handmade by stefanie

This week, I have an exciting Find your Fade update: I finally got to the the fourth color, a skein of stellina yarn that was gifted to me recently: I have an instagram buddy with whom I swap beer a few times a year, and we always include something yarny for each other; this skein of hand-dyed yarn from the Susquehanna Knitting Company seemed like the perfect thing to use for the middle color of this project (and I totally dig the color name,  Winter Waves ). I've also made it to the heel on my first Waterlilies sock , over the weekend I put in the placeholder yarn so that I can work an afterthought heel. You have to really squint to see the not-so-contrasty gray yarn I used, but I assure you it is there! Since there is some sample knitting in my future, I am trying to avoid starting new projects right now in favor of finishing current (and possibly languishing) WIPs. The yarn for one such sample arrived earlier this week - check out this luscious bundle of  Clara...

The hat projects just won't stop! In the past couple of weeks, I have finished the following projects: First up, the  Sockhead Hat ( free pattern here on Ravelry ) in Manos del Uruguay Alegria in Maiz. Pardon the unmodeled shot, but I look absolutely terrible in yellow and just didn't want to subject myself or you guys to that dreadful sight. I know it seems weird to buy yarn that you know you can't wear anywhere near your face, and then knit a hat with it, but I just wanted to knit with a color outside of my usual grey/blue/green comfort zone, and I enjoyed the last project I knit in Alegria quite a bit. This particular skein hopped in my shopping cart at Webs because I couldn't resist a good sale! Next, a  Handspun hat  which was knit sans pattern using the leftover gradient Merino/Silk yarn I spun for this sweater . Unfortunately, the end result was a rather large hat that doesn't fit my tiny head (which is kind of a bummer, I was hoping to keep this o...

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!