handmade by stefanie

Hello there, new sweater! I've kind of been holding out on you: this project has technically been finished since June 10, but I didn't get a chance to block it out til last weekend, and I really didn't want to share it until I had some awesome photos of a totally washed-and-blocked sweater to share! If you've been following my progress, you may already know that I started this project back in April, when I found the perfect skein of hand-dyed grey yarn at the Leading Men Fiber Arts booth at YarnCon. I used the mondo skein Soliloquy in London Fog ( a BFL sock yarn) to knit the yoke of the sweater, and it enabled me to destash two more skeins of yarn from the coffers: Top Draw Socks from Skein Yarn (Knight, the variegated colorway which comprises most of the sweater body) and a skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock I dyed with my own personal color I call Inky. The Lake Michigan Tee is part of Allyson Dykhuizen's collection in the Summer 2015 issue of K...

Summer has finally come to Chicagoland, which means it's time to trade in my jeans for skirts (for those of you who care, I don't believe in shorts) and bust out my ankle socks. One of my first-ever sock patterns is my go-to for the summer months; since I also don't wear sandals or flip-flops (yep, I'm weird like that), it's necessary to pair anklet socks with my shoes. The Lacy Summer Socks  are quick to knit with a lacy motif that's perfect for peeking through mary janes; it's now available as a free download on Ravelry and continues to be one of my most popular patterns. I recently came across a very sweet blog post from a fellow Raveler who recently made her own pair and shared her feedback about the pattern itself. Seeing a finished project from your own pattern is already one of the highest compliments a designer can get, but so is getting positive feedback from your fellow knitters! Craftsy Pick of the Week I've been getting back into design...

Ever since its launch one year ago, Pom Pom Quarterly has been one of those publications I knew I should keep my eye on. Each issue has had at least a few patterns that piqued my curiosity, but I never purchased an issue til now: with postage and the exchange rate, I wound up paying about $20 USD for the printed copy (which includes a PDF download as well). I know that seems pretty steep, but the Summer 2013 issue celebrating Pom Pom's one-year anniversary is just too good to pass up...and worth every penny! The paper stock is good quality (and smells great, if that's the kind of thing you're into!), and every page is printed in full color. There are many photos of each pattern - all 7 patterns include well-written instructions with schematics and charts and are mostly knit with indie-dyed yarn (Yarn Love, The Uncommon Thread, Skein, and Sweet Georgia, for example). There are three interesting feature articles and two pages with technique illustrations, plus a deliciou...