handmade by stefanie

i've been so busy with the shameless self-promotion (sprinkled with a healthy dose of pos-mens) that several FO's and WIP updates have gone unposted.  this is gonna be a long one, so you might want to grab a sandwich and a comfortable seat.  first off, here's a photo of the completed rebecca danger monster i was working on a while ago with my tour de fleece handspun - i think it turned out pretty cute!  big green monster pattern:  iris the gourmet monster fiber: mixed-breed wool fiber, hand-dyed and -spun by me needle size: US #4 also on the FO front is a cabled beret i was test-knitting for rotten cupcakes , and it turned out beautifully.  julie is a former chicagoan who has recently relocated to california; we met through ravelry and our original plan was to have a hat-knitting partnership so she could keep up with supply and demand in her ravelry shop.  the move, of course, created a shift in priorities and circumstance, but now we have the opportun

at long last, the wait is over (never mind if i was the only one waiting with baited breath!) - the sanguine gryphon 's fall collection of patterns is out today, and with it, my newest sock pattern.  i present to you the heliotrope mid-calf stockings - fancy socks to be worn for any occasion.  slightly old-fashioned, slightly modern, and fun to knit! innocence and mayhem at once*.... Fanciful mid-calf stockings begin with a ruffled, ribbed cuff and an eyelet row to secure top of stockings with a ribbon.  An ornate cabled pattern at the top of the sock is followed by a twisted-rib panel on the front, with cabled "clocks" on either side and stockinette stitch worked on the back. This top-down sock begins with an intricate cable chart and morphs into an elegant, easy-to-memorize pattern that has enough to keep an advanced knitted interested while not being terribly fussy.   Finished Sizes 7 (8, 9)”/18 (20, 23) cm foot circumference, unstretched Yarn The

extreme close-up? i've been on pins and needles the past couple days, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the sanguine gryphon's fall collection!  my contribution is the first to come out of the (non-self-published designs) i've been working on all year, and i couldn't be more excited. on wednesday, the new fall colors were announced .  some photos of my project from the shoot arrived in my in-box at the beginning of the week, and it appears as though the collection will be debuting somewhere in the neighborhood of the 22nd.  meanwhile, there is much speculation surrounding this teaser photo gryphon posted in the ravelry forum - is the project behind her back, or on the box in the background? it's like a mind puzzle, an awesome mind puzzle!

a random assortment of things that recently came out, or are soon to be published, that i want to get my grubby paws on! 1.  superchunk's new album, majesty shredding ,  out sept. 14, 2010.  it's been too long, and i'd all but given up. will be getting this one tomorrow for sure, come hell or high water! 2.  brave new knits by julie turjoman , out aug. 31, 2010.  there's been some buzz amongst my knitting buddies about this book, and i've seen some teaser photos that are enticing - but i think the interview with julie turjoman in shannon okey's book is what piqued my curiosity the most! 3.   knit.sock.love. by cookie a - seemingly will never be published, her website still says it's to be published in the spring of 2010.  amazon says it will be out on dec. 15, and i sure hope that's true so it can be in my christmas stocking!!  4.  entree to entrelac by gwen bortner - out aug. 17, 2010.   i confess, i've never attempted entrelac.  i've

even though i work weekends forevermore (hooray for the service industry), i was able to drop by the renegade craft fair on my way home last night.  i allowed myself to spend any tips i made the day of however i wanted to, and was fortunate to have a very busy and profitable day.  what better way to pay it forward than to support other independent artists and crafters? left: deep sea sock!  right: barn owl BFL as always, there was almost too much to take in - a lot of great inspiration - and even some yarn!  i ended up buying some ridiculously squishy merino/silk sock yarn AND some handpainted BFL roving from rhinofluff , a vendor from austin, tx.  (as though my startitis weren't bad enough!)  i was immediately drawn to the beautiful turquoisey blue of the sock yarn - the subtle variegation of 'deep sea' will make some beautiful socks - or perhaps a triangle scarf! - for me.  and the roving is right up my alley, what with the neutral colors and BFL-y goodness - but th

it's true, the invasion begins this afternoon, just in time for the renegade craft fair this weekend!  so since you'll already be in the neighborhood, go ahead and drop by nina 's to see what's new (alien hand puppets alien hand puppets alien hand puppets) and squish some yarn!  and now for the back story:  (or, why is a thirty-year-old woman so obsessed with alien hand puppets?) last fall i was making lots of little finger puppets using leftover bits of sock yarn for a group show i did with my friends at beans and bagels.  at some point, i was skype-ing with my nephew, who always wants to see what toys i've been making, so i started showing him the finger puppets.  he picked out a favorite, and i filed it away for future reference.  fast-forward to late spring, when i needed a quick-knitting something to send to said nephew, who was graduating kindergarten.  and thus, the alien hand puppet was born!  you know the rest, if you've been reading my blog sin

an on-going task on my to-do list has been to update all of my existing patterns available for purchase - making them look snazzier, more streamlined and easier to follow.  this may include updating photos, adding fancy-pants charts in addition to written instructions, or just making the layout a little nicer. here's what i've updated so far: 1.  peppermint lattice socks ($6 USD) - these were originally designed for a Canadian breast cancer fund-raising charity site that has since gone the way of the buffalo, and the rights reverted back to me.  i have updated this pattern for clarity and added better photos.  this pattern is a fun way to destash those single skeins of sock yarn you may have lying about!   2. honeycomb fingerless gloves ($6 USD) - i love these fingerless gloves because they are such a fast knit, and i'm a sucker for cables.  i've added a chart in addition to the written instructions, something i've always wanted to do, but only now have h