handmade by stefanie

Last weekend, I made the journey out to Schaumburg to spend one day at Stitches Midwest. It's been five years since I last went, and it was interesting to note how much it had and hadn't changed in that time. Most noticeable to me was the amount of signage stating their policy regarding a safe, inclusive environment for all, no doubt a response to the incident that happened earlier this year at Stitches West. I saw signs on display throughout the venue (not just on the show floor), and there were prominent mentions in the show book and website as well. I really wanted to go to the Diversity Panel with Creative Ceci, Louis Boria of Brooklyn Boy Knits, Michele Costa and Phyllis Bell Miller, but it was during the middle of the day on Friday and I had already committed to working on Saturday afternoon (more on why I can only do 1 day of Stitches in a bit). I'm really glad that they have taken steps to address these issues; I'm sure there is more to be done, but it's ...

At long last, I get to share the two projects I finished over Memorial Day Weekend! The  Fleece Artist Socks  are a new design I'll be releasing later this summer. I'm not sure what I'll be naming them quite yet, but of course I will keep you posted here on my blog, or you can sign up for my newsletter to be notified via email when it comes out (just enter your email on the top right sidebar)! This is just a quick shot we took yesterday before Tyler went to work; there will be a more 'official' photo shoot soon! I also finished my  Elfe  sweater, which surely must be a record for me. I am the world's slowest sweater-knitter but I still managed to make this project in under a month! The yarn, Grinning Gargoyle's Seda Sock, feels sooo nice to wear. I'm pretty happy with how this turned out: Worldwide Knit in Public Week kicks off tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I'll be going to any of the events here in Chicago. It's been a really ...

Ever since I snagged Whimsical Little Knits 3, I've been dying to make this colorwork hat. I bought the yarn back in July during Bijou Basin Ranch 's Fourth of July flash sale, but didn't cast on til mid-August. It's a nice, easy-knitting colorwork hat and I'm really thrilled with how it turned out. Both colors are hand-dyed, but as you can see the Cadet blue color has a lot more variation within the skein, producing a kind of trippy effect! The yak/cormo blend yarn ( Bijou Bliss ) feels sturdy yet soft when you knit with it, but the real treat is what happens after you give it a good blocking: the yarn relaxes and blooms, becoming even softer than before! My hat actually grew in size to a slouchier version of a beanie. These are the kinds of surprises you get when you throw caution to the wind and don't gauge, but at least this time it was a pleasant  surprise. I'm hoping to wear this tomorrow, when I head up to the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool festi...

I keep forgetting to mention some more big news: I'm taking a toe-up sock class with Cookie A this weekend!  She'll be in Chicago for three days of Sock class awesomeness with the Windy City Knitting Guild .  Though I'd like to take a few more classes (or even the whole shebang), I had to choose just one, so I decided to take the socks from the toe up class on Sunday. Though I've knit a few pairs of toe-up socks successfully, I wouldn't say that I've made friends with them by any stretch of the imagination, so I'm excited to learn Cookie's tips and tricks for happy toe-up sock knitting. Last year, I'd signed on for a Cookie A class with the WCKG, but she had a family emergency that required her to head back to Thailand and the classes were canceled.  Needless to say, it's been a long time coming, but some things are worth waiting for!  I'm very excited for this weekend - this will be my first formal knitting class, actually.  Hopefully I ...