The Big Reveal!

Before I get started with the Big Reveal, I just wanted to thank you for sharing your methods of stash organization.  The process has begun, and I'm already feeling great after handling all of my pretty skeins of yarn!

I worked all weekend putting together my little craft space, and I'm so happy with it!  I'm not totally done, but I'm so thrilled with what I did so far that I have to do a show and tell!

My little craft table!  I've never had a place where I can leave the sewing machine on a surface!  Yay!  A lot of the work was getting things organized and put away.

My little inspiration board! Right now I'm so excited for springtime.  I've arranged photos taken of flowers last year.  All is want is sunshine and green grass and flowers.  I'm planning on switching this up every couple of weeks to have a place to see all that is inspiring me in one place.

I love this print!  I hijacked a frame and matt that came with the house, and put this print that I acquired in the original paintings place.  When I first discovered this frame I almost threw it in the donate pile.  I decided to try it out, and I'm so glad that I did!  This print has been in a drawer for months and I'm so glad that it's now on the wall!

Some of my favorite books that always make me want to get off my ass and make something.

Spin spin spin!  I'm really happy I have a place to keep my wheel where it doesn't get moved all around and get in everyones way.

The spin spot!  Everything is within reach of this little bench.  To the left are bowls filled with my WIPs.  To the right is more of the same and some spare project bags, in case I want to grab a project for on the go knitting.

Pretty bowls holding projects.  Vases with my straight needles.  The tin holds pretty buttons.  I really love the colors.  Part of organizing my stash involved frogging projects I'll never knit.  Now I have only projects on the needles that I'm really excited about.

Thanks for visiting my craft room show and tell!  I've had so much fun and now I can't wait to spend tons of time making things in my own little space.

My Stash is Trashed!

So, the great craft room organization of 2011 is going quite well.  I've moved furniture, found a lovely place for my fabric, hung an inspiration board and set up the perfect place to spin.  However, morale was lowered dramatically when I finally took a long hard look at my stash.  It's a mess.  A disaster.  There's seriously just yarn, of all colors, weights, and amounts thrown into plastic bags and tubs.  Help!

One bin is filled with fiber.  Mostly Hello Yarn and Spunky Eclectic- with many different types of fiber, all squished together.

This bin is filled with yarn and a couple of projects that I will most likely never finish.  Just looking at the photo, I see aran, fingering, sport, worsted and lace weights.  Ugh. 

Will you help me?  How do you organize your stash?  Do you group yarns by weight or color?  Do you label the bins or just know where things are at a glance?  I'd love to know what you think works when organizing a yarn stash!    

Finally getting Settled.

For days I've been feeling like something is amiss.  I've been wandering around the house, trying to figure out what it is I need to do.  I finally realized that I need to get. Settled.  For as long as I've been out of high school, I've moved every year.  Without exception.  That has made me feel like I can't ever really unpack and feel completely at home.  For the first time in ten years, I feel like I can finally unpack all of the boxes.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I never showed you the house!  Here it is!  To the left is a one car garage, and on the right is a screened in porch!  I'm so excited to eat dinner out there in the summer.

So, today I snapped the photos below. They are images of the guest bedroom, which until now has been used to just hold our crap that we don't use.  These are the before shots, and I'm so excited to show you the after shots.

 Not only will this space hold a guest bed, but it will be my very own Creative Space!!!  I've never lived in a place where there is more than enough space.  I'm going to set up my sewing machine in a place where it can sit and mind its own business and I wont have to move it EVER!

Below is a photo of the view.  It doesn't look like much right now, just a snowy field with some leafless trees.  But in the spring, summer and the fall the neighbors use the field to graze their seven horses.  And the trees are apple trees so we get to witness the blossoming and then watch the apples grow.   I'm really so so blessed to be here.

Stay tuned to see the after shots!  I'm so excited to do an unveiling!    

Shoveling.

 Today I was out shoveling snow, and I was thinking about how great it was to be outside, in the middle of nowhere, just huffing and puffing and working and thinking.  And all of a sudden, it came to me that somehow, this wasn't good enough. That I'm young and should be socializing, and drinking and just generally having a reckless time.  I should be out shopping, wearing fabulous clothes, or at a spa being pampered.  I do that a lot.  Fantasize about not being a homebody and doing things that are outside of my character.

And then I did what I've learned to do. I shut it down.  I shut down the negativity, the"grass is always greener" attitude.  I've just come to realized that the goodness is in the small things, the everyday.  I shut it down, and I shoveled snow.

Another storm.

We braved the windy snowstorm this afternoon, and walked the half mile in the 6 inches of snow to retrieve the mail.  Mister was expecting a package.

The postman was running late.  No mail.

The ocean is forming a bit of a crust on the coastline.  It's brutal out there, but so so beautiful.

The leftover beef and barley soup (with leeks!) heated on the wood stove.  For the rest of the day I'll snuggle down by the wood stove and read.  I've just started Icy Sparks, which looks promising.

What are you reading?

What do you do when you're snowed in?  

Hallelujah interwebs- and Pinterest..

I've done it- I finally cracked and signed up for a mobile broadband connection.  It's more than I want to pay, but I seriously had had enough of typing with my thumbs.  The straw that broke the penny pinchers back?  I couldn't get pinterest to work.  It's an amazing site that allows you to take "clippings" from other websites and compile them on your own pinboard.  I have boards for textiles, home goods, food and books that I should read.  I know, I'm always one of the last people to pick up on anything remotely awesome.  I am seriously so smitten with this website that I have to shout it from the rooftops!  I'm so forgetful, and I never use bookmarks, so whenever I see a recipe that looks great I always think I'll remember it, and then I dont.  I suck.

Anywho, I tried to get a bookmarklet to work on my android phone and I realized that my internet usage was really limited.  I've been keeping up with all of you blog buddies, but leaving comments typing on a tiny keyboard wasn't fun. At all.

So, now that I've gushed about Pinterest, and having the interwebs at my fingertips!, do want to see some photos I've found exhibiting what I want in a house?  I suck at decorating.  I suck at even being able to say exactly what it is that I like, so hopefully Pinterest will help me to see to what type of interior I'm attracted.

Oh, and if you're already on Pinterest, drop by and say Hi! to me.  I'd love to see your boards!

via on Pinterest

via on Pinterest

via on Pinterest

via on Pinterest

Kindle book swap?

My friend, Implausible Yarn Heather, posted about her newly acquired Kindle last week.  I have also been newly introduced to the world of Kindle books.  I was really impressed with the response she received, and after a discussion, we realized that there were a lot of us out there who use ereaders, and who could use a space for friends to loan books to each other.  

We have been brainstorming about making a blog for our friends to post Kindle books they have to loan. We are both excited about what sort of community could grow out of a book swapping site!    First, and I think most importantly- 

• Would you be interested in using a site like this?  
• What would you like to see on the site?
• What do you want to gain?  Would you only want the ability to borrow and lend books or would you also want personal reviews?
• What would you want in a site like this?
• What would you dislike- what would keep you from participating? 
• What would be some of your concerns in using a site like this?

Please, if you're interested do let us know!  We're using this as a gauge to find out if there's any real interest in using a ebook swap site.  Heather and I look forward to you questions, concerns and input!

Light.

For weeks now there has been no sunlight, or at least it has felt that way. The sky is always grey, the ocean a dark charcoal color. I'm not a person who lays out in the summer time, worshipping the sun, but I do like to read a book outside on a sunny day, enjoying the cool breeze and having the warmth of the sun kiss my skin. Can you tell I've been fantasizing about summer time?




Today, the sun came out. It played peek-a-boo all day long behind a series of clouds, but it was great to just know that it was somewhere in the sky. Toward the end of the day the light became really rich, the shadows long and I just couldn't stand it any longer! To the beach! We need to hurry- the sun is setting! My Mister and I bundled quickly, jumped in the car and caught the sun!



I hope you all had a fantastic weekend, and an even better week ahead!

Drumroll, please!

​Hi, all!

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post the winners of my giveaway! Things got busy and I just couldn't get my act together. Thank you so much for stopping by and entering my giveaway! I received such a great response- 92 comments!


And the winners are….

The skein of Araucania Ranco Multy goes to entry #68- Kate from Orange Cat Knits. Hurray!

The skein of Fleece Artist Peter Rabbit goes to entry #4- Stacey from Golden Bird Knits.

The skein of Romney Ridge Farm yarn goes to entry #10- Lost City Denise.

Congratulations to all the winners! I'll send you emails and get your information to send you yarn right away!

Mitten Month!

​It's NaKniMitMo (National Knit Mittens Month, Of Course) and I'm taking this seriously. My beloved Fiddlehead Mittens have a hole and the thumb, and I've been itching to make another pair of colorwork mittens anyway.

I ended up giving my last pair of mittens to my bestie, Torie. She's one of those people who truly appreciate handknits. The wood Hollow mittens were a pleasure to knit. The pattern was written well and the yarn, Madeline Tosh Vintage, knits up beautifully.

I wrestled with which pattern to knit for a while. I settled on pattern 6-5 from Magnificent Mittens. I love this book so much. Most of the patterns are for dk, worsted and aran weights, and the elements are laid out so that you can pretty much design your own mitten. It's a lovely book.

Again, I'm working with Madeline Tosh Vintage yarn, and it is wonderful to work with. The shaded solids really add depth and interest to colorwork. I've cast on for the second mitten, and I'm working quickly to finish.

Remember, if you haven't already,enter to win my giveaway! Tweet, blog or sing from the rooftops about my giveaway to get another chance to win!