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

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...

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.......

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. . .

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

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. . .

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!!!

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.