handmade by stefanie

Though I still buy a lot of yarn, I do try to focus on shopping from my own stash before making a purchase, and it feels pretty good to finish a project that has put my stash yarn to good use. Of course, sometimes a stash-busting project necessitates the purchase of more  yarn in order to finish it, which pretty much negates the whole concept. Be that as it may, this is what happened with my Destash Dolman , which I started in January of this year, hibernated in February when I realized I was going to run out of yarn, and then picked back up to finish recently when I was able to locate some Anzula Squishy to finish the job.  I honestly thought that I'd have enough of the green and taupe colors - after all, I used a third contrast color for the ribbed edges, right? Such is my flawed logic, and I can't say I swatched for this sweater, either - it's got so much positive ease, it really didn't seem necessary at the time (logic flaw #2). I'm lucky this fits quite w...

Wooly App I was first introduced to the Wooly App when I was researching an article for Yarn Market News ; shortly thereafter, I ran into them at YarnCon here in Chicago, though I was in such a daze from all of the pretty yarns and fibers, I didn't spend much time in their booth. Recently, I came across their Kickstarter campaign to create a juiced-up new version of the app for iOS users (think iPhone and iPad), with the possibility of creating an Android version, too! John Stys (one of the developers) lives here in Chicago, and we met up earlier this week to talk more about the Wooly app and their Kickstarter campaign , which is getting very close to their funding goal with 13 days to go! John showed me the current version of the app, which is a reader for the notebook section of the user's account and also features a nifty photo editor that allows you to take and edit photos to upload directly to your Ravelry account. It's got a great look and feel - you'd ...

My hat obsession continues....I've had the Topiary Beanie from Weekend Hats finished and blocked for a few weeks now, but things have been so crazy that photographing and blogging about it has been at the bottom of my to-do list.  I love the way it turned out, though - it's nice and slouchy, and the MadTosh Merino Light is so very soft and squishy.  I am in love with the color, graphite - while it may not photograph well or display the stitch detail while atop my head, I really dig the subtle gradient greys of this colorway.  Plus, I have plenty leftover to make matching fingerless gloves!

I am participating in two KALs this month - both for cowl projects!  Finally, I found the perfect way to combine my Mad Cowl Disease, Startitis, and new-found addiction to KALs into one perfect storm. Both KALs involve patterns I've been ogling for quite some time.  The Zuzu's Petals KAL was the perfect excuse for me to finally knit with Madelinetosh yarn.  Yes, you read that correctly:  up until this very point in time, with some eight-odd years of knitting under my belt, I HAVE NEVER PURCHASED, STASHED, OR KNIT WITH ANY MADELINETOSH YARNS.  Even I don't know how that is possible, but alas, it is so. Fortunately, it has also been remedied, as I cast on May first with a gorgeous skein of Tosh Sport in Cousteau.  Here is a very early progress shot: My second KAL cowl project is a lacy cowl design by Marly Bird using one of Bijou Basin Ranch's newest yarns, Seraphim.  A hazard of my job is self-enabling, and I confess that this is a prime exam...