handmade by stefanie

it's been a busy end to august - there have been band practices, social engagements, extracurricular work meetings, and of course lots of knitting and designing to get done.  not much happened for me in that last category over the weekend, as i was too busy running around with my friend from kansas city on friday and saturday night after work, and sunday night my band played a show in logan square.  (sometimes i need these sorts of things to force myself to give my hands and arms a break from knitting; it's harder for me to take a break if i'm just sitting at home.) i am pleased to report that, despite all the general zaniness of the last few days,  i did manage to knit a pair of flip-top elbow-length fingerless gloves - although i have to confess it was a slower week at work, and most of the knitting got done on a day i had some client cancellations.  you may recognize the yarn from last week's post - crystal palace's mochi plus - it's true, i just could

i've been getting some treats in the mail lately, but the one i was anticipating the most is Shannon Okey's The Knitgrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear Design .  until earlier this year, i self-published or sold designs casually here and there.  now I've been getting to work with some pretty cool companies (Malabrigo and Sanguine Gryphon, anyone?), although there were a few straggling projects leftover from last year, one of which came back to bite me in the butt. without getting into the gory details, the main point is this:  last year i was naive enough not to sign a contract for a certain design project.  i held up my end of the bargain, met my deadline, etc, and assumed that their word was as good as mine, only to be told in july (after i'd already completed the work) that the design fee they'd promised last year was now half that.  compound that with a lot of frustration due to communication issues (very hard to get any sort of response whenever i contacted t

A long-term project of mine is to update my previously-published patterns with better photos and the addition of charts (instead of just written instructions).  The first pattern that is newly updated is a free one - the Reversible Cables Wristwarmers. I've knit these up as gifts in a matter of days, and whenever I wear mine (pictured), I always get compliments.  You can make three pair using one skein of either of the yarns called for (Malabrigo Worsted and Lorna's Laces Worsted) - talk about economical! If you aren't a member of Ravelry , then you can download a free copy of this newly updated pattern by clicking this link!

major startitis has kicked in.  i blame several things:  1) the ever-present knitting ADD i just can't seem to shake;  2) a break from the crippling heat and humidity this week, reminding me that summer will eventually end and i will get to wear my sweaters and mittens and hats once more;  3) last night's fashion show at nina ;  and 4) having lots of birthdays, special occasions, and holidays to knit for from now 'til the end of the year, with new ones popping up weekly!  last night's show at nina was super fun - i don't get to attend many events of any kind, since most of them happen when i am working (thursday & friday evenings, saturday and sunday).  so to me, getting to come to last night's event was a bit of a treat.  i haven't been to many knitting fashion shows, but the few i've attended were definitely on the lame side.  not so last night - i was more than pleasantly surprised.   Really beautiful yarns,  interesting patterns, and even some

I recently treated myself to this book, and not only am I in love with the overall presentation and creative photography, but i am overwhelmed by the sheer number of patterns i want to knit out of it!  my ravelry queue has grown exponentially, and it's just the shot in the arm i needed to get excited about socks once more.  bonus:  many of the patterns are for sport-weight socks, which is my new tactic for finishing all of my holiday gift knitting in a reasonable amount of time, while still juggling all the designing i want/need to get done. working from my stash,  i thought a good project to use up some bright red tonal yarn would be the Samurai Socks - they're textured and cable-y, but not fussy  and overly time-consuming.  the slight variegation in the yarn doesn't overwhelm the pattern, and vice versa.  one of my favorite parts is that the cabling in the cuff becomes part of the pattern of the leg - little details like that always delight me.   i just finished turn

Working on some colorwork socks at the moment - I recently bought Wendy Johnson's new book, Toe-Up Socks for Every Body , and I am in love with so many of the colorwork designs!  I was never much of a colorwork sock girl...I always make my stitches and floats too tight, and then the sock fabric isn't stretchy enough and it's nearly impossible to get over one's ankles.  It's amazing, however, what going up a needle size can do for you.  My floats and stitches are still sometimes a little too tight (hence the slight puckering in the unblocked sock pictured below), but there is still plenty of give and i think this will actually be wearable. This is my version of Wendy's Critter Socks ; while I think ducks and cats are fine little critters, for some reason I've had whales on my brain.  I made my own colorwork chart to plug into her pattern, and if you'd like to have some whales on your socks (or gloves or hats...), this chart can be ea

When was the last time I had an FO that wasn't top-secret?  It feels like months to me. (Edit:  correction, it's been almost exactly a month.  doh.)  But today I present to you my version of Laura Chau's Simple Yet Effective Scarf , which I've been knitting with the handspun BFL I made as my first project for the Tour de Fleece last month.  I soaked it this morning and it's currently being blocked on what passes for our dining room table.  I'm hoping the cats don't decide it makes a comfy bed....if i block things on my massage table, I usually find a cat lying atop my project a few hours later. at least they don't tend to wrinkle it up - if anything, they're sort of like big, furry irons.  all the same, i feel as though it will dry faster WITHOUT a 20-pound cat using it as a lounge.  Unblocked, curly-edged scarf: Many views while blocking! my plan is to sew on some buttons and wear as a cowl.  I have a tiny bit of handspun left, w