handmade by stefanie

When it comes to yarn, there are a few things I can't resist:  1. Cashmere.  2. A great story. 3. A beautiful shade of grey. If you're a regular reader (or an instagram follower, for that matter), none of these confessions will surprise you. I am a total luxury yarn junkie, and grey is one of my go-to colors for knitting projects - let's not even try to count the number of gray projects I knit last year!So, when I was given a choice of colors from the absolutely stunning jewel-tone palette for June Cashmere 's DK weight yarn, guess what I picked?  Yup, I chose  Slate grey. Act surprised!  I was also offered a free knitting pattern, the Journey Mitts , which uses just 1 skein of the DK yarn. More on that in a bit - and how you can score a free pattern for yourself, too. First, I want to share the incredible story behind June Cashmere, which is sourced directly from small family farms in Kyrgyzstan, processed in Europe, and then organically...

It's been a few weeks since I shared what I'm working on, mostly because I've been focusing on a secret sample knitting project that I can't share just yet - which means that most of my WIPs are seeing very little action. In fact, the only project to progress somewhat since this post is my Find Your Fade (although I'm still not even halfway through the second to last color). Obviously, I won't be finishing by the end of this month, which is when the KAL ends, but hopefully I can get it off the needles sometime in April! Meanwhile, my knitting basket is getting a tad crowded. That probably wasn't helped by starting another new project over the weekend - even if it is rather small. This cute fair isle mittens ornament kit was gifted to me over the holidays and I've been meaning to break into it ever since. If not now, when*? *Pro tip: this is how you can justify just about any cast-on. I also have a new project on the loom which will be a d...

On Monday, I shared a review on the weaving class I took on Craftsy ; today for Weaving Wednesday, I want to share more photos of my class project, a stash-busting scarf using leftover scraps of yarn. I got overly ambitious for this project, which is only the second piece of weaving I've created on my Flip loom - but that didn't stop me from trying to be fancy and doing a multicolored warp! While I'm pleased with the overall effect, I would definitely take more care to choose yarns that have similar fiber content. Quite honestly, I'm not sure how I pulled this project off, because I was not experienced enough to deal with the wide variance in tension for each yarn in the warp. It was pure luck that it all worked itself out. I had to order a different heddle for this project, and while I waited for it to arrive, I wound a lot of different yarn scraps onto the stick shuttle in the order that I thought I would use them. It worked for a while, but then I ...

Not too long ago, Angela Tong asked me if I was interested in taking her Rigid Heddle Weaving Craftsy Class  and gifted me enrollment to the class for free. Truthfully, it had been a while since I'd even logged into Craftsy - in that time, the Craftsy website has been redesigned, and they've also created an app for smartphone and tablet users! Test driving the app was almost as exciting to me as taking this class (almost!!). I was able to set my iPad up next to my loom to watch the class lessons as I worked on my project, which was super handy. Also, iOS users can download lessons for offline viewing, which would be great for traveling. It was just as easy to make notes on videos as it is on the desktop version, and I notice they added a "30 second repeat" option (or maybe that's always been there and I'm just now noticing?!). Although it's been a while since I've watched any of my (many) Craftsy classes, I am a huge fan of them; every single ...

Confession time: not only did I neglect to finish any WIPs over the weekend (act surprised), I started something new! This skein of June Cashmere DK has been staring me in the face since last December, so I'm surprised I made it this long without casting on, to be frank. Lately, cashmere is my kryptonite, and so far I am really enjoying this one. I'm making the Journey Mitts and will be sharing a full review of this yarn soon (and I might have a special coupon code for my lovely readers, too - wink, wink!). Also, check out this adorable sheep-like Pokemon I caught recently - he's too cute not to share!

Over the weekend, I spring cleaned my craft library! My bookcase was about ready to burst, and I didn't have room for any of the newest acquisitions. Clearly, it was time to clear out some of the books and magazines that I most likely would never use, resulting in a HUGE pile of mostly magazines (and a few books) which will be looking for a new home. In addition to organizing everything a little better, I also made sure that my Ravelry library was up-to-date, adding in anything that wasn't already listed and deleting all of the books and magazines that I no longer own. Naturally, I didn't make any progress on turning some WIPs into FOs, but maybe next weekend I'll get that WIP basket spring cleaned...

I really want to start a new knitting project, but with a deadline project currently on the needles and more coming down the pike for spring, I really can't justify doing so unless I finish one of the many projects which have been languishing in my project basket. While I'm totally ok with the crochet handspun blanket being a WIP for a prolonged period of time, it's pretty ridiculous that the bulky weight sweater I started last August isn't even at the halfway mark. This stripey cowl in Seraphim yarn has been on the needles since the beginning of September, and I've moved it to my office so that I can sneak in a few rows here and there during conference calls. The last time I did that with a project, it became an FO pretty quickly - of course, that project was worsted weight, not lace weight yarn! Technically, the Find Your Fade KAL ends on March 31, but it seems to be pretty laid back in terms of the rules. I'm totally fine if I'm not eligibl...

Last weekend, I started my first class project from the Craftsy class I'm taking (full review will be forthcoming!) I'm using leftover bits and bobs of yarn to make a long scarf, and I was so excited about it that I wound the stick shuttles two weekends ago while I was waiting for the heddle I needed to arrive. The idea is that it will be gradient-ish from black to blue to green to grey for the weft. Once the heddle arrived and it came time to warp, I had an idea: why not make a gradient-ish warp, too? The thought entered my head and stayed there when it came time to warp the loom. Apparently, I was feeling very experimental and devil-may-care last weekend, because I went all-in and decided to use....five colors?!Not only that, but they were all different kinds of yarn, and as you can imagine, that produced some interesting tension issues to start things off. But this wacky little experiment isn't all for naught: so far, my favorite of all of the warp yarns is...

I finally have an FO to share this week - these simple striped mittens using both skeins of yarn from my first shipment of Mountain Meadow Wool's Legacy Yarn Club : I used a free pattern from Kelbourne Woolens, the Lychee Mittens , and two skeins of  Mountain Meadow Wool Tweed Worsted (you can read more about the yarn here ). This was also the perfect opportunity to use my new mitten blockers! I really enjoyed working with this yarn - it just felt good in my hands. If I had to elaborate more, the best I can do is describe it as crisp, the perfect blend of softness while still feeling substantial and durable. Though it's it's a 3-ply, it wasn't the slightest bit splitty as I knit. Hooray for finished mittens! The resulting mittens feel so warm and cozy; I could totally see myself making a sweater out of it down the road (you know, when I finish the two sweaters currently on my needles and work through the various sweater quantities of yarn still lurkin...

Last fall, I reviewed Love+Leche lotion bars ( click here if you missed it ). I'm the first to admit that I'm a bit of a product junkie, and I particularly am always on the hunt for ways to keep my hands moisturized. Working with wool sucks a lot of moisture out of your skin, and I have also been traveling a lot more for work in the past year, so a really good lotion bar can come in quite handy since it's TSA friendly for your carry-on. There's a lot to like about Love+Leche lotion bars, but first and foremost is that they work . They really do melt into your skin and are easy to use - I've tried a few other lotion bars that simply wouldn't melt into my skin as promised, and it was frustrating to say the least. My hands feel moisturized and supple, but not sticky or greasy. After a brief moment, I can pick up my project without fear of getting my yarns and needles gunked up with product. I also love that the products are natural & handmade (more on ...