handmade by stefanie

oh gauge swatch....you'll be a project someday. ...glorious fiber!  I know there are many yarny events to look forward to in Chicago over the next several months, but I am most eagerly anticipating Yarn Con on September 24th - which just happens to be when my friends will be launching their brand-new yarn company, The Wool Dispensary .  I know I blogged about their beautiful yarns a while back (see:  Oh! The Squishing! from April 11 of this year )... well, just wait til you see what they have in store for the fall.  I assure you, it will knock you hand-knit socks off. But! They can't get to Yarn Con without your help (there's always a 'but,' isn't there?!).  They're raising money the internet-savvy way, via a kickstarter.org fundraiser project .  You can pledge now (and get dibs on some truly great prizes - I myself couldn't resist the limited-edition silk-screened poster print!), but you won't be charged unless they reach their fundraising g...

mmmmm...malabrigo. The Summer of Toys KAL series continues - this time, I'm asking you to break out your Malabrigo and ready your needles...the time for knitting Ostriches is now!  Can you think of a better way to beat the heat of July than staying indoors and knitting a cute Stuffed Ostrich ?  I can't....but I am probably biased (and I finally live in an apartment with central air).  At any rate, come July 5th,  I'll be making mine using Malabrigo Twist in Sunset and Malabrigo Rios in Solis.  What will you be using for yours?   Leave a comment here, or join the fun in my Ravelry Group !

This video was posted last week, but I've been slow to blog about it since it's taken a while to sort through everything from TNNA.    Ever since his cameo in my band's Paper Doves video, Mr. Nubbins has been hungry for a starring role.  I think we've created a bit of a monster.... My husband Tyler shot the footage before I left for TNNA, edited it and added some original music while I was in Columbus (that's right, Mr. Nubbins has his own theme song, courtesy of Tyler!), and then we uploaded it I got back into town.  Mr. Nubbins really likes all the attention, he's getting to have quite the massive ego.  Where will fame take him next??

monkey in disguise. At last, we made it to Columbus!  We arrived Friday evening, checked into our hotel, and then I scurried off to meet up with my boss Leanne, head honcho at The Wool Wide Web , and Sarah, my fellow telecommuting coworker - both for the first time! It's pretty crazy to trade emails with someone for half of a year before meeting them in person, but we all got along quite well from the start and headed out in search of sushi.  Midway through dinner a torrential rain began to fall, complete with a crazy lightning show that caused the restaurant's power to flicker a few times...good thing we were ordered food that didn't require power to prepare!   Since the rain didn't let up, we flagged down a cab to take us the very short distance to our respective hotels, and I reconvened with my trip buddies, who were enjoying a Jeni's-based dessert back at the hotel.  n-e-r-d-y. The next morning, it was time to hit the floor!  The last TNNA trade sho...

I didn't spot too many mustachioes in the wild, but I did end up making a whole slew myself - and even dreamed up a few new mustachio recipes (to be released at a later date)! Birthday 'stache by mercourier . My 'stache stash. If you missed out on the fun of Mustachio May, fret not - your chance shall come again next year.  'Til then, you must fill your days collecting the necessary yarns worthy of mustachio-making.   This is one of very few projects wherein it's ok to let the fun fur fly. Git yer own! I'll be posting a longer entry on Monday about my exploits at TNNA, though the story of how my friends and I got to the show certainly bears repeating!  We had a slight navigational error that resulted in our taking what was surely the most circuitous route possible between Chicago and Columbus.  I lost track of how many different two-lane highways we were on...but trust me, they numbered many.  Off we go! I think my pal Sam's blog entry su...

Last night I rolled back into Chicago just in time for rush hour - what a treat!  I had a great time at TNNA - but after being bombarded with so much yarny goodness, I need a few days to decompress and get back to my normal routine.  I'm also woefully behind in showcasing fellow Ravelers' FOs, so without further ado, here is the latest crop: You may remember Purselover from the last episode of SITW - and it's even possible that you recall she was pondering knitting a mondo version of the Kitchy Pleated Bag using Malabrigo Rasta .  Well, she walks to the walk (I had to resist the urge to say something dorky, but you can use your own imagination if you'd prefer a more knitting-appropriate yet eye-roll-inducing expression).  She used 4 skeins of Oxido and size 19 needles to create her 'extra-bulbous' version of this design!  Another creative use of my whale chart has popped up on Ravelry, this time in the form of an adorable hat.  I think this is my fa...

Tomorrow morning some knitting friends and I will be headed to Columbus, OH for the TNNA Trade Show .  I'm attending mostly to promote Yarn Dealer , which is an exciting all-in one software program made specifically for those in the yarn industry - LYSOs, wholesalers and designers. I've been part of the development team since January of this year, and this show is going to be our 'soft' roll-out, so I'll be spreading the word about how much I love being able to manage my Facebook fan pages, Twitter accounts, and Ravelry groups all in one spot in addition to all the other features that we've added along the way...with more to come! I'll also be shamelessly self-promoting - I'm pretty excited about the 'calling cards' I just had printed up.  They're double-sided, which is a feature I always like on cards for some reason - on one side is the beautiful 'Handmade By Stefanie' banner I've been using for many years now (on this ver...

Things are happening faster than I can craft blog posts for them!  Since I'm going to TNNA this week (which I imagine will be a few blog posts unto themselves!), I will have to fill you in on the bullet points: 1.  Mustachio May:  I made a total of 5 nosewarmers from a single ball of Knit Picks Comfy Sport - and I still have yarn left over!  I'm guessing I'll be able to make two or three more.  I did create two new mustachio options, which I'll be including on a more official PDF version of the pattern, to be typed up whenever next I get a chance - hopefully sooner than later... 2.  Last week I finished a project that's been on the needles since JANUARY 15 (sorry for the all-caps, but that is just madness) - the languishing Stalagmite Socks (by Cookie A) are at last languishing no more.   It's a great pattern, and though the cable pattern is a little daunting when you look at it, it's not too difficult once you get into it.  However, it does h...

A few months back, I dreamed up a summer-long series of toy KALs.  I probably should have clued all of you in on it a bit sooner - but summer snuck up on me this year!  Among my other excuses are: having to attend 2 out-of-town weddings during the month of may (and I don't get time off at my work, I have to make up every day I miss - so it made for a chaotic month), and now I am preparing to go to my first ever TNNA in a week!  So much traveling! But back to the Summer of Toys - as the temperature rises, I like to work on smaller projects - it's tough to want to work on a sweater when it's 90 degrees, especially if you don't have a/c.  Plus, if you are on-the-go, they travel well!  To kick off the series, we'll be knitting Mr. Nubbins (if you aren't a Ravelry user, you can purchase the pattern by clicking on the 'Patterns' page on the sidebar to your right).  From now ‘til the Fourth of July, the Army of Mr. Nubbins is recruiting. It’s your patri...