"When in doubt, vacation." I love that. It's been a busy year so far for my family and I and I'm so excited that it's summer and you know what that means........vacation time! I'm always striving to find that elusive balance between my work and personal life and I'm looking forward to a few weeks of just playing with my kids & hanging with the hubs.
Read MoreNow that the weather has warmed up I'm seriously dying to sew up some new summer staples! I've been drooling over all the new patterns that have been popping up that are perfect for my warm weather wardrobe and for layering throughout the year!
Here's my faves that I've been eyeing! I've got 4 patterns ready to tape together and hopefully get sewn up this month (fingers crossed).
Read MoreIt's time for my favourite part of our knit alongs - the Starring You post! I love going through all of your gorgeous finished projects and putting them all together in this post for you all to see! It's so fun to look at all of your hard work and smiling faces! This year's Tops, Tanks & Tees Knit Along was filled with so many awesome garments and looking back at all of your pattern choices I am so proud of you all!
Read MoreToday is my 39th birthday and to celebrate I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you! All of my knitting + sewing patterns are 39% OFF (until 06.24.16) to say thank you for all of your continued support & friendship! I love you guys!
Simply use coupon code "bday39" to save! Valid on Ravelry, Etsy & Veryshannon.com! Valid until 06.24.16, midnight, PST.
Read MoreAre you guys ready for our awesome Tops, Tanks & Tees Knit Along Giveaway? Yay!!!! This year's knit along was filled with so many amazing projects! You guys rocked it! And our lovely and generous sponsors have donated so many awesome prizes!!!! I'm freaking out!!! I can't wait to see who our winners will be!
Read MoreA few weeks ago I posted on Instagram about my two daughters both learning how to knit. Both of my girls are now knitting and it's been a true joy to be able to hang out with them while enjoying one of my favourite things. I reached out to you all asking for your favourite tips for teaching wee ones to knit and I thought it would be fun to share some of your answers and my experience with teaching them on the blog too!
Read MoreToday is the end date for our Tops, Tanks & Tees Knit Along - are you ready for it to end? I'm sure not! If you'd like an extension for the TTTKAL this year vote in the poll below! I'll share the results in our Ravelry thread later this week. Judging by past years votes though odds are we will have a 1-2 week extension followed by our Starring You Post and a fun giveaway!
Read MoreOur Tops, Tanks & Tees Knit Along is in full swing! I've been so inspired by all of the gorgeous finished projects now popping up in our Ravelry thread for FO's! It's been so fun to watch all of your projects progress from your swatch pictures to now a lovely new garment with you wearing it! I'm so proud of you guys!
Read MoreI had the pleasure of designing a pattern for Tanis Gray's newest book 3 Skeins or Less - Modern Baby Knits! This lovely collection features 23 knitted patterns for garments, blankets, toys, and more! The best part is that each pattern in the book takes only 3 skeins or less!! I love that!
Read MoreI'm so excited that the fabulous ladies behind Pom Pom Quarterly are back again with another fabulous tutorial for our Tops, Tanks & Tees Knit Along! I love having them guest post! They always come up with great ideas for new things to teach all of you! Best part is some of their guest posts include FREE printable downloads (see these and more on our Tips + Techniques Page) and today's post is no exception! Read below to get your copy and learn how to do the I-Cord Cast Of! It's a fun and lovely way to finish a summer garment that they've used on some of the patterns in their new Summer 2016 Issue!
Read MoreThe weather may be warming up and summer on it's way, but I'm still loving flannel! I've had my eye on trying some of the Robert Kaufman Mammoth Flannel and when I got the chance to review the Mammoth Flannel Shirt Dress Kit on Craftsy I thought it would be a fun garment to sew up! I liked that this shirt dress had hem options and sleeve options - there is short sleeve, 3/4 length and sleeveless! I knew that this pattern would be versatile for year round wear and I could easily make this dress in a variety of fabrics.
Read MoreI've been working on my Bridie by Bristol Ivy for the Tops, Tanks & Tees Knit Along this year and really enjoying it. But being the gemini I am, I also started crushing on the idea of also having a cotton top to go along with my linen Bridie. So along came the Kobuk Tee and some pretty cotton from We Are Knitters. Isn't this color so pretty?
Read MoreI'm so excited to welcome Alexa Ludeman of the fabulously talented duo - Tin Can Knits today! Their books and patterns are wonderful and so much fun to make. You can pop on over & check them out HERE! Tin Can Knits is a long time sponsor and participant in our KAL's and I'm so happy to have them back again with another awesome guest post! Alexa's joining us today to chat a bit about ease.
Read MoreUnfortunately I had a very hard loss on Sunday. My grandmother, who was very close to me passed away. I was so ✨ blessed to grow up my whole life with her a few houses down. She was such an inspiration to me and inspired my love of sewing - it was her favourite thing to to do (besides gardening). As you can understand I’ve not been well and have been with family.
I was with my Nana for hours on Saturday at the hospital and was knitting up my swatch for the TTTKAL. At one point my nana needed me to help her with some things and I had put my knitting aside. After we were done she said to me “please keep knitting, I like it when you knit” and so I picked back up my needles. I remember looking up at her a few minutes later, and through all of her pain she had this big smile on her face. So my TTTKAL project will always hold a special place in my ❤ heart. She touched my yarn that day and she also touched my heart. Whenever I hold it I will see her smile.
Read MoreIt's almost time for our annual Tops, Tanks & Tees Knit Along!!!!! During our TTTKAL (as we like to call it) we encourage you to knit a top, tank or tee (or any garment that doesn't have full length sleeves) to wear during the summer months! I know you've all been waiting so patiently (and excitedly) for the this announcement so here goes.......bring on the warm weather knitting!
Read MoreLast week I released my newest pattern - AMBERLE! Will you be making an Amberle shawl? Why not join in the Amberle Knit Along over in the fun Churchmouse Yarns & Teas Ravelry Group? They will be all knitting up Amberle's together! I can't wait to see all the color choices and yarns! You can join in HERE.
Read MoreI'm so excited to release my newest knitting pattern - AMBERLE!
Meet a triangular shawl that’s as addictive to knit as it is snuggly to wear. Amberle’s squishy textural stitches bring worsted yarns to life and the repetitive pattern is easily memorized—making it much less complicated than it looks. The wide border creates a gorgeous way to showcase contrasting colors. And did I mention the texture - swoon!
Read MoreIt's been pretty quiet around here on the blog the last few weeks. I've been busy trying to survive spring break the last 16+ days while still working with the kiddos home. It was fun to have them here but also very hard to juggle/balance all the mom duties with full time work as well. But we made it, I survived, and after I dropped them off this morning I sat and I listened to the quiet and actually missed the chaos......for about a minute...lol.
Read MoreSo I watched the series finale of Downton Abbey this week....finally. I've been holding off for ages because....well...I just didn't want it to be over. Yes, some of the past season or so have had some boring stages but darn did it pick back up this season. Regardless, I'm a huge fan of the show and it really was one of my favourites. I will miss the characters, yes even Daisy...lol. I thought it would be fun to reminisce a bit about how Downton has played it's own role in my creative journey.
Read MoreI love knitting (& sewing books) that hold special stories and treasures inside. When I heard that the talented ladies behind Pom Pom Quarterly were publishing their very first book - Take Heart: A Transatlantic Knitting Journey by Fiona Alice, I knew it was a must have. Pom Pom Press has stayed true to their gorgeous and authentic keepsake aesthetic that they have so lovingly created with their popular magazines. Each one is a jewel to be treasured - and Take Heart fits right amongst them on my shelf.
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