handmade by stefanie

Whatever happened to the Darn-A-Thon ? I found myself wondering this over the weekend - the holidays really put this project on the back burner, but yesterday I decided to resurrect it by repairing the first pair of socks I ever knit for myself. These socks were knit just before the dawn of Ravelry (if any of us can remember that time!), so they aren't even entered in my notebook, but the yarn is from Knit Picks . In my early knitting days, I didn't know there was a whole world of yarn outside of a Michael's store - I had only recently discovered Knit Picks! I hadn't even encountered this thing called 'luxury yarn', and I had just moved to Chicago after spending three years in Portland, OR. Even though I grew up in the midwest, I knew my first winter back would be tough (boy was it ever!) and I would need some wool socks to get me through. Of course, I had no idea how to make socks, as I was still pretty new to the whole knitting scene. My very first order...

As you might have guessed by a lack of a post on Friday, the final day of the WestKnits Mystery KAL , I didn't finish my shawl.  I'd like to say it wasn't for lack of trying, but my progress simply won't support that claim: As you can see, I'm not even halfway through the final clue! It's going to be smooth sailing from here - but on a really slow-moving ship (that seems to be the theme for most projects these days). Here's hoping this can be off the needles by the end of this month!

I finished Malabrigo March Monster #2 this week - this time, I used up all of my bits and bobs of Chunky (you may recall seeing this in both incarnations of my Kitchy Pleated Bag! )...with a little bit of Zealana Eco Chunky to fill in the blanks. Pattern:  Tony the Toy Box Monster by Rebecca Danger - from The Big Book of Monsters Yarns: Malabrigo Chunky in Charrua (brown/blue) and Frank Ochre Zealana Eco Chunky (NZ Merino/Cashmere blend) in Chestnut Meanwhile, I came across another fantastic FO using my free whale chart...I might have to make myself a pair of these - they're a little too irresistible! Ravelry user Gatchan knit these up these sport-weight fingerless mitts with two colors of Phildar Tonic.  My favorite detail is the continuation of the checkered detail on the thumb! Check it out for yourself! I should also probably share my sheep mitten FO photos - though I'd like to get a few better-quality images!  They turned out well - and they're nice ...

I have two FO's to show off this morning!  First, I finished my Shiatsu legwarmers - they are blocking as I type!  I'm pretty happy with how they turned out - They should be great to wear with skirts in the next few weeks.  I have to say, I'm very impressed with the yarn I used from Knit Picks - it knit up quite nicely and now that it's blocked, it's even softer and squishier!  I'll definitely be using this yarn again. Pattern:  Shiatsu by Judy Sumner - from Knitted Socks East and West Yarn:  Knit Picks Gloss DK in Robot (3 skeins) - a lovely (and affordable) merino/silk blend! I'm pleased to announce that I have finished my first Malabrigo March project!  There were a few hiccups along the way, as I ran out of yarn twice!  oh, the perils of destashing - usually I don't have this problem when making toys or monsters with leftover skeins of yarn.  Murphy's law decided to pay me a visit, and I did have to make a trip last week to Nina ...

What will you be doing to celebrate your favorite yarn this month? I will be releasing a wristwarmer pattern any day now, using the wonderfully machine washable yarn, Rios !  Keep your eyes peeled!  (For my fellow junkies, I am offering 40% off ALL patterns in my Ravelry Shop - check out my twitter feed for the coupon code to enter at check-out!) Speaking of Malabrigo Rios, today I'll be starting a new sweater for myself (yes, the sport-weight cardigan is done and blocking - more on that later!) - I've got a bunch of beautiful skeins of Glazed Carrot I picked up at Nina to make Hilary Smith Callis' Koukla Cardigan from Brave New Knits.  Since I already have several non-Malabrigo projects on the needles, I won't be going too crazy with my cast-on projects this month - but I will be using my many and varied Malabrigo leftovers to knit some monsters from Rebecca Danger's Big Book of Monsters , which arrived the other week and significantly lengthened my Ravel...

It's all about strength in numbers - and I'm happy to report that cats and monsters can, in fact, be friends. Dani, the denizen of the couch, enjoys hanging out with Robin and Tilly.  She's a very snuggly monster. Yarn:  Lorna's Laces Revelation in Humboldt Needles: US #9 Pattern:  Frances the Charismatic Monster by Rebecca Danger As you can see, she's made herself right at home. I should probably mention why Robin is sporting his stylish blue Elizabethan collar.  He's been having some mysterious skin issues of late which have made his ears and face particularly dry and irritated.  After yet another visit to the vet and several super-fun (and expensive!) tests, we have determined that it is either an allergic reaction to a flea bite, or some sort of infection.  Our little trooper gets to take an antibiotic and some antihistimines in addition to his daily dose of famotidine (also known as Pepcid AC).  To help his skin heal, we're adding fish ...

Now that we have a comfy new couch, it's time to accessorize....which of course means knitting some enormous monsters to stand (or sit) guard!  This yarn is one of the first purchases I made when I started working at Lorna's Laces - a few skeins of Revelation that had attempted to be Aslan, gone horribly awry - but once dipped in some Carol Green, an unfortunate turn of events was magically transformed into some awesomely variegated yarn...which is how a lot of my "one-of-a-kind" stash was born.  Pattern:  Iris the Gourmet Monster by Rebecca Danger Yarn:  Lorna's Laces Revelation - custom  color (in the neighborhood of Carol Green) Needles:  US #9 Original Date of Queue:  2/17/10 What should I name this big squishy bugaboo?!?