handmade by stefanie

Last weekend, I finished my Polar Hat for the Bulky Hat KAL that's happening right now over on Ravelry ! This hat was a fast knit, and you might think that attaching all of that fluffy fringe was a painstaking process - but it was actually quite easy & fun!  This is a crazy warm hat, one which I will be donning on those subzero days which are sure to come.  ...and of course, today is  Black Friday, which really isn't my thing. I am neither participating in the madness, nor am I officially participating (unless you count taking a field trip to the 3 Floyds brewery as participating), but if you are looking for some deals you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home, there does happen to be a something special for listeners of the Prairie Girls Knit & Spin podcast which coincides with today:  Click here to listen to their most recent episode to get a 25% off coupon code good towards my Conversation Socks ebook! It's mentioned right at the begin...

In recent years, I've been getting into the holiday spirit by knitting and crocheting holiday decor and tree ornaments for my house. This year, we'll be staying in Chicago for Christmas and  we have a bigger tree....so I would love to see what other folks are doing, too, in the hopes that it helps me fill up my own tree! Just for fun, I thought I'd try to start a new hashtag on Instagram (but feel free to use it elsewhere) to make it easy to share & discover handmade holiday decor - just tag your photo with #yarnyxmas to play along! Here are a few of my favorite projects which I've made in years past: Snowman, Build Your Own by Stacey Trock of FreshStitches Olive the Monster Christmas Tree Ornament by Rebecca Danger Cupcake from the Christmas Knit Ornament Pattern Set by Amy Gaines Hot Chocolate Run Polar Bear by Sarah Delaney I can't wait to see which patterns everyone else is making this year! News Flash: Shop Craftsy'...

Today's FO Friday will be a little different, since I technically don't have any FO's to show off! I do, however, have a newly-restored Featherweight Cardigan . I knit this sweater all the way back in 2009 (it doesn't seem like it was that long ago!) and in the last year or so, noticed a few small holes in the sweater sleeves. I set it aside for repairs, and, well.... you know what happened ! Meanwhile, I plan on avoiding the insanity of Black Friday like the plague today. I'm sure I'm not the only on who rather be knitting! I'm more of a Cyber Monday person myself, as I prefer to do nearly all of my shopping (no matter what day it is) from the comfort of my own home while wearing pajamas. Fellow pajama shoppers, you are in luck! From 11/23-11/26, Craftsy is running its Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale and all classes are being offered at $19.99 or less! I have to say, I'm a serial class-taker at Craftsy . Just this year alone, I have expanded my...