handmade by stefanie

My knitting guru's birthday was last Friday, and I wanted to think of something fun yet useful that I could make her. After combing Ravelry and my bookshelves for ideas, I finally decided that the Turtle Lunch Tote from Amigurumi on the Go would make an excellent project bag! It was actually kind of hard to give this one away, I may have to make one for myself someday soon. You can purchase this awesome book via Craftsy Deals by clicking my affiliate link! I got a few goodies in the mail this week - first, I placed an order with HaldeCraft because I wanted to try the lavender hand lotion before it was discontinued...naturally, some lip balm  (which is also being discontinued) found its way into my shopping cart, and Lorena very kindly included a bar of Lavender soap that smells absolutely heavenly. I don't usually order lavender anything  online without already being familiar with the product line and how it smells, because there is good lavender and very, very b...

Happy FO Friday! I finished my first project from Amigurumi On The Go, which I bought recently via Craftsy Deals . This is the Cat Roundie Bag , which I modified a bit, mostly because I didn't want to sew on pieces of felt. Instead, I decided to crochet as many features as possible and embroider the rest. Below is what I did if you decide you'd like to do the same! The main yarn used is a lovely space-dyed purple from Manos Del Uruguay (just in time for their Fair Trade February celebration!); the contrasting colors are all bits and bobs from my amigurumi stash. This was a very quick project to make, though I highly recommend blocking the finished pieces (especially the round bag pieces) so that they lay nice and flat. Modifications - To Make Cat Features Cat Muzzle: Work first 6 rnds of bag front instructions in contrasting color. Fasten off. Cat Triangles (worked flat - make 5): Ch 2. Row 1: SC 3 sts into second stitch from hook. Row 2: CH 1, SC 3 sts. Row 3...

I've made some major progress on my Calm Cowl , which recently joined me for a few journeys on the CTA and a barista throwdown at the coffee shop where my husband works. Just last night I started on my third ball of yarn! I've made a little more progress on the Destash Dolman , which I'll be focusing on for the weeks to come so that I can get it off the needles finally. I'm halfway through the 19th stripe! My only other WIP is the  Roundie Bag that I'm crocheting for my grandmother's birthday. I haven't made much progress since Monday, but I'm hoping to finish it over the upcoming weekend. The yarn is Manos Yarns' Maxima , and I just happened to get this started in time with their Fair Trade February event! That wraps it up for this week, see you back here on FO Friday! Looking for a little WIP Wednesday inspiration? Hop over to the Tami's Amis Blog for all the blogginess you can handle!

I'm getting serious about amigurumi this year! In January, I decided to set up an amigurumi station in my living room so that everything I need - safety eyes, crochet hooks, and YARN of course! - is all in one place (not pictured: poly-fill stuffing, but it's been added to the general vicinity since this photo was taken). Each drawer is filled with worsted-weight yarn that has been earmarked for amigurumi: the top drawer contains small bits and bobs of leftover yarn; the middle drawer contains half-used skeins that would be suitable for accent colors; and the bottom drawer is stuffed with full skeins of yarn just waiting to become something cute. My husband bought me Stacey Trock's Crocheted Softies book for my birthday last year (which incidentally was the anniversary of its publication!), and since then it has been my #1 source for cute amigurumi patterns. Several holiday gifts were made from this book, in fact! Recently, I purchased Amigurumi On The Go via Cra...