handmade by stefanie

I've been test and sample knitting for several years, and most recently one of my samples made the front cover of the collection - I have to admit, I was elated! Since I always get a few questions when I share photos of my samples, I thought a blog post talking about the ins and outs of test and sample knitting would be a handy reference for anyone curious about this aspect of the yarn industry. Also, please know that there is also a need for test and sample crocheting, too! I just don't feel like I have strong enough crochet skills to engage in that type of work, and writing "test and sample knitting and crocheting" every time seems like overkill. I hope you'll forgive the shorthand used for the remainder of this post. That's my sample on the cover of the Radiance collection from KnitPicks! Sample Knitting VS. Test Knitting First, let's talk about the differences between sample knitting and test knitting - and please note, sometimes you will be d...

As I mentioned on Monday, I made my Holla Knits debut earlier this week with my SpringTastic Socks . This ankle-length sock combines easy eyelet lace with cables to create a fun-to-knit sock that is also quite fast - all the better so you can wear them right away! It's shown above in Manos del Uruguay Alegria , which is a hand-dyed superwash merino sock yarn from the Manos Co-ops. I chose this yarn specifically because I have been wanting to try it ever since it came out, and besides all of the pretty color combinations to choose from, the yarn also has an interesting story: it's Fair Trade ! Each yarn is signed by the artisan who dyed it, and it also tells you which co-op made your yarn. The coloway shown above is Periquito, and it's even more vibrant in real life! You can view all of the colorways here on the Fairmount Fibers website (they distribute the yarn in North America and provided yarn support for this design). Every Manos yarn I've tried has be...

Those of you who know me well are quite used to the fact that I rarely take requests. More specifically, I don't knit for hire in the sense that I will make you a sweater or (insert any handmade item here) for any sum of money. As most of you can probably commiserate, this policy is in place simply because I don't have enough hours in the day - I barely get enough time to make/design all of the things I want as it is! However, when your young nephew mentions (well in advance of his birthday, might I add) that he'd really love a hand-knit Pikachu , exceptions must be made! I used a free pattern  which I designed several years ago when his older brother requested the same - back then, I didn't know how to crochet, and those were the only patterns I'd come across on Ravelry, so I decided to come up with my own knit version. It's knit with Shine Worsted from KnitPicks, which is an incredibly soft blend of pima cotton and modal. I loved the yarn, but it p...

At first glance, it would seem like I've hardly made progress on any of my WIPs since last week. It kind of feels that way, too, but perhaps that's because I spent most of the weekend working on a project that I won't be able to share for another couple of weeks. At any rate, I did manage to start the second half of my Adm iralty pillow for the Holla Knits KAL: I also finished the second welt row on my Lory Shawl : Finally, I just have to weave 3 more Zoom Loom squares before I can assemble my second turtle for the Woolery's zoom-along ! I ordered some yarn for new projects to start soon, but have managed to avoid startitis thus far. I have a feeling I'll be making my first attempt at crocheting a Lumpy Space Princess out of this yarn I just bought from Knit Picks, however! To prepare, I've been watching a lot of LSP clips on YouTube (in addition to getting caught up on episodes each night). I think this one has the best. apology. ever:

Happy FO Friday! It's been a week since I finished Tyler's new gloves, but I wanted to save them for today's post. They were quick to knit - I made them in less than a week! - and I used some lovely hand-dyed BFL yarn I bought at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival last fall. It was a huge skein of yarn, so I have plenty left over for more projects. I used the 5 in 1 Adventure pattern from Marly Bird's Mittens and Gloves Galore class on Craftsy ( click here to read my full class review from earlier this week; there is a special affiliate link for 50% off your class registration!). Conductive Thread from Knit Picks You can't see them, but there are two small silver dots on the index fingers of both gloves; late last year, I purchased some conductive thread from Knit Picks so that Tyler can operate his smartphone and iPod without having to take off his gloves! I know that Knit Picks is getting a beating for their mishandling of a security breach on...

Whatever happened to the Darn-A-Thon ? I found myself wondering this over the weekend - the holidays really put this project on the back burner, but yesterday I decided to resurrect it by repairing the first pair of socks I ever knit for myself. These socks were knit just before the dawn of Ravelry (if any of us can remember that time!), so they aren't even entered in my notebook, but the yarn is from Knit Picks . In my early knitting days, I didn't know there was a whole world of yarn outside of a Michael's store - I had only recently discovered Knit Picks! I hadn't even encountered this thing called 'luxury yarn', and I had just moved to Chicago after spending three years in Portland, OR. Even though I grew up in the midwest, I knew my first winter back would be tough (boy was it ever!) and I would need some wool socks to get me through. Of course, I had no idea how to make socks, as I was still pretty new to the whole knitting scene. My very first order...

I have two FO's to show off this morning!  First, I finished my Shiatsu legwarmers - they are blocking as I type!  I'm pretty happy with how they turned out - They should be great to wear with skirts in the next few weeks.  I have to say, I'm very impressed with the yarn I used from Knit Picks - it knit up quite nicely and now that it's blocked, it's even softer and squishier!  I'll definitely be using this yarn again. Pattern:  Shiatsu by Judy Sumner - from Knitted Socks East and West Yarn:  Knit Picks Gloss DK in Robot (3 skeins) - a lovely (and affordable) merino/silk blend! I'm pleased to announce that I have finished my first Malabrigo March project!  There were a few hiccups along the way, as I ran out of yarn twice!  oh, the perils of destashing - usually I don't have this problem when making toys or monsters with leftover skeins of yarn.  Murphy's law decided to pay me a visit, and I did have to make a trip last week to Nina ...