Stacey | FreshStitches

How to Find Balance in your Day

by Stacey on October 25, 2014

Last weekend, I went to California for a friend’s wedding and was delighted with the chance to meet up with friends I haven’t seen in years. My friends know what I do for a living, and are always curious to see how it’s going. Especially since being a professional blogger, designer and crocheter is so […]

Coffee with Stacey 10: Crafting for Baby

by Stacey on October 22, 2014

It’s been a busy week or two… I traveled to Stitches East and then to California for a wedding. Here’s a baby bump photo: Yes… it’s the same dress I was wearing at the last wedding I went to! In between, I’ve been winding kits like crazy… get ready for another exciting restocking on Friday! […]

Learn How to Knit a Sock

by Stacey on October 21, 2014

I love knitting socks. And I get a lot of questions about which resources I’d recommend for learning. So, in today’s blog post, I’m going to give you a list of my favorite sources! Your First Pair of Socks Do you feel comfortable increasing and decreasing? Have you used double point needles? Great! Then you’re […]

Perpendicular Mattress Stitch (knitting)

by Stacey on October 17, 2014

Do you remember when I was knitting this sweater? Well… I’ve finished! And today, I want to chat about a seaming technique that really helped me out! Perpendicular Mattress Stitch I loved knitting this sweater… the pieces are knit flat, which makes for very speedy knitting. At the end, you need to seam the pieces […]

When should you teach a child to knit/crochet?

by Stacey on October 10, 2014

A little while ago, someone on twitter asked me: My reply: whichever she’s most interested in, whenever she’s ready Children begin to crawl at different ages. Kids start to speak at different ages. Is it any surprise that different children are ready to knit/crochet at different ages? When is a child ready to knit/crochet? There […]

Self-Striping Sock Yarn

by Stacey on October 2, 2014

If you watched my most recent Coffee with Stacey, you’ll know that I absolutely love knitting socks from self-striping yarn. My go-to sock yarn, Knit Picks Felici (shown above), has been discontinued. Self-striping yarn is hard to find… it’s difficult to dye and some beautiful ones (like Freia Handpaints) are stunning but not suitable for […]

Coffee with Stacey: knitted socks

by Stacey on September 30, 2014

Hi there! I’m excited that fall is here and I’ve gotten a moment of spare time to record a new chat with you! I got carried away with talking, and so my camera cut me off in the middle… so it’s recorded in two parts. I hope you don’t mind! Links you may enjoy: Here […]

Tutorial: How to crochet with beads (video)

by Stacey on September 28, 2014

Crocheting with beads can be tricky. Many techniques call for adding the bead to the stitch as you go, which isn’t great for traveling, and the bead doesn’t sit nicely. Want to see the beading technique I developed? In this technique, the beads sit nicely on the front loop of the piece, so we’ll be […]

FO: baby Antler Cardigan!

by Stacey on September 19, 2014

Remember a couple of weeks ago, I showed you this cutie? I’ve been knitting along, and now it’s finished! I’m excited to show it off! Isn’t it adorable? You can check out the Ravelry project page… but I didn’t make any modifications. I just followed the pattern as described! Can you tell that orange and […]

How to Spot Clean a Stuffed Animal

by Stacey on September 16, 2014

If you crocheted a stuffed animal using a hand wash-only yarn, then you can’t just throw the little guy into the washing machine. You’ll need to spot clean. Here’s how to do it! This little symbol on your yarn means you need to hand wash! Always follow the yarn washing instructions! How to Spot Clean […]