handmade by stefanie

Last month, I cast on for a really beautiful stranded colorwork project (the Xanadu Snowflake Cowl by Julie Crawford ) using a buttery sock cashmere yarn from Bijou Basin Ranch. Having knit several colorwork projects before, I really thought this would be a piece of cake, but I ended up struggling with it quite a bit at first, and progress was frustratingly slow until just recently. I think my main issue was that I had taken a fairly long break from stranded colorwork, and I was sorely out of practice. I couldn't quite get into the rhythm of the project, and I also wasn't able to spot mistakes until I had knit several stitches (and sometimes even rows  ahead), which made for a lot of frogging and maybe even some cursing here and there. But I stuck with it, and the more I kept working at it, the easier it got. And once I started getting the hang of the chart and working with the two yarns, things moved along just a little bit quicker. I also have three little "tricks...

Today I'm heading home from TNNA , so I will just be sharing this quick craft tip with you - be sure to look for a TNNA-tastic blog post from me later this week! Recently, I was getting ready to start a project and realized I had packed my cord and needle tips in my project bag, but didn't have the tightening key handy. Luckily, I had a safety pin within arm's reach - and it did a great job of pinch-hitting!

Over the weekend, I decided to put some of our expired coffee to good use overdyeing some of my handspun yarn. After doing a little research* into the specifics of coffee dyeing, I combined this reconnaissance with my general dye knowledge from the 4 years I was a dyer with Lorna's Laces and dove headfirst into the Great Experiment. First, I added extra ties on the skeins to keep them neat and tidy during the dye process, then soaked them in a tub of tepid water and vinegar for 30 minutes.  While the skeins were soaking, I prepared my dye. I'd been collecting small quantities of coffee beans over the last several months; my husband works at a local coffee roaster, so we always have an overabundance of coffee beans in the house. Since they are no longer considered "brew-worthy" a few weeks after their roast date, I decided to use them for dyestuffs before sending them to their ultimate resting place, the compost heap.  I can't say I was terribly scienti...

In today's post, I'll be talking about how to successfully knit (or crochet!) with hand-dyed and variegated yarns!  Each skein of hand-dyed yarn is unique and often has subtle variations that might not be evident in the skein til you begin to knit with it. Shaded solids are often the easiest to manage when knitting a larger project, while variegated yarns behave differently depending on the dye process.  A selection of hand-dyed yarns. A general rule of thumb for hand-dyed yarns is to alternate skeins of yarn every couple of rows to minimize differences within the dye lot. Yes, I know it sounds fussy, but trust me - it works and it's worth the extra effort! Alternating skeins tricks the eye to blend the colors of each row, which makes it the knitted piece appear more uniform. Not only is this a handy trick when knitting with skeins from the same  dye lot, it also works if you are knitting with skeins from  different  dye lots! Don't believe me? Let's se...

If you've been reading my blog for over a year, I hope that the increase in photo quality has been noticeable. Time and time again, I've see great blogs or Etsy shops with excellent products or projects - but terrible  photos. For a while, my blog was in that very category, but I realized that it was a barrier to gaining a wider readership. I'm lucky because I have a husband who is a top-notch photographer ; ever since he got a fancy-pants digital camera (a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi), he has been taking most of my blog photos and all of my pattern photos. If you're looking to take your blog or online shop to the next level, I highly recommend Craftsy's newest photography class, Shoot It! A Product Photography Primer . You can also use a few of my tips and tricks to get started: Ditch the cell phone camera. Trust me, we can all tell that's what you've been using! You don't need to break the bank on a professional-grade digital camera, either - j...

Happy FO Friday! Last weekend, I finished the crochet owl hat using one of my favorite superwash yarns, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted . It is so unbelievably cute, I don't know if I can stand it! This was a very easy-to-follow pattern ( Crochet Owl Hat by Sarah Zimmerman, available for free ), so I would definitely recommend it for those of you who are new to crochet. I made one small modification - rather than sewing on buttons for eyes and then crocheting a border to attach around the buttons, I made my eyes all in one piece like so: With a few yards of black yarn, use a sloppy slip knot to get started. Ch 2. SC 6 times in 2nd st from hook, join for rnd. Rnd 1: SC twice into each st. 12 sts. Rnd 2: Switch to your CC (in this case, green). SC 1, SC twice in next st. Repeat til you reach the end of the rnd - 18 sts. Rnd 3: Switch to white. SC 2, SC twice in next st. Repeat til you reach the end of the rnd - 24 sts. Rnd 4. SC 3, SC twice in next st. Repeat til ...

Here's a new Craftsy class that has piqued my curiousity: Beyond Basic Broomstick Lace with Jennifer Hansen . The broomstick lace technique uses a knitting needle and a crochet hook to create lacy, airy stitches, creating beautiful fabrics and edgings quickly. This makes it an easy-to-learn technique for knitters and crocheters alike, though knitters will benefit from knowing the basics of crochet to make a smooth transition. You may recognize Jennifer from  Stitch Diva Studios ; in this new class, she covers the history of broomstick lace (also called 'jiffy lace'), which dates back to the 1800s. Beginning with the fundamentals, Jennifer allows students to get comfortable using the needle and crochet hook together before kicking it up a notch with more advanced instruction. In this class, you'll begin with a broomstick lace eyeglasses case and graduate to a broomstick lace cardigan. Jennifer will show you how to work broomstick lace short rows and in the round, h...