handmade by stefanie

Another month has flown by! Since April is looking to be as action-packed as March (if not more so), I thought I'd be efficient by evaluating my progress on this month's goals and also sharing my plans for the month ahead on today's post. First, let's check in to see how I did this past month! MARCH GOALS: 1. Launch an  awesome new blog feature  to keep things interesting while I work on some projects which I can't share publicly (more on that later this month). Launched! You can see the first two posts in this feature here , and I have more exciting guests planned for April! 2. Finish  2 new designs  and  one top-secret project  by the March 26 deadlines. Over the weekend, I made a knitting schedule of where I should be at certain times this month for each project, and it's totally doable to have them done in time if I stick with it! Completed ahead of schedule...I can't wait to share these projects with you once they are made public. 3. Finish my

My first Curl was finished at the beginning of the month! I started Caesious way back in January for the informal KAL in Hunter Hammersen's Ravelry group . Things kept popping up to distract me from working on it, but at last I got back on task and finished it up. The stitch pattern was easy to memorize and perfect for my variegated handspun yarn, spun from Malabrigo Nube . It's squishy and soft and fun to wear; I'm thinking of adding a button so that I can take advantage of the openwork stitch pattern which can serve as de facto buttonholes. I love that I was able to use up pretty much all of my yarn (I had a small amount left over which I used to wrap a birthday present); that's the beauty of the patterns from Curls - you just knit until you run out of yarn! I definitely plan to knit more patterns from this book! If you missed my review, click here to check it out . Have a crafty weekend!

The Countdown to YarnCon Gnome Gnitalong is in full swing here on Ravelry ! Now that I have finished both of my secret knitting projects which are due this month, I am free to break out the DPNs and have myself a Gnome Party! I am using leftover bits of worsted weight yarn and my new favorite DPNs from Knitter's Pride, Marblz, to knit slightly-less-tiny versions of Anna Hrachovec's Tiny Gnome pattern. My goal is to make a gnome rainbow to send to Seoul, and they are so fast to knit that I'm already off to a good start. If you want to join in the fun, the Tiny Gnome pattern is available in a few places: Anna's book, Teeny Tiny MochiMochi ; the Tiny Gnome Kit ; and the Tiny Things Collection 3 which you can purchase for $3 off the regular price now through April 15, 2015 - just enter  GNOMEDIPLOMACY at checkout. I'm really excited to contribute a few gnomes to this project, and I can't wait to see how it turns out. Plus, I'll be entered into a prize

Knitting Sarah A few weeks ago, I introduced the Take 5 series, which is where I ask fiber-loving folks to share top five lists on a variety of topics ( click here to get caught up ). This week, I asked one of my favorite midwestern bloggers, Knitting Sarah , to share a list which could stop cold sheepers in their tracks...or, at the very least, make those of us with lesser resolve feel better about our frequent bouts of stash enhancement. Presenting.... Knitting Sarah’s Top 5 Excuses to Buy More Yarn Yarn doesn’t go bad. As long as it’s stored properly, yarn will happily sit in your stash for years waiting for you to find just the right pattern and moment to knit it (trust me, I’ve personally tested that theory). So really, why not add to it? Incentive. Sometimes we all need an extra push to finish up a certain work in progress. I find that the promise of new yarn on the way or new yarn upon completion of said WIP often helps me cross the finish line. I think it’s

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my Stripey Fine Giveaway ! The lucky winner is PamfromNOLA. I will get in touch with you to arrange for the delivery of the prize - congratulations! Today, I have a quick FO to share with you: my project for the Celery Slouch KAL , which is happening now through April 30 here in the Blue Sky Alpacas Ravelry group . There is a pretty awesome prize up for grabs, and all you have to do is knit this simple slouchy hat in any Blue Sky Alpacas yarn! Also, you get multiple drawing entries the more hats you knit & share in the group, which is a pretty sweet deal.  It was the perfect conversation knitting project, and I ended up stashing it in my bag so that I could knit a few rounds wherever I happened to be - on the bus, at the salon, or at a party. The yarn is really soft, and it blocked out beautifully over a plate. I'm planning to donate it to charity, but it was fun to wear it for the photo shoot! Have a crafty weekend!

I had quite the productive weekend, wherein I finished 2 out of 3 secret projects (and the third is now in the final stages of done-ness)! That meant I had plenty of time to to spend on my other WIPs and March Goals . My first order of business was finishing my Celery Slouch KAL project (more on that this Friday), deciding on a spinning project for March (more on that....eventually), and dusting off my Block Island Pullover , which has been rather lonely in the knitting basket of late.  On Monday night, I finished the first sleeve, and instead of diving into sleeve #2 right away, I decided to take some time to weave in all of the many  ends hiding on the inside of the sweater. It's not terribly exciting stuff, but I'll be glad I did it later on. Probably.  I also added several squares to my destash memory blanket ...in fact, I've already exceeded my modest goal of adding 2 squares each week (for a total of 8)! I'm getting totally addicted to picking out

Last month, I shared a new-to-me yarn which I'm using for an design appearing in an upcoming Holla Knits collection. Today, I want to share a not-so-new-to-me yarn which has long been on my list of favorites, Himalayan Trail . I first used this yarn in 2012, when I knit a scarf which I gave to a friend for Christmas that year. I immediately fell in love with the fluffy softness! At the time, this yarn was only available in two color options, Natural Brown and Natural Cream. Dun Bonnet, just one of 24 color options from the Outlandish collection. A little over a year ago, Bijou Basin Ranch introduced the Outlandish series of colorways which are inspired by the Outlander series. I admit, I haven't read the books, nor have I watched the TV show (which is just about to make its return to Starz) - but I am most definitely a sucker for beautiful semi-solid hand-dyed yarn! Last fall, I designed a hat and fingerless mitt pattern using  Himalayan Trail , and I am just finish

Today I have a special treat to share: an exciting new yarn from Spud & Chloë called Stripey Fine ! It's a fingering weight blend of 80% superwash wool and 20% silk, which is a blend I don't think I've ever come across in a sock yarn (with the exception being Fine, the solid-colored predecessor to Stripey Fine). This gives it a bit of a sheen to the yarn itself, and I'm willing to be that the addition of silk gives it added strength while reducing the likelihood of pills. The yarn feels very similar to a sweater I made several years ago which was also a similar blend of wool and silk (which is now discontinued); that sweater has yet to pill or show signs of wear. Stripey Fine comes in seven variegated colorways, shown above clockwise, beginning at the top: Blueberry Cheesecake #7863, Tootie Fruitie #7860, Grape Freeze #7864, Cherry Sundae #7866, Neopolitan #7862, Orange Cream #7865, and Mint Chip #7861 in the center. Each colorway knits up in what I would des

I'm always eager to receive the next issue of Spin-Off in the mail, but the Spring 2015 issue which just arrived at my house is quite possibly the best I've ever read. It's bursting with interesting products and cool ideas to try, and I absolutely love the emphasis on putting your handspun stash to good use. Jillian Moreno's article on combining your onesie fiber braids to create interesting marled effects in your finished handspun yarn is one I know I'll be referring back to quite a bit; I also loved Dagmar Klos' article on overdyeing stash yarns using natural dyes to transform seemingly clash-y skeins of yarn into a harmonious palette. Other article topics include features on Shetland Wool Week (which took place last fall), a spinners' trip to Ireland, a tutorial on creating batts with leftover fleece and fiber in your stash, creating a rug hooking project with your handspun stash yarn, and more. The projects focus mainly on using up your handspun y

I really like to make lists, and I've always enjoyed reading top 5 (or 10) lists in magazines, blogs, etc. One Friday afternoon not so long ago, I was wrestling with how to keep posting fresh and interesting content on my blog as I took on more and more work which had to remain top-secret. Since I my day job at Stitchcraft Marketing has put me in touch with a lot of awesome bloggers, designers and other industry folks, it seemed like a natural progression to spotlight these folks on my own knitting blog. Then I dreamed up the perfect twist: invite each person to share a Top 5 List which somehow relates to the fiber arts. Here's the catch: every Take 5 list will be totally different than the next! Each person who agrees to participate in the series is given a list of 20+ topics to choose from; once they select from the list, that option goes away for any future participant. We'll be covering all sorts of ground - from funny to educational and all points in between.

Living in Chicago, I am quite spoiled for awesome fiber-related events in my neck of the woods. However, YarnCon is hand-down my fave: it kicks off the fiber show season every April and attracts some really amazing indie dyers and makers. I'm thrilled to help spread the word about an exciting KAL called Project Gnome Diplomacy , which is a gnometastic partnership with the folks who put on YarnCon & Anna Hrachovec of Mochimochi Land ! I can't think of a better way to count down the days til YarnCon (which takes place on April 18-19, 2015) than by helping Anna collect all of the tiny gnomes she'll need to complete her upcoming art installation is Seoul, South Korea. Here are the details: Mochimochi Land is going to Korea in May, and we want YOUR tiny gnomes to be our ambassadors! In the spirit of craft and community, these gnomes will be unique creations gathered together in a delightfully diverse group of beards and hats for the public to see and be i

After seeing my list of March goals which I posted on Monday, it may seem strange that I have a new WIP - perhaps even insane! Luckily, it's a quick project which I can wok on outside of the house, which comes in handy since the designs-in-progress are very much stay-at-home projects at this point. Clearly, I can justify just about anything! I heard about the Spring KAL happening in the Blue Sky Alpacas Ravelry group which was announced last week, and you know how I can't resist a KAL...especially when there is a totally awesome prize up for grabs . Over the weekend, I wound off my yarn (3 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas sport in the color used for the pattern, Celery) and I cast on Sunday night...after I'd safely reached my design knitting goals for the day, of course! The Celery Slouch KAL comes along at just the perfect time for me, as my knitting group is collecting hats for women who are currently battling cancer. I have a modest pile of hats ready to donate, and

Admittedly low-tech, but I think this will keep me on task. 1. Launch an awesome new blog feature to keep things interesting while I work on some projects which I can't share publicly (more on that later this month). 2. Finish 2 new designs and one top-secret project by the March 26 deadlines. Over the weekend, I made a knitting schedule of where I should be at certain times this month for each project, and it's totally doable to have them done in time if I stick with it! 3. Finish my Caesius CurlsKAL project (for real this time). 4. Complete 8 more squares (2 each week) on my scrap yarn blanket (but only if I meet my design knitting goals first, of course. 5. The long shot: finish my Block Island Pullover ! I have a feeling #2 is going to keep me quite busy all month long, and I think it'll be quite a challenge to complete #3 and #5 by March 31, but who knows - once everything is safely turned in, perhaps I'll have a finishing bonanza at the end of the m