handmade by stefanie

this free pattern used to be on a website called the twisted think tank, which is now defunct - but because i want the world to be filled with silly people with fake mustaches and warm noses, i shall re-post this pattern for the good of all mankind.  and just in time for your holiday knitting, too! mustachio nosewarmer supplies: 1 skein flesh-toned sport weight yarn (i used elann.com's baby cashmere, which is actually fingering weight, so i held 2 strands together) 1 skein any sport weight hairy-textured and -colored yarn (i used lorna's laces grace in 36ns chocolate) set of #2 dpn's darning needle optional supplies: size F crochet hook (if you prefer to crochet ties instead of making an i-cord velcro, tiny snaps or a tiny button (if you prefer to have interchangeable mustaches) to make nosewarmer: using flesh-toned yarn or choice, cast on 40 sts onto #2 dpn's.  divide evenly among needles, PM, join for rnd.  work *k1, p1 ribbing for 4 rnds.  switch to...

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday! We decorated our first christmas tree (we've never lived anywhere with enough room to get one!), had dinner with family, and snuggled with our cats.  I even managed to sneak in some knitting time - so it was a good day all around. It's crunch time for us gift-knitting crafters, and in the spirit of black friday/cyber monday, i would like to offer up this coupon code for 10% off of your entire purchase from my etsy shop.  This is good til the end of the year - please enter coupon code BLOGHOLIDAY2010 when you check out.

lately, i just can't seem to find the time to knit, much less finish anything.  i have an ever-growing pile of things that are done, except for the ends that need to be woven in.  between all of the trips to the vet in the last week or two, coupled with getting a nasty virus that knocked me out for nearly a week, my productive knitting time has been seriously reduced.  and then there's all the time i spend on the internet - for example, i've used the first hour and half i've been awake this morning to list some more buttons in my etsy shop , do some facebooking, and now i'm here writing this blog entry.  luckily, things are calming down.  we're getting robin's symptoms under control and starting to get his new routine down to a finer science.  robin is quite happily sitting in my lap right now and purring like crazy.  i'm looking forward to sitting around the house and knitting for the rest of the morning, and hopefully all day tomorrow and thursday....

first one out of the gate - a favorite of mine! congratulations to Julie from Maryland, who has the distinguished honor of being the first person to purchase buttons from my etsy shop !  i may or may not have mentioned this a few months back, but i have a HUGE button stash that i could never use up during my natural life.  they're mostly vintage, and there's a wide range of colors, styles, sizes - i have literally spent hours upon hours combing through my button stash, and every time i find exciting, new buttons i'd somehow never noticed before.  at any rate, i've been quietly (or not-so-quietly) listing them in my etsy shop these past few weeks, and now the word is out.  i'll be listing more found buttons each week, so keep checking back!  and if i haven't mentioned it before, the awesome graphics for my new button-y venture have been generously provided by (a different) Julie of Rotten Cupcakes !

By popular request, the Mr. Nubbins pattern is now available for purchase in my ravelry store and etsy shop!  All you need is a skein of Malabrigo Rasta, some safety eyes, buttons, and a couple of days to make the cutest gift anyone could hope to receive this season. Be warned, however - Mr. Nubbins may look innocent and cute, but he is actually quite the rascal.  Even when he isn't getting into trouble, he doesn't mind being the scapegoat for the occasional messy room or missing batch of cookies.  He plays well with others, but has been known to stack the deck when playing Go Fish. The details: Price: $6 Supplies: 1 skein Malabrigo Rasta  150g/90 yds, 100% Merino Small amount of black worsted-weight scrap yarn Small amount of worsted-weight scrap yarn in contrasting color (for bowtie) Set of US #13 double-pointed needles Set of US #6 needles (any type) 3 stitch holders Pair of 8mm safety eyes Poly-fil stuffing Tapestry needle Optional:  3 sm...

unsuccessful attempt to hide from the vet. how strange that i posted all those FO photos with robin in them last week...who would have guessed that, in the time since then, robin would fall ill and be diagnosed with chronic renal failure (CRF)?  certainly not me, but that's what has transpired since then.  it's not as dire as it sounds - his numbers are elevated, but not critical or acute, and everyone we've spoken with is extremely optimistic that we can control his symptoms through diet and fluid therapy.  he's not in pain, and he's only unhappy because he's been getting so much face time with his nemesis the vet.  all signs are pointing to him leading a good, long life, as long as we are careful to monitor him and keep him healthy.  poor little guy is having an extended stay at the moment, where he is receiving an iv treatment to flush his kidneys and get his numbers down to a manageable level.  once they are satisfied with his progress, he can come...

the squirrel on wheels turned out even better than i was hoping for!  not only is he a zippy little critter himself, but a pretty fast knit as well - the whole things was finished in three days.  yarn:  [MC] 1 skein knit picks city tweed heavy worsted in tahitian pearl [CC] small amount of lorna's laces shepherd worsted in 24ns navy my other big news is that last week i finally finished my peak's island hood - it took me almost two months to knit!  a lot of that time was spent ignoring the project entirely, and it probably still wouldn't be done if i hadn't had help with the miles and miles of moss stitch.  though i love the pattern and colors i chose to make it in, i think i ultimately wasn't excited about it because the yarn felt scratchy and a little gross, and i just couldn't imagine wrapping it around my head.  in the back of my mind, i suspected that this yarn would never have the softness and drape of the yarn actually called for in the pat...