handmade by stefanie

Although my Cheri Chevron shawl has been off the needles since mid-June, it's taken me all this time to finish weaving in the (many) ends and get some photos taken. Yes, I can be a procrastinator when it comes to finishing work! I needed a refresher on weaving in ends on garter stitch, and found this fabulous video from Staci Perry of Very Pink Knits (she's basically my go-to any time I need  to brush up on a specific technique, because she has a video for everything). Staci makes it super easy - just look for the smiles and umbrellas and you can't go wrong! You may recall that this is the shawl where I lost at Yarn Chicken ....and then had an epic fail in my attempt to order more yarn to finish it. Oops, it happens. Anyway, I don't think it's obvious that I ended up finishing the shawl by using the variegated color the rest of the way - can YOU tell in the photos?! View Pattern & Yarn Details here When it comes to styling shawls, I am kind of a doof...

I'm still making steady progress on my Fieldwork Cardigan and Scalloped Rib Socks , but to be honest, they aren't super-exciting to look at right now. Plus, last Wednesday I cast on for a new shawl using a skein of Sincere Sheep Cushy in Winter's Night - a new project is always  more exciting, am I right?! The pattern is Lisa Mutch's Zilver , and it's available for free here on Ravelry . As you can see, it knits up nice and quick! I also realized it's been a while since I've crocheted anything, so I decided to start something that has been on my to-do list since last fall: make a silly snake to block the draft that comes in through the kitchen door in the wintertime. Um, yeah...it's not exactly timely, but that's just how things go sometimes! I am using Stacey Trock's Slithers the Snake pattern as my guide, minus the shaping of course. For added draft-blocking insulation, I'll be stuffing him full of leftover bits of yarn and fiber. I...

As you might have guessed by a lack of a post on Friday, the final day of the WestKnits Mystery KAL , I didn't finish my shawl.  I'd like to say it wasn't for lack of trying, but my progress simply won't support that claim: As you can see, I'm not even halfway through the final clue! It's going to be smooth sailing from here - but on a really slow-moving ship (that seems to be the theme for most projects these days). Here's hoping this can be off the needles by the end of this month!

It's done, it's done, it's DONE! And I love it...(is anyone surprised?) This shawl is enormous - as you can see in this photo I took while it was blocking, it's longer than my massage table (which, if you're interested, is a good 75 inches in length). I used three colors of The Fibre Company's Canopy Fingering , which is one of my new favorite yarns - alpaca, merino and bamboo. It's delightful to knit with. I think this will be a staple throughout the fall and winter - it's perfect for draping around my shoulders, and since it's in my three favorite colors, it'll pretty much match everything I own (not that matching is ever a huge priority for me, considering most days I don't actually interact with the world at large!). One of my friends on Facebook commented that it looked like a Japanese rock garden, which hadn't actually occurred to me, but now I can totally see it. It was a pretty zen-like knitting experience, too - very soo...