Try Not To Panic: December is Here!

Renegade Holiday Fair, Circa 2012
Photo by Dan Grzeca

Ack! It's December, and I'm hitting the panic button for my holiday gift-making! This is the point at which I have to be honest with myself and decide whether or not it's possible for me to finish all of the knit and crochet projects on my to-do list; it may be time to admit defeat and purchase some gifts! Today being Cyber Monday, this is a great time to snap up some deals online to make your life easier. If you are in the market for some knitterly gifts, Marly Bird has an extensive list of Cyber Monday deals here on her website!

This is also a fantastic time of year to support other makers, either via Etsy or by going to a holiday craft fair. I'm fortunate to live in Chicago, where we have tons of holiday craft fairs this time of year - anything from larger affairs such as the DIY Trunkshow and the Renegade Craft Fair December Market to smaller shows such as the Handmade Market or Revolution Craft Show.

I've scaled back some of my gifting goals to include quickie holiday ornament projects such as the ones I've been collecting here on Pinterest. Of course, if you're still worried about a last-minute time crunch, perhaps some ready-made ornaments are more your speed. I recently came across these adorable knitted bear ornaments from the Mother Bear Project, which are a fundraiser for their efforts. The proceeds from each ornament sale allows them to mail 6 regular-sized Mother bears to children in Africa who are affected by HIV/AIDs.

Mother Bear Ornament

Here's another gift idea that just about everyone can enjoy: a club memberships! Last year, I was gifted a three-month membership to the Rare Beer Monthly Club and it flipping rocked. In fact, I've continued my monthly membership with a different beer offering from their list of choices - and they also have wine, cheese, and other options to please a variety of tastes (click here to check them out). Getting back to ideas for fibery folks, there are many yarn and fiber clubs which would be great options - a lot of indie dyers offer a monthly club with exclusive colorways, and there are also other clubs featuring related products such as the Slipped Stitch Studios monthly project bag club. I myself have my eye on a Cloudlover fiber membership this year!

Slipped Stitch Studios Adventure Time Notions Bag

I have one more idea for your crafty friends: a well-chosen project kit. Since we all have plenty of yarn for the most part, it's sometimes nice to have the whole caboodle so that you aren't faced with the challenge of finding the perfect project for your pretty new yarn. Some of my favorite kit sources include FreshStitches (for lovers of amigurumi crochet - she also has a kit club, but unfortunately memberships are closed til July 2015), Craftsy (which has sewing, knit and crochet project kits), and Bijou Basin Ranch - they even have a kit featuring one of my designs, the Forever Linked Hat & Mitts!

Forever Linked Hat & Mitts in Himalayan Trail Yarn (my favorite!)

I'd love to hear your gifting solutions for this time of year, too!

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b...

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends, so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks). The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a...

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels? I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n...

handmade by stefanie

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