handmade by stefanie

I have a new hat, fresh off the needles! This is my project for the Delta Hat KAL that's happening over in the Hands Occupied Ravelry group through the end of this month: I used Himalayan Trail , one of my favorite Bijou Basin Ranch yarns (and also the yarn which the pattern happens to call for). The color I chose is Continental Blue - a nice, rich navy (and hey, it's not green!). I did add in a few extra rounds of the garter brim because I was a little worried that the hat might be a bit shallow for my head - and I had a nice little bit of yarn left over at the end, so I probably could have added in a few more if I cared to. Also, I went up a needle size because I am apparently a tight knitter these days! You'll notice I have some pretty spiffy buttons - they are made from salvaged tool handles, so each set of buttons is unique! Full disclosure: they are made by my friend Lindy, the talented woodworker behind Balwen Woodworks (you can find out more about this Chica...

Stitches booty! The fall yarn & fiber festival season kicked off (for me, anyway) at Stitches Midwest in Schaumburg this past weekend! I only attended the marketplace on Friday this time around; usually I go out for one or both weekend days, but to be honest, one day was totally enough since I wasn't signed up for any classes or events. I know I complain about this every year, but the drive to Schaumburg from the city is NOT fun, and since I don't have a car, I have to rely on the kindness of my knitting friends to get me out there since I'm not keen to repeat last year's Metra/shuttle experience . The marketplace seemed smaller this year, but a good mix overall (if you can excuse the three aloe/lotion vendors which were all in the same row, which seemed like an major oversight for whomever planned the vendor layout - maybe I'm the only person who notices or cares about such things?!) Anyway, there were a lot of the vendors I expected to see, and severa...