handmade by stefanie

Sorry for the radio silence, I ended up taking an unexpected 11-day trip back to Kansas City earlier this month and I just didn't feel like blogging. So I didn't. And to be completely honest, as this dumpster fire of a year rolls on, I find myself less and less motivated to maintain my blog and social media presence (such as it is) in favor of spending more time doing things IRL. I'm hoping to find something of a balance this fall since I do still enjoy writing and sharing the crafty things I'm learning and doing here, and I assume that someone somewhere likes to read about it. At least I hope so! With that in mind, I thought a good first step would be to get back to blogging every Wednesday(ish), starting with a recap of what I've been working on lately. The key word is simple knits. To wit: I just finished a Boxy Worsted pullover in Malabrigo Twist - miles and miles of stockinette stitch on pitch black yarn. Impossible to photograph, but something I predict I...

The last two weeks have been a little crazy, and I'm glad to get back to my regular Wednesday posting schedule. Since it's been a while since I've shared any WIPs on this blog, I thought I would share everything I'm working on now that all of the secret knitting projects for designs in progress have been published ( I blogged about the 3 newest designs here if you missed it ). To kick off September, I started a Weekender Sweater for this knit-along using Prairie Spun DK from Brown Sheep. And because I like to live dangerously, I used my shiny new Ginger interchangeables from Knitter's Pride (which arrived just in time for the KAL start date) instead of the needles I swatched with. Considering the sweater is to be work with plenty of ease, I'm willing to take the risk. So far, it's looking great and is the perfect, soothing knit. Also in the same roomy knitting basket is another project using Brown Sheep yarn! I'm knitting the Color Block Cowl ...

I'm working on few secret projects right now, so besides the Purlbreak that's in progress for an upcoming review, the only other active WIPs on the needles are sweaters! I'm about ready to bind off the body  Gift Wrap Baby Sweater : I'm inching ever closer on the sleeves for my So Faded Sweater , although it probably doesn't look too different from last week. I am still holding out hope that I could finish it in time to wear it on (or reasonably near) Christmas, though. I've only worked a few rows on  Sticks + Steel ; once I'm able to focus more time on this, it should be a pretty fast project (though my track record with bulky weight sweaters isn't much better than lighter weight ones, I suppose....). I haven't worked much on my Purlbreak shawl, but that's another project I intend to focus on over the holiday break once the So Faded sweater is done. And that's it! I do have a fun new toy to share with you Friday - ...

Holy cow, it's November already?! It's a good thing I'm not knitting gifts for the holidays, because I would be in big trouble at this point. 2017 has been the year of selfish knitting, and I have to say - I'm not sorry. After redoing the charts for this hat I'm knitting in Shepherd's Lamb Rambouillet , it's coming along faster (who knew that condensing 3 charts into just 1 would be such a time-saver?!), although I find I have to pace myself since I decided to knit this project at such a tight gauge (on US 4 needles). The results will be worth it, though - look those lovely textured stitches! These socks came out of hibernation, although they are another project I have to work on in small bursts. Socks still really hurt my hands, which is a bummer because I like knitting them. I'm trying to experiment with ways to hold my hands and my knitting to minimize the strain, but so far I haven't found the magic bullet just yet. Consequently, m...

All of my active WIPs have been cleared off the needles! Let me repeat: Every. Single. One. So you know what that means....I get to start new things! Since Baby Wave 2017 shows no signs of slowing down, I cast on for another baby sweater (does the yarn look familiar?) - this time, I am using a new-to-me pattern and modifying it a bit so that I can use worsted weight yarn and US 6 needles. Originally, I was going to make this in green and blue, but at the last minute I decided that a blue-on-blue version would be more fun. The only other project I've started so far is a cowl  using the gradient yarn I bought in Kansas City back in June. I had a hard time picking what pattern I wanted to use with this yarn, but then I remembered spotting a project by Julie of Knitted Bliss that paired the Starshower Cowl pattern with a skein of gradient yarn. Currently, it looks like a small dark blob of yarn, but as the purple to blue gradient starts to emerge, I think it'll loo...

I think it's going to be a photo finish for the dueling shawls; the final rows of my Wonder Woman Wrap are looooong, though I don't have many left to knit: While I have further to go on my Inauguration Consolation shawl, the rows are just a bit shorter: Even more exciting, however, is that I have only ONE other WIP on the needles: the ill-fated Dillinger Hat , which is still in time out. I think I ripped back far enough to fix the mistakes I made, so it's just a matter of picking it back up and finishing it. Easier said than done! Here's hoping I can finish one, some or all of these WIPs this coming weekend so that I can start some new, exciting projects!

After a productive weekend, I am down to just two knitting projects on the needles: the shawl that I started last week, and a new hat project using some yarn I'll be reviewing soon. For the shawl, cashmere is the yarn of choice yet again - I'm knitting the  Inauguration Consolation pattern using 3 colors of yarn from Lux Adorna . I started a new hat project using a free pattern from Ravelry, Lake Reed by Asita Krebs. The yarn is a new option from Dalegarn called Lerke Pluss , and I'm excited to give it a try. I think it'll be great for this cabled stitch pattern! I also resurrected my Dillinger hat from time out (if you recall, I'd made a glaring error in the colorwork several inches back). On Sunday I frogged to where I got off track, and now I've resumed knitting - so far, so good...and Robing REALLY wanted to be in this shot, incidentally: I warped a new project on my loom this week, another scarf using some handspun yarn: And, of ...

It seems like forever since I had new WIPs - but now that several long term projects are officially off the needles, I think it's time to start some new, exciting things! I still have some babies to knit for, so the first cast on over the long holiday weekend was for a striped baby sweater : After I finished my June Cashmere MKAL project (which I'll be sharing this Friday), I decided that starting a shawl project would be a just reward. I bought the Inauguration Consolation project kit at TNNA back in January and have been wanting to start it ever since, but deadline knitting and guilt from too many WIPs held me back. I do still have the Dillinger Hat on the needles, and I still need to work up to ripping allll the way back (about 8 rows I think?) to fix a rather large mistake. I'm hoping I finally feel up to the task this coming weekend - it's such a cute hat, I would love to finish it soon! Believe it or not, that is all that I have on the nee...

Last weekend, I discovered a pretty major mistake in my Dillinger Hat and put it in time out until I am ready to frog back and fix it. Can you spot where I went wrong? I don't always mind frogging, especially when I know it'll be worth it in the end (and it always is), but I'm having a hard time with this one because I was so excited to finish this hat over the weekend. I still managed to finish the baby sweater my sister requested, which meant that it was time to face my second sleeve syndrome head-on and pick the Rockling Cardigan back up. I'm not very far along, but that's only because Tilly keeps using it as a pillow every time I set it down for just a moment! I never have the heart to disturb her when she looks so blissful. So, I started a baby hat to match the afore-mentioned  sweater I just finished. It won't be long til I see my sister in Kansas City, and I would like to hand deliver them if I can! With TNNA just around the corne...

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...

This week is all about knitting sleeves! I finished the body of my Rockling Cardigan and started on the sleeves; usually I prefer two-at-a-time, but I just couldn't fathom doing that while managing several giant balls of the bulky yarn I'm knitting with. So, against my better judgement, I am knitting the sleeves one at a time on DPNs - but on the plus side, I finally get to give my Sirka Row Counter a proper test drive! I'll share more about the Sirka on a later post once I've used it more, but so far I am totally digging it. Last weekend, I started a baby sweater for one of the few people I will accept commission work from at this point (hint: they are all very closely related to me by blood). I'm knitting a pattern I've used before ( Seed Stitch Yoke Cardi ) from one of my favorite baby knitting books, 60 Quick Baby Knits . Since a few of my friends are also expecting later this spring/summer, I am hoping this motivates me to knit some more baby stuff ...

I've finished several long-term projects lately, so I allowed myself to cast on a new project from this book I got for Christmas: I chose the Simple Sideways Mitt s using several of the yarns leftover from my very-recently-completed Fade (it's still in the blocking process, but look for finished Fade photos sometime next week!). I have no idea why I'm trying to cram it on these DPNs....apparently I just like the challenge?! Rather than seaming a cast on and bound off edge, I opted for a crocheted provisional cast on so that I can graft each end together when I'm finished knitting. This is my favorite provisional cast on because you just make a single crochet chain that's a little longer than the amount of stitches you need, and then you pick up and knit into the bumps underneath the crochet chain like. I made a (hopefully helpful) mini-tutorial for anyone who wants to give it a try: My current destash woven scarf is now past the halfway point, s...

It's been a few weeks since I shared what I'm working on, mostly because I've been focusing on a secret sample knitting project that I can't share just yet - which means that most of my WIPs are seeing very little action. In fact, the only project to progress somewhat since this post is my Find Your Fade (although I'm still not even halfway through the second to last color). Obviously, I won't be finishing by the end of this month, which is when the KAL ends, but hopefully I can get it off the needles sometime in April! Meanwhile, my knitting basket is getting a tad crowded. That probably wasn't helped by starting another new project over the weekend - even if it is rather small. This cute fair isle mittens ornament kit was gifted to me over the holidays and I've been meaning to break into it ever since. If not now, when*? *Pro tip: this is how you can justify just about any cast-on. I also have a new project on the loom which will be a d...