handmade by stefanie

I can't believe that December 1 is tomorrow - where did this month go (or this year, for that matter)?! It's a good thing I am not relying heavily on myself to make gifts for everyone on my list this year - if that were the case, I would be panicking right about now. Instead, I am relying heavily on my Amazon Prime membership to get the job done, and there are only a few handmade gifts on my to-do list for this year. All in all, I am not feeling terribly stressed, at least not for this reason! Over the weekend, I finished the first Berlin sock and started #2: I also have been working on the Matchmaker shawl once more, now that the Curls 2 project is off the needles: That reminds me - time is running out to enter my Curls 2 giveaway (details here if you missed how to enter) . I'll be announcing the winner this Friday, Dec. 2!

I have another free pattern out this month on the Knitter's Pride blog! You can whip up these Quick Crochet Mitts in just a few hours using the easy-to-follow instructions on this blog post . I used a 20.00mm crochet hook and a skein of Briggs & Little Super to make this project, and you can probably get two more pairs of mitts out of the same skein - so it's not only fast, but also affordable!  Click here to favorite or add to your queue on Ravelry. Happy hooking!

Fresh off the needles is my first project from Hunter Hammersen's newest book, Curls 2, which I reviewed at the start of this week ( click here if you missed it ). My giveaway to win a print copy of the book is still open, so be sure to check out this post to find out how you can enter! I was really pleased with how this shawl turned out, and it was my first time knitting with Sweet Georgia's Bulletproof sock yarn. It's a very soft and luxurious yarn that also stands up well to a lot of frogging - which is good, because I ended up ripping out quite a bit of work along the way due to operator error (counting is hard, ok?!?). The drape is really lovely, and the stitch definition is nice and crisp...but my favorite part is that I only have this much of the skein left over: Being able to knit until you run out of yarn might be the true genius of the Curls patterns, other than the fact that they're generally easier to style than other shawl shapes. Now I j...

The startitis mania has died down a bit (I hope) - over the weekend, I was able to focus on finishing my first project from Curls 2, which I reviewed earlier this week - click here if you missed it, there is also a giveaway ! Now I've set my sights on the Woolly Wormhead hat  since it will probably the next project come off the needles. Tyler's socks are coming along, too! I haven't picked up most of my other projects in a while -  the bulky weight cardi (which would probably be done by now if I had been working on it regularly), stripey angora wrap , the matchmaker shawl , etc. etc....but perhaps I can give some of those projects my attention over the holiday weekend (if I can resist starting new projects, that is).  Thanks for stopping by - wishing my US friends a safe & happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Earlier this year, I was sent two copies of Curls 2 , the newest book of shawl knitting patterns by Hunter Hammersen. One copy has already found a treasured place in my knitting library, but the second one will be given away to one lucky blog reader (keep reading to find out how you can enter). If you're already familiar with the first Curls book ( see my review here ), then you already know the deal: each pattern is customizable for any yarn gauge or yardage, and they produce a shawl shape that is gentle curved on each end - it's probably best described as an asymmetrical shawl, because you begin with the smallest number of stitches and increase regularly clear up until you bind off. Since each shawl is knit with the same formula, it's best to check out the Anatomy of a Curl section at the start of the book to help you understand the patterns themselves, which are mainly driven by the cleverly color coded charts and their accompanying color-coded schematics (all ...

On Wednesday, I mentioned that I had 2 new free patterns that I'd neglected to share here. Oops! The first one is really more of a tutorial, and I'm afraid I missed the "timely" boat since Halloween is long since over: You could just as easily make it in non-Halloween colors, or even a Winter/Christmas/Hannukah/Festivus palette, if you dared. Also, if anyone knows what constitutes a Festivus color palette, I'm all ears. You can favorite/queue the pattern here on Ravelry , or visit the Hobium blog here for the free tutorial . Next, I designed a chunky pair of knit mitts using Briggs & Little Super yarn and some truly enormous knitting needles: You can favorite/queue the pattern here on Ravelry , or visit the Knitter's Pride blog here for the free pattern . BONUS! There is a giveaway to win the yarn & needles for this project (pictured above) which is open through Midnight CST on 11/24/16 - click here to enter! I've got two mo...

I started a few projects since last week, but I promise that I had really  good reason for doing so. For instance, I realized that I had just one gift knitting project I needed to make, and that time was running out to knit said project if I was going to ship it to the intended recipient prior to Christmas. Also, one of my Spinzilla prizes arrived - a custom set of Kollage needles from my team host, Louet North America , who is the new owner of this needle company. All signs pointed to starting a new project ! (note: close up shot to avoid spoiling the surprise) Here's another photo of my fancy customized needles: If you're a bit jealous, you don't have to be - you can get your own customized set in 2017 ! I also started a hat because I wanted an instant gratification project - and Woolly Wormhead did a one-day promo last week offering a free pattern with a coupon code. I ended up buying an additional pattern along with this on in my small bid to pay it forw...