handmade by stefanie

Despite a 4-day weekend filled with lots and lots of crafting time last weekend, all I have to show for FO Friday is.....a tiny Bluebird of Happiness !  Yup, that's it! I knit this little guy in just a few hours' time using some leftover Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted  (in the Douglas Fir colorway) that was in my stash using the free Bluebird of Happiness pattern from Ravelry. I think I might add a little loop at the top so that it can be used as a tree ornament for the holidays! 

It's been quite a while since I finished the  Reeds and Rushes Cowl  - as in, just over a month! I'm not sure how this slipped past the FO Friday radar, but at long last, here is one of my most recent FOs using handspun yarn: I ended up making my cowl a little bigger than the original pattern calls for - measured flat, mine is 11.5"x7". To do this, I went up a few needle sizes and added several more pattern repeats before unzipping my provisional cast-on and grafting the cowl closed. I really love how the stitch pattern and yarn look together, though I think that I would add more of a garter stitch border at the top and the bottom if I were to knit this design again. The pattern is available for free  here on Ravelry , and I used some of my handspun yarn which you can read more about  here .

Now that it's been gifted, I can share this FO here on my blog! I recently knit the Newborn Vertebrae cardigan for a family member who's expecting a baby later this spring. The pattern is available for free on here Ravelry , and I have seen so many cute projects posted on Instagram, Ravelry and blogs in my reader that I couldn't resist making one of my own. I used a beautiful skein of hand-dyed yarn from Anzula , a fingering weight blend of Seacell and merino called Sebastian . The colorway, Curry, is the most gorgeous color of yellow I've ever seen - and perfect for a unisex baby project! While I think the resulting garment is cute (and the folks I gifted it to certainly loved it), I can't say I was totally in love with the pattern. For whatever reason, I seemed to be cursed from the start - I keep messing up the decreases as I knit and had to rip back a few times. I also am not totally sold on the frontless cardigan for a baby - or for anyone, for that matt...

This year, the folks at Save the Children are challenging folks to Make the World a Better Place with a Sweater  on December 12, which is also known as National Sweater Day! Non-knitters are encouraged to wear their most festive holiday sweater and donate $5 to Save the Children on Dec. 12, but knitterly folks have a special challenge for this year: to knit a sweater for someone special between November 12 & December 12, which Save the Children has dubbed the Pins and Needles Challenge . Don't worry - it doesn't have to be a full-sized sweater!  Save the Children  and Vogue Knitting have provided two free knitting patterns for miniature sweaters for those of you who are pressed for time: Sweater Garland - click here for a free PDF. Cell Phone Sweater - click here for a free PDF. I myself plan to knit a few mini-sweaters using the free Sweater Garland pattern above - I think they'll make great ornaments to give as gifts this year! I'll be c...

I'm so excited to share my newest pattern with you today, which also happens to be my first-ever crochet pattern! Ever since I got into crocheting amigurumi, I've been wanting to create a sister version of my knitted Button Bunnies pattern. After months (and maybe even years) of having this in my design queue, the Crochet Button Bunny is born! I used Maxima and Clasica yarns from Manos Del Uruguay , both of which are single-ply worsted weight yarns, which are ideal for crocheting - no splitting plies as you work. They're dyed in an array of beautiful colors at co-ops in Uruguay, and all Manos yarns are certified Fair Trade , which is pretty cool! Click here to get the FREE pattern on the Knitter's Pride blog!   My other FO this week is another Zoom Loom Turtle , which I made with destash yarn using the instructions from the DJE Handwovens Turtle Critter Kit . These fun kits were designed especially for use with Zoom Loom swatches, and there are several diff...

I whipped up a few crocheted placemats recently when I needed a few last-minute gifts. They were the perfect one-skein project using some of the Cascade 220 Superwash yarn I bought from a Craftsy sale and the leftover safety skein of Berroco Vintage I'd purchased for another project. I used the Grit Stitch Placemat and Coaster set pattern from the Cult of Crochet, which is a free pattern on Ravelry. I was pretty happy with how they turned out, plus I learned a new crochet stitch pattern! Thanks for stopping by this week - for FO Friday inspiration, visit the  Tami's Amis blog . Have a crafty weekend! 

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...

Summer has finally come to Chicagoland, which means it's time to trade in my jeans for skirts (for those of you who care, I don't believe in shorts) and bust out my ankle socks. One of my first-ever sock patterns is my go-to for the summer months; since I also don't wear sandals or flip-flops (yep, I'm weird like that), it's necessary to pair anklet socks with my shoes. The Lacy Summer Socks  are quick to knit with a lacy motif that's perfect for peeking through mary janes; it's now available as a free download on Ravelry and continues to be one of my most popular patterns. I recently came across a very sweet blog post from a fellow Raveler who recently made her own pair and shared her feedback about the pattern itself. Seeing a finished project from your own pattern is already one of the highest compliments a designer can get, but so is getting positive feedback from your fellow knitters! Craftsy Pick of the Week I've been getting back into design...

Perhaps I'm the only one who checks Craftsy's Yarn Deals on a nearly daily basis, but I just can't help myself. I have often been rewarded with some truly great deals on yarn (my Rocky Coast Cardigan comes to mind - I bought nine skeins of Canopy Worsted for 50% off in the Craftsy Yarn Shop !). There are also some really great patterns sold on Craftsy *, so I thought I'd start highlighting my favorites from both areas in a new regular feature. Enjoy! Stefaniegrrr 's Craftsy Picks of the Week for April 1, 2013: Manos Wool Clasica : 2 skeins will make this free pattern, the Wavy Cable Boot Toppers ! I made these for my rain boots last year and absolutely love them! Spud & Chloe Sweater : Use all three colors created exclusively for Craftsy to make Stacey Trock's adorable Alastair the Caterpillar ! Thanks for stopping by - don't forget to sign up for my newsletter , I'll have a really awesome subscriber-only deal for you this month! ...