handmade by stefanie

Last fall, Jen Geigley put out a new book of patterns called Everyday , the follow up to 2015's Weekend . As the tech editor for both books, I can't even pretend to give an impartial review, so instead I will share a few of my favorites from Jen's latest collection & let you draw your own conclusions: Moonstone in Manos del Uruguay Maxima Leo in Briggs & Little Country Roving Aura in Wool and the Gang Crazy Sexy Wool Eris in Lux Adorna 100% Cashmere Bulky Equinox in Bijou Basin Ranch Xanadu 100% Cashmere What I love about these designs is that they are simple yet interesting to knit - by that I mean, there aren't a lot of complicated stitch patterns or charts or crazy construction elements that require your undivided attention. But there are interesting design elements that keep the knitter engaged, if that makes sense. Also, I feel like nearly all of them would look just as amazing in handspun yarn, of which I hav...

Hunter Hammersen's newest book of patterns arrived in the mail last week at just the right time - I was wanting to indulge in a little startitis, but couldn't seem to land on a pattern to cast on. Once I flipped through the book, I knew I wanted to get something  on the needles, and I grabbed some yarn and started the Suitable for Use hat that very day. I'd seen a preview of Fine Things for Plain Occasions ( available here from Pantsville Press ) at TNNA and knew the patterns would be great as always - I love Hunter's aesthetic; seeing the finished book just added another layer to it all. In the forward, she explains that she's been collecting vintage etiquette guides for many years now, and they are the inspiration for the patterns: each design is accompanied with an actual quote from one such guide (from which the pattern names are also derived). Each piece has a vintage flair to it, but with a modern twist, and the pattern layout has vintage flourishes which...

Earlier this year, I took the Joeli's Kitchen tech editing course , trained under a tech editor, and edited many patterns which have come out this fall - something I never would have imagined I'd do in the course of just one year, although tech editing has always been of interest to me. I would definitely say that I am still refining those skills, though some things are easier for me than others. Obviously, my many years of sock knitting mean that I am quite comfortable tech editing a sock pattern, as I know the basic formula for socks backwards and forwards. I've also knit so many hats, cowls, mittens, etc. that almost any accessory pattern resides well within my comfort zone.  What's been pretty far outside of that zone is sweater patterns. I've made a fair number of sweaters in my 10+ years of knitting, but I would by no means call myself an expert - and I'm definitely not on a sock pattern level of comfort with garments.  Most of the sweaters I...

Late last week, I couldn't resist casting on for a project with one of my newest skeins of handspun yarn: after much deliberation, I decided to make a simple kerchief-style scarf using a pattern recipe from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts : I've been making a concerted effort to make projects from my extensive library of knit/crochet/craft books, and this is one which I bought pretty early on in my days of knitting and have always loved. Lately, I've discovered that many of the patterns from  Last-Minute Knitted Gifts  are perfect for handspun yarns because they are simple, easy-to-customize, and great for variegated colorways. I expect that this is one book I'll be revisiting much more often. My super-secret knitting projects (yes, plural!) are going quite well and I absolutely cannot WAIT to show them to you! Also, if you missed Monday's post, I am giving you a chance to win the best fiber-care tool I've come across ever, a Gleener Cleaner! Click here f...

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2014. The holiday season whizzed by and I am not sure I'm ready to embark on a new year just yet - but it's here whether I like it or not! In fact, I am still processing the holidays: I felt more than a little spoiled by my friends and family. As I get older, I can honestly say that my focus on the holidays isn't on what gifts I'll be getting, but rather, giving gifts and spending time with family (and friends!). That's not to say I don't enjoy receiving gifts, of course - who doesn't?! In fact, I received many thoughtful, useful, and all-around awesome gifts this year, and I thought I'd share some of the fiber-related ones on today's post: Mollie Makes Crochet : Tons of great projects to make for the home!  50 Yards of Fun by Rebecca Danger - all the better to continue the theme for 2014!  Scarf Organizer: I've been trying to find a good way to store all of my scarves and shawls so that ...

On the cover: Dacite I was fortunate to spend a few moments chatting with Carol Feller in her booth on the last day of TNNA; she graciously took the time to show me pieces from her new collection, Among Stones , and even let me take home a copy for myself! Fans of Feller's style can expect the same flattering knits with lots of texture, cables and other thoughtful details. At the beginning of the book, Carol writes, "This book is filled with some of my favourite kinds of knits: simple, interesting, wearable. All photographed in some of my favourite places: secret, beautiful, tranquil. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do." That is definitely a good introduction to this collection of ten new designs, which is comprised of five sweaters and five accessories. The collection opens with Dacite , a top-down, seamless cardigan knit with Donegal Tweed; when worn closed, the cardigan has a draped front detail, which I love! A gorgeous cabled hoody, Liathite , is knit in...

Let me preface this blog post by stating that, on the whole, I am perturbed by the majority of reissues and updated editions of books and albums. They irritate my frugal sensibilities - whether it's intended or not, the consumer has to purchase a copy of something they already own if they want access to the shiny new bells and whistles. This can be a double-edged sword for completists like myself (and my husband, an incurable vinyl nerd - but that's another story entirely): while it's frustrating to buy something you already own, it can be quite edifying to watch the bonus DVD that is included with the reissue, or hear the two new tracks, or knit the new pattern....you get the idea. Reissues in the world of music definitely have more of a money-grubbiness feeling (at least to me), the likes of which I haven't seen here in the knitting world. However, there is one knitting book that has been plaguing me for quite some time: the updated edition of Nancy Bush's Fol...

I bought Susan Anderson Freed's book, Nordic Knitting Traditions , on a whim a few weeks ago, when I needed to add something to my Amazon cart to get free shipping (of course, when you put in something that would have cost the same amount as shipping the one item you were originally buying, is free shipping really free? That is probably a blog entry for a different day, however!) - it wasn't listed on Ravelry yet and it had just been released earlier this month. It's safe to say I had no expectations going in, I literally just thought "oh, cool, a new colorwork book!" and checked out. I don't have any dedicated fair isle books, so I can't say I have a frame of reference, but here are the things I really like about this book: first, the graphic design is stellar. It's a beautiful book to flip through. Each chapter's graphics are color-coded, and there are delightful line drawings that appear throughout the book as well. The book assumes you know...

Consider this an addendum to my preview last month - now that I've had more time to absorb Clara Parkes' latest effort, I have much more to say on the subject! I still maintain that no matter how many sock books you have on your shelf (I clock in at about 13), you need to buy The Knitter's Book of Socks , too.   First off - awesome patterns.  There are several socks I'll be making out of this book - and at this point of my sock-making life, I feel as though that's saying something.  As I mentioned before, I've picked up many of the new sock books, flipped through them, and determined I could live without them on my shelf (no, I'm not naming names!).  The patterns were fine, but nothing earth-shattering - I felt as though I could approximate them via the many other titles in my collection.  The layouts were, on the whole, well-done, but graphic design is not enough.  The Knitter's Book of Socks surpasses its contemporaries in one important area: the ...

I wrote a longer review for this book once I got to spend more time with it - for those of you who don't receive the Windy City Knitting Guild Newsletter , here is the full version:  Dreaming of Spring Mittens by Elli Stubenrauch Yarn: Mountain Meadow Wool Candy Image © Sixth&Spring/Tanis Gray Interlocking Rings Cowl by Danielle Romanetti Yarn: Alpacas of Windswept Farm 100% Alpaca Image © Copyright by Sixth&Spring/Tanis Gray Knit Local by Tanis Gray Tanis Gray's tome about American-based yarn purveyors is nothing short of remarkable.  There are lots of companies you know and love - Brown Sheep, Brooklyn Tweed, and Quince & Co., for example - and several that are new to the scene that may have escaped your notice til now.  The book's introduction sets the tone and has plenty of food for thought in its two pages.  The remainder of the book is comprised of profiles for each yarn company grouped by region and including patterns using t...

File under "as though my queue isn't long enough already"....I got a treasure trove of books for my birthday!  There have been some really interesting titles published this fall - many featuring my clients, which necessitates me talking A LOT about how awesome said books/patterns/yarns are.  We all know what weak sales resistance I typically have in these situations, and I've done a great job of convincing myself I need these books on my shelf...and so do you, because if I'm going down with the ship, I'll need a little company. Here's my birthday book booty: 1. The Knitter's Life List - I actually hadn't heard of this book, so I was really delighted to start flipping through it.  While drinking tea this morning,  I learned all sorts of interesting little factoids.  It's kind of like an encyclopedia for knitters - overviews of types of fiber & yarns, interviews with influential knitterati, a comprehensive listing of every fiber show, ...

I've been remiss in sharing my latest purchases on here - too many distractions I guess!  It's been nearly a month since I was browsing through the craft section at the Half-Price Books near my vet and happened upon several copies of Stefanie Japel's Glam Knits for $7.  Who can resist a killer deal like that?  Obviously, not this gal!  I also have caved - TWICE - on my yarn diet.  The first time, Purl Soho's spring cleaning sale got me...but it was such an amazing deal on Imperial Stock Ranch's pencil roving, I couldn't resist.  I already have a light-grey skein, and I thought it might be cool to make some super-warm colorwork mittens for next season.  Plus, check out the free samples they included in my package!  I was thinking of using them for making some beginner entrelac swatches.  The second time was a total fluke of an accident.  My husband and I were out running errands and the car wouldn't start - we have a '96 Saturn tha...

1.  Learn entrelac! Armed with Gwen Bortner's latest book, I am confident I can master this technique.   2.  Get my teeth cleaned.  For serious.  Like many people, I hate going to the dentist more than anything else, but I can put it off no longer.  3.  Get a physical.  It's been a while...longer than I'd care to admit.  Not a good thing to put off! 4.  Start working through the design to-do list in earnest....because it keeps getting longer. 5.  Knit Tyler a sweater.  Finally, after ten and a half years of us being together, he will finally have a hand-knit sweater!  Albeit, it will look like all of his other sweaters (a black V-neck, perhaps with some ribs, but nothing fancy - he's just a basic guy.)  But this one will be extra warm and made with love!!  6.  Master colorwork knitting.  I've made several colorwork projects that have turned out quite nicely, but specifically, I want to be able...