handmade by stefanie

I have a fun new pattern, just in time for fall knitting! The Beyond the Wall Cowl was designed especially for those irresistible mini skeins, and I used a bundle of hand-dyed minis from Mountain Meadow Wool . You can get it for free when you sign up for the Mountain Meadow Wool newsletter. I loved working with this yarn, which is spun in Wyoming using wool fiber that is raised by ranchers in the western states. It's combed to create a smoother, softer yarn, and then hand-dyed in an array of beautiful colors! Each mini skein is 60 yards for a total of 255 yards; I chose the blue set which includes Charcoal, Spruce, Teal, and Turquois. You can play around with the color order to create fun combinations. To conserve yarn at cast-on, I recommend using the crochet cast-on method, which is usually a provisional method; when used to cast on with your working yarn, this method will not only save an yarn usage, it will match your bind-off nearly perfectly, too. Here is a great ...

Happy Friday! I have a new free knitting pattern over on the Knitter's Pride blog today: the Spa-Riffic Wash Cloth can be made in just 1 weekend using two strands of a cotton fingering weight yarn held double. I used one skein of Patti, a 100% organic cotton yarn from Kraemer Yarns , and it was probably one of the most enjoyable cotton-knitting experiences I've had in a while.  Like all of their yarns, it's made in the USA, so you can feel good about supporting a homegrown business. I am pretty sure that I have enough yarn left over to knit another wash cloth, too! The pattern was created especially for the Knitter's Pride Spring Home Decor KAL/CAL , which is happening now through June 30. You can knit or crochet ANY home decor pattern of your choosing for your chance to win some pretty great prizes (more on that here ). Also, double dipping from other KALs is encouraged! Click here to favorite or queue this pattern on Ravelry. I also guest blogged...

I have another free pattern out this month on the Knitter's Pride blog! You can whip up these Quick Crochet Mitts in just a few hours using the easy-to-follow instructions on this blog post . I used a 20.00mm crochet hook and a skein of Briggs & Little Super to make this project, and you can probably get two more pairs of mitts out of the same skein - so it's not only fast, but also affordable!  Click here to favorite or add to your queue on Ravelry. Happy hooking!

After knitting a Force Awakens hat for my husband Tyler, I thought I'd take a crack at making a baby-sized version using fingering weight yarn and smaller needles - and I'm happy to report that it worked out quite well! I used the same number of cast on stitches specified in the pattern to make this pint-sized version using three different fingering weight yarns in my stash. Here is Tyler's hat to give you a sense of scale: ICYMI, the Force Awakens hat is a free pattern here on Ravelry . May the Force be with you!

Photo courtesy of the American Gotland Sheep Society. I was thrilled to come across some Grey Gotland roving at the SOAR marketplace last fall. Gotland is very similar to the breed of sheep used to make Elven cloaks for the Lord of the Rings,  Stansborough Greys . Gotland sheep originated in Sweden (and are still raised there today); they were brought to New Zealand in the 1970s, where they developed their own distinctive traits, in part due to the breeding practices by Barry and Cheryl Eldridge. The Stansboroughs came to be recognized as a breed of sheep in their own right in 2005. While I have yet to come across bona fide Stansborough fleece to spin, I was quite happy with my experience with Gotland. It's very dense and silky - almost heavy-feeling, yet it was fairly easy to spin. It has a halo similar to mohair, and though I've read that commercially-prepared Gotland top has a matte, slightly coarse quality, I didn't find this to be true of the fiber I spun (if yo...

Last year's Tour de Fleece and Spinzilla events left we with a healthy stash of handspun yarn. I have gifted many skeins to knitting friends (especially those who don't spin), but there are a few skeins that I knew I wanted to save just for me. I was particularly enamored with a Falkland 2-ply I'd made with hand-dyed roving from Hearthside Fibers and Pumpkinhaus . Both of my winter coats just happened to coordinate perfectly with the resulting yarn, and I decided on a simple knit to let all of the variegated colors take center stage. I should preface this by saying that I really hate knitting scarves - they seem to go on and on without end, and I usually tire of the process. However, I have tons of cowls and shawls in my collection, and it would be nice to have an actual scarf that is big and snuggly. As I was knitting, I thought it would also  be nice to have the option of draping it around my neck several times like a cowl, so I decided to add buttonholes before...

Last week, I discovered that my blog readership was comprised mostly of enablers! Not that I'm complaining, since I rather liked the encouragement to work on as many projects as I like. I haven't been allowing myself too much freedom in that regard, but the gloves came off last weekend and I have to thank my blog readers for that! First, I started a very simple baby hat while on the bus; you may recognize it from last week's post , though I ended up not following a pattern after all (I didn't want to consult a chart while on-the-go). A few days later, I was done with my Cutie Patootie KAL/CAL baby hat! I used Cotton Comfort from the Green Mountain Spinnery , and I probably have enough left over to make another baby hat, or perhaps some matching booties! Over the weekend, I also started crocheting a retro mushroom potholder (available for free on the Lion Brand Website ). I never thought I'd be the type to make a potholder, but I couldn't resist this aweso...