handmade by stefanie

My first Curl was finished at the beginning of the month! I started Caesious way back in January for the informal KAL in Hunter Hammersen's Ravelry group . Things kept popping up to distract me from working on it, but at last I got back on task and finished it up. The stitch pattern was easy to memorize and perfect for my variegated handspun yarn, spun from Malabrigo Nube . It's squishy and soft and fun to wear; I'm thinking of adding a button so that I can take advantage of the openwork stitch pattern which can serve as de facto buttonholes. I love that I was able to use up pretty much all of my yarn (I had a small amount left over which I used to wrap a birthday present); that's the beauty of the patterns from Curls - you just knit until you run out of yarn! I definitely plan to knit more patterns from this book! If you missed my review, click here to check it out . Have a crafty weekend!

Today, I'm bursting at the seams because I finally get to reveal a project I've been working on since January of this year: an eBook comprised of five unisex sock designs called Conversation Socks ! I dreamed up this project because I find myself with less and less time to devote to holiday gift knitting, but I know that my family members love and cherish the gifts I make them, especially socks! By choosing sport weight yarn and US #3 needles, each sock knits up quickly and produces a mid-weight fabric that is nice and toasty without being bulky. Each pattern was created with the express purpose of being simple enough for knitting on-the-go, but interesting enough to keep you engaged. These patterns are perfect for your morning commute, knit night, or a trip out of town! They don't require huge, hard-to-follow charts or incredibly complicated techniques. Instead, they take the basic building blocks that the average knitter has at their disposal to create five designs ...

Destashing is the name of the game these days! I have been listing more of my stash for sale here on Ravelry in my efforts to streamline my craft room and reduce clutter around the house. In the spirit of these endeavors, I decided to join in the fun of the FreshStitches Scrap-a-Long , which gets rolling tomorrow! I used Stacey's excellent Russian join tutorial to create my very own magic ball using various red, white, grey and brown worsted yarns (including my leftover Sock Monkey yarn!). Then it was time to decide which pattern to use - after much debate, I decided that a cute monster would be the perfect project, so I'll be making  Mixtro the Monster , which is a free crochet pattern from FreshStitches on Ravelry! Also in the spirit of destashing, I I chose three colors of leftover sock yarn to start Tanis Gray's Constitution Hall Scarf from Capitol Knits . It's going to be three colors (I think), with one half of the scarf being light and dark grey and the ...

This week, I have two amigurumi projects, both of which use patterns by one of my favorite crochet designers, Stacey Trock of Freshstitches . First, I finally got around to making my February kit club project, Dale the Mosquito ! I spent last Saturday afternoon baking and crocheting in the kitchen. A few hours later, I had a new friend, complete with poseable nose and legs! In other crochet news: the moose is done! The moose is done! It took much longer to put together than I was expecting, mostly because I had to reattach pieces more than once. I think he's cute, but a little on the wonky side; part of that is because I still managed to have a pretty loose gauge, despite using a smaller hook than recommended (used an F instead of the recommended H). I probably should have noticed sooner and switched to an even smaller  hook, but it's a little too late for that now! The pattern is Stacey Trock's Maple the Moose from Crocheted Softies , made with Malabrigo Merino Worst...

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...

It's week two of Malabrigo March and already I've finished my first project, with the second one close on its heels. Here is the pile of moose parts I need to assemble this week, ideally in time for my FO Friday post...though that might be a long shot, considering how many fiddly bits there are to assemble: Since I was without an "on-the-go" knitting project, last week I decided to cast on for a scrap yarn scarf  based on Becky Herrick's Snippet Scarf , a free pattern on Ravelry. For some reason, I had the insane delusion that carrying around several leftover skeins of fingering-weight yarn was a really good idea. The reality, of course, is the complete opposite, and I think this will become my kitchen knitting project instead! I have been saving lots of bits and bobs from luxury skeins of yarn - Malabrigo Finito, The Uncommon Thread Heavenly Fingering, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, and The Fibre Company Canopy Fingering, to name a few. Already, it's...

Two of my three proposed Malabrigo March projects are in progress! I started the Finito mitts over the weekend; since I couldn't work on my Rocky Coast til the extra skein of yarn arrived, I spent most of my knitting time on this project. Since I was hoping to convert the Waiting for Spring pattern to mittens, I split the skein by weight and was happy to discover that I would have enough yarn to do so! The first mitten is complete save the thumb, and mitten #2 is proceeding quite nicely as well.  I also started Maple the Moose over the weekend; I am nearly done with the second main body piece! I love crocheting with singly-ply yarns such as Malabrigo's Merino Worsted , and this particular colorway - Cognac - is working up beautifully. On a different note, I've come across some really great photos this week via various internet wormholes that it would be criminal not  to share here. You can see even more unbearably cute animal photos on my Awesome Animals Pintere...

Last week, I received my order from Doodlebug Yarn's Malabrigo sale: Top to bottom: Malabrigo Worsted in Cognac and Natural, Arroyo in Plomo. A pretty modest haul, yes, but this is me trying to avoid buying more yarn when I already have a very healthy stash to knit from. Plus, I have a lot  of Finito squirreled away for a rainy day; I fell in love with it last year and bought skeins of several different colors. Of the six skeins I am hoarding, I've decided to pull out one for this year's Malabrigo March celebration. Here is my plan for next month: 1. Finito in Coffee Toffee: Waiting for Spring mitts for the General Accessory KAL . I might try to convert this pattern into mittens! 2. Arroyo in Plomo: some sort of top-down cropped cardigan (I might DIY it since I haven't found a pattern that matches what I have in mind) for the General Sweater KAL. 3. Malabrigo Worsted in Cognac and Natural: Maple the Moose from Crocheted Softies  for the General Cro...

Happy FO Friday! I finished my first project from Amigurumi On The Go, which I bought recently via Craftsy Deals . This is the Cat Roundie Bag , which I modified a bit, mostly because I didn't want to sew on pieces of felt. Instead, I decided to crochet as many features as possible and embroider the rest. Below is what I did if you decide you'd like to do the same! The main yarn used is a lovely space-dyed purple from Manos Del Uruguay (just in time for their Fair Trade February celebration!); the contrasting colors are all bits and bobs from my amigurumi stash. This was a very quick project to make, though I highly recommend blocking the finished pieces (especially the round bag pieces) so that they lay nice and flat. Modifications - To Make Cat Features Cat Muzzle: Work first 6 rnds of bag front instructions in contrasting color. Fasten off. Cat Triangles (worked flat - make 5): Ch 2. Row 1: SC 3 sts into second stitch from hook. Row 2: CH 1, SC 3 sts. Row 3...

My Panoramic Stole is done, and ahead of schedule, too; I wanted to finish by the end of this month at the latest, though my real goal was to bind off at the close of this coming weekend. I did end up omitting a panel, as I was running out of yarn: I have 14g left over, which is definitely not enough to make it through another mesh panel, let alone the short-row garter section. I was a little worried about cutting things short, so to speak, but everything ended up just fine - my shawl is very close to the 80" length listed in the pattern, in fact. I'm sure that if I wanted to block to the specific dimensions given, I could easily hit those marks! Here's a shot of it blocking in my yarn room. Once it's dry, I'll be sure to take an "action" shot of me lounging around the house in my pretty new shawl! The pattern is from Coastal Knits , which my husband got me for Christmas, and I used two skeins of Malabrigo Sock in Chocolate Amargo. In other exci...

Amazingly, I've been avoiding startitis this month, spending most of of my crafting time working on the Destash Dolman I started earlier this month and the Panoramic Stole I began on Christmas Day. Don't get me wrong - there are TONS of projects I'm dying to start, but for some reason I am content to work on these with the hope of finishing them much earlier than expected (and, of course, giving me free reign to start something new!). The Destash Dolman has become my outside-of-the-house/transit project, since I don't need to reference the pattern while I'm working. I've definitely made some good progress after a few adventures outside of the homestead: last WIP Wednesday, I had three stripes completed - now I'm up to 8! The Panoramic Stole has seen the most progress, especially since I've been working on it diligently for the past four days. I finished up the first skein of yarn on Monday night and have reached the point in knitting where I...

After the last several months of knitting primarily for others, I am very happy to indulge in a little selfish knitting for the start of this year. I haven't made too many resolutions for 2013 thus far, but I do know this: I need to knit myself more sweaters this year. It just needs to happen. I also would like to fold this in with another ongoing goal I challenge myself with each year: destashing! I have many sweater's-worth quantities of yarn in my stash, and it's criminal that they haven't become beautiful wardrobe staples by now. I finished the lacy top I was knitting with Bijou Basin Ranch's yak/silk laceweight yarn, Shangri-La (thought I still need to photograph it and share it with the world at large), so I decided to cast on for another dolman-style top using some sock yarn for my stash and  breaking my cardigans-only rule for sweater-making yet again. Go figure! While I'd love to make the Roxborough Dolman with the yarn specified, Canopy Finger...

Happy FO Friday! Today I'm sharing the last two projects completed in 2012. Both were made during the course of my trip to Kansas City for the holidays. I crocheted this cute little crab on the train ride down from Chicago - it was a great way to spend the first few hours of the trip! Tyler and I named him Eugene (I've been watching a lot of Spongebob Squarepants on Netflix streaming) and he became my little buddy for the duration of our trip. He's sitting atop my pretty new Knitter's Pride needle case that I got for Christmas, though I think his permanent home will be somewhere in my office. The yarn, safety eyes and pattern were part of the first shipment of the Fresh Stitches Just Add Stuffing Kit Club - the perfect thing to grab and go when packing! The Here and There hat by Veera Välimäki  has been lurking in my queue since early last year, so I figured this trip would be the perfect time to cast on. I knit it in similar colors to those pictured in the pa...

We're back in Chicago and it's time to get back to my usual blogging and work schedule. There are two projects left over from 2012 to share on my first WIP Wednesday of 2013 - so far, I have resisted the urge to cast on for anything else! I've made some major progress on the lacy mesh top I've been knitting with Shangri-La . While I was in Kansas City, I finished the first piece, undid the provisional cast-on at the start, and began the second piece from those stitches. On the train yesterday, I was able to complete the sleeves and decrease down to the body of the sweater. It won't be long til I'm totally done - I hope to be seaming and blocking by next week! My second WIP was started on Christmas day and will definitely be a long-term project: I'm making the Panoramic Stole from Coastal Knits using a skein of Malabrigo Sock in Chocolate Amargo. I traded the yarn from a friend ( check out her blog here ) and was looking for a good project to put it t...

While most of the socks I knit for gifts this year I could sneakily share on my blog by pretending they were for myself, there was one pair of socks that I didn't dare risk sharing: the ones for my mother. I know that she occasionally reads my blog, and this year she had made a special request for a pair of chocolate brown socks. It would have been a dead giveaway! Mom's socks were knit with Cascade Heritage using a pattern from Around the World in Knitted Socks  by Stephanie Van Der Linder,  It's Tea Time . The only modification I made was to make a slip-stitch heel flap rather than continuing the pattern on said flap; I've found that whenever I do that, the socks tend to spring a hole rather quickly, so I'd rather sacrifice a little style for a heel that is extra sturdy. The other pair of socks which haven't been shared on this blog were knit for my grandfather. He has really large feet and prefers basic stuff, so I freestyled a pattern that was in...

Today's FO Friday will be a little different, since I technically don't have any FO's to show off! I do, however, have a newly-restored Featherweight Cardigan . I knit this sweater all the way back in 2009 (it doesn't seem like it was that long ago!) and in the last year or so, noticed a few small holes in the sweater sleeves. I set it aside for repairs, and, well.... you know what happened ! Meanwhile, I plan on avoiding the insanity of Black Friday like the plague today. I'm sure I'm not the only on who rather be knitting! I'm more of a Cyber Monday person myself, as I prefer to do nearly all of my shopping (no matter what day it is) from the comfort of my own home while wearing pajamas. Fellow pajama shoppers, you are in luck! From 11/23-11/26, Craftsy is running its Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale and all classes are being offered at $19.99 or less! I have to say, I'm a serial class-taker at Craftsy . Just this year alone, I have expanded my...

I have five - FIVE! - babies to knit for in 2013, so I wanted a blanket that was pretty but not too difficult to make. I've been working extra-long hours at my day job, so by the time I settle down to knit for a few hours at night, most of my brainwaves are spent. Using knits and purls to create a textured lattice-like pattern, the Lettuce Lattice Baby Blanket was born. Sorry for the terrible pun - it's been a long week (and it's only Wednesday)! At any rate, my new baby blanket pattern is perfect for swaddling newborns, makes a fantastic receiving blanket, and is sure to be a great companion blankie during the toddler years. Knit with superwash yarn, parents will appreciate this thoughtful and easy-care gift. The PDF pattern includes stitch chart and instructions on working with hand-dyed yarns.  You'll also get a chance to master the crochet cast-on method (one of my favorites!) - click here  to view a video tutorial on YouTube to see just how easy this technique...

Even though this week has been busy with work and preparation for VK Live! this weekend, I've still been finding time to knit (is anyone surprised?). I've made considerable progress on my Malabrigo baby blanket . Of course, since it's just an endlessly-repeating pattern, it's not super interesting to see progress shots...unless there is a cute kitty in said photo, right? I also started a project that has been in my queue for a while now, Marly Bird's Gradient Serendipity Shawl . I'm using the Himalayan Trail I bought from Bijou Basin Ranch at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival back in September, rather than the Lhasa Wilderness used in the pattern. I love the other projects I've made with Lhasa Wilderness - Narwhal Mittens and the Union Long Beanie - but wanted to try something new. Plus, I love the natural brown color, and it's soooo soft. It's knitting up quite nicely; the cast-on is the hardest part (336 stitches!). Once you work ...

Crocheting those amigurumi pumpkins last week really whetted my appetite for crochet! I decided to take one of the skeins of Arroyo I just ordered from Doodlebug Yarn to make some sort of cowl. I came across this simple, free pattern on Ravelry called the Mushin Cowl by Shireen Nadir. The term "mushin" comes from Martial Arts training and means "without mind." Once I read that in the explanation, I knew this would be the perfect pattern for me to make! Since I am still really new to crochet, there are sometimes terms I come across that I haven't seen before; in this pattern, it was the slip stitch at the end of each round. First, I wondered - should I have been doing that all along when crocheting amigurumi? Is it just one of those givens that isn't necessarily written into a pattern? I've signed up for Stacey Trock's Woodland Creatures workshop on Craftsy, so perhaps that will shed some light on that subject once I sit down to do the course. ...