Rain's End
Just a little bit about my art and life in general....
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Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Featured Etsy Artist and Shop: Sarah Knits

I have always been in love with babies since I first held one. So when I saw these wonderful hats and booties knitted by sarahknits I couldn't help but remember fondly when my own children were that small. The little white booties and hat looked so adorable and soft -- so perfect for that sweet little baby in your arms. Well I can dream anyway... So while I dream, let me introduce the wonderful shop created by Sarahknits -- so you can join the fun.


Sarahknits...
Tell me a little about yourself...
I just finished up my first year at Whitman College and am planning on majoring in geology and physics. I love math, crazy, I know. That's part of what draws me to knitting though, figuring out the number of stitches I need, etc. I live in the pacific northwest, and can't imagine living anywhere else. Being surrounded by the wheat fields of Walla Walla for nine months taught me that I need trees and mountains to survive, and I can't really see myself living anywhere else, except maybe somewhere in Latin America, but for that my Spanish will need to improve.

Describe your shop and your work.
I love knitting, and I see my shop as an excuse to buy even more yarn than I already do. Currently, my shop features mostly baby items, since this is what I have been inspired to knit lately (I get to knit cute baby clothes without having to have a baby, who could ask for more). I try to use all natural fibers whenever possible, or at least blended yarns with some natural fibers. I think they have a much nicer feel than most synthetics. Right now, I'm working on some hats from Noro's silk garden yarn, one of my all time favorite yarns because of the color combinations and soft feel.

How long have you been doing this and what inspires you to do this?
Well, I started knitting a little more than three years ago. I decided one day that I wanted to learn to knit and searched the entire house for a pair of knitting needles. Finding none, I picked up the closest thing I could find, some skewers, went online and taught myself to knit. Since then, I've gotten some real needles, more than I know what to do with actually, and I rarely put them down. I love being able to turn a mass of fibers into something you can wear. Hats are my favorite, because they're the one thing that you can go crazy with in your wardrobe. I have a rainbow striped hat made from noro yarn that I wear all the time. If it was anything else, I'd never wear it, but as a hat it's small enough, I guess.

What are some of your interests outside of your work?

I love making things with my hands, and always have numerous projects in the works; jewelry, bookbinding, drawing (though I'm not very good at any of them, still, it's fun). I also love spending time outdoors gardening, or hiking and backpacking. Oh, and photography, I'm really into that too.

How would you describe your experience within the Etsy community?
Well, I just found Etsy a few months ago, and I just set up my shop only a few weeks ago, but so far I've loved every minute of Etsy. I've posted numerous questions on the forums and have gotten excellent answers every time; the Etsy community is terrific! I've only bought one item, some silk roving from copperpot, which arrived very quickly, but I'm sure I'll be buying more soon, as soon as I get my summer job figured out.
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So if you have a baby or know someone with a little one don't miss the opportunity to buy one of these sweet little knit items from Sarah Knits. Keep an eye on her shop for other items too. You can visit her blog to learn more about this new Etsy artist.