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...

I love garter stitch for a lot of reasons; besides being easy-peasy, it's always squishy and lays nice and flat without the edges curling. When you combine that with the effect created by knitting each row in a different color, a simple project is transformed into something that's extra special! This wrap is perfect for the hazy days of summer.... The kind folks from Kraemer Yarns sent me a Garter Stitch Shawl Kit from their  Festival Wear Collection , which features knitted and crocheted  garments and accessories using their Tatamy base, a cotton/acrylic blend that is available two weights (DK and Worsted) and a palette of solid and tweed colors.       I tend to avoid working with cotton yarns because they are less pliable than wool and wool blends, which translates into hand pain while I knit, but I'm pleased to report that the Tatamy was nice and pliable. I was able to knit without any hand pain! The pattern was easy to follow and I learn...

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends,  so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with  this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks).  The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a...

Baby knits are such a great instant-gratification project, and having a stash of cute baby things comes in handy when someone announces that they're expecting. I was excited to try out this project kit from Kraemer Yarns when they were looking for reviews of their new project kit offerings at patternsbykraemer.com . The Knit For Baby Sweater is a t-shaped simple garter stitch garment that is knit flat all in once piece and then seamed. The kit includes a printed pattern on high-quality glossy paper with full color photos, and two skeins of Tatamy DK yarn, a blend of 45% Cotton and 55% Acrylic. I chose a nice gender-neutral color, Rubber Duckie, and they sent me two project kits so that I can give one away to my blog readers - keep reading to find out how you can win this project kit! The pattern instructions are easy to follow and keep track of as you work - just count the purl bumps to know how many rows you've worked - and the seaming is quite easy once you'...

I've been working on this project since the middle of November, and it feels good to finally have it off the needles: presenting my finished Purlbreak shawl! Obviously, I'm thrilled to have this off the needles. I knit this project with 3 skeins of yarn that I was sent for review: Zen Yarn Garden Superfine Fingering , a blend of 90% superfine/superwash merino and 10% nylon which is milled in Italy and hand-dyed in Canada (I love knowing where my yarn comes from!). This is a super-squishy yarn that feels soft to the touch, but has enough twist to it that it's not splitty, and I doubt it will pill much with time. It withstood ripping back to fix mistakes and dropped stitches, as well as plenty of abuse from being stuffed in my bag for knitting at the tap room. Hello, lovelies! It was a total delight to work with, and choosing 3 coordinating colors was super-easy because of how they are grouped as part of the Magic Dye Pot Series: each group has a letter (A thro...

When I first started knitting, yarns from Brown Sheep were my first experience of non-big box retail yarns. Well-made, affordable, and available in a huge range of colors, their yarn is just as appealing me to now as it was 10+ years ago. I knit the Arwen cardigan back in 2007 in one of their now-discontinued yarns, Prairie Silk, and it is probably the best-wearing yarn I've ever used for a sweater (it still has yet to pill). So of course I jumped at a chance to try out their newest yarn, Prairie Spun DK . First, if you aren't familiar with Brown Sheep, they are a family owned and operated mill located in Mitchell, Nebraska that focuses on sustainably-produced wool and wool blend yarns. They source their fleece and fibers from US sources whenever possible, buying the majority of their wool directly from US growers; breeds include Corriedale, Rambouillet, and Columbian. You can find out more about them here on their website . I knit the child-sized version of the M...

It's been a while since I've shared a crochet project, so I couldn't resist this adorable cactus kit from Global Backyard Industries. They sent me 1 kit of my choosing (there are two cactus styles, Ruby and Charley ) in exchange for my honest review. I've never been great at keeping plants alive myself, and a certain grey cat has a propensity to eat anything green and vaguely plant-like that comes into the house. So a plant that I can't kill and the cat (probably) won't try to eat is something I can really get excited about! Image via Global Backyard Industries website .  What impressed me the most when I received my Ruby kit was that it truly did include everything you needed, right down to the poly-fil stuffing.While I appreciate a good scavenger hunt, realizing you need a straw or don't have the right crochet hook can really be a momentum killer. They also source materials and supplies from American sources whenever possible, which is pretty cool ...

When it comes to yarn, there are a few things I can't resist:  1. Cashmere.  2. A great story. 3. A beautiful shade of grey. If you're a regular reader (or an instagram follower, for that matter), none of these confessions will surprise you. I am a total luxury yarn junkie, and grey is one of my go-to colors for knitting projects - let's not even try to count the number of gray projects I knit last year!So, when I was given a choice of colors from the absolutely stunning jewel-tone palette for June Cashmere 's DK weight yarn, guess what I picked?  Yup, I chose  Slate grey. Act surprised!  I was also offered a free knitting pattern, the Journey Mitts , which uses just 1 skein of the DK yarn. More on that in a bit - and how you can score a free pattern for yourself, too. First, I want to share the incredible story behind June Cashmere, which is sourced directly from small family farms in Kyrgyzstan, processed in Europe, and then organically...

Last fall, I reviewed Love+Leche lotion bars ( click here if you missed it ). I'm the first to admit that I'm a bit of a product junkie, and I particularly am always on the hunt for ways to keep my hands moisturized. Working with wool sucks a lot of moisture out of your skin, and I have also been traveling a lot more for work in the past year, so a really good lotion bar can come in quite handy since it's TSA friendly for your carry-on. There's a lot to like about Love+Leche lotion bars, but first and foremost is that they work . They really do melt into your skin and are easy to use - I've tried a few other lotion bars that simply wouldn't melt into my skin as promised, and it was frustrating to say the least. My hands feel moisturized and supple, but not sticky or greasy. After a brief moment, I can pick up my project without fear of getting my yarns and needles gunked up with product. I also love that the products are natural & handmade (more on ...

Every 2 years, the Handweavers Guild of America (HGA) holds Convergence at a different location in the US - and for this year, it happened to be taking place in Milwaukee, WI, which is just a hop, skip and a jump from Chicago. It also happened to coincide with Stitches Midwest in Schaumburg, IL; rather than going to both, I opted to attend the event that I've never been to that is technically further away from where I live, but much less of a horrific drive, if you ask me (or anyone who lives in Chicago proper - are you taking notes, Stitches Midwest organizers who are definitely not reading this blog??). Anyway, my pal Lauren and I roadtripped to Milwaukee on Saturday to check out the Convergence marketplace and see some old friends - we both have spun on Team Louet for Spinzilla for the past 3 years, so of course we had to say hello to Dave from Louet: L-R: Dave, Lauren, and Me. Gotta love convention center lighting. The marketplace was small but had a nice selection of ...