Work in Progress: The Craft Room

I've gotten alot of work done in the little sunroom at the front of the house.  I've decided it will be a craft room / studio space since it is so sunny and light.  French doors on one side face the neighbor's pool, and windows on the other side look out into my little courtyard.  I think if I place a chair in the right spot, I'll be able to sit and knit while watching birds at the birdfeeder and that thought makes me very happy.  There may be cafe rods at the center of these windows the next time you see them though.  When this room is lit at night there is not alot of privacy.  The french doors on the other side of the room are definitely getting sheers, but I haven't quite decided about these windows yet.  And don't mind the box of empty boxes in the forefront of the shot, but it does show that I've gotten some work done!

This week I got all the yarn loaded into the knitting cupboard which is pretty exciting, although the books and notebooks of patterns don't fit.  I think I have a plan to solve that problem although it requires some work in my master bedroom.  I did get alot of the boxes that were in this room unpacked and that feels good.  The knitting cabinet used to be full of canvas bins with yarn organized by weight, but since the stash has gotten somewhat larger in the past few months, I decided to do the mounding technique that alot of knitters use.  I never thought the shelf would be this full!

Sorry for the photo quality - clearly I need to use a tripod!  This shelf doesn't even include cottons, acrylics, crochet thread, 2 chenille cones, or my tiny fiber stash for spinning.  You can definitely fit more in by not using bins or containers though, so I've learned an important lesson.  I've also learned I need to put a moratorium on yarn purchases!  The next big decision is seating.  For a no-cost solution, I have an old black wicker chair in this room now and it needs a cushion.  I'm thinking of using Heather Bailey's Peonies from the Pop Garden collection, since this room is where alot of HotPinkPeonies crafty-ness will occur.  And the green background to this fabric looks nice with the already green walls.  A pillow in this would also look nice if I decide to paint the chair white or, saints preserve us, hot pink!

My other option are two brown garden chairs that I got at Target this spring when most of my furniture was still in Virginia.  They are not necessarily all that comfy for long term sitting, but it would make a cute conversational area against this wall.  My option for pillows for these chairs is a Michael Miller fabric from the Lagoon line called Bird Swing.  It has a brown background, so it looks great with these chairs.  A big shout out to Material Gal on Etsy - her prices are great and the selection is even better!  I got both these fabrics from her.

Decisions, decisions.  I'm leaning towards the black wicker with the hot pink peonies fabric.  I mean really, who are we kidding?  What do you think about these two choices?

A Familiar Voice

Today is my day off and I've rewarded myself by sleeping in and having a lazy morning of websurfing and coffee drinking and doggie tummyrubbing. In an effort to actually get something done today, I downloaded a new book from Audible.com because i m desperately trying to stay away from the tv. I've read or listened to several Anne Perry books, but realized that I've never read the book where Charlotte & Thomas Pitt meet.

So I just downloaded The Cater Street Hangman, uploaded to the Ipod and ... The narrator is Davina Porter! I adore listening to the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon in audiobooks. There are two Outlander books that aren't available through Audible, so I bought the paperbacks and the funny thing is, that as I read them, I heard Davina Porter in my head. She has a delightful accent, and adds just the right tone to the books. She adds character to the narration, and I just adore her. This is a better treat today than a bowl of ice cream!

I'm off to unpack more boxes from the big move, and get lost in a murder mystery from 1881 with one of my favorite voices.

Modern Vintage?

I was running late for work this morning and decided to make coffee at home but put it in a thermos with my breakfast to take with me.  At least that way, the shop would be open and chances are that I could nibble at my yummy blueberry scone in peace and quiet any how.  My first thought was to reach for what I call the major silver bullet - its one of those stainless steel thermos' that you see everywhere these days.  I have a small one that a friend bought for me (which was really sweet, but as a non-coffee drinker he did not realize I needed the big daddy size!) which is called the minor silver bullet and a larger one that I got for myself.  Some days you only need a cup, but some days ... well you know the drill.

Unfortunately, I haven't unpacked either silver bullet yet, despite the fact that it feels like I've been unpacking for ages.  Then I remembered something I bought at TJ Maxx several years ago, just because I thought it was pretty and it has been unpacked.   Its an enamel thermos with the glass interior and an aluminum top.  Now the unusual thing about this thermos is that its pale blue.  Yes, that's right - blue!  When I was a little girl my mother, father and big sister all chose blue as their favorite color.  Not me.  No sirree.  For as quiet and shy as I normally am, I do like to feel special so I would have been darned if I chose the same favorite color as everyone else in my family.  Pffht.  So red was my official favorite color until I was about 28 when I discovered (yes Al Gore, I discovered it) green.  Sage green, thyme green, lime sherbet green, evergreen, blue spruce green, you name it - I love green!  Perhaps not day-glo green, but I'd probably pick it over blue.  If you asked, I would tell you that 90% of my home and probably 80% of my wardrobe is either red or green.  Long story short, pale blue is not often found in my home unless it was a gift.

Anyhow, here's my breakfast. 



I love that this is a vintage-looking thermos, but its not.  I also love that so many fabrics and stationary goods and other home decor pieces are out there now that are current and up-to-date, but really inspired by vintage items.  I also think this is going to be the color palette for some of the decor in my new home.  Pale blue with red and pink.

Fresh Start

I've been thinking alot about fresh starts lately.  I've just moved my home and business to a new state, and of course that makes for a fresh start in my entire world.  New house, new neighborhood, new shop location and the opportunity to put new habits in place that will be good for me, for my business and even for my dog.  Katie has certainly benefited already - she gets bored with travelling the same old path everyday, and we have lots of options for our morning, afternoon and evening walks now.  (I'm sure she misses 'the land of chicken bones' but it seems people here in Florida don't toss as many chicken wing bones outdoors as some of our Virginia neighbors did, thank goodness!)  As I mentioned, my dad got married last weekend and that's the fresh start of a lifetime.  Deciding on decorating themes is a slow process, but I've got some fresh starts in the new house too.

I've been surfing the blogging world alot lately for fun and inspiration, and I enjoy seeing banners and headers change with the seasons or with a new focus on a different craft or whatnot, so I thought I should get with the program, so now my blog has a fresh start as well.  I've switched to a new theme, added a wee bit of color and a custom header.  Its fun to shake things up every once in a while, and now things here are PINK!   I do miss having a big photo of a pink peony, but I think this change is for the good. 

 

Ah, that's better!

You're always a weiner at Pedro's

What trip along the East Coast is complete without a visit to South of the Border in South Carolina?  When I was a little girl, our family drove from Buffalo to various Florida destinations about once a year and we almost always stopped to take a picture with Pedro the mascot of South of the Border.  We have tons of shots of my sister and I slowly getting taller while the same statue of Pedro gets shorter.  I think his statue was about 5 feet tall.  Needless to say, the little town has developed quite a few more buildings in the last 30 years, not to mention the giant elevator ride to the top of Pedro's Sombrero tower (seen in the background below).   A couple of years ago, I stopped and took a shot of my dog Katie reluctantly standing next to Pedro just for a giggle.  Much to our surprise, when we stopped last week we could not find a short statue of Pedro, so we had to pick a tall one for our family photo shoot.

niece and nephew with tall Pedro

Katie has chosen not to participate in this picture.  Wait till I dig out an old picture of me & my sister - I'm sure the little ones will roll on the floor laughing.  They sure do enjoy seeing old photos of their mother, and as the little sister I do my best to pick out the worst ones. ;)  Luckily she knows I'm just teasing.

Unfortunately, I was not able to capture any good shots of the fun billboards that entertain travellers throughout North and South Carolina.  Some of our family favorites are the one with the big hot dog that says "You're always a weiner at Pedro's - You never sausage a place!" and the one with the rotating sheep that says "All your sheep are counted at Pedro's."  I loved those billboards as a child, and I must admit I still get a kick out of them!  There are many more fun animal statues in the little town though and the kids especially liked the elephants ...

"My, what big tusks you have!"

I found it very difficult to make time to blog while on our trip, and the resulting guilt is not a good feeling.  Ah well, tomorrow is another day, fresh with no mistakes in it, as Anne of Green Gables would say.  (Ha - there's the green for this month's NaBloPoMo theme! Green Gables!)

See you tomorrow!

World Wide Knit in Public Week begins!

Well I didn't do our craft proud today, I'm afraid. I worked pretty much all day, and spent a good part of the day writing a blog post for the shop about what you can do for the birds during summer. It's a pretty good article, if I do say so myself, but that didn't leave me too much time for knitting.

I did get over to my sister's where I showed off the Barbie dress with the cute little ruffled skirt that I designed on the fly the other day. My niece loves the style, but I bound off too tightly, and did not leave any wiggle room by using a snap for it's closure, so of course it doesn't fit. Back to the drawing board, but I think I can fix it. I used CottonEase, which normally allows some give, but it wasn't enough to get over those hips! Pix soon, I promise.

We spent a good amount of time leafing throug the copy of Nicky Epstein's Knits for Barbie Dolls that I just got from the library and the Princess has selected only 35 of the 75 patterns in the book. "Barbie is going to be so excited with her new wardrobe!" How can an aunt resist? I am honestly looking forward to every one! I hope to get started while I'm at the shop tomorrow.

The New Year Ain't So New Any More

Yes, its been a while.  Let's not talk about that.

My house is on the market and I am keeping my fingers crossed for some good news any day now.  The first time home buyers rebate is only good for ratified contracts through April 30, and we are hoping for a buyer who wants to get in under the wire.  I had a nibble from a serious buyer, but we couldn't reach an agreement.  I have a feeling they panicked about the money they were spending, but who knows.  I wish them well, and hope they find a happy home.   I went home for a few days to take care of some things and get some spring colors planted, and now I'm back at the new shop.

The NEW SHOP!  Its beautiful and cheerful and just as much of a happy place as the old shop.   Its twice as big, so I am having fun ordering new things to fill the space.  There are still loads of boxes to be unpacked, and shipments keep arriving.  I suppose it will be a work in progress for some time to come.  I am however, starting to take breaks at the shop and allow my mind to wander to something other than work.  One of these days, I'll get back to knitting and my other crafts.  This morning I spent some time visiting my favorite blogs and Ravelry and was thoroughly inspired.

Katie loves our new neighborhood - the pelicans and palm trees are wonderous, and she loves being outside.  What a happy pooch! 

[caption id="attachment_173" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Happy Dog"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_175" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="mystery vine with gorgeous red blooms"][/caption]

I am still learning about the flora and fauna of Florida.  There are all sorts of wonderful plants in my yard here, and I am anxious to find out what they are, and how I should be caring for them.  I even have a lawn!  My postage stamp sized yard in Virginia was a shady spot, so I have little grass keeping experience.  There's a giant tree with woodpeckers and blue jays visiting the yard, not to mention lizards! 

[caption id="attachment_176" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="the tropical garden"][/caption]

 

 

Knitting in Spirit - Listen to Podcasts!

I can't believe its been so long since I've posted.  There just never seems to be enough time in the day, does there?  I have finished some small projects, but haven't been able to photograph them in decent light just yet, so you'll have to wait to see those.  Because I've been so busy, I've been knitting in spirit only - skimming posts on Ravelry, looking at new magazines, and listening to podcasts!

I have an hour commute in the car to my little shop, so I have started listening to podcasts, specifically knitting podcasts.  After a little research, I discovered a couple podcasts that I am really enjoying.  First there is Cast On with Brenda Dayne.  Her story is quite interesting - she's an American living in Wales.  In addition to discussing her knitting projects, she tells charming tales of her community and even such mundane things as the weather in Wales seems a little more romantic than the weather here in the Mid-Atlantic.  Her website, blog and podcast can be found at Cast On.  She's taking a little break from the podcasts at the moment, but old episodes are so worth a listen.  I love how she produces a series all based on the same theme.  I especially enjoyed the Make Do and Mend series, beginning here.  The current economy has us all tightening our belts, and spending more wisely, and its a natural extension to be more careful in our crafting or to craft new uses for items rather than spending on something new.

Another podcast I have enjoyed is Never Not Knitting (what a great name!) with Alana.  She has a blog here, with links to her podcast episodes, some beautiful children's patterns and lots of interesting knitterly things to pass along.  She does a product review which I appreciate - its always helpful to get someone's honest perspective on something, isn't it? Listening to a few of her podcasts recently helped me get through a day of cleaning in preparation for house guests. It was nice to be in the world of knitting in my head, while busy vacuuming and tidying up.

Both of these are available through ITunes.  Just type in knitting in a search of their podcasts, and a whole list pops up for you.  I have downloaded some others as well, but these two are my current favorites.  Grab an easy project, and have a listen!

Knitting In Public

I have been knitting at the shop, knitting in public (aka KIP'ing). Its a small but open space, and the counter is directly across from the front door, which is set into a wall of glass, so I when I'm sitting there knitting I am rather obvious to those walking in the entrance. These two couples walk in, and the one man says "Hey you're knitting - do you know my mom?" What do you say to that? I don't think he meant to be funny, but I thought it was hysterical.  Its like saying - "hey, you're from New York, do you know Joe Smith?"  What are the chances?

Back to the customer- he said she always has a project in the works, and once we started chatting you could tell he was proud of her work.  It was actually very sweet.  She sounds like my kind of lady!

I suppose there are people out there who think of knitting as an activity for the older generations, but it is for all ages who want to create, and I am glad to have learned. Knitters are all ages - from senior citizens to seniors in high school.  I've had teenage girls chat with me about patterns, a little shyly at first, but you can tell they enjoy it too. I think its wonderful that knitting is coming back into vogue and is garnering the respect that any handcraft deserves.  I've told lots of knitters about Ravelry, and even met a few who already knew and we chatted about how awesome it is to have such a resource of patterns, expertise and camaraderie right at your fingertips.   There is something quite theraputic about following a pattern, and not thinking about the trials and tribulations of the world, and after a while you have something to show for it.  A lovely handmade item that you can treasure yourself, or give to someone you love, or just give away to someone in need.  What could be better than inexpensive 'me' time that produces an actual useful thing?  Although I am not Catholic, I have been chatting with friends about taking time during Lent to reflect, and knitting is a great opportunity for that.

Can you tell I am in a knitting happy place today?

So what's new on my needles?  I'm starting a new scarf for my dad, in Brooks Farms Solo - a 100% wool DK weight and it is a joy to knit.  Soft and smooth, and hopefully it will turn out as beautifully as I expect it will.  I am trying The Prismatic Scarf from Feather and Fan - I can't wait to see how the colors work out.  She has alot of lovely patterns on her site - I am looking forward to trying more!

[caption id="attachment_60" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="Prismatic Beginnings"][/caption]