handmade by stefanie

Here's one more project that I've finished recently but not shared on my blog: the Svalbard Mittens by Kate Gagnon Osborn, which use two skeins of Tundra . They are so soft and warm! I finished them right before Christmas and have been wearing them a bunch on this trip. We'll be heading back to Chicago tomorrow, this blog should be back to its regularly scheduled programming later this week. Wishing all of my readers a happy, healthy and crafty 2013!

While most of the socks I knit for gifts this year I could sneakily share on my blog by pretending they were for myself, there was one pair of socks that I didn't dare risk sharing: the ones for my mother. I know that she occasionally reads my blog, and this year she had made a special request for a pair of chocolate brown socks. It would have been a dead giveaway! Mom's socks were knit with Cascade Heritage using a pattern from Around the World in Knitted Socks  by Stephanie Van Der Linder,  It's Tea Time . The only modification I made was to make a slip-stitch heel flap rather than continuing the pattern on said flap; I've found that whenever I do that, the socks tend to spring a hole rather quickly, so I'd rather sacrifice a little style for a heel that is extra sturdy. The other pair of socks which haven't been shared on this blog were knit for my grandfather. He has really large feet and prefers basic stuff, so I freestyled a pattern that was in...

Here was my biggest gift knitting conundrum this year: I wanted to knit Tyler a new hat for work, but he gets too hot if I use wool yarn. Cotton and bamboo blends seem to work well, but I am never very happy with the results (even if he is and dutifully wears the finished hat non-stop). Furthermore, he pretty much only wears black and grey, so I'm very limited with my yarn and color choices. Luckily, I remembered my favorite pair of socks to wear back when I worked at the salon. They were knit out of Lorna's Laces Solemate yarn, which contains Outlast, a fiber technology that interacts with the body to moderate temperature. Problem solved! I bought a skein of Solemate in Patina (well, it was labeled as Grand Street Ink, but this skein is definitely not an inky purple-black, it is more of a dark tobacco brown, so I'm guessing it was mis-labeled...or perhaps I need to get my eyes checked!) and cast on for Arkanoid by Wooly Wormhead , which was a great pattern that was ...

In today's post, I'll be sharing the toys I made for holiday gifting this year, starting with the  Fraternal Twin Monkeys I made for our friends in Portland who were expecting twins next month. However, they got an early Christmas gift this year with the early arrival of said twins on Christmas Eve! The pattern is Rebecca Danger's Jerry the Musical Monkey , and I used some Cascade 220 that I got on closeout from Doodlebug Yarn earlier this year. It was so hard to send them away to their new home, but I know they will be well-loved. Early last week, I decided to crochet two patterns from the book I got for my birthday, Stacey Trock's Crocheted Softies ; one for my friend Ellen and one to add to Tyler's stocking. For Ellen, I thought that Milton the Slowpoke Snail would be really awesome with a Zombie BBQ shell (and I just happened to have a partial skein of Shepherd Worsted in my stash in that particular colorway!). Who doesn't need a Christmas snail ?...

My first holiday knitting FO to share while I'm on vacation is these these two Pokeball Hats  that I knit for my nephews in Portland, who are both Pokemon fans, needless to say. It's a free pattern I found on Ravelry and I was able to hone my duplicate-stitch skills in the process. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out! They are knit with one of my favorite superwash yarns, Berrocco Vintage.

I can't believe that Christmas is tomorrow - it's amazing how much faster this month goes by when you're an adult (or pretending to be one). Tyler and I are staying in Chicago for the actual holiday, then heading down to see our families in Kansas City on the 27th. How will we be starting out 2013, you ask? Why, we'll be up bright and early to catch the Amtrak train back to Chicago! I can only imagine how that train ride will go, considering the train begins in LA and many of those passengers will have spent New Year's Eve on said train. Should be interesting.  At any rate, I'll be pre-scheduling blog posts to share all of my secret gift-knitting (and crocheting!) projects while I'm away on vacation. Whatever holiday you celebrate, I hope it's wonderful! Reinbeers! I saw several versions of this on Pinterest and couldn't resist making a six-pack for our upstairs neighbors! 

Ho, ho, ho! If you have a last-minute gifting emergency, Craftsy has come to your rescue with their Christmas Sale. All online classes are $9.99 - $24.99, an excellent deal. I'm a huge fan of Craftsy classes (and I'm also a blogger affiliate), having signed up 11 this year. I'm a  Craftsy believer! Build your skills or learn something new with these class options from Craftsy : Knitting Classes Crochet Classes Spinning Classes Weaving Classes Sewing Classes Jewelry-making Classes Food Craft Classes Home & Garden Classes Enjoy and have a happy holiday!   

Earlier in the week, I whipped up a Dustland Hat for my husband's secret santa at work - he drew the new guy who also happens to be his boss. Talk about pressure! Unfortunately, it turned out way too large the first time, so I ended up frogging it halfway to move up the decreases and make it a more normal-sized hat. In hindsight, I should have gauged first, as the first attempt was truly gargantuan - and I only knit the medium size! It's a great pattern though; all of the different stitch sections are easy to memorize and kept me interested so that the hat went fast (both times). I'm happy with the results and will probably make another one for myself at some point. Back in the queue it goes! Pattern: Dustland Hat by Stephen West Yarn: Cascade 220, 1 skein in Aporto Find more FO Friday inspiration over on the  Tami's Amis Blog !

I'm nearly done with my holiday gift knitting....but just as soon as I get closer to my goal, I decide to add a few more project to my list! What is wrong with me?!? Since I can't really show you those projects, this will be a really  short update today (for more WIPs, stop by the Tami's Amis blog ). After completing my two   biggest holiday WIPs last week, I decided to dedicate some time to work on my neglected  Svalbard Mittens . As you can see, they are coming along slowly but surely! I've made a few mistakes on the cables, but they look like an intentional design feature  since I'm knitting them two-at-a-time and the mistakes are at least mirrored in both mittens. Plus, if someone is close enough to my hands to notice, I can slap them in the face. That's my plan, anyhow. On a more serious note, I'd like to direct you to this post on the Fresh Stitches Blog . If you are stunned and saddened by what happened last week in Newtown, CT, here is a chance...

Just one more week til I can reveal the details of my secret knitting (and crochet) projects! Luckily, I have plenty of other goodies to share between now and then. For example, my first shipment of the Fresh Stitches Just Add Stuffing Kit Club arrived last Thursday - it's a cute little crab! I also ordered some yarn from Doodlebug for the express purpose of crocheting even more amigurumi projects. I did a test knit for Kelbourne Woolens earlier this year and fell in love with Organik , which is a luscious blend of organic merino, alpaca and silk. Needless to say, it's a really beautiful yarn! Aaaaand if you still need some gifties for your fibery friends (or perhaps yourself!), Craftsy has some cool new stuff on sale ! Today is the last day to place your order for guaranteed delivery by Christmas, incidentally. You're welcome.

Last week I received the final clue for the Fresh Stitches Mystery CAL , but it wasn't until this week that I had enough time to sit down and assemble my mystery stuffie. Now I have this super-adorable puppy to keep me company! I also received an early Christmas present from my fiber friend Leanne - a Schacht Ladybug Wheel ! Holy moly, I sure didn't see that coming, so you can imagine the look on my face when the UPS guy showed up on my doorstep with a ginormous box from The Woolery (one of our clients!). Woo hoo! Don't get me wrong, I've loved my Heavely Handspinning wheel - it's served me well these past three years. However, I've been wanting to upgrade for a while now, and even though I've only just set up my new wheel and tinkered a bit, I am already in love with my Ladybug. It's so smooth (and quiet!), not to mention adorable...I can't wait to spin my first project on it! I have a big ol' container of fiber that is ready to be...

Since I can't share my WIPs today, here are a few projects I'm looking forward to starting the second my holiday knitting is complete: Yoga Socks: I really need some yoga socks for the winter months, as my living room is a bit drafty! The late Judi Sumner's Obi socks have been in my queue since August 2010....perhaps it's time to finally make a pair! Entrelac Mittens: Since taking Gwen Bortner's Entrelac Craftsy Class , I've been wanting to make a pair of these entrelac mittens using some Malabrigo Finito and Lhasa Wilderness that have been lurking in my stash. Chunky Cowl: I have the yarn to make the Arctic Circle Cowl , though I should probably finish the coordinating Svalbard Mittens I have on the needles first! Stripey Hat: I've had the yarn in my stash for over a year, but somehow I haven't made Veera Valimaki's Here and There  hat (which has been in my queue since February of this year) yet. What will you be casting on ...

Are there seriously only two weeks left to finish my holiday gift projects?! Now would be the time to start panicking, but I made a lot of progress on my remaining two 'big' gift projects over the weekend. I still have a few things that may or may not get done in time, but I'm much further along than I was around this time last year, plus I have a few days' extension since we aren't heading down to KC til December 27. If anything, that seven hour train ride will be the perfect time to finish things up! Lately, it seems like I am glued to Pinterest (downloading the Android app certainly didn't help with my obsession) - there are so many great holiday craft ideas on there...far more than I could ever hope to accomplish, though sometimes I entertain the delusion that I might spend an afternoon making a pom pon wreath or crocheting some cute little garland for our tree . Maybe next year, but for now I need to stay on task! I still haven't assembled my Fresh...

I'll share my completed project for the Fresh Stitches Archer Mystery CAL next week (I'm still assembling it!), and of course, I don't have any FO's that I am at liberty to share today. Hence, I decree today to be Fiber Friday! My order from the Craftsy Holiday Sale arrived last weekend: Skacel Hikoo SimpliWorsted , Cascade Covington and Universal Yarns' Limerick....all things I don't need (or have specific projects in mind for their use, for that matter), but they're certainly good for keeping the stash healthy. The price was certainly right - and, if you missed out on the sale, I notice that a lot of these yarns are still available to purchase via the links above. C'mon, you know you want to join me down the slippery slope! The Craftsy photos are nicer than mine! While I'm shamelessly enabling, Craftsy has some great deals on knitting books such as Rebecca Danger's  Knit a Monster Nursery ! Too bad I already got my copy, but at le...

Breaking news in the world of Craftsy Deals - these Lantern Moon Cool Sheep kits  (shown below in black , also available here in white!) are a-dor-able! Looks like there aren't very many left - but I think they'd make a great gift!

It's been a while since I mentioned it, but I've been working on each clue for the Fresh Stitches Archer Mystery CAL and I stil have no idea what I'm making! All will be revealed tomorrow when the final clue comes out. Here are all of the pieces: Yep, I'm totally stumped. What is your best guess? Looking for a little more WIP Wednesday inspiration? Hop over to the Tami's Amis Blog for all the blogginess you can handle!

Our Kickstarter project 's funding deadline was 11 AM this past Friday; I'm pleased to report that we reached our goal! It was a bit of a nail-biter, but it all ended well. I cannot tell you what a huge relief it is to have that phase of the project complete. It was hard work, but will definitely be worth it - we've already started phase II, wherein we begin pressing the first single! Since Tyler made the video and set up the project, I was in charge of the promotion. I'm certainly glad that I had the help of our friends and family, who shared our updates and project page to help get the word out. It's nice to know we have so much support! I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that only one of our four former strings players took the time to share the project with their friends and family. Even though they are no longer in the band and we don't see them socially, it would have been nice if everyone could have pitched in and at least posted the link ...

There aren't many FO's I can share with you these days, so I'd like to share something cool from my crafty friend Lauren, who recently used my Whale Chart for an unexpected endeavor...I would like to present to my dear readers the first-ever "put a whale on it" fuse bead ornament! It probably won't surprise you to learn that I succumbed to a few Black Friday/Cyber Monday yarn sales. Even if you only read this blog occasionally, I'm sure you've figured out by now that I am incredibly weak-willed when it comes to all things yarn and fiber. At any rate, my first order showed up earlier this week - another skein of Tundra in Scotia Sea (I want to make the Arctic Circle cowl to coordinate with my mittens !) and the last skein of Swan's Island Organic worsted in the limited-edition colorway, Sugar Maple. I can't wait to knit with it - the color is even prettier in person and it's very soft! I was also thrilled to finally get my hot little ...

I  know it's not knitting-related, but I'd like to update everyone on my band's Kickstarter project which is coming down to the wire - as I write this, we have 51 hours to reach our funding goal (we're just $243 away). You can get the details on my initial blog post or even on our Kickstarter project page , but the long and short of it is that we wanted to do a series of 7" vinyl singles with really cool hand-drawn art. Each single will feature cover art by a different artist (my husband Tyler, a few of our friends, and me) and, let's face it, vinyl is just awesome. We'll also be offering MP3 versions of the songs for our fans that don't own record players (or just want to listen to them on their iPod). The songs are already recorded, mixed and mastered - we just need to raise the funds to press them to vinyl and release them!  Click here to make your pledge if you need some new music to knit to, especially if you need to find that transcendent...

I was excited to sign up for Crochet: Beyond Rectangles with Linda Permann so that I could build upon my crochet skills gleaned from Vicki Howell's Crochet Lab and Stacey Trock's Woodland Animals . Now that I've become comfortable with the basics, I'm ready to take things to the next level. Crochet: Beyond Rectangles uses an easy-to-make baby sweater to help students learn how to shape, sew, and read patterns and crochet charts. All of these skills apply to any garment, but the smaller scale of a baby sweater is the perfect way to move beyond scarves and other beginner-type projects without becoming overwhelmed. This project-based class features 12 video lessons in all. I found the pattern reading section to be quite helpful, as it covered written instructions, abbreviations, stitch diagrams and how to use schematics. For those that are new to the world of yarn, the lesson on choosing yarn and gauge swatching will help you on your way - not only will Linda gi...

Christmas is my husband's favorite time of year. Though I've always enjoyed the holidays, too, I find that I look forward to the festivities even more now that I'm with someone who is so enthusiastic about the holiday season. In recent years, we've cultivated a few traditions as the nature of our holiday celebration has evolved: first, we started to have an actual* christmas tree ever since we moved into an apartment that's big enough to accommodate such a thing. We also like to get an advent calendar of some sort - the cheapie 99-cent calendars from Trader Joe's have fit the bill in years past, but this year, we have a really cool advent candle  that I got on clearance last year. Finally, I knit all of us stockings last year since it was the first time we'd be spending the holiday proper in Chicago, and we upheld the Ritter tradition of shopping for stocking stuffers on Christmas Eve. The most important tradition, however, is heading downtown for the...

Today's FO Friday will be a little different, since I technically don't have any FO's to show off! I do, however, have a newly-restored Featherweight Cardigan . I knit this sweater all the way back in 2009 (it doesn't seem like it was that long ago!) and in the last year or so, noticed a few small holes in the sweater sleeves. I set it aside for repairs, and, well.... you know what happened ! Meanwhile, I plan on avoiding the insanity of Black Friday like the plague today. I'm sure I'm not the only on who rather be knitting! I'm more of a Cyber Monday person myself, as I prefer to do nearly all of my shopping (no matter what day it is) from the comfort of my own home while wearing pajamas. Fellow pajama shoppers, you are in luck! From 11/23-11/26, Craftsy is running its Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale and all classes are being offered at $19.99 or less! I have to say, I'm a serial class-taker at Craftsy . Just this year alone, I have expanded my...

I can only share a few of my WIPs today, as we're rolling into that time of year when secrecy is of the utmost importance. As far as projects I am  at liberty to talk about goes....I haven't gotten much work done on my Shangri-La top , so I'm not sure it's worth a photo update. However, I have become addicted to making Grandma Trees for my holiday decor this year - they are so quick to crochet! I made five on my birthday and have been whipping up more whenever I have a few free moments. I am also making progress on the Fresh Stitches Archer Mystery CAL , but I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone who is just now joining the party - so click here to view my progress shots on Ravelry! I have come across some fairly hilarious turkey-themed patterns of late - so I thought I'd do something a little different today and share some of my favorites: Turkey Coasters by Joanne Loh  (free!) Thanksgiving Softies by Gari Lynn Turkey Hat by Kristin Han...