handmade by stefanie

For the past 3 years, I've made it a point to knit at least a few bears for the Mother Bear Project, which is a wonderful non-profit  dedicated to providing comfort and hope to children, primarily those affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations, by giving them a gift of love in the form of hand-knit and crocheted bears.  They have  patterns available for purchase  as well as everything-you-need kits which include yarn, the pattern, and knitting needles or a crochet hook.  For this year's batch o' bears, I decided to use one of my favorite yarn brands which I turn to time and time again - Brown Sheep . This is a brand of yarn I've been using since the early years of my knitting life. Back then, I was attracted by the affordability that didn't sacrifice quality. And there were so many colors to choose from in each yarn base! Over the years, I learned more about their story: they're a family owned company located in Western Nebraska, and have been working to im...

Not too long ago, I confessed that I had been hoarding a Mother Bear Project Kit in my stash . Oh, the shame - how long have I been depriving a child from having a beary special friend? Better not to dwell too long on that and instead focus on the fact that I finally made the knit it up, thanks to this KAL . Here is the post-knitting, pre-assembly photo: Somehow, this will become a cute bear! I have to admit that I didn't love knitting this project due to yarn considerations, but when it came time to assemble it, I was pretty excited to think about who would receive it and love it and maybe run into their house to save it right before a flood passes through their village*. These bears become prized possessions to their recipients, so I wanted to make it extra cute, and I was sure to stitch a heart on it so that they knew that somewhere in the world, there was a person who loved them enough to knit them a bear.* Ta-Done! For anyone who just can't handle knit...

Most of my knitting time & energy over the past week has been focused on finishing up the Wonder Woman Wrap. All of the ends are woven in, so it just needs a good blocking and I can call it done! In the mean time, I am still working on the Inauguration Consolation shawl - I guess it wasn't a photo finish after all! A recent cleanout of my yarn stash revealed that I had a unused Mother Bear Project kit hiding in my craft room. Who knows how long I have been depriving a child of a cute knitted bear? I started knitting the kit last weekend, hoping that would make me feel a little less guilty....but it's not working because now I have a new thing to feel guilty about: for instance, I dislike working with the yarn from the kit. I'm pretty sure it's Red Heart, and it hurts my hands and just feels yucky to me. But after reading the enclosed brochure that talked about how much the kids love their bears and consider them a prized treasure, I've resolved to get ove...

Renegade Holiday Fair, Circa 2012 Photo by Dan Grzeca Ack! It's December, and I'm hitting the panic button for my holiday gift-making! This is the point at which I have to be honest with myself and decide whether or not it's possible for me to finish all of the knit and crochet projects on my to-do list; it may be time to admit defeat and purchase some gifts! Today being Cyber Monday, this is a great time to snap up some deals online to make your life easier. If you are in the market for some knitterly gifts, Marly Bird has an extensive list of Cyber Monday deals here on her website! This is also a fantastic time of year to support other  makers, either via Etsy or by going to a holiday craft fair. I'm fortunate to live in Chicago, where we have tons of holiday craft fairs this time of year - anything from larger affairs such as the DIY Trunkshow and the Renegade Craft Fair December Market to smaller shows such as the Handmade Market or Revolution Craft Show ....