handmade by stefanie

Arctic Circle cowl in progress! Chicago, like the most of North America, is experiencing an extra-frosty dose of winter this week - we're talking negative double-digit temps with truly frightening windchills. This is when being a work-at-home cat mom is awesome; though I like winter (it's my favorite season), I will admit that this is a little insane, even for me. My husband had to brave the arctic conditions in the name of coffee, however - and it's times like these that I'm glad I'm a knitter! Knowing that he is out there in various layers of warm winter wear which includes my hand-knits makes me worry a little less when my phone keeps pinging about dangerously cold weather conditions. Free pattern: Handspun Garter Scarf/Cowl And so it seemed incredibly appropriate to cast on for the Arctic Circle Cowl using Tundra yarn from The Fibre Company. I'm not sure whether it's the hair of the dog or an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'e...

This week, I released a new pattern that is perfect for last-minute gift knitting emergencies: the Berlin Cowl can be knit up in a weekend using just one skein of worsted weight yarn. Named after one of my favorite Lou Reed songs, the Berlin Cowl is simple yet complex at the same time - you can definitely take this project to knit night! The statement cable is easy to work amidst a garter stitch background, a combination which will perfect show off any of the hand-dyed colors Baah Yarns' Shasta worsted. I chose this yarn not only for the gorgeous color options, but because it is easy-care, too! My husband and I decided to do our photo shoot at the Christkindlmarket , which is our favorite holiday tradition here in Chicago. It's modeled after open-air markets in Germany, and you can get traditional food, beer, and hot spiced wine to enjoy while browsing all kinds of traditional goods such as cuckoo clocks, glass ornaments, candies and more. Naturally, the day of the shoot ...

I've made some pretty good progress on my Spooktacular Socks from Rohn Strong's Holiday Crochet Sock Club : Since these are my first-ever crocheted socks, I have no idea what to expect. I'm a little nervous about the fit (I admit, I didn't gauge beforehand - I like to live dangerously), but I'm learning a lot of new crocheting skills along the way, which makes it all worthwhile. The second clue for the Blissful Cowl Mystery KAL comes out today, so here is a spoiler photo of Clue 1. I was able to knit through the entire first clue in one evening, so you could definitely join in at this late date and get caught up fairly quickly!  Finally, I am making lots of little amigurumi bits and bobs as I kick my holiday gift-making into high gear this month. I probably won't be sharing the specifics till the end of December, but here is what my WIP basket looks like this week: Thanks for joining me this week! For more WIP Wednesday inspiration, visit the  ...

After a month of project monogamy during October, I was pretty excited to start some new projects! I started with a pair of colorwork socks, which are a new design that I'm hoping will be out before the end of this year. Therefore, I can't show you too much of it, but here is a little sneak peek - it's being knit in Baah La Jolla Tequila Lime (my favorite!) and Night Sky. Today I am casting on for a Mystery KAL that's happening in the Bijou Basin Ranch group . Though MKALs aren't really my thing these days, I am excited about this one because it's going to have lots of options so you can customize your cowl throughout the KAL. Another bonus it that's short and sweet - there are only three weeks of clues, so it should be fairly easy to be finished before Thanksgiving! I'll be knitting mine with a skein of Bijou Bliss in Steel. Last night I finally started my first-ever crocheted socks, Spooktacular from the Rohn Strong Holiday Sock Club. It took...

Earlier this week, I put the finishing touches on a brand-new cowl pattern: the Like the Tides Cowl is a quick, simple knit that lets the gradient colors of the yarn take center stage. I fell in love with the colorway, Seaglass, when I was visiting Windy Knitty with a friend last month. I knew I wanted it to become a cowl, but when I searched Ravelry for the perfect pattern, I couldn't seem to find one that looked like what I was imagining it in my head. I chose a simple, easy-to-memorize stitch pattern that would be as soothing as the sea; all the better to show off the stunning colorway, too! Later on, I found out that this yarn is 100% made in the USA: the wool comes from sheep raised in Colorado and it's handpainted in California  - how cool is that? Pattern Details:  Yarn: 2 skeins Freia Flux Sport (290 yards total) Needles: US #6 Gauge: 22 sts & 32 rows = 4 inches in pattern stitch Finished Size: 20" circumference; 9" wide Cowl is knit...

Over the weekend, I met my goal to finish the first sweater piece for the Fieldwork Cardigan : Of course, unblocked, it just looks plain weird, but that is the sleeve and one half of the back of the sweater. The pattern is from the new Pom Pom Quarterly (you can read my recent review here ) and I'm using some gorgeous hand-dyed yarn from the Sincere Sheep ! I visited family over the weekend and made some major progress on my Freia Cowl . It's now at that difficult-to-photograph phase, which means I am very close to being done: Finally, Tyler and I went to the a free show downtown (Speck Mountain and Sharon Van Etten) on Monday night, which was the perfect time to work on my Baah! socks . I even got the heel turned and made it nearly all the way through the gusset shaping: Tyler took some really cool photos at the show - the show took place in the Pritzker Pavilion , which was designed by Frank Gehry and is pretty cool to look at, much less sit in and enjoy music....

Over the weekend, I finished all of my WIPS, so this week I have all new projects to show off this week! My friend Julie was in town, so we made a trip up to Windy Knitty for a little stash enhancement. I finally picked up two skeins of Freia Flux , which I've been wanting to try out for a while now, and immediately cast on for a simple cowl to show off the hand-dyed gradient colors: I also cast on for another pair of socks using a test color (I think!) of Baah! La Jolla ; they are a pattern from my back catalog that I will be updating once these new socks are finished. I was never happy with the photographs of this design, which is based on a vintage stitch; the pattern could use some gussying-up as well, so later this summer there will be a re-launch for my Scalloped Ribs sock pattern (and anyone who has already purchased this pattern will of course get a free upgrade!). Finally, the new issue of Pom Pom Quarterly arrived in the mail last Thursday - I was impressed with ...

Remember my Calm Cowl ? I have been working on it steadily since I last shared it on this blog , but I feel like it will never be finished! I am nearly done with the third ball of yarn (Wisdom Yarns' Limerick), but I think that I'll keep going and dip into my fourth ball. It's certainly been a great project to take on-the-go; it's accompanied me to various places such as our favorite coffee shop, a bowling alley, and the Genius Bar at the Apple store, not to mention countless trips on the CTA. My Sock Monkey Monkey is nearing completion; even though I feel like I don't work on it very much (it is the "kitchen" project du jour), somehow I am coming down the home stretch at last. I am loving the yarn, which is a hand-dyed worsted with a very nice twist from Haldecraft . Can't wait to finish my monkey! Just as soon as I finished Tyler's gloves last Friday night, I cast on for the Rocky Coast Cardigan  with the Canopy Worsted I scored for 5...

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!

Three days after I started it, the Mushin Cowl was finished - it took me longer to get around to photographing and blogging about it than the actual crocheting! I became completely addicted to this pattern, which was easy to memorize and absolutely perfect for the yarn, Malabrigo Arroyo in Escorias . I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but the Mushin Cowl is available as a free download on Ravelry. I find it surprising that I'm only the seventh person to make this pattern; it never ceases to amaze me how some patterns catch on and have thousands of WIPs and FOs, while other designs that are just as awesome (sometimes more so) remain in obscurity. It looks likes this pattern came out this year, so there's still time for it to be discovered! If you're new to crochet like me, this is the perfect project to build your skills while making something pretty. I highly recommend giving it a try! Darn-A-Thon Update : My BMFA Socks that Rock  are back in business! ...

Crocheting those amigurumi pumpkins last week really whetted my appetite for crochet! I decided to take one of the skeins of Arroyo I just ordered from Doodlebug Yarn to make some sort of cowl. I came across this simple, free pattern on Ravelry called the Mushin Cowl by Shireen Nadir. The term "mushin" comes from Martial Arts training and means "without mind." Once I read that in the explanation, I knew this would be the perfect pattern for me to make! Since I am still really new to crochet, there are sometimes terms I come across that I haven't seen before; in this pattern, it was the slip stitch at the end of each round. First, I wondered - should I have been doing that all along when crocheting amigurumi? Is it just one of those givens that isn't necessarily written into a pattern? I've signed up for Stacey Trock's Woodland Creatures workshop on Craftsy, so perhaps that will shed some light on that subject once I sit down to do the course. ...

I took five projects with me to Kansas City; four FO's returned with me, and I started the fifth project on the train back to Chicago! I was halfway to the heel on sock #2 for the Jelly Beans Sock KAL before leaving for KC; about halfway through the train ride down, I realized I'd left the instructions at home . Genius! Luckily, I had sock #1 to use at a reference. I'm not terribly experienced with short-row heels, but I have to pat myself on the back and say I did a pretty good job with reverse-engineering sock #2, which was completed sans instructions. I can't tell which one is the off-book sock, can you? One note about the yarn ( Spinnery Sock Art - Forest  in Natural Gray): it bloomed quite nicely once I blocked it with a little Eucalan .  I'll have to give some of their hand-dyed colorways a try next! I know I shared a photo of my finished Tarragon Swan Cowl  earlier this week, but I wanted to share a photo with an actual humanoid (even if it is just m...

Just a short post on this FO Friday - last weekend, I finished my Entrelac Cowl !  There were lots of ends to weave in (you break the yarn with every tier), but Gwen had a really clever time-saving finishing tip at the end of the final cowl lesson.  I opted to block my finished project, but have yet to take some photos of myself modeling it, since it's been over 90 degrees every day this week.  I'm longing for the days when I can wear a cowl out-of-doors! Pattern: Infinity Neck Warmer by Gwen Bortner from the Entrelac Knitting Course on Craftsy Yarns: The Sanguine Gryphon Codex in Le Petit Prince, The Fibre Company Acadia in Asparagus and Blue Heron

I've been obsessed with this pattern ever since it came out, and at the beginning of June, I finally cast on with some Road to China Light I bought at Doodlebug Yarn. I chose Carnelian, which I thought was going to be more reddish in color (those laptop screens can really fool me sometimes!); it turned out to be more of a purple-red - I'd call it a mauve almost. I was weighing my options between Carnelian and Garnet and probably should have gone the other way when I placed my order. At any rate, it was a surprise, but I decided to just go with it and start knitting. I tend to buy the same colors of yarn over and over again, so sometimes the caveat emptor of online yarn purchasing is a good way to get me out of such color ruts. RtC is a super-soft blend of baby alpaca, silk, camel and cashmere. Yep, it's incredibly soft! I used my Cubics special interchangeables (they're great for hats and cowls, hence I am now obsessed with them) and quickly realized that this patte...

Seaming the Fir Trees Cowl took very little time, surprisingly.  As you can see, I'm loving my brand new lacy cowl... ...Perhaps a little too much!

I finished my second May KAL project this week, the Fir Trees Cowl by Marly Bird.  It's blocked and ready for seaming this weekend - all in all, it turned out pretty well!  I had a few false starts and some bumps along the way, yet somehow my mistakes are not as visible as I feared they'd be.  Not that I'm complaining!  This was my first time knitting with angora yarn ( Seraphim from Bijou Basin Ranch) - it was incredibly soft and held up quite well to multiple froggings.  The Fir Trees Cowl is classic example of a deceptively simple pattern that I just can't seem to stop messing up - I think my final count for re-starts was 4. Even though it's going to be quite hot this weekend, I'm looking forward to wearing my pretty new cowl since I worked so hard on it.  And it was worth it! I also whipped up a trio of Tiny Gnomes from Teeny-Tiny Mochi Mochi  this week.  A simple, fast knit - the perfect project to start after finishing a lace pr...

I'm still convinced that this whole scarf/cowl combo needs to be commonly referred to as a scowl. I'm probably alone on that one, but at any rate, I have finished my second Zuzu's Petals .  As you can see, it got a little out of control: That tiny cowl is the first Zuzu's Petals I knit (using US #4 needles and a skein of Finito for a closer fit, i.e. more cowl than scarf), which I've included it for scale.  What happened with Zuzu the Second , you ask?  I'm not sure how this is possible, but I used the wrong needle size.  Like, REALLY wrong.  Four sizes too large wrong, in fact.  It puzzles me that I didn't think at any point "hey, these needles are awfully big!"  Actually, I think think that a few times, but instead opted to knit away blissfully.  Go figure. So, long story short, kids:  6mm needles and US #6 needles are NOT one in the same.  I do, however, like the finished product - it's probably the closest thing to a poncho I'...

After a weekend filled with knitting, here's where I stand on my many WIPs: Zuzu's Petals KAL for MadMay & Doodlebug Yarns: Prior to the start of the weekend, I was all set to join for the round when I noticed two botched stitches I knew would bother me if I left as-is….so I ripped out half of my work, also known as the entire evening's progress.  So frustrating!  The beginning section is probably the easiest part, too - stockinette with a few RS increases. Nevertheless, I got back on track and had a finished scarf/cowl by the end of the weekend.  Fir Trees Cowl KAL: I had to frog and restart a few times because I kept twisting the cast-on.  Why is it that, in my many years of knitting projects in the round, I am only now becoming prone to this annoying problem? WHY? I finally gave up and decided to knit flat - which is how the pattern is written anyhow....quite possibly for a reason!  I will say, though the angora laceweight seems delicate, it he...

I am participating in two KALs this month - both for cowl projects!  Finally, I found the perfect way to combine my Mad Cowl Disease, Startitis, and new-found addiction to KALs into one perfect storm. Both KALs involve patterns I've been ogling for quite some time.  The Zuzu's Petals KAL was the perfect excuse for me to finally knit with Madelinetosh yarn.  Yes, you read that correctly:  up until this very point in time, with some eight-odd years of knitting under my belt, I HAVE NEVER PURCHASED, STASHED, OR KNIT WITH ANY MADELINETOSH YARNS.  Even I don't know how that is possible, but alas, it is so. Fortunately, it has also been remedied, as I cast on May first with a gorgeous skein of Tosh Sport in Cousteau.  Here is a very early progress shot: My second KAL cowl project is a lacy cowl design by Marly Bird using one of Bijou Basin Ranch's newest yarns, Seraphim.  A hazard of my job is self-enabling, and I confess that this is a prime exam...