handmade by stefanie

Happy FO Friday! I finished my finito mittens for Malabrigo March and have been wearing them all week! They are so soft and warm, and it was surprisingly easy to convert the Waiting for Spring fingerless mitt pattern to mittens (and I still only used one skein of Finito !). I also made some yoga socks over the weekend - these have been in my queue for quite some time, and I can't believe I waited so long to make them. The pattern is from one of my favorite books,  Knitted Socks East and West  by the late Judy Sumner. I used the  Obi  pattern with just a few minor modifications to whip these up! They were a great way to destash some mystery yarn, too; I'm 98% certain this was a skein of alpaca yarn from Blue Sky, but of course the label is long gone. I split the skein by weight and used the whole thing up, save a few yards. I'm excited to test them out; it's been way too long since I've dusted off the yoga mat, in part because our living room is a bit drafty in...

Finishing so many projects not only feels good, but gives me permission to start new ones - perhaps the best part about knitting.  There's really nothing like starting a new project - even though I try to keep my startitis in check these days, I really love the feeling of casting on for something new that excites me. Here's what's currently on the needles: 1.  Super secret sparkly cowl!  I can't show you the particulars, but I'm working on a new sparkly cowl design using The Wool Dispensary's Useful Irradiant.   2. Socks!  I started these while in Phoenix, and over this past weekend I finished the first sock and started #2!  The pattern is based on Judy Sumner's Kyoto Socks from Knitted Socks East and West (I'm just using the chart, since the pattern is for a different weight of yarn).  I got this yarn (Trekking XXL) at the Sweatshop of Love Holiday Party/yarn swap last December! 3.  Laceweight Shawl! Wait a second....after that last lacy sh...