handmade by stefanie

I have a fun new pattern, just in time for fall knitting! The Beyond the Wall Cowl was designed especially for those irresistible mini skeins, and I used a bundle of hand-dyed minis from Mountain Meadow Wool . You can get it for free when you sign up for the Mountain Meadow Wool newsletter. I loved working with this yarn, which is spun in Wyoming using wool fiber that is raised by ranchers in the western states. It's combed to create a smoother, softer yarn, and then hand-dyed in an array of beautiful colors! Each mini skein is 60 yards for a total of 255 yards; I chose the blue set which includes Charcoal, Spruce, Teal, and Turquois. You can play around with the color order to create fun combinations. To conserve yarn at cast-on, I recommend using the crochet cast-on method, which is usually a provisional method; when used to cast on with your working yarn, this method will not only save an yarn usage, it will match your bind-off nearly perfectly, too. Here is a great ...

August has been all about finishing overdue projects (see: this post from earlier in the week). Adding to that list is the Dillinger Hat , which I started long after the KAL had concluded, and then it went into time out for over a month while I worked up the motivation to frog back a few inches to fix a mistake in my colorwork. The effort was well worth it, as the hat turned out pretty well! I do wish I'd gone up another needle size, though, because I forgot what a tight knitter I become when stranded colorwork enters the mix. Thankfully, it grew with blocking and fits me perfectly!   For anyone struggling with the crown decreases, I did leave some notes here on my Ravelry pattern page which detail how I approached the decreases to incorporate the design motif and transition into using a single color for the rest of the crown. The yarn was a dream to work with: mini skein kits of lovely hand-dyed merino from Wonderland Yarns/Frabjous Fibers. I've just ...

I'm coming down the home stretch on several projects, which means I can start something new, right? Of course! Late last week, I cast on for a simple pillow using my May Legacy Club Yarn Club shipment and a free pattern I found on Ravelry, the  Basketweave Pillow . It's my new on-the-go project, so it'll probably be on the needles for a while, but hopefully I will finish before the end of the Knitter's Pride Spring KAL . Second sleeve syndrome has set in with my Rockling Cardigan , as I feared it would. Two-at-a-time sleeves are where it's at, but obviously that ship has sailed and I need to make the best of it! I will say that I 'm loving the Sirka Row Counter for keeping track of the various "at the same time" instructions, though. It rocks! The baby sweater is looking oh-so-sweater-y and I should have it off the needles by the end of this week, hooray! I finally started this super-cute Dillinger Hat that I got from last year...

I've been focusing on the Rockling Cardigan since it's my oldest WIP currently on the needles. I am almost finished with the body of the sweater - last night, I started the final section of ribbing before bind off! I'm also working on the second destash sideways mitt with my leftover Fade yarn. Currently, it looks like a mess of spaghetti, especially since the first mitt is still on the needles while I figure out a way to graft the ends together and leave a spot for the thumb...a detail I'd neglected to think about when I decided to sub in a provisional cast on. Oops! One new WIP is joining the mix this week: I started a cowl project with some chunky handspun yarn using the Aspen Cowl pattern by Andi Javori, which you can find  here  in the Interweave store. (note: affiliate link). I still have the same project on the loom as last week and I've only added about 10 inches, so there's not much to report on the weaving front. Here's hoping ...

I've finally reopened my Etsy shop , and it's fully stocked with sock yarn mini skein grab bags ! Yay! There are tons of new yarns and colors, most of which are hand dyed (a few are even one-of-a-kind colors dyed by yours truly!). Each one contains over 100g of fingering weight yarn, which includes postage to the US (Canadian shipping is just a tiny bit more, you can also Convo me for international shipping rates). Many of the yarns and colors are unique, hard-to-find, one-of-a-kind, exclusive, discontinued....you get the idea! Also, if you have a reasonable request (i.e. colors you love, colors you hate, no variegated colors, etc.), I am totally happy to honor that as I pack up your skeins. THIS WEEK ONLY: Get $2 off your order with coupon code BLOG2017. Offer good today through 2/12/17.   Click here to visit my Etsy shop, thanks for stopping by! 

I thought I'd try something new in my Etsy shop - in addition to my regular 10-skein sock yarn grab bags , I have curated a five-skein pack which includes hand-picked yarns and colorways; in essence, you will know exactly what you're getting ahead of time! I'll be putting together different series in limited edition which I'm dubbing the Pirate's Packs since I'll be packaging them in cute plastic bags with a Pirate ship printed on them. Pirate's Pack #1 contains 10-yard skeins of each of the following: Ancient Arts Yarn Reinvent, spun from reclaimed luxury fibers* & (autumnal hues) Sincere Sheep Equity Fingering 100% Rambouillet (blue) Anzula Squishy MCN in Seaside O-Wool Organic Merino 2-ply in Evergreen Manos del Uruguay Alegria Sock in Maiz - certified fair trade! I am only making 6 of these packs, and once they are gone, I'll be putting together something different to list in my shop! Also - all Pirate's Packs ...

Congrats to  sisterrobinson , you are the lucky winner! I will contact you on Ravelry to arrange for the delivery of your prize. Thanks to everyone who entered this month's giveaway; if you didn't win, I encourage you to visit the ModeKnit Yarns website and give their yarns a try! Also, I'm having a luxury sock yarn mini skein grab bag sale in my Etsy shop , this week only! Enter HBSBLOG at checkout to get $3 off your order now through Midnight CDT on Friday, June 26. All US orders ship free via USPS First Class! I've added some pretty stellar yarns to the already-awesome lineup. There are hand-dyed yarns such Anzula, Leading Men Fiber Arts, and Manos del Uruguay plus other high-quality yarns such as Spud & Chloe Fine, Louet Gems Fingering, and more - and if you are looking for particular colors (or have other reasonable requests), I am happy to do what I can to put together a grab bag you'll love. You can see a full list of yarns & get more info abou...

Head's up - this week only, I have a killer deal on luxury sock yarn mini skein grab bags in my Etsy shop : over 100g of fingering weight yarn for only $15! If you live in the US, that includes postage, and it's not much more to ship to Canada. Many of the yarns and colors are unique, hard-to-find, one-of-a-kind, exclusive, discontinued....you get the idea! Also, if you have a reasonable request (i.e. colors you love, colors you hate, no variegated colors, etc.), I am totally happy to honor that as I pack up your skeins. Oh, and I have a habit of including fun freebies with each order! Convinced? Click here to snag yours , there are only a limited quantity up for grabs! When they're gone, they'd gone!

I finished a lot of projects over the weekend (which I'll be blogging about eventually, of course), and I find myself with only one new project on the needles: on Monday night, I cast on for the Long's Peak 3-in-1 Mitts by Marly Bird, which have been in my queue since the Rocky Mountain Collection came out in 2013. I've been saving two skeins of Bijou Bliss  yarn for the occasion - one in a lovely grass green, and then a deep blue-green which was a limited-edition color. I've made several projects with this yarn (a 50/50 blend of yak and cormo wool), and it's always a delight to work with. The hand-dyed colorways have since been discontinued, but you can still snag skeins in natural cream and natural brown if you are so inclined! I am still working on my cozy memories blanket, but I imagine folks are tired of seeing the same progress photo again and again since it's such a slow burner of a project. However, I do have one more update for this week: after...

My Etsy shop is officially reopened for 2014, and you'll not only find some of my best-selling knitting patterns , but I have also listed new mini-skein grab bags ! Check out this amazing list of luxury yarn possibilities: Anzula Dreamy & Squishy Baah La Jolla Sock Bijou Basin Ranch Lhasa Wilderness Black Toad MCN (Chicago Indie Dyer) Dream in Color Smooshy Green Mountain Spinnery Sock Art - Forest Grinning Gargoyle Seda Sock Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock MadelineTosh Merino Light Malabrigo Sock & Finito Neighborhood Fiber Co. Watershed Sock ShiBui Knits Sock Sincere Sheep Tenacious Sock Yarn Spud and Chloe Sock Sunday Knits Eden 3-ply Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock The Wool Dispensary Deadly Stimulant (BFL Sock) Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock Trekking Bamboo XXL & Trekking XXL Valley Yarns Charlemont Kettle Dyed Wollglöckchen Handgefärbte Sockenwolle Each mini-skein is at least ten yards, but most have more yardage than that! It's...

I spent the weekend adding LOTS of great stuff to my newly-reopened Etsy shop : Mini skeins for hexipuff and zoom loom enthusiasts, hand-knit and -crocheted accessories and toys, and supplies for makers. Here are just a few  of the items that are currently for sale: Click here to check out the Handmade by Stefanie Etsy Shop (be sure to add me to your favorites, too)! I'll be adding new items weekly; the best way to stay updated is to follow me on twitter or pinterest . I'll also be posting photos and links on the HBS Facebook fan page !

She's a Carnival Just under the wire - I've added a few new grab bags to the mini skein shop - She's a Carnival and Red Apple Falls for your hexipuffing pleasure!  As always - free shipping to the US, fun surprises in every package, and lovely yarns from a variety of quality sources.  Thanks for looking (be sure to bookmark my mini skein shop - fresh listings weekly!) In knitting news, I'm very close to finishing my Metheglin Cowl - a few more rounds and I'll be ready to bind off!  I think I may have skipped a few rows....I did the bulk of the work on Tuesday night, when I was knitting at the bar....and well, these things happen when I've had many beers.  Oops.  Metheglin Tyler's sweater is starting to really shape up - the sleeves are just about elbow-length now!  The rounds are coming faster, and the closer I get to the end, the more excited I get.  I'll be over the moon if this is done by the end of next weekend, but perhaps a more do-...