handmade by stefanie

I've gotten several projects off the needles recently, which means - yay! - I get to start new projects. This week, I cast on for the Chibi Maruko cowl by Mari Chiba using the skein of Baa Ram Ewe Dovestone DK that I got at TNNA earlier this month. Of course, I still have ALL THE SOCKS on the needles and am trying to work on them a little bit as I am able (the arm issue is still a thing, though not as bad as it was previously). And I recently realized that I am VERY close to the finish line for my Cozy Memories Blanket - it's amazing what you can accomplish if you actually work on a project regularly . I know, I know. This could have been finished months ago, but instead I set it aside and ignored it for reasons unknown. Anyway, now that I can see the finish line, I am super-motivated to get this off the needles. I am now a mere 9 squares away from being done! And side note, I am so glad that I spent an afternoon weaving in ends a while back, because now I just have a...

It's come to my attention that I once again have too much spinning fiber (ie, all of it does not fit in the very large 60-gallon bin I have earmarked for it). Thank goodness the Tour de Fleece is almost here - it's a great reason for me to dust off my spinning wheel. It's been a month or two since I last finished a spinning project; with all of the travel and weird arm issues, spinning was something that just fell by the wayside. Usually I spin rogue for the TDF, but one of my podcaster friends (who also was on my Spinzilla team last fall), Laura from the Corner of Knit and Tea , is hosting a TDF team this year. There aren't a huge amount of rules to be a part of the team, so of course I joined up - here is the deal with Team CKT : This year, the Tour de Fleece starts on Saturday July 2 and runs until Sunday July 24th, 2016. Guidelines (NOT RULES): Spin every day the Tour rides, if possible. Saturday July 2 through Sunday July 24th. Days of rest: Monday, July...

This week's FO is a hat I finished right before I left for TNNA in a new yarn from Kraemer Yarns called Naturally Nazareth . It's spun here in the US from domestically grown wool, a trend I'm glad to see taking hold in the yarn world. I met (and, full disclosure, work with) the folks at Kraemer Yarns at TNNA, and I really love their story .  Anyway, I knit the Astrid hat by Jen Lucas from her new book, Cozy Destash Knits ( click here if you missed my recent review ). It was a nice, satisfying project that looks more complicated than it was - the pattern stitch was really easy to memorize.  It was also really fun to work with a color that is way outside my usual fare of neutrals, blues and greens. This color is called Twilight and it's got some subtle heathery depth to it - so pretty! I'm pretty sure that Naturally Nazareth will be arriving in yarn stores soon, but if you are dying to get your hands on some skeins NOW, you can  contact them directly...

I've been pretty monogamous with my WIPs this past week, especially since I flew down to Kansas City last Friday for a Royals baseball game. I know, I know....two baseball games in two different cities in one week? I must be insane. But my in-laws scored diamond club tickets for when Tyler was visiting to go to Boulevardia, and there was one for the taking if I could just hop a flight down...which is exactly what I did, and it was totally worth it!  It was insanely hot, but they trounced the Tigers and we still had way too much fun. Also, there were fireworks! It would have been nice to stay the weekend, but since I'd been at the trade show the previous weekend, I thought it would be better to just do Friday/Saturday so that I could have some unwind time on Sunday. The upside of doing so much travel this year is that it stresses me out way less, and I'm feeling pretty at home at O'Hare. Anyway, I'm digressing, but the main point is that my primary trip pro...

I was pretty excited when I heard that this year's Summer TNNA show was in DC. I've never been there, so it seemed like the perfect way to see a bit of the Capitol, which otherwise I probably wouldn't visit because I have so many cities and countries higher on the list. I earmarked Monday afternoon/evening for sightseeing and booked a flight out the next day. But before I get to all that - I should probably talk about the show!  This is my 6th (or maybe 7th?) TNNA, so it was pretty much what I anticipated. Friday opened with the fashion show, and if that is any indication of what's to come this fall, you better start knitting a giant gray poncho NOW. Seriously, there were a lot of flowy, oversized garments walking the runway! Most of Saturday and Sunday was spent walking the show floor when I wasn't in meetings. Here are just a few of my favorite things which I remembered to photograph (there are so many more I totally forgot to snap photos in, oops!). A n...

Since last week, I've made progress on my two main WIPs AND started a new design! I didn't take the handspun Grivola shawl on my recent trip to DC, but it's grown considerably since I started it last week because of the big  'ol yarn and needles.  The 3 Color (possibly not) Cashmere Cowl turned out to be the perfect travel and trade show project. When I arrived back home yesterday, I was ready to add the third color! I did start a new design while in DC, but didn't get very far along, so I can show you a sneak peek. Here's hoping that it will be done soon so that I can get it released for your knitting pleasure, because the Lhasa Wilderness is perfect for summertime projects.  One of my TNNA goals was to avoid temptation and bring home as little yarn and other swag as possible, and I'm proud to say that for once I succeeded! Here is my modest haul - I am most excited about the green skein of ------ yarn from Baa Ram Ewe, but I've b...

At the beginning of this week, I reviewed the book Cozy Stash-Busting Knits by Jen Lucas ( click here if you missed it ). This is my first finished project from the book! I knit the Merope Mitts using a skein of Powder River yarn from Mountain Meadow Wool, which is a natural-colored yarn that has a unique fiber content: 63% mountain merino™, 25% alpaca and 12% black rambouillet. I love a good marled yarn, and this one was soft and easy to work with. It produced a nice, squishy fabric that blocked out beautifully: I'm pretty sure that these mitts will be hard-wearing, which is always a bonus. As for the pattern, it was easy to follow, and the resulting mitts fit perfectly (sorry, I didn't have time to get a modeled shot before heading to TNNA this weekend). If I can bear to part with them, these mitts will make a great gift for the holidays!

The hand/arm issues have gotten better, but I am still unable to knit more than a few rounds on a sock every couple days. At this rate, the three socks I have in progress will be finished by.....2018?!?! Hopefully patience will win out and I can get back to sock knitting in some capacity by mid-to-late summer. That was a pretty depressing sentence to type just now, but I would rather work within my limits and focus on really fixing the issue for the long term, rather than trying to find a short-term quick fix. In the mean time, I am allowing myself to start new projects, so long as they can contribute variation in yarn weight/needle size/project type, giving me options to choose from when I am able to knit. With that in mind, I decided to start a Grivola shawl with this mondo skein of handspun Coopworth in a natural dark chocolate brown that is already giving me fits to photograph. I am nearly finished with the Astrid Hat in Naturally Nazareth yarn (if you missed my review of th...

I was excited to review Jen Lucas' latest book of accessory patterns, and who can resist a collection that's engineered for stash-busting? Most knitters have a considerable amount of stash, and if you're like me, the thought of how to put those pretty skeins of yarn to good use is often on your mind....until you see something shiny and new! Cozy Stash-Busting Knits is the perfect way to  refocus those efforts - after all, once you knit down your stash, you can buy more yarn guilt-free, right? The patterns are arranged from front to back by yarn weight, and range from DK to Bulky, so it makes stash -diving all the more easy. While some of the projects require multiple skeins of yarn, there are also just as many that you can knit with just those oddball skeins lurking in your stash. You also have the option of knitting any of the patterns in different weights of yarn (there are tips included to help you do so successfully). If you are looking to destash sock yarn in p...

While I was waiting for the issues with my left arm to resolve, I worked on some crochet projects which I never got around to sharing on this blog once they were finished! Here's how I kept my hands busy during the worst of my golfer's elbow flare-up, when I could barely knit a stitch: I made this Crochet Hat with some Plymouth Yarn I had in my stash and a free pattern from Little Things Blogged . I got a little carried away with the slouchy bits, but I think it still turned out pretty well. And, of course, I topped it with the world's biggest pom pom! It's been a while since I made any toys, so I decided to use a skein of yarn I bought at Yarn Con earlier this year to make a cute little Bunny using this pattern from FreshStitches . I don't know why, but I always have a few limbs askew on my toy projects, and even though I was trying to make things reasonably lined up, this little guy still looks like he's trying to pose like a supermodel: I also croch...

It seems like I've worked through the worst of the arm issues. I'm not 100%, but I am much improved and able to knit a little more than before, thanks mostly to a very stylish compression sleeve I've been wearing on my forearm. It's insane to think that just one little piece of fabric could make such a difference, but ever since I gave it a try, I haven't had to ice my arm AT ALL. I'm still stretching and taking frequent breaks, but I can honestly credit the compression sleeve with the most meaningful contribution. Go figure! So now I find myself with a LOT of WIPs on the needles - way more than I am usually comfortable with! If I include the cozy memories blanket, the grand total is 8...and I usually like to limit myself to 3 or 4 max as a general rule. Any more than that and I start to feel weirdly stressed about how many WIPs I have languishing, so I am trying to stay focused and get at least a few projects off the needles before I head to TNNA in a few wee...