Monkey Dance

The Tiny Skirty Ornament/Keychain Pattern

2010-11-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

With this pattern you can knit adorable tiny skirties for keychains, ornaments, gift tags and more. They are great for using up scraps and they knit up fast and cute.

*At this time you may use any items you make from this pattern in any way you like, including offering them for sale. I only request that you link back to this blog to give credit for pattern use and that for every ten you sell, you donate one or the proceeds from the sale of one to the charity of your choice. Thank you!*

Tiny Skirty Ornament/Keychain Pattern

Yarn: Any will work. This is great for using up scraps. Worsted wool is my preference.
Needles: Any size, your preference for small circumference knitting {DPNs or Magic Loop}

Cast on 24 stitches. Being careful not to twist, join ends to work in the round.

Row 1-3: Work 3 rows 1x1 ribbing {knit 1, purl 1, repeat to end 3 times}
Row 4: Purl to end
Row 5-9: Knit in stockinette {knit around to end}
Row 10: Knit 12 stitches. Slip remaining 12 stitches on to stitch holder. You will now be working back and forth.
Row 11: Purl to end
Row 12: Knit 1, K2TOG {knit 2 together}, knit to three stitches before end of row, K2TOG, knit 1
Row 13: Purl 1, P2TOG {purl 2 together}, purl to three stitches before end of row, P2TOG, purl 1
Row 14: Knit 1, K2TOG, knit to three stitches before end of row, K2TOG, knit 1
Row 15: Purl 1, P2TOG, P2TOG, Purl 1
Slip remaining 4 stitches onto stitch holder. Break yarn, leaving a long tail for weaving. Transfer 12 stitches from holder onto needle. Join yarn and repeat rows 11-15 in the opposite {knit where it says to purl and purl where it says to knit}. You should end with knit and 4 stitches.
Transfer 4 stitches from holder to needle and kitchener graft together with other side to form crotch.

Pick up 24 purl stitches from row 4. Join to work in the round.
Skirt row 1-3: Knit in stockinette
Skirt row 4: KFAB to end {knit front and back
Skirt row 5-6: Knit in stockinette
Skirt row 7: KFAB to end
Skirt row 8-10: Knit in stockinette
Bind off in purl. Weave in all loose ends.

Using a tapestry needle and starting at front middle, weave a scrap of yarn through ribbing for waistband. At center back, pull through a loop and tie a knot at the bottom, close to waistband. At front, tie ends into a decorative bow.

MONKEY DANCE IS BACK!

2009-11-22T03:23:00.000-08:00

Finally!

Monkey Dance will be stocking on Cyber Monday, November 30th at 3am Eastern Standard Time! There will be at least one free for shipping drawing on Friday, but it will only be available for a short time, so you'll have to be quick to get your name in!

We will be introducing a new line of products to the store when we reopen: beautiful embroidered and hand knit ornaments, magnets and keychains! Blog readers will get a sneak peek at the new products on Wednesday, so check back then to see!

Thanks to everyone for the support and feedback during our year off.

Reopening Postponed

2009-10-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, but it has to be done. I need to wait until after Ali and Nate's birthdays to reopen. I'm just too swamped right now to really do the stocking justice. It will either be the first week of November or the second week of December, or I may wind up waiting until after the New Year to give myself some time to relax and enjoy my sweet new baby.

I WILL be stocking at Hidden Element though. First stocking is October 6th! Be sure to check it out. Not only will I have a few sweet knits up, there will also be an awesome variety of great products by some really spectacular vendors. So check out the Hidden Element on October 6th!

Exciting News!

2009-09-12T22:25:00.000-07:00

I've joined the wonderful artists at Hidden Element Congo on Hyena Cart! I will be exclusively stocking knitted items there. Hidden Element stocks the first, third and fifth Tuesday of every month ~ come check it out! I will be stocking for the first time on October 6th.

October 1st!

2009-09-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

We have a date! On October 1st, 2009 Monkey Dance Cloth will be reopening! I'm planning a few new things for the store, so be sure to check back here for previews in the week prior to opening. There may be some surprises in store, and some small gifts for customers on opening day. More information to come in the next two weeks!

To view a gallery of past items, visit the new Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42212662@N03/

Re-Opening Announcement

2009-08-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

I've made a decision!

Monkey Dance will be reopening on Hyena Cart in early October. I will preview all items here on the blog a week before the live stocking date.

More exciting news: I will be joining Sewing Alley and Facets Jewelry in a booth at the Portland Christmas Bazaar! This is billed as the largest holiday bazaar in the US. The show will be Thanksgiving weekend and the following weekend at the expo center in Portland, OR. If you're in the area, come see us! You can browse through our beautiful items in person and get a little holiday shopping done at the same time. There will be a variety of items, perfect for gifts for just about everyone on your list!

I had a baby!

2009-08-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

Introducing Benjamin Patrick Cole. He was born on June 24th, 8 lbs 2 oz of sweet baby boy. He arrived about five minutes before the midwife did! His birth was very fast; he was born about 20 minutes after my water broke, into Dad's arms. A few hours after he was born he began having trouble breathing, so we took him to the ER. They found his O2 sat was 74 and immediately admitted him to the NICU. He stayed in NICU for six days. He had bacterial pneumonia, most likely caused by his rapid birth.

He is 7 1/2 weeks old now, weighs over 12 pounds and is absolutely wonderful. He's a sweet, darling baby boy who loves to be held and snuggled, and we're happy to oblige. This makes it difficult to sew, though I have been able to take up knitting in the lull time.

I do not know right now when I will be reopening the store. I would ideally like to open again in October, but right now finding time to sew is difficult. I'm taking each day as it comes and will definitely post here prior to reopening. Thank you all for the support!

A Small Update

2009-04-04T12:13:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time since I last posted to this blog!

I'm still pregnant and still struggling with HG. I did temporarily close down the store and it will likely remain closed until this little Bun is a couple of months old. We're due in June, so I'm hoping to start stocking again sometime this Autumn.

I'm not taking any custom orders at this time, but am occasionally up for trades.

Check back in a couple of months for birth information and further updates on when Monkey Dance will be restocking! A big THANK YOU! to all of my customers and friends who have sent emails and messages checking when we'll be back up and running. I really appreciate the good thoughts!

2008-11-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

Stocking at Monkey Dance will be a bit unpredictable for some time due to illness {hyperemesis gravidarum, to be specific}. I will announce here and advertise before each stocking, but unfortunately until I get this under control or until the baby is born {some time in June} I cannot guarantee regular bi-weekly stocking times. I will also not be taking on any custom orders for an unspecified period of time. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

Autumn Clearance Sale

2008-10-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

From 10/14 until 10/20 Monkey Dance is having an Autumn Sale to clear out Autumn and Halloween related merchandise. There are some cute embroidered diaper covers and a lovely owl messenger bag, all priced at 25% off!

We have a website!

2008-10-05T01:47:00.000-07:00

I finally got all professional-like, purchased a domain with hosting and created a splash page for Monkey Dance! The new link is http://www.monkeydancecloth.com . Yes, it's a little plain right now, but eventually we'll get it all spiffed up.

In other news:

Come see Monkey Dance live! On Saturday, November 8th we will be co-operating a booth at the Firestenburg Community Center's 3rd Annual Holiday Bazaar in Vancouver, Washington. Admission is free with two cans of food. Come support local artisans and businesses, donate to a good cause and get some holiday shopping done all in one place!

Running Customs List

2008-10-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

Diaper Covers for K:

10/10 ~ Fabric cut

10/11 ~ Embroidery started

10/13 ~ Done!

Dress for KT:
10/1 ~ Fabric cut
10/4 ~ Done and mailed!

Dress for EL:
10/1 ~ Fabric cut
10/2 ~ Embroidery completed
10/4 ~ Done and mailed!

Bag for CC:
9/28 ~ Fabric cut
9/30 ~ Half sewn; awaiting embroidery
10/2 ~ Embroidery completed
10/6 ~ Done; beginning wallet
10/11 ~ Wallet done!

Bag for K:
9/28 ~ Fabric cut
9/30 ~ Half sewn
10/6 ~ Done!

Fairy Tale Forest ~ 9/30/08

2008-09-29T01:09:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a magical forest full of trees
.
In this forest lived a beautiful princess
.
She loved to play with all of her woodland friends. She would sing with the little chickadee
,
hoot with the wise owl
,
romp with the happy bunny

and rest over lunch with the sweet little hedgehog

and the funny squirrel
.
Sometimes the darling baby dragon

would stop by to play.

You can come along to the forest, too! Come visit the Fairy Tale Forest stocking at Monkey Dance on Tuesday, September 30th. Look for the embroidered wet bag FFS Lottery

and check out the infant dress and diaper set auction

. Thanks for looking!

A great site to highlight!

2007-10-18T00:56:00.000-07:00

This isn't my site, but rather one I wanted to feature. The items at Beaded things are beautiful ~ check them out!
Beaded Things is having a customer appreciation sale!
Personalized Baby Spoons are buy one get one free until November 1st. Simply enter coupon code “bogo” at checkout to get the discount. The website is http://www.beadedthings.com. In addition Beaded Things will donate $1 for each spoon sold during the remainder of this year to Susan G. Komen for the Cure via the 3Day Walk for Breast Cancer. Beaded Things founder, Becki Sekerak, has walked in the 3Day for the past three years (60 miles in 3 Days) and so far raised over $6,500 by walking. She plans to walk again in 2008.
The perfect gift for a baby who may already have everything, the Beaded Things personalized baby spoon offers a funky alternative to the more traditional – but not very useful – silver spoon.

Searching for that unique gift for a baby with a name you had never even heard of? Looking for a one of a kind gift for a baby who has seemingly every possible baby gadget on the market? Chances are you aren’t the only one! Beaded Things has created the perfect solution for hard to buy for babies everywhere with this personalized spoon.

Hand sculpted wire transforms this spoon into a one of a kind keepsake gift. Your choice of up to 9 letters, embellishment beads and color. Names 8-9 letters long do not get color.

These spoons were featured in the 2006 Pregnancy Magazine Buyer's Guide and the 2007 Find It! Source Book for Parents. The retail price of each spoon is $25 and they can be purchased directly through BeadedThings.com, GrowingUpWithStyle.com and Amazon.com .

Buy one get one free discount is only valid at BeadedThings.com

2007-10-18T00:50:00.000-07:00

Check back for new products, updates and more!