handmade by stefanie

Ah, Black Friday. My least favorite day to be out in the world. You won't find me shopping today, unless it's for groceries. Insane crowds and fistfights over discounted crap just isn't my scene, which I know seems strange since I am obsessed with getting got deals on nearly everything I buy. I'd prefer to shop online as a general rule, and most places are doing Black Friday deals online, too - in fact, many places have been doing them all week, which is just ridiculous if you ask me. What's to stop retailers from making Black Friday a monthlong festival of pain next year?! Anyway, op-ed piece aside, there are some Black Friday sales I've been looking forward to, such as the annual  Craftsy Yarn and Fabric sale - up to 80% off from 11/27-12/2! . There are lots of yarn and classes on sale this weekend, and I just noticed a new product: The Side Swipe Sock kit featuring my pattern and Lorna's Laces Solemate Yarn! It's currently a steal at 40% off, and y...

It's that time of year when I can't share many of my actual WIPs for fear of the recipient taking note and spoiling the surprise. Luckily, I can't seem to resist starting projects for myself, so hopefully that will keep things marginally interesting between now and Christmas. First, I've made some noticeable progress on my Marin Shawl : I'm also participating in the FreshStitches Snowman CAL that started last week. I've already finished five pieces: the head and body, carrot nose, scarf and and hat! I am using various colors of Drops Nepal, which I ordered from the Nordic Mart . It's become my favorite amigurumi yarn because the colors are lovely, it's easy to work with, and the price is nice, too! Their shipping is also super-fast; I ordered the yarn last Wednesday and had it in my hot little hands a mere two days later. Now that, I really  like! Finally, happy Thanksgiving to those of you who will be celebrating tomorrow! I plan to cook a lo...

Though I no longer have a daily commute, I still like to have one relatively simple project on the needles which can be worked on while riding the train or bus. Socks are one of my favorite on-the-go projects since they don't take up a lot of space, and I prefer patterns that are easy to memorize so that I don't have to keep pulling out a chart as I knit on-the-go. I designed these socks to be the ultimate travel knitting project - easy without being boring, all the while resulting in a pair of socks you'll love to wear. The colorwork lice and stripe pattern at the top of the cuff can be easily memorized (and you can just use your first sock as a reference when knitting sock #2); the striped toe allows you to easily work your toe shaping - all you have to do is remember which color is worked for the decrease round! As an added bonus, they are a great way to use leftover sock yarn, as you only need a small amount for the contrast color. Each pair can be knit up quick...

I've spent the last couple of weekends working on quick projects which may or may not become gifts this holiday season. First, I became obsessed with crocheting baskets using some of the handspun yarns I've added to my stash this year: My other goal has been to use up the leftover bits of yarn that are inevitable when one is a compulsive crafter such as myself. I've determined that Mochimochiland 's tiny things series make perfect fridge magnets when knit with worsted weight yarn on #4 or #5 needles, so I am working on making various sets. I started with making a trio of colorful fish based on the Tiny Fish pattern from Teeny Tiny Mochimochi : Next, I made some Tiny Cupcakes : I plan on making even more tiny things this weekend - it's kind of addictive! Thanks for stopping by this week - for more FO Friday inspiration, visit the  Tami's Amis blog . Have a crafty weekend! 

Over the weekend, I cast on for the  Marin Shawl  by Ysolda Teague, which is the only big project left on my gift knitting list. I'm using some lovely sock yarn from  Hazel Knits  and my Karbonz interchangeables. So far, it's knitting up fairly quickly, considering it's a pay-attention/stay-at-home project due to the amount of charts involved. Here is a progress shot of my Mystery KAL cowl project - today the third and final clue is released, so I'll be able to share this again on Friday as a FO, with any luck! What's conspicuously missing is my crocheted socks - or perhaps they weren't conspicuously missing til I pointed it out?! At any rate, after much debate over the weekend, I decided to frog them. It wasn't an issue with the pattern - it was easy to follow and I gained a lot of new skills in the process! I just wasn't loving the yarn/pattern combination, and coupled with the issue of fitting my absurdly small feet, I decided this was the b...

How To Say It: Pattern Writing For Knitters covers every conceivable detail a pattern writer needs to consider from start to finish. It's important to note that this course does NOT cover how to design a garment - that's another topic for another day. Rather, consider this a master's course for all knitters, whether you are a self-publishing designer or a knitter simply looking to understand why patterns are written the way they are so you can learn the lingo and knit them with greater ease. I'm not going to lie, this is extremely dry subject matter, but instructor Edie Eckman does her best to make things interesting. Each lesson is extremely thorough as Edie shares her collective experiences throughout the class. Rather than simply saying "this is the right way to do X, Y or Z," she explains why one option might be preferred over another in a given scenario (and also why the opposite may be true in a different situation). This course could almost be c...

I finished my Emmanuelle Sweater a few weeks ago, and it's been in heavy rotation ever since. It's hard to believe that this is the first chance I've gotten to take proper photographs, but that's just how things have been lately. This is the second sweater pattern I've knit by the designer, Mercedes Tarasovitch-Clark , and I really like the way it fits. I'm not super-great at intarsia, so I do find myself wishing that my chevrons were a little neater; if I were doing it all over again, I think I would knit the front and back pieces and then add in the chevrons with duplicate stitch afterwards just because I hate intarsia so much. I realize that is a totally insane notion to even entertain, but that should only speak to my true feelings where intarsia is concerned. Maybe someday I'll make friends with this technique, but it's not likely to happen any time soon. At any rate, the instructions were easy to follow and I had no issues with my yarn subst...

I've made some pretty good progress on my Spooktacular Socks from Rohn Strong's Holiday Crochet Sock Club : Since these are my first-ever crocheted socks, I have no idea what to expect. I'm a little nervous about the fit (I admit, I didn't gauge beforehand - I like to live dangerously), but I'm learning a lot of new crocheting skills along the way, which makes it all worthwhile. The second clue for the Blissful Cowl Mystery KAL comes out today, so here is a spoiler photo of Clue 1. I was able to knit through the entire first clue in one evening, so you could definitely join in at this late date and get caught up fairly quickly!  Finally, I am making lots of little amigurumi bits and bobs as I kick my holiday gift-making into high gear this month. I probably won't be sharing the specifics till the end of December, but here is what my WIP basket looks like this week: Thanks for joining me this week! For more WIP Wednesday inspiration, visit the  ...

I haven't gotten a chance to properly wrap up my 30 Day Sweater Challenge experience from last month, so now that I've had plenty of time to collect my thoughts, I thought I'd take today to finally blog about it. I have been wearing my 30 Day Sweater pretty much every day since I finished it (it's already pilling a little!). October was such an inspiring month for me because of this KAL - I can't say enough good things. I was even inspired enough to take the pieces of a sweater that I'd knit in August and September of this year and finally finished it the weekend after the 30 Day Sweater challenge ended, so now I have TWO wearable sweaters for this fall. On a professional level, I worked with Johnny and Lacie to connect them with prize donors and morning show guests from my client base. They were so great about mentioning the sponsors and telling folks to thank them and share the love, which I think is win-win for everyone. Through my correspondence wi...

Robin is one tough kidney cat! Today is the three year anniversary of Robin's diagnosis of Chronic Renal Failure, so I wanted to do a little something different than my usual FO Friday post to celebrate how we'll he's being doing since we stabilized him after his last crash. I'd been puzzling on what that might be for a while, but hadn't come up with anything that seemed quite right. Then, I wandered into the Lucky Cat Crafts booth at SOAR and started talking to Kim, the owner. We talked about yarn, fiber, and cats, although at the time, it didn't occur to me to ask if she wanted to be featured on my blog, much less sponsor an awesome giveaway AND provide my readers with a special discount code towards anything in the Lucky Cat Craft Etsy Shop . After returning home, I emailed Kim and pretty much suggested all of the above to Kim and, clearly, she said yes! Turns out, she has a kitty of her own who has a seizure disorder - so we both have the common bo...

I've spent the better part of this year knitting and crocheting holiday gifts for my friends and family, but I have been thinking about using some of my husband's excellent photos to create unique gifts to supplement my fibery creations. The Blurb Gift Center has plenty of good ideas to explore, so I was pretty excited when they emailed me with a special offer I could share with my readers (and use myself!).   There are many types of books you can create: recipe books, travel journals, baby books, and more! Bonus: you can use one of the coupon codes below to save on your total purchase. Enjoy! Save 20% when you spend $40 or more on print books at  Blurb When you use the coupon code:  MORESAVINGS **Offer valid through November 11, 2013 (11:59pm local time).  Valid for printed books only. A 20% discount is applied toward your product total with a minimum order of $40. Maximum discount is USD $100 or CAD $100 off product total. This offer is good for one-time us...

After a month of project monogamy during October, I was pretty excited to start some new projects! I started with a pair of colorwork socks, which are a new design that I'm hoping will be out before the end of this year. Therefore, I can't show you too much of it, but here is a little sneak peek - it's being knit in Baah La Jolla Tequila Lime (my favorite!) and Night Sky. Today I am casting on for a Mystery KAL that's happening in the Bijou Basin Ranch group . Though MKALs aren't really my thing these days, I am excited about this one because it's going to have lots of options so you can customize your cowl throughout the KAL. Another bonus it that's short and sweet - there are only three weeks of clues, so it should be fairly easy to be finished before Thanksgiving! I'll be knitting mine with a skein of Bijou Bliss in Steel. Last night I finally started my first-ever crocheted socks, Spooktacular from the Rohn Strong Holiday Sock Club. It took...

Welcome back! There were so many local yarn stores with booth space at the show who allowed me to take photos, so I wanted to be sure to share them here on my blog. Wool and Company : In addition to having lots of lovely yarns, they had a Knitter's Pride needle tasting in their booth! Windy Knitty : This is a great shop in Andersonville with an amazing selection of yarns. They stock local yarns from Lorna's Laces and Fleur de Fiber, plus plenty of other hand-dyed yarns, luxury fibers, as well as the bigger brands such as Berocco, Cascade, Noro and Rowan. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, too! Nina : Another great Chicago LYS; this one is located in Wicker Park, and they feature a well-curated selection of luxury fibers. Their booth looked great; a large portion of which was devoted to the amazing yarns of possum-y goodness from Zealana! Knitche (Downer's Grove, IL): I thought their booth was absolutely lovely, and I'm looking forward...

I've been looking forward to Vogue Knitting Live 's return to Chicago all year; it's so nice to have a show of this caliber that is easy to get to for us non-car-owning city folk (I won't bore you with the same plea as last year , but if the good people at XRX are listening - please move Stitches Midwest back to Rosemont). This year, I didn't sign up to be a booth helper, and I only shopped the Marketplace on Sunday morning in an attempt to minimize damage to my bank account; my main goal was to see my clients and friends, take photos, and test my resolve to not come home with a truckload of yarn. To that end, I think I was fairly successful - here's what I came home with: My biggest splurge was the limited-edition Super Mario Slipped Stitch Studios sock project bag from the Windy Knitty Booth; I'm so glad they had a few left when I stopped by on Sunday morning! I had seen these project bags earlier this year when they were for sale in a limited run ...