boss' band have been doing their thing for most of their lives, they are good at what they do.....they couldn't look happier. I love Rock and Roll.
More fun commercials.
Priceline commercial: hahaaaaa..................."The language of the deal"
Overstock, AWESOME!!!!! Great message.

5:14 Li-Jo and I are eating the "trail mix" Jule's Renee made for the Sit and Knit. It's fantastic. The only way to improve it is make it peanut butter and powder sugar covered chex mix. That would taste good on the gummy fish. It has Lucky Charms, Ju Ju fish, cransins, mixed nuts, Grandma's Iced Cookies, and M & M's. Bruce is still at it. Oh, they are singing in the mic just like when they did it back in the day. Oh man that guy Steve was rockin'.

5:11: Bruce told us to put down our guacamole and chicken fingers. Is he prejudice against avocados and poultry. We need to do our part for the economy.
Kevin said Bruce slid into the camera. He's giving that telecaster guitar a work out.
Go old guy!!!

5:04 Half time
Nextel Commercial cute, Sobe commercial cute, too...

5:00 Meet Chihuahua. Another Amigurumi I finished this week. This fine orange fur ball will go to my niece Lizbeth. Much coveted at the Sit and Knit, in hindsight was Chihuahua (pronounced Chee-huah-huah all annunciated) in danger of being stolen??? Probably.......
I need to watch those knitters more closely next time.........I let my guard down. LOL

4:55 almost half time, and TOUCH DOWN....Kevin is sleeping, so I guess he won't mind that Pittsburg is winning.

4:49 Welcome Peru, 43 countries now on my ticker. Thanks for stopping by.
I can't wait for Greenland to stop by.

4:48 I just had a chicken nugget. Mmmm, sort of.
The Cheetos commercial was a little creepy.

4:45 I have really bad hiccups and Ezra is clingy. No sitiches made.
I bet Julie is getting some crochet done.
4:42, Cars.com and E*Trade best commercials so far. Love those babies
Teleflora, inappropriate.

4:37 Kevin just said "Oh no" to something. I am not sure why he is disheveled. I asked him and he said, "The guy dropped the ball."
4:34 Did you know you can knit two things at the same time? I am knitting two spitty bibs, you can learn to knit two socks at a time on the one set of double points. Here's the link if you would like to learn this method. Click Here

4:32 Are you knitting with me, you can leave a comment or send an email:
knitshanknit@comcast.net

4:31 would like to get my knitting under way. now that blog is going..........

4:30 AZ got some points now. Totally fun.
Sage is rooting for AZ

2009-02-01T16:16:00.001-08:00

What I'm working on. Ezra's cabled hat. Oooo Pit 10 Az 0.... I don't know who I'm cheering for.....Kevin is voting for the Cardinals. Go Az I guess! I watch football to knit. This is no mystery I have made this public knowledge before.

Live Blog, Well, I'm A Little Late..........Hello

2009-02-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

4:14pm
On my favorite site Mason Dixon Knitting, they have live blogging events. So, because I wanna be like them.......here I am. I am a little mad because I'm late. We were playing Halo 3 on xbox live with friends. I thought the game started at 6pm. I was misinformed.

Hope you're enjoying the game.

I finished Mousy the Amigurimi last night at the Sit and Knit.......

Sit and Knit:January

2009-01-28T20:17:00.001-08:00

Hello All,
January Sit and Knit is almost here. It's this Saturday, January 31st at 4pm. Pre-knitters please come at 4pm with size 10 needles and a bulkier yarn. Or, whatever supplies you have around the house. We'll make it work. The Sit and Knit goes from 4-10pm. We might hang out longer if we nightowls are up for it.

We are meeting at my house this time. Please rsvp and I will send you directions.
knitshanknit@comcast.net

Bring: food to share (would you like to bring a main dish so we can eat something substantial and not just chocolate?)
Needles, yarn, projects. Size 10 needles and bulky yarn for beginners.
A big pillow or folding chair. I think there will be quite a few of us this time. We'll be happy together.

***Charity Knitting Opps*** I will be discussing some altruistic (thanks Gretchen for the adjective) knitting opportunities for us to ponder. If you can't wait till Saturday, please email me and I'll send you the three opportunities I have.

Sit and Knit is a time to do exactly that. We are all so busy in our day to day lives. Let's make time, yes make time, to sit, talk, and work on something with our hands. Proverbs 31 in the bible talks about a virtuous woman who was very crafty indeed. She worked with fiber and fabric, a resourceful and steady woman. If you are a hand crafter like me it's fun to read the industrious woman's description. Check it out.

I look forward to sharing stitches with you. Being in the present and just hanging out.

...shan...

Meet Wasabi...

2009-01-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

Here's my sweet son and his knitted friend...

This is the infamous Wasabi. He is a knit monkey. Sort of like a sock monkey, but not made of socks. He is handknit in alpaca wool. His face plate and tail have some lambs wool in them. Sage, his happy new owner is tickled to have his monkey finally, it took me two years I think to finish him. Not because I worked on him continuously, but because I finished him once, did not like how he turned out. I completely unstuffed him, due to the white poly fiber peeking through. I redesigned his head, because I HATED the way the first head turned out. Too cartoon like. So here he is, in his glory.

Sheesh...

2009-01-26T21:11:00.000-08:00

GAUGE GAUGE GAUGE.....I knit this hat for Ezra, didn't *know* that cables would pull differently, so I knit my gauge straight up stocking-knit stitch. I learned an important lesson about cables. I snapped this pic of Ezra with his hershey kiss cabled hat to engrave in my mind that I need to work my swatch in the stitch pattern I am working, not just the particular yarn and needles. Makes for a cute picture though, eh?

Things are a little hectic here at the Stainer Casa. I did manage to get some photos organized to post on my blog this evening. I guess when I get busy blogging falls off my plate. I set my mind to posting this fine January evening, even if January is almost gone..........

Our homeschool is in full swing and the holidays were blessed. We were snowed in a lot and took an extra long winter break. We even had almost two weeks with Daddy home for the holidays and due to the inclement weather. I am hoping for more snow so that I can do the mother of all snow angels. I did not seize the day and do this. I will go and plop myself down in the snow, that is if we get more. We had about 2 feet of snow at Christmas time.

So, what have I been knitting during December and January? Let me tell you about it with pictures.......Wasabi's head. I had determined to finish him by Christmas. I did not finish him by Christmas, but he is finished! Wasabi is the monkey I started knitting for my oldest son a couple of years ago.
Crazy cable knitting. Easier than it looks...you just have to follow the directions and learn a few maneuvers. I completed a swatch of this cable. I did have to take 10 rows out and start again. I will post of picture of the completed project.
My lovely son Eli and his knitting project. He was so cute knitting this day......

Amigurumi. My new love. My nephew Israel holding his little penguin I crochet for him. Try out some of the amigurumi patterns on ravelry.com
A knit ball, fun times , easy, breezy...........I felted it and put a bell inside. Stuffing it with wool fleece. I gave it to my niece Bella, the beautiful.

The First Gathering:SIT AND KNIT

2008-11-29T23:17:00.000-08:00

Tonight was a momentous occasion, we had our first Sit and Knit at the church offices. It was so much fun. We had a great turn out of 12 gals, some great soup and many stitches knit. People took turns playing with Baby Yaya (my nickname for my youngest son).....At one point he was 'sans clothes' so his chubby-ness was a thing of beauty.

We met at Crosswater Church offices in the conference room. General consensus is that we should meet some where larger. We have a church with great facilities that is an option and then also the conference room of the City of Sultan. Downtown Sultan is a wild place, sort of tongue in cheek, so we're not sure we wanna be down there during party hours. Live and learn, it was a pleasure to use the church offices though. I long had drooled over that location for a cafe or whatever, it's a beautiful building. I really enjoyed having our gathering there partly for that reason.

So we will meet, Lord willing the last Saturday of the month like clockwork. I will possibly work in a midweek meeting as my schedule allows. I might concentrate more on that during the spring and summer. This way I don't have homeschool taking up most of my good braincells.

My sweet knitting compeer, Gretchen and my lovely mom, Bev were such a great help to me tonight. I would not have facilitated this without you Gretchen, if you are reading this. I know I would have chickened out. I love you.........Gretchen brought homemade/man-made thanksgiving turkey soup and a scrumptious pumpkin cake with creamcheese filling and ganache blankie sealing the entire cake. I cherished every bite.

Knitting that took place, in no particular order:
G: lovely basketweave scarf, in white/cream
C: knit a ipod cozy and then worked on her fantastic baby afghan chunky slate blue and espresso brown
M: learned to knit, great job!
B: left early, we hope to see her next time
L: started a wine colored scarf
L: worked on a lace scarf in turquoise after trying to cast socks on two circulars
S: worked on a cabled baby hat for Baby Yaya, that has turned out too small, will make another and sell this one on etsy. http://www.etsy.com
K: started her tam for her nice man
C: worked and finished and ripped/frogged her hat and then finished it again. great job on that knifty knitter.
GB: held Baby Yaya a lot and started a basket weave scarf sort of while G talked her through it.

We were expecting close to twice the amount of people, I don't know where we would have put everyone, so it's sort of a blessing that we were the size we were. Please stay tuned for the new location, we will grow and we will Sit and Knit together.

I am posting one photo tonight and I'm gonna go play Tetris with my man and have a celebration ale in celebration of a dreamy knitting night with my womenfolk friends.
It was a proper knitting circle. The coffee was slammin' (so I heard) and the plum tea was divine. I bought Starbucks Christmas blend........I need to see if I can get it in decaf......I miss out a lot not having caffeine.

Anyways the photo is of Baby Yaya's hat. It's almost done. I had to rip/frog it tonight to add one more round of cable crossings. It needed one more before I finish it with a 7 point star. Oh and btw, notice it is another fine time of car knitting photographed here. I am particularly loving my new clover stitch markers. $6 for a bunch of rubbery markers in two colors and sizes. G uses them and I am stoked on this purchase. Also, I love knit picks, my mom just got $75 in gift certificates and bought the nickel plated interchangeable set, lucky girl. Have you purchased any knit picks yet? http://www.knitpicks.com please buy their stuff, they have great customer service and replace faulty needles if that is ever your misfortune. Go buy them. They're made in India, so you know they're gonna be AWESOME.

Have you checked out the Podcasts to the right here on knitshanknit? You will love Mark Driscoll. You will learn about the bible and Jesus in a no nonsense way. I love it, I hope you do too. I think he's teaching about marital intimacy right now. Song of Solomon. Woohoo.

Time to go, thanks again to my partner in fiber crime: the giddy knitter: G xo

Happy Stitches...

2008-11-12T20:03:00.000-08:00

Happy November people. Can you believe it's flipping November??? Time for shorter days and evenings of knitting. I try to finish my chores early and retire to the sofa after dinner when possible...right now I should be knitting instead of blogging..........and watching Top Model.

This little dandy is my Manos de Uroguay Dream Swatch...if you would like the pattern, please email me. knitshanknit@comcast.net It's no longer available on the net, but I swiped it and made it a pdf file, saving the original web page. It's a little tricky but quickly becomes mindless knitting heaven.
Entrelac knitting, in a word, loveliness . Please visit:
http://knittyotter.typepad.com/otterknits/2007/03/entrelac_scarf_.html
I have thoroughly enjoyed learning to knit entrelac. I am using washable fibers, Wool Ease and Vanna's Choice by Lion's Brand Yarn because I was making it for someone who needs wash ability. If you do choose to try entrelac, the tutorial on the knitty otter blog is invaluable. Pay attention to her tips page, they make all the difference. Then copy the pattern for the different stages on index cards. You can use paper clips like my knitting sister Gretchen, The Giddy Knitter, does. You slide the paper clips as you go, keep your place in the pattern easily. This is important because there is LOTS O PARTS to the sequences in the different tiers.

My cardigan, MY DREAM CARDIGAN-holla!!! Can I say holla? I'm gonna try. This is a natural undyed charcoal alpaca dreamland. The fiber stays happy whilst knitting, low ply splitting factor. Remember Pancakeandlulu on etsy and go get some. Custom order these fibers because she doesn't always have them listed in her items for sale. I have 3 inches knitted on the raglan. This view is of the front back and sleeve, all the parts of the neckline are set up and knit top down. To make it even more magic, because it's The Magic Raglan pattern, easily googled.......you can work this sweater seamlessly 'in the round'. I am choosing to work it back and forth good ol knit and purl. I have knit this sweater in the round many times. I mark center front usually with a single purl stitch. This creates a steek. You cut your sweater into a cardigan by doing the unthinkable.....cutting the sweater up the steek. You can see sort of this happening on the mason dixon website http://www.masondixonknitting.com This is probably my favority knitting blog.

Anyways, I love how my sweater is turning out. I am actually getting so much done on it. I was on another blog I love, I believe it's http://www.seejayneknit.blogspot.com She has some sweaters on there that she is working on for herself. I was like I wanna get in on that action.
I will post more pictures soon........

Let's end with my perfect baby boy. I love him. He's hungry. I will feed him now. In this photo he is dashing in his mini sized magic raglan sweater. This sweater had a steek knit in with that single center purl stitch. I cut this sweater up the front, picked up button bands and then added a zipper. Love in a sweater, and my little love in a sweater.

Worldwide Knitting Peeps...A Warm Hello...Holy Moly 19 Countries...

2008-10-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is my world map I've been coloring in when someone from a new country stops by knit.shan.knit...

I had been coloring in countries as people stopped by. I was using a great fushia pencil and lost it. I had to switch to orange. Some lovely person from Saudi Arabia stopped by today. Hi!

Welcome! I am so happy you are here...please say hello if you like. I just added a tracker and have had people from 19 countries visit my little blog. The tracker is on the right hand side of knit shan knit, so take a look...see if your country has been added!

The above picture is of my newest acquisition. I splurged big time and bought 24 oz of pure Alpaca wool from pancakeandlulu. I bought it from her etsy shop (just click on pancakeandlulu and it will take you there)...please go give her some business. It comes in MANY different colors and she will custom order it for you.

Three HUGE 8 oz hanks/skeins.....it's "drop dead gorgeous!" like my son Eli said. I love this yarn and it knits like a dream. I started a raglan sweater the other night. Got the sweater set up on size 3 circulars. We're looking at 6.25 sts/in....I wonder how many thousands of stitches will comprise the finished sweater. I am making it a wider necked sweater, 9 inches across the back and front. I started knitting and then could not decide how I wanted to do the increases on the raglans. I took the stitches off the needle and will recast tomorrow. I will post pictures of this sweater as 'she' progresses.

Here's a little glimpse into my knitting stuff too. My satchell is very, very cluttery right now. The dark blue/grey yarn was a love gift from my friend Chris. I do believe it came from Germany. I want to knit a baby hat for my baby with it. The light blue/aqua yarn was from Ireland, my dear brother Ron bought that for me. It will be knit into baby shoes and a little stuffed animal. The green is Manos de Uruguay......you'll see more of that project later. I have a pretty car knitting picture to post of it. I love knitting in my car.

The Magic Raglan Sweater pattern. This pattern can be googled. It's modular and I think the one that comes up on google has a calculator/formula for planning this sweater for any size person. I have knit it many times. I am doing a little something different with it this time. Making the collar really wide and making it the same in the front and back. It should be really pretty. I find that it's hard to plan a sweater like this, because there is stretch in the yarn both ways. I usually end up subtracting a inch or two because knit items stretch. I may knit this 2 inches a long, take it off the needles and try it on. Then start over. YIKES!!!! I think that is the only way that it will really fit.

The picture above is how it looks after you get the entire sweater set up on the needle. I made pretty little stitch markers out of glass beads. They are a little more bangle-y than I'm use to. I think I can get use to them being in the way, they are pretty and make a pretty sound when I knit.

The below picture is of some items I knit recently to felt. I have felted them. Please stay tuned for the finished projects. They were fun and fast to knit.

back to knitting...

2008-09-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

Hello, it's been a few months...I was busy procreating!!!
Our beautiful new son Ezra Aaron was born May 27, 2008.
I have picked up the needles again, it's been fun. I think these pics are from my first knitting after Ezra was born. Knitting whilst Kevin drives, again, one my favorite past times! I thought I would start a winter hat. I ended up taking it apart because it seemed too big...since then I started some knit felt projects. I will post pics soon. The problem is I have a new camera with a HUGE memory card. I am a digital photo junkie, so, getting to blog isn't so easy these days. With my new little bug in tow, my hands are full! I blog to you currently one handed.

This is a pic of Ezra from this moment...as I blog...he is growing a lot these days, so short meals and lots of naps in my arms. We all love our little brother. Here's Ezra the morning after he was born. He's wearing the little kimono and hat I knit for him.

...and matching alpaca socks

Ok, One MORE Knit Project. . .Before Baby Comes.......

2008-05-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

Knitting on the beach yesterday with my Momma. I was 40 weeks pregnant and 3 days.....now I'm 4 days + 40 weeks.........We had a lot of fun besides my sore hips..... I am finally conquering the ginormous strap for my felted bag posted some time ago. I am doing a multi-colored horizonal striped band to make it a sash bag. I will add a flap and bottom to the bag before felting. I got two more colors done today when we went back to the lake for more swimming. I sat and knit.

Ok, so I have gotten so much more done than I thought I could before our new son arrives. Here is hopefully the LAST thing I'll make for him before he comes. I am starting a new pair of socks for him, so we'll see what happens........

I just finished these baby leg warmers for Ezra....see above photo :o) These were knit at the same time on a pair of 24 in circular needles. Size 3 nickel plated needles from Knit Picks (buy them, you'll love them!!!) I cast on 30 sts and worked k1p1 ribbing at the top and bottom. I increased 2 sts 3 or 4 times evenly as I knit the length of the leg warmer. The yarn is Wool Ease by Lion's Brand, 20% wool/80% acrylic....machine washable. Color "Violet".
These are not knit projects, but worthy of space on my knitting blog........handmade for sure!

Kevin and Ezra's quilt.......he had to hold it up for me because the picture wasn't turning out on the floor. The black and white below is the back of the quilt. I bought the fabric at IKEA. I think it was about $6 a yard. Great price for how nice the material is, the print is off the hook, too.
A changing pad I made out of the quilt fabric. It is actually even, not lopsided, but the camera was being persnickety. It has a backing of black fleece.

The little black round thing at the bottom of this picture IS MY PREGNANT BELLY, hahaaa......Ezra wanted to get in the shot!

One last project before baby comes. . .

2008-05-07T19:49:00.001-07:00

Here's a little knit hat for our baby Ezra. . .he'll be here any day. . .I made this hat out of a wool acrylic blend. I had to really work hard at learning/re-learning the 6 pointed star decrease at the top of the hat. I had to draw pictures to really get it figured out. This is a newborn hat. 54 sts worked on size 5 needles. I used my 12' circulars and then switched to double points to decrease. The inch+ of ribbing is K1 P1. The decrease is a little tricky but not impossible. I worked the decreases in K2tog so it would stick up a little. I will try to purl this decrease on a future hat to make it stick up even more.

Star decrease: if you want 6 points, make a hat with a number that has 6 as a factor. I do a lot of freeform knitting, so it's sort of like you write your pattern as you go. I always figure out my gauge, even if just to approximate it. I am usually really close. But gauge helps me have more freedom when I'm just winging it, if that makes sense.

So for example, I want a six pointed decrease.
Cast on 54 sts.

Knit 2/3 the body of the hat, ribbing included.

Start the decreasing rounds...
The first round will be a decrease at every 9th stitch. You have 54 sts, so there'll be 6 decreases.
The thing I had to draw a picture of: >>You want to knit 8th and 9th together<<. This ensures that you will end evenly at your stitch marker, at the beginning of the round. If you knit 8 and knit the 9th and 10th stitch together, then you will end unevenly.
Knit around
Decrease: knit every 8th stitch, meaning the 7th and 8th stitch together
Knit around
Decrease knit every 6th and 7th together
Knit around
Decrease, knit every 5th and 6th together
Knit around
Decrease, knit every 4th and 5th together. . .
and so on, until you are decreasing every other stitch........darn the yarn tail thru the stitches that are left after the K1, K2tog decrease round.

If you wanna talk more about this we can. It's pretty awesome to have it work out after messing it up a bunch of times. I was feeling really, really challenged. Now Ezra has a hat to match his little black newborn kimono. He's gonna be so dashing. I will post pictures of him soon. . .any day now! I am working on baby leg warmers and a new pair of socks for him. He's easy to knit for because he's teeny tiny. I may make a pair of shorts to go with the kimono and hat. I dunno. I would like to knit a pair of socks for each of our big boys.......we'll see.........I also still need to finish Sage's knit monkey. I did get some wool from a new friend to replace the icky polyester fill I stuffed it with (that's coming out all over the place through the stitches).

Knit Tattoos

2008-04-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite knitting tattoo that I've seen to date. When I can I am getting a version of this on my right arm half sleeve...

Ezra's Blankie, Knitting and 36+ Weeks Pregnant. . .

2008-04-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

Me knitting at 36 weeks with my pug, Pudge. I am working on a gift for a friend. It's coming along swimmingly and I will post pictures after I give it to her. I think she peruses my blog from time to time.

I finished Ezra's blankie. It turned out a really great size. I am working on smaller projects now, everything seems easy and fast now after this beast of a baby blanket. It's really cushy and warm. It will fit perfectly in Ezra's bed. It is knit on size 15 needles and made from Lion's Brand 'Thick and Quick' in Citron and Lemon Grass. The pattern is a k3 p3 basketweave stitch.

Lemon-Lime

Kevin is modeling for my blog. You can see that the blankie is a really big baby blankie!

Dr. Seuss inspired booties. These were really quick to knit up. I had so much fun with the funky colored lamb's pride wool.

Happy Spring!!!

2008-04-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

Knitting in cars. Whilst husband drives. I feel a haiku coming on. Happiness.

My gift card I include with knitted favors. Sort of my logo.

Green alpaca mary janes.

The are the best socks I have ever, ever knitted. They are newborn baby sized.
Probably 4 inches tall. Oh, by the way, I knit these at the same time on two circular needles. That method is quite handy once you learn it. I will probably always knit my socks this way....I do love double points though. Especially Knit Picks harmony wood double points. Did you buy some yet?

I have posted pictures before of the green kimono sweater. I thought our baby, due in May, needed a sweater to wear right away. I took a picture of both the sweaters so you could get an idea of how tiny the charcoal colored sweater is.

Knitting Tattoos. . .

2008-03-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite things meet up in these photos. . .hopefully in the next year I will get my own knitting tattoo. I have a design planned for my right half sleeve piece. I love the cartoon character in the middle of this first collage.

I will knit for tattoos.
I probably will have to. What a delight.

Some Finished Stuff....

2008-03-20T22:28:00.001-07:00

Ezra's cardigan, finished and beautiful. I had to trim out the zipper bands with flannel, it turned out ok. . .I think that I will be the only one to see the imperfections. With his beautiful face, I don't think I will even be able to see where I flubbed on the zipper band.

These are sweet little baby boots I knit awhile back. I am posting a new picture of them because I am almost positive that they'll fit our new baby.

Frog Tree Alpaca was DELIGHTFUL to knit into these itty bitty sockies.

These little orange cotton booties were made by Ezra's Grandma Bev.

Need A New Pattern? Wanna Knit 2 Socks on Two Circulars At The Same Time?

2008-03-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

Check out Knitty.com for lots of things knitting, click on the name Knitty.com to go straight to their patterns page.
I was looking for an article on knitting two socks simultaneously on two circular needles. I found two sites (in a few seconds) I am linking to both in this post, just in case you're wanting to learn this AND you're on the library's waiting list for the cool book that's out on this method.

Here ya go:
Knitty's two sock/two circular pattern, cool pictures --->click here
Another site, bare bones technique that I'm using with my generic
sock pattern --->click here

After dinner tonight I am casting on a set of baby socks for Ezra. Black alpaca from
Frog Tree. It's super buttery. I will post photos soon of the progress I make.

...shan...

Note: (after trying said 2 sock/circular method) It is tricky to get started. I had to stop by and see Teresa @ Country Yarns to have her help me. I had it casted on correctly, but then started knitting with the wrong needle. I would knit one of my needles completely out of the whole set up. It didn't help that I was working on it after midnight. Soon I will be painting my house that late at night because I'm 30+ wks preg. Anyways, if you do try this method, don't start until you're well rested. Give the project it's own zip bag or basket so you can set it down without loosing your sanity picking it back up. Once you get going, it doesn't feel like juggling jello, not unlike learning to knit with double point needles. From someone who has knit some socks, I feel like this is quicker than knitting on double points.

I do need to start another pair of infant socks to work out picking up the heel gussets. I have to do some research, but I think this has to be done in a different order than when you do it on double points (dp). I got the heel flap knitted and then derailed quite significantly, had to transfer one sock to some dp's for a bit, pick up gussets and then get everything organized on the circulars again. It was a little nuts, but, surprisingly I think that I got it done. I like a sock that is ribbed on the top and the foot, so decreasing the gussets makes this a little interesting.

Tonight I will cast on another pair of newborn socks, see how I need to do those gussets and report back.

By the way, I am using two sets of KnitPicks 24 inch circulars, size 3. I am happy and sad to say that I will not be buying Addi Turbo nickel plated circulars any longer. Addi cannot touch the price of the KnitPicks needles. The KnitPicks nickel plated and harmony wood needles that I also bought have an AMAZING point, sharper and long. This makes knitting easier. They are are half the price of Addi, if not cheaper. The cable/cord is fushia, so it's new and fancy, fun and colorful. The harmony needles are a treat, beautiful and I am hoping to buy the whole interchangeable set that they sell. My new friend Renee from the Knit Out @ Country Yarns let my mom and I try her interchangeable harmony wood needles and they are a dream. The transistion from cable to needle is smooth...... check it out. Take time to order some needles from them, be patient while they ship them to you, and then thank me because you're so happy with them (teehee)

2008-03-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Dream Swatch Pattern

I thought I had lost it, email me if you would like a copy........
I cannot find this on the web any more....the site is no longer.
From what I understand this may be a little introduction to lace knitting? Feels lacey to me

I posted a picture of my Dream Swatch in progress. I am knitting it out of hand dyed cotton fingering weight yarn that I bought at Hilltop Yarn on Queen Anne. This pattern is PERFECT for that small amount of expensive yarn that you could only buy one itty bitty hank of.

Enjoy knitting this elegant item. . .

It is March 2008. . .WOW!!!!!

2008-03-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

HELLLLLO FRIENDS!!!!!

It's been 10 months since I posted last. We've been busy and I've not been knitblogging like I should. I have been knitting like a madwoman though.

We launched out with a 'church plant' from our home church Cascade Community Church. Crosswater Community Church started up this summer in Sultan, WA. You can listen to podcasts of our sermons on iTunes.

We are expecting our 4th son in August.....we're due May 14th!!! He's growing like crazy and in about 10 weeks I will be able to adorn him with all his knit goodies. I may post pictures here of his layette, but he has his own blog: http://www.ezraaaron.blogspot.com. I am sewing a quilt and other things for him. His knit items will be here on this blog for sure.

So I put my needles to where my last blog was. I finished some stuff. I am still not stoked on finishing projects, but it does justify being able to start new projects and buy new materials....so I persevere in 'finishing' what I start. I have finished a bunch of projects because I am 7+ months pregnant and I'm knitting for our baby. I try to knit in the evenings, no late night cleaning for this woman this pregnancy. Felted Mary Janes, I renamed this pair of keen inspired baby shoes 'Mary Anns' after my grandma Mary Ann. I needed to felt the shoes a bit more, but I got impatient. They turned out really cute and I think they will fit well. I made these for my niece Isabella due March 13th....she'll be here soon, hallelujah! I included in the picture the packaging and gift card.....

Isabella Sophia's baby kimono, I love, love, love the baby kimono from The Mason Dixon Knitting Companion

I used brown wool my good friend Chris bought for me in Ireland. You cannot see the lovely variagated-ness of this brown wool. I added orange panels in the back section because I was winging the gauge. I am really glad I added them because it adds an amazing color work and actually works like a gusset.

See the little black snaps. I used a cool snap tool called The SnapSetter. The snaps were a little tight, but after sewing in numerous snaps by hand with mediocre results. I am really glad I bought the SnapSetter. It was under $15 at Pacific Fabrics for the start up kit and an extra pack of really cool black flat snaps.
Adorable little boot booties for my friend's baby's.....made from chunky wool, gorgeous espresso brown color. I am going to try to find some sort of slipper grip stuff for the bottom that is clear or ??? Email me if you have any suggestions.
psalm333@comcast.net
Here are some newborn baby socks I made from a generic sock pattern. You can make it for any size foot. It takes a bit of time to make sure the sock is shaped correctly. I wrote down the pattern for this sock. I will post it someday, maybe next fall.......or sooner......... my new friend Teresa, the owner of Country Yarns in Snohomish folded one of the socks down. I think it looks cute that way.
A Nifty Knitter hat in wool easy chunky yarn. My oldest son Sage made this for his new brother due in May. He made an adult hat from the same yarn for his Daddy.
Ezra Aaron's newborn hat made from Darkhorse yarn. It's acrylic but very soft. I like natural fibers. . .animal or plant fiber.
Ezra's baby cardigan. I finished the button bands and cut the sweater up the front through the purl stitch I installed. I learned this technique from the Philosopher's Wool Company Fair Isle knitting video. (The DVD is The Original Two Handed Fair Isle and Other Stories)
I learned two handed knitting from this tape, too. I use the two handed knitting technique when knitting stripes, every time. This allows me to weave/knit in the new color and weave/knit out the old color. It's fun because it looks impressive/difficult. Once you learn to two hand knit, it's as easy as breathing. It's handy because you don't have to do any finish work where you changed colors. You just clip the end an inch long and then the magic of wool fiber occurs. The fibers become fabric as they marry. (Sounds so jolly) Click on the word Philosopher's Wool above and check it out for yourself.

So Ezra's button bands were pretty solid, but the right hand side started to come loose even after I went over it with a sewing machine stitch. I will post a picture of it when I have completed a fabric trip I am using to cover the imperfect button band join.

I cannot wait to see our little guy in this cardigan. So cute.

One other part of Ezra's layette is his basket weave afghan I am knitting for him. 96 stitches on size 15 circulars. I am almost half way done after last night's Knit Out at Country Yarns in Snohomish. This was the only project I worked on all night. I am hoping to finish this blanket before knitting on something else, but I don't know if I have that sort of will power.

So, I guess that's all for now. I will post again, before 10 months go by. I will be non existent after Ezra is born, basking in baby love. Oh I cannot wait!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Finishing.......

2007-05-24T16:40:00.002-07:00

Gretch: I’m just daydreaming over my stash of yarn. So many pretty colors, so many possibilities. How does one ever complete a project with so many yummy patterns enticing you? What’s your secret?

Knit-Shan-Knit: Hmmm. . .one has to determine to finish. It is a whole other animal though, almost a different craft or skill set all together. I have several projects to finish. I am going to be blogging soon with all the projects I have in various stages. I think you have to put your mind to work on one thing, to the end. Seems impossible with all of the possibilities before us. Village Yarn and Tea has a 'finishing' service they offer. They even have a service where a professional knitter will knit the project for you.

Let's talk finishing, shall we Gretch? I have some photos and confessions to make. I also would like to start with this scripture.

There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth

Ecclesiastes 3:1(The Message)

I have found that there is a time for everything. If I prioritize, there seems to be harmony in my day. If I skip around, even in my chores, then something that needed to be done gets neglected.

With knitting, starting is really fun. . .knitting "a ways" into a project is sometimes enjoyable. Finding the pattern, the yarn, or whatever. . .the start is sometimes the best part for most people. I find for example when I get half way through the body of a sweater, I start to wonder. I start to hate what I'm working on and it inevitably gets set in one of my less frequented baskets.

Knitting for someone helps with the finishing process. Knitting towards a baby shower or birthday, or Christmas can be painful but gets it done. My mind does not like to keep at and work at an item until it's done.

A good rule of thumb is to have one big project and one small project going at the same time. This way you can keep your attention on two lovely projects and work on the zippier one when the shawl or blanket is dragging you down. Another tip I can think of is knit large projects in segments, either pieces that you put together later. Knit in stripes. Knit also in details like alternating knit/purl rows, add stripes into this and you will finish before you know it.

So, let's talk finishing techniques. Most of us learned to knit the infernal scarf. (Look infernal up on www.dictionary.com) You will laugh if you have been taught to knit by the infernal scarf method. Well meaning knitting teachers or knitting professionals that want others to join in their fiber fascination, teach folks to knit scarves.

Scarf knitting ensures certain things for the teacher, who would rather be knitting on her project and have you magically learn the skill from a book.

1. You will be knitting straight garter stitch for approximately 4 feet

2. There's not much to help you troubleshoot if you are knitting garter stitch for 4 feet.

3. There's a good chance if you drop a stitch you will pick up a miscellaneous thread and your project will self-heal.

4. Scarf knitting seems to be a right of passage. It is fun if you are taught in the right season.

Let's switch things up and introduce some new first projects to keep newly ordained knitting friends interested. Let's teach them a few more skills than the knit stitch. I suggest that new knitters buy a book or print off pictures off the internet. When you cannot be there for your student, your student can self teach. I love my vogue compact knitting book. Most knitting pattern books will have a couple short chapters on knitting in the front to help out folks who are buying their books and learning how to knit.

Mason Dixon Knitting (book) is an excellent resource that you won't have to hide from your early readers because of expletives in the titles, or suggestive themes.

Ok, so now for the pictures. Then I'll have more words on finishing. I wanna chat about sewing up a project that you've finished all the parts for, zippers, weaving in ends, and blocking. There is a time for everything on earth, you will feel this when you and I COMPLETE a few projects. It is a different animal. It's a different groove. You will dig it and then you will be able to START something else, 'cause that is the funnest part.

One of those fresh projects, this white wool was screaming out, "MAKE BOOTIES FROM ME!" I will. . .I think I might make them with bigger needles.

Brown Sheep Company Lamb's Pride wool with mohair

Eli on the Knifty Knitter. . .he's my knitter...this counts as 'real' knitting. He is learning to handle fiber. . .and will cut down on his juggling challenges when he goes to 2 needles.

Isn't he so handsome!? This was a sweet time, working on stuff with my Eli Jo.
Eli is using the small knitter with Wool Ease Thick and Quick in I think Apple Green.

Monkey Pile and then Monkey laid out for finishing. Did I finish him? NO! I put him back in the basket like a true knitter! His name is Wasabi or Mr Murphy The 2nd. I am knitting him for Sage's 10th birthday. The colors are a little washed out in these photos, the green is exactly wasabi green. Oh Wasabi is knit from one ply alpaca wool.

A premie hat knit from Orange You Glad from Lamb's Pride Wool with mohair. This hat is adorable. This should be finished, only two strands to tie off and weave back through. This project is a fine example of knitting something to just get my grubby hands on pretty wool. Eli the magnificent is in the backround.

These booties are for sale. Premie baby sized. $15 + shipping. Email me for purchase info at:
psalm333@comcast.net I accept PayPal.
Machine wash and dryable. Hand-Knit from Wool Ease wool and acrylic.
Beautiful little boots, may be knee high on a premie. Light sea blue green.

You can email me for this pattern. It's called Dream Swatch. It's fun. A little tricky, but once you get it, you will feel like a knitting stud. I am knitting it from a hand dyed fingering/sock weight cotton. These pictures do not do it justice! Hooray for being in a hurry, next time I will edit my photos better. I will block this item so you can see the magic happening with the crisscrosses. This will be a head wrap. 48 inches long I think? Sounds like the Infernal Scarf, but it's not.

Yes, I'm knitting a blanket! This knit afghan will be called Resplendent. It is made of Manos de Uruguay hand dyed chunky yarn. The colors are electric olive, brown, brown variagated, and a bit of Onyx Lamb's Pride wool. I love this yarn and cannot wait to see it finished. I am using a sewing method of casting off so the edges are not firm, they stay elastic. Another finishing technique I learned from knitting workshop Elizabeth Zimmerman.

A granny square beginning, that I lost interest in. These will now make up the pillow to match:

Hodgepodge, the crochet crazy afghan. When it is finished and blocked it will all be even.
(Fingers crossed)

Here is the lovely Eli with Hodgepodge.

A baby kimono made from Lamb's Pride Wool with mohair, color: limeade FANTASTIC!
This picture does not do this bright green justice.
This pattern is so fun and fast!

Last picture for the night. I have another bin of unfinished projects that will be photographed tomorrow. This picture is of a felt bag I'm making. I need to purchase some onyx Lamb's Pride for the bottom the top and then a thick strap. I am excited to finish this bag. . ..
felting is so fun.

Ok, to be continued..........weaving, casting off, sewing up finished projects, zippers, and blocking. Do you have something you want to finish? Is it time? I am gonna finish this post for now. How's that for finishing? God bless you.

I will be knitting on Dream Swatch or maybe Wasabi the monkey. It's painful to get started, but I gotta start!

Quiet Time of Night

2007-05-10T00:46:00.001-07:00

The Stainer family on a journey together.

The bridge was washed out from the November flooding. We had a great time taking a different loop around the area. We had to climb over fallen tress and hike through snow. This was a much needed outing.

10 May 2007 1:12 a.m.
(I know Emma. . .what am I doing up? ? ? I had a lot of fun with you today in the sunshine)
(yes, I am sunburned, yeeeouch!)

This use to be my favorite time of night. I could hear everyone snoring or breathing, sleeping soundly. Right now Kevin is snoring gently and I hear Pudge, our pug, snoring too. . . I am trying to get to bed early and get up earlier. . .but, not tonight. . .

I took a bath a bit ago, and that's the best place to hear everyone snoring or breathing in unison. After midnight. Unless someone is sick, it's a sure thing that it will be quiet. The house is still and I can vegetate.

I wanted to post some pictures tonight to my blog. A couple from our hike to the ice caves and a few from our day out with our churchie friends to Seattle. I still haven't taken pictures of anything I've knitted, so I'm lame. I have currently finished a divine knit hat for me, a baby afgan, and the premie boot booties that I finished awhile ago. I did block them, so I hope to have a picture of a wee infant wearing them soon.

Before I add the pictures I will say I was reading in John 3 today. I love Jesus. I love how he talks to the people. He was so patient and tried hard to communicate mysteries to those around him, and now to us through the bible.

I love God and HIS reality.

I love the bible and how, no matter what I am thinking about or going through the Holy Spirit makes sure I get the wisdom I need from scripture. That's why the bible is described as alive! I also appreciate when I haven't read the bible in awhile that God brings me to a passage that speaks to me, exactly where I'm at.

The next three weeks we will be playing music at our Mother church Cascade Community Church. We will be leading them as the Crosswater Community Church worship team. I'm really excited. I'm not excited about the goodbyes starting up again.....but we'll all get through this together. I'm going to just listen to folks and be with them.

Also, this weekend is our 12th Wedding anniversary. I will post some pics later of our day. We will be doing music for three services at church. . . . . .then we will get away and have some fun. It's also Mother's Day so. . .we'll make some phone calls. We are blessing my Mom with our boys for the day. I think they are the perfect Mother's Day gift!

Have a great day, it's early morning now.

Some pics for you!

All my big strong men. We look like we are out for quite the adventure. Sterling's pants got left home, so we pulled his socks up to his thighs! He did just fine. The hike was a hoot!

Rick's stubborn head (he does not like photos. . .)
Brandon contemplative, Torry, Kwevin from Heaven, and meeee. I took this picture on a timer, unannounced...... Oh, and we had ice water at Pike Place Brewery with our lunch. Not again! ha

Debbie, oh Debbie is so gorgeous. This is my beloved Frank's Momma. Isn't she divine? I have a fun look on my face because I was having fun taking random pictures with my camera. We were climbing the Harbor Steps and not going to Japanese food at my favorite restaurant
. . .because Kevin can be mean sometimes.

Torry and Renee's backsides and some terrific stairs! Just look at them!!!

Frank, Athon, and Jay.....at the Seattle Sculpture Park. This was a fun day. Funny thing, it's called the Fun Day Away. I am so proud of my new Momma sister friend Frank, and new Daddy brother friend Jay. Athon is one of the best babies ever born. There are only a few that come out as good as him. He's contemplative and makes the best sounds. I really am fond of the little guy. I can't wait to see him this weekend. I am going to give him a kwis!

Please send prayer requests to: psalm333@comcast.net
Thank you for perusing my blog.

Knit progress pics coming soon! Stay tuned! ! !

A Good Couple Weeks, now..........

2007-04-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

A Good Couple Weeks. . .

This morning I sit here and I'm realizing it's gonna be one of those days. The kind of day where I steal away and cry in the bathroom. Take a few moments in my room when the boys are playing quietly to sit and pray. To lean in to this process of transition and goodbye. I woke up this morning after a really detailed dream about people in my life. I said, "I don't want to leave my friends." On Tuesday I was out running errands and it hit me that I am leaving my protection and security. I am venturing out from underneath Mom's wings. Frank's, Nate's, Brandon's even....

I'm getting older now, so I have learned to not rush out of this place. It will only make me ridiculously hard hearted. So I am crying. I am sighing. I am reminiscing. I am totally hating life at times.

I loved playing my electric guitar this year. What a hoot. I am not playing it yet at Crosswater Church. I will be singing and playing accoustic guitar....Kevin wants me to switch to writing music on my electric. It makes sense, because it's a completely different instrument. So we'll see. I just want to knit right now. I will get a second wind creatively I'm sure this summer. I love when Kevin is on board too. And when he's writing music other than electronica on Garage Band. He's amazing with Garage Band.

I just turned in my completed designs to Aaron for the church logo. He loved them. I also made grayscale examples because he said it needed to look good that way too. My good friend Amy A. said that it's a strong design as far as logos go. I was glad to hear that because I have not designed a logo before and really wanted to do an excellent job. Cherie our children's director asked me to come up with some ideas for the logo for her department. I am going to use a computer for this one, because I think she wants a really eye catching. I'm thinking 3-D design that looks like it's coming off the page. I am going to type in the elements to ppt and mess with their font stuff. I also offered to help with the children's department theme. She liked my idea of Pacific NW river wildlife. I am going to be sketching up ideas for her of fish and other creatures and getting paint swatch samples of colors that would be awesome. The cool thing is Spring is here and this is my favorite colored season.......all the bright new green......you can be sure that color will be in my palette. God brought me a professional quality drafting/art table for $5 off of Craigslist........... so now my work area looks really convincing! hahaa....... It's fun and challenging. A little overwhelming, but, that's usually how things are that I undertake. I love punishment! jk. Thank You God for allowing me to do art for the new church. It's an honor and I need you to inspire and help me.

KNITTING!!!! This is Knit-Shan-Knit after all...........
So, right now, I am knitting premie baby booties to sell at Evergreen Hospital's postpartum center. I think I found a great pattern to use in my baby boots design. The foot is all knit in one piece...very little to weave in at the end. I have four afgans that I am going to make. I want to make baby stuff that is not conventionally colored. The colors for the afgans are: black, kelly green, rust and a crazy granny square quilt. I will post pictures after I finish school and house keeping today.......The premie booties I'm making are light dusty aqua. They are amazing. I would like to get a picture of them on a little one after they sell. The booties I make are boots, knee high. I think I might make leg warmers too....those are popular right now. I get excited about knitting baby items because they are quick to knit. There are so many exciting colors out there to create with.
I'll post pictures in a little bit.

Pray for us that are going to Crosswater. Lift up our planting core team and our friends as we leave the nest. Pray that if we're sad that, we can just be sad and not get ulcers in the process!

Have a blessed day.
As I made coffee today this scripture came to mind:

Isaiah 43:18-20

18 "Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

20 The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the desert
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen

Much love to you today where ever and who ever you are.
The God of love, loves YOU. . .made you and reaches out to you each day.
Take a look at the spring trees and flowers, imagine they are his hands......reaching out to you....
He is more wonderful than you can imagine, ever.........he waits.........
He is splendid and very good. Generous and ready to help with anything.
What would I do if He had not rescued me.
He healed my wounded life and now I will sing to glorify.

Please email me at: psalm333@comcast.net if you need prayer or would like to know more about Jesus.

A SPACIOUS PLACE

2007-04-16T09:18:00.001-07:00

...My Eli...

He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because he delighted in me.
Psalm 18:19

Happy Monday KSK readers (knit-shan-knit):

Today I am listening to Leeland 'Sound of Melodies' It's a tremendous cd. I recommend it!

What a weird feeling I have today.

We had such a hard week with the boys.

Yesterday we woke up and it was like something had let up or let go.

All our boys are changing so much these days. It just seemed like Kevin and I were having to work so hard to keep above water parenting. This past week especially. I would have to say since the church plant got finalized we have had some unexplainable and difficult times as parents. It's been purifying and although I often say that we may have spiritual attack happening,
I want to give God credit first for all our trials. (James 1, 1 Peter 1)
I don't want to give more credit to the enemy than he deserves. I praise God for helping us as a couple. Kevin and I are closer than ever after almost 12 years of marriage. We are learning a lot as parents right now and it's humbling. . . Our kids are amazing and alive! Our finances are settling down and we are where we need to be... Planting Crosswater this fall is going to be off the hook.

This past year has had so many trials. God you have been so faithful to turn us upside down and get us to where we want to be. I could write a book on how thoroughly You have cared for every detail of our hearts and lives. You are so amazing God. You DO bring me out to a spacious place. You give me strength to walk a steep path for a time and then you soothe me.

This morning I woke up feeling happier than I had in a long time. I feel clearer. The kids are calm and playing nicely. I can't explain it other than God had us all growing and changing a lot lately. I am thankful for today. I want to be right here. Peaceful.

**********************************

This weekend is our last time playing with our orange team, our band, at Cascade. I miss Frank, she's on maternity leave. It will be good to play. I am going to try to just rejoice and keep tears back. It's hard to get sad when we are taking our drummer Rick with us. I hope we can write more music with him in the future. Peter is joining us this weekend, he's a radical pianist and friend. It's gonna be a fun weekend.

I don't feel sad that it's our last rotation as a band. I sort of feel good and ready. At first I was a little *sigh*, but now it feels amazing. To make it to the end of this season. I pushed myself hard. I made myself crazy expecting all sorts of things from myself. I expected too much, but learned a lot in the process. I am 200% commited to having as much fun as I can this weekend.

I'm excited to write some music this summer. I am going crazy with poetry. Need music to sing it. Excited to see if my Kevie and I can get some stuff composed.

I'll end with some photos of Sterling Ayden's 5th Bday Party. They aren't edited so well, but they are sweet.

Have a beautiful day.

Thank you God for space to breathe today and for this spacious place. Amen

If you need prayer or would like to know more about Jesus or know Him for yourself. Lemme know: psalm333@comcast.net

...shan.... ps 84, ps 145, eph 3, phil 4, titus 2, 1 tim 5:1,2

Daddy and Sterling opening presents

Eli cryin'. . .he's so cute. . .(Sorry Eli....I posted this picture, eek)

Sterling's Birthday Atomic Wedgie. The boys are so generous! Sterling dished it back though.
Ster's mini heart cake. We have a small heart-shaped springform pan for special birthday cakes
Here's the cakes. Mmm, good. Use butter instead of oil and no yolks in a white cake mix for a holy cow yummy cake! And the buttercream recipe on Albertson's powdered sugar was snortalicious.

Eli giving the daisies bunny ears. I laughed.

Birthday time. Happpppy Birthday Sterling Ayden!

Sterling opening his Handy Dandy Notebook! I had to make it, they are hard to find. It was fun!

I pray you all have a fantastic day.

Thoughts, Prayers

2007-04-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

ACTS MONTAGE by Shannon Stainer

24"x60"

Water soluable crayon, Water soluable graphite, art marker on pressed paper in 3 sections

Dedicated to and created during the services at Cascade Community Church

Help me Lord to leave my home to church plant "What? Me a church planter?" "lol"

Leave my closest friends

My heart ache came back today

as I prepare

A quiet place, my enormous church home

A safe place

the arms of my friends protected me

I breathed

caught my breath here

you put me back together in this intensive care unit

how do I leave

except to obey, and to say thank you with my life

how will I leave Frank, God?

through a curtain of tears

the arms of love you are bringing to my city

they love me too

if they were not here too, I would not be able to go

I praise YOU because you have HANDPICKED this expression of You

this church plant

this daughter

externally focused

PEOPLE GET READY, crosswater is coming

we will love you to Jesus.

Jesus

Be loved

Be honored

accept my bravery and service

thank you for holding each and everything I commmit to You

YOU are to be trusted

Thank you for art, music, my family, my church, the Spring, Kevin, and that I can be in today. No where else. I don't have to hold onto my plans. I can be still and content.

Thank you for healing and using me.

You take and make me useful, effective.

Help me strive for excellence and care for my family well in the process.

You've supported me so well over the years.

I am yours.

[[If you need prayer or want to know more about my relationship with Jesus Christ. Please email me: psalm333@comcast.net]]

Springtime Afternoon

2007-04-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday Friends

Matthew 6:25 (The Message)

Look at the birds

Free and unfettered

Not tied down to a job description

Careless in the care of God

And you count far more to Him than birds

Through Grace I'm taught to see You

With this heart unveiled to know You

God in Your pure light

Open our eyes

See pure light

-Matt Redman

God, I welcome Your presence PSALM 84

But it's YOU who are welcoming

Beautiful Lord Jesus

Open heart and arms

I only have to stop

shan

Applied To iStock Photo as photographer

2007-03-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hello. . .
I submitted three photos today and an application to iStock photo to be one of their photographers. I also took a quiz, totally adult learning, but it was just points that they wanted you to remember as you submit photos. Here are the photos I submitted. I forgot to submit the Hawthorn News Shop, but we'll see. I may even reapply with different photos if they do not accept me now. I first heard of being able to do this (and get $$ from it) from my friend Heather. Then on Tuesday night my friend Rick mentioned that his son got accepted. So we'll see, maybe it will be good yarn money. Oh that reminds me, if accepted I will submit my picture earlier in my blog of Gretchen and my coffee cups and yarn. FUN! Ok here are the pictures, enjoy:

1:16 a.m.

2007-03-24T01:16:00.000-07:00

it's really time to go to bed, but. . .I love this time of night. This house is so incredibly noisy during the day. Given the sounds are really happy alive kids when they aren't bickering. . .but it's good noise, you know. I usually am cuddling with my pooch working on something late, or taking a bath, or watching a show. I love the quiet. It is addicting. I guess it's non fat and non alcoholic, so it must be ok. I cannnnnot for the life of me wake up without an alarm these days. If I know I have messed up and stayed up way past what is healthy for me, I try not to look at the clock as I go to bed. This way I cannot mentally feel tired, all the way, because I don't have any idea how I abused myself. So, here I sit. A little preoccupied with nothing. Over tired and I will go crawl into bed. I slept in my clothes last night, I think just because. Kevin likes the room so stinking cold I think I just forgot to get more comfortable. We are down to our last few pieces of wood. I think I will load what we have left tomorrow, so that I can have some fires this week. It's hard to draw, paint or even want to be in our bedroom suite the 'garage'. . .when it's so cold. Noises I hear at this moment. Pug's soft breath, a snore from down the hall, rain, the blue flower clock that I didn't know had a second hand. . .the hum inside my computer and the furnace coming on? There is actually a chorus of little noises all around me, all soft, but in a complex rhythm. I think I hear my mom's tv, no that is Eli snoring I think. Anyways. . .time for bed.

Kid Highlights. . .

2007-03-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Kid highlights. . .

"Sterling, why are your fingers in your nose?"

(a finger up each nostril) "...because I'm picking my nose""

"Mom, Pudges's face smells like a farm"

(Pudge our pug has a flat face with a nasal recess, well that gets funky smelling and his eyes weep a lot")

Sage kicks Eli in the mouth while they are hanging in hammocks they made under their loft bed, kicks his front tooth loose

Sterling removes the 'i' from my keyboard

Sterling decides he was too well behaved when he was 2 and revisits the busy annoying stage although he's turning 5 next month

Sterling rocks the bike with no training wheels

Sage completes devotional Discovering Jesus in Genesis with Daddy

Eli manages to procure an electric guitar from a neighbor boy, and it's now his appendage: touch it and die

Athon Joshua Franklin is here

2007-03-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

Darling Athon Joshua is here. Born Wednesday, March 14, 2007 @ 4:40 pm 8.2 lb 19.5 in. long

The proud parents and my sweet friends are Jay and Heather Franklin.

The birth was worshipful, and I was honored to assist as their doula.

Athon's Nectarine Blossom

Our trees were blossoming as Athon was born. . .this photo is one of three of a project I dedicate to the Franklins.

PROUD MOMMA!!! So sweet together! What could be more beautiful?

He totally digs me. And, i dig him! He's delicious!

The Love of a Pug Named Pudge

2007-03-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this pic of Pudge and me. He is so awesome. Love this little guy.
I think I will snooze on the couch with him soon, even if only for 10 min

updated photos, sort of. . .

2007-03-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos, in no particular order:
Torry and Kevin playing music in our "garage". . .creative space
Kev and I, almost 12 yrs married. . . I love him so much
Boys by pumpkins. . .Sage 9, Eli 7, and Sterling 4.......all their birthdays are coming up
Boys sitting on a huge map of Padilla Bay and the surrounding area. . .frigid, but so fun to get some oxygen. . .
That beach is very special to us, and it was fun to get back there.

Ok, let's see if these images finish uploading.

springtime is ours tomorrow.
shan

2007-03-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

Today I am having some anxiety, but breathing through it. Hillsong United helping me worship.. . . . kids are peaceful.
I'm gonna vent. . .a little random. . .

God is good. You are so good God. Statements of my faith. Running through my mind, falling from my lips. Praise.

-my beloved Frank births a unbelivably beautiful son and I got to assist her husband and family support her. her birth was worship. . .I am humbled.
-A friend's cousin dies horribly days after she births her baby son, extreme joy, un-measureable pain
-Life and death with God holding them both
-Releasing a sibling and spouse, they are splitting apart. I tried to help them hold it together.....but God removed me from the middle. Now loving sibling through it. Painful, given truth. The truth will hold up, always, but, there will be a choice to a certain extent to not believe the truth. Regardless I thank you for your truth God and pray for grace to turn to it, no matter how I feel.
-Last year I released long time friends that I was holding as an idol. It's been freeing and painful. I trust God with them
. . .open to whatever God asks me to do with them. I am commited to obey and serve Christ in this. It's been interesting waiting. God will work quicker with me out of the way. The love God is asking of me is one of extracting myself. This is painful, but He is holding it.
-This year, crosswater church plant.........where we're going and what God's revealing
-Testing God on his method of financial planning. I see the light, the off ramp is coming. Hallelujah!

Now to what matters the most:
Jesus you are all.

Feeling like I've had a lot of joy and challenges lately, forgetting deep pain and tragic events will balance it out: deepen character and make us more useful to Christ.......a little scary and sad, but I accept it.

We were talking to the boys about bringing friends to church last night. We told Eli that his friend Zach did not know Jesus and that he needs him. Immediately Eli was panicked and insisted that we needed to tell him about Jesus. He was so adamant that I knew that what we have been living before Eli has affected him. Joy. So innocent. We could have told Eli at that moment that not everyone wants our Lord, but we just enjoyed him instead. He'll find out as he grows up. I don't want him to loose this childlikeness to his faith.

I know that you're alive
You came to fix my broken life
I sing to glorify
Your holy name, Jesus Christ.

You changed it all
Broke down the wall
When I spoke and confessed
in you I am blessed
Now I walk in the light, victorious sight of You.

I'll never be the same.

---------------------------------
falling on my knees in worship
giving all i am to seek your face
lord all i am is yours

my whole life i place in your hands
god of mercy humble i bow down
in your presence at your throne

i called you answered
and you came to my rescue
and i want to be where you are

my whole life i place in your hands
god of mercy humbled i bow down
in your presence at your throne

i called you answered
and you came to my rescue
and i want to be where you are
(repeat)

my life
be lifted high
and our world
be lifted high
and our love
be lifted high
(repeat)

i called you answered
and you came to my rescue
and i want to be where you are
(repeat)

-----------------------------

2007 wowowow

2007-01-02T23:04:00.000-08:00

Hello ya'll,

Can you believe it is January? I am very happy to be in the New Year. Looking forward to spring and not having to bundle up so much....but if I hurry that part of the year up, then the part where I am stiffled by heat in summer will be here sooner. So, I will build a fire and put another layer on. Enjoy today.

So, I am up paying a couple bills. Need to actually build my fire (fingers cannot type that well)

Knitting, not much lately. For Christmas I was able to use my Target Giftcard to buy a thingy for all my knitting thingies. There is a much more expensive knitting bag I would like at Yarn and Tea, a exquisite red knitting bag/purse, but, one cannot or this one cannot spend $100 on it. This woman will find a way to live without it until it's a lot less expensive lol. My mom might be making me a velour one. So I can be patient.

I have Baby Frank's items well underway. I am going to run out of time on some of the stuff. But I will make it big so he can grow into it. Baby Frank is my good friend Heather's baby's nickname en utero. I cannot wait to meet this little one and LONG to see his little face. And see my friends as they turn into Mommy and Daddy.

I will not list the items I am working on for Baby Frank because someone who is pregnant with Baby Frank will read this and not be surprised.

I will end with this for now. I went and got my Christmas present on Friday the 29th. I got a beautiful sparrow tattoo with stars on the outside of my bicep. My tattoo artist Matt Arriola was fantastic. Perfect line work, nice guy, and efficient. He took just as long as it should have. I will be going back to Matt asap to get the rest of my half sleeve done. I will need a few hundred bucks each time, so it won't be tomorrow. Anyways, I need to enjoy this beautiful bird on my arm. I feel very fancy and happy. Kevin is very, very good to me. I will post a picture of it soon. As soon as it heals and I am all unscabby. :o)

shan

homeschool. . .

2006-12-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

We are homeschoolers. Sage learned to knit this year. I cannot wait until he really applies himself to the art. . .I am competing with pokemon cards and xbox. I am hoping he will join me on my after dinner stitch making.

I love to teach our boys. Right now we are in 4th, 2nd and preschool. There is another child in the picture, Dawson, who is also 4. I am teaching him to write his name and letters. We just got lots of new art supplies and it's been fun cleaning up all the creativity up in the afternoon. This year we have colored snowflakes. Maybe we will welcome back some snow.

Pug is snoring, Hub is not far behind. Time to go drift away, tomorrow is last cleaning day before the Sunday shower. I shop tomorrow for the yummies and then bake all day Saturday. I cannot wait. Then there is Monday. I knit then.

shan
p.s. I read in my devotional bible ways to love on your kids, a couple ways: kiss the palm of their hand and then close their fingers around it so they can save it for later..............give them a new nickname that accentuates a new character trait they are exhibiting...............cut down on correcting them so much...........write a child a love note, crumble it up and then put it in their shoe.

bless you friend reading this.

2006-12-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

Thank you for perusing my pic parade. Pictured is my hub Kevin, me, Sage 9, Eli 7 and Sterling 4. Pudge the Pug is our newest addition, he is 2.

pic parade. . .

2006-12-07T21:15:00.000-08:00

2006-12-06T23:55:00.000-08:00

My friend Gretchen and I had a day visiting and knitting. I thought this was a very satisfying sight after she left.
We had double espressos with creamed honey and steamed breve.
The yarn pictured is some of my favorite, Lamb's Pride. I hope to spin wool like it someday.
I love Alpaca tho: so my yarn will be a finer thread. . . . . I don't mind supporting the good folks who make yarn tho.

bye, oh, and say hi, if you wanna.
do you have a pattern url/pdf to share. we're looking for a pattern for the perfect aran cardigan. perferably 6+sts per inch on size 5's feel free to post a link or email me at psalm333@comcast.net

2006-12-06T23:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a itty bitty doggie sweater I knit for my niece dog Zoe. It's made of Lamb's Pride and was so soft on her.
I think she looks dashing, although she looks sort of manly in her earth tone sweater.

Have a great day.

...shan...

Just Getting Started. Here I Am.

2006-12-06T23:04:00.000-08:00

It's late at night, and although I bought two new skeins of yarn this evening. I cannnnnot use it until tomorrow. Actually, this coming Monday is when I will knit daily. I have a bridal shower for a dear friend I am hosting this Sunday. After I complete the task and thoroughly enjoy her day. . .it's knitting after dinner nightly.

I currently am working on a Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono, a tomkin jacket (E. Zimmerman), socks, a basketweave scarf for my beloved worked in uneven rows (turning out sweet), a monkey, a chihuahua, and soon a yellow and brown animal for my 4 yr old.

I love Lamb's Pride and anything Alpaca. I have a friend who brings me yarn from her travels. I am currently starting the tomkin jacket in yarn from Germany and Ireland. I will post a picture of it after it's done.