handmade by stefanie

Autumn is in full effect here in Chicago.  The leaves have turned & the air is crisp....and there are trick-or-treaters on our doorstep tonight!  This is the first place we've ever lived where we got trick-or-treaters.  It's so fun!  I went a little nuts buying treats at Target - my favorite ones are the eyeball bubbles, but so far the kiddies seem to favor actual candy (big surprise) and stretchy skeletons. Robin is keeping a lookout for ghosts and goblins.... ...And Mr. Nubbins has donned his pirate garb. Today was extra-awesome because I found out that I won an awesome Halloween-y tote bag from Busy Beaver Buttons today - woo hoo!  Before I sign off, I have one more Malabrigo Stockpile FO to share  - currently blocking in the yarn room is the Metheglin Cowl in Worsted & Rios - turned out pretty well considering the bulk of the knitting was done whilst consuming many beers.  Once it's dry, I'll take some action shots to post! ...

I'm continually delighted with the amount of whale-themed projects popping up on Ravelry using my little whale chart .  It's always interesting to see how people use it - some take a few elements that they need while some use the entire chart, for example.  There's a good variety of projects that just look better with whales on them, other than the socks that started it all - hats, sweaters, cellphone cozies, etc.  Then we get down to yarn types and colors - and today's featured projects are a great example of the infinite possibilities of all these elements.  yarnstormer's whale hat I've shared this first hat with you before, but I want to post it again because a) it's super cute and b) it's a great foil to the next project I'll be sharing with you.  If you recall, yarnstormer's whale hat is a striking mix of Madeline Tosh Sock, Zitron Pro Trekking, and a few colors of The Loopy Ewe's solid series.  She's even kind enough to give...

She's a Carnival Just under the wire - I've added a few new grab bags to the mini skein shop - She's a Carnival and Red Apple Falls for your hexipuffing pleasure!  As always - free shipping to the US, fun surprises in every package, and lovely yarns from a variety of quality sources.  Thanks for looking (be sure to bookmark my mini skein shop - fresh listings weekly!) In knitting news, I'm very close to finishing my Metheglin Cowl - a few more rounds and I'll be ready to bind off!  I think I may have skipped a few rows....I did the bulk of the work on Tuesday night, when I was knitting at the bar....and well, these things happen when I've had many beers.  Oops.  Metheglin Tyler's sweater is starting to really shape up - the sleeves are just about elbow-length now!  The rounds are coming faster, and the closer I get to the end, the more excited I get.  I'll be over the moon if this is done by the end of next weekend, but perhaps a more do-...

Since the penguins don't need my help after all , I decided to cast on for one last Malabrigo Stockpile project this weekend - the Metheglin Cowl .  I've been meaning to make this project for a while now....since June 28, 2009, if you want to be specific. Hence, I've combined my efforts to destash and dequeue with this month's Stockpile event, casting on with some yarn from my dwindling Malabrigo stash!  As you can see, those skeins of Worsted in Vaa and Rios in Solis are seemingly without end.  I like the way the two colors are playing with each other, and can't wait til I have another FO to post on the Junkies board. Besides working on Tyler's sweater, I also finished sock #1 of the easy-but-boring Gentleman's Fancy Sock from one of my favorite sock designers, Nancy Bush.  I think they'll be great for my grandpa (they're his christmas present!) - and the aloe-and-jojoba-infused yarn from Austermann will be a treat for his feet!  Finally, I...

First, I got the news that The Sanguine Gryphon (as we know them) will be no more .  I was really glad I was sitting down for that one, because I didn't see it coming!  It sounds like each person will be engaging in their own yarny pursuits, so it's not like they're lost and gone forever, but it's still pretty crazy news. I really enjoyed working with them when I designed the Heliotrope Stockings , so I'm hoping I'll have the opportunity to work with these fine people in some capacity.  At any rate, I wish them both the best! Apparently, there was an oil spill in New Zealand.  Either I'm just living under a rock, or has the US media been too busy avoiding coverage on Occupy Wall Street and other various important news items?  Why does my phone's news ticker always tell me what Lindsay Lohan is doing or who got kicked off of Dancing with the Stars?  Google, you've got some s'plaining to do! But as I was saying....there was an oil spill and no...

Squishy Button Bunny in Rasta First off, let's check in with my Malabrigo Stockpile list, shall we? 1.  Foliage Hat - Malabrigo Worsted in Vaa (to replace the one I lost a few years ago) Finished! 2.  Madison Hand Warmers - Malabrigo Worsted in Vaa (to match hat) Finished! 3.  Metheglin Cowl - Malabrigo Rios in Solis and whatever odds and sods I have sitting around in Worsted , Twist or Rios ! 4.  Robin's Egg Blue Hat - Malabrigo Chunky in Charrua (my favorite color!) Finished! 5.  Travel Shawl - Malabrigo Sock in Aguas In Progress 6.  Button Bunnies - a ginormous version in Malabrigo Rasta - I have a full skein of Soriano, a half-skein of  Oxido, and a tiny bit left of Zarzamora Finished! 7.  Textured Circle Shrug - Malabrigo Rios in Glazed Carrot Progress on the travel shawl is slow but steady.  I'm planning on casting on for Metheglin this weekend, and I've pretty much accepted the fact that the Textured Circle ...

Can you tell what's going on here?  (The important thing is that I can!) Sleeves two-at-a-time just makes sense.  No second sleeve syndrome, no sleeve length discrepancies or misplaced rows of shaping....I've often knit my sleeves at the same time for these reasons, both working flat and in-the-round as they case may be.  However, I've never knit them while attached to the sweater they belong to - because that is madness, right? Perhaps I'm just masochistic, but I thought I'd give it a try - naturally, this necessitated having to place a Knit Picks order when I realized I didn't have a long enough cable in my interchangeable needle set...these are the kinds of sacrifices that must be made sometimes (and if the limited-edition Sugarbunny just happens to find its way into your cart, too...more on that later!). Ok, so the cable finally arrives and it's time to put my hare-brained scheme into action.  My strategy?  Putting each ball of yarn inside the ...

There's a long story about this pattern*, as they were designed some time ago, but haven't been available to the general knitting public until now!  If you're looking for the perfect mitts to usher crisp autumn nights, look no further.  These long fingerless gloves are perfect for sipping cocoa and roasting marshmallows around a bonfire! The Bonfire Fingerless Gloves were designed with variegated hand-dyed yarns in mind - a perfect project for your favorite indie yarns. They feature an eyelet-and-cable panel on the top of the gloves (the rest is knit in stockinette) that plays well with multi-colored yarns, but would also look great in shaded solids. The cables resemble little leaves or flames, hence the name.  I've also given this pattern an upgrade by adding an easy-to-follow chart.  The yarn used in the model is from Coulrophobia's etsy shop - I'm not sure if this colorway is available any more, but there are some really fantastic colors in her store ...

Malabrigo Stockpile presses on!  Since my last update, I've cast on for a Button Bunny in Rasta and made some progress on my Travel Shawl .  My non-stockpile sock projects are inching forward, too - last night I started the toe decreases for colorwork sock #1! I've also completed one more project from my Stockpile list - the Robin's Egg Blue hat!  This fun little hat knit up super fast - two days, in fact! I think I spent more time agonizing over which button to use from my stash .  This is my absolute favorite Malabrigo colorway (charrua) and I can't wait to wear this hat over the winter! I also want to revisit the recently-completed Madison Mitts - this pattern just happens to be by none other than Alysson from The Sweatshop of Love , and it truly is total dumb luck that my knitting this pattern and her hosting a Mr. Nubbins giveaway on her blog just happened to occur at the same time.  I promise, we didn't plan it this way, but it's great because I ac...

Mr. Nubbins wants to give you a hug. It's time to start thinking about your holiday gift knitting.  I know, I know....we still haven't celebrated Halloween!  It's too soon!  Well, there's already holiday decorations at Target.  Christmas/hanukkah/kwanzaa/festivus is coming.  We can't ignore it anymore. I've teamed up with my pal Alysson from the Sweatshop of Love to make your holiday gifting a little bit easier this year - we're giving away a FREE Mr. Nubbins pattern to one lucky crafter - just hop over to her blog for details on how to enter! If you aren't familiar with the Sweatshop of Love, you're in for a treat.  Alysson is a passionate crafter, an enthusiastic (and patient!) teacher, and a great designer, too!  Be sure to check out Holla Knits , her new e-mag that's full of fun & fashionable knits.  So what else will I be doing to make your holidays cheerier? Button Bunny Kits - I'm teaming up once more with the lovely l...

Foliage Hat: I have the worst poker face. One week down, three to go! Malabrigo Stockpile is off to a great start - I've already completed two projects and cast on for two more!  My non-stockpile projects aren't feeling terribly neglected, either (well, I still need to start the sleeves for Tyler's sweater, but I'm pretty sure that will happen sometime this week, if not this weekend).   Here's the lowdown: 1.  Foliage Hat - Malabrigo Worsted in Vaa (to replace the one I lost a few years ago) Finished! 2.  Madison Hand Warmers - Malabrigo Worsted in Vaa (to match hat) Finished! 3.  Metheglin Cowl - Malabrigo Rios in Solis and whatever odds and sods I have sitting around in Worsted , Twist or Rios ! Madison Mitts at twilight. 4.  Robin's Egg Blue Hat - Malabrigo Chunky in Charrua (my favorite color!) In Progress 5.  Travel Shawl - Malabrigo Sock in Aguas In Progress 6.  Button Bunnies - a ginormous version in Malabr...

Here's the latest crop of FO's from Ravelry users around the globe!  Clockwise, from top left: 1. This cute version of my Kitchy Pleated Bag was knit by Rav user Spyoung .  She added an extra round of increases (and subsequently, an additional round of decreases) to make it even more puckered.  Cute and roomy - makes a great project bag or fun little tote for the bag addict in your life. 2. Lacy Summer Socks by Rav user birgit - these socks are a quick knit and a great way to use up 220-yard skeins of sock yarn!  3.  Stuffed Ostrich the first - two have been added to the herd recently (do ostriches run in herds?  I have no idea).  Rav user Shinanigans says Mallie the Ostrich was a quick-knitting, unique gift! 4.  This smartphone cozy by Rav user annelive uses my whale chart - a fun way to protect your fancy phone with the magical powers of the whale! 5.  House of Mirrors fingerless gloves - this is the first official F...