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?

An algae green cowl - sounds gross, looks great!

Another lovely quick project! I really enjoy doing small pieces like cowls - this one is called The Darkside Cowl, its by Sarah Fama, and I found it on Ravelry. (All roads no longer lead to Rome - they lead to Ravelry!!!) I used some pea green yarn that was given to me by a former knitter (she overdosed on scarves for Christmas gifts one year and & has sworn off knitting for a while. She very sweetly passed along her leftovers to me.) I think its acrylic, but I might be wrong. Its very stretchy, which I guess makes it good for a cowl so it will stretch over the head easily.

Anyhoo, I love this pattern - its easy to follow and things keep changing so it stays interesting. Not to mention, it makes for a lovely finished object! I think next to cables, anything that resembles basketweave is my second favorite thing to knit.

[caption id="attachment_111" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="the Darkside Cowl in algae green"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_112" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="totally scrunchable!"][/caption]

And speaking of basketweave, I have started a new scarf in a gorgeous deep forest green, in alpaca.  I officially adore alpaca - this is Misti International Misti Alpaca Chunky and it is the softest yarn I have ever used. It reminds me of the satin bindings on my blanket when I was a little girl - the ones I rubbed so hard they wore out. How I loved that satin binding. There is just something terribly comforting about rubbing something soft on your cheek.  This pattern is Basketweave Scarf by Ann Budd, also available here from Knitting Daily.  I really like how the sides undulate with the basketweave, and its an easy pattern to follow.  Its good for semi-short-term knitting too, since the repeat is only 18 rows.  I think I am doing this for a friend of mine who wanted a soft scarf to wear with his topcoat, but I just might keep it for myself.  It would be a nice color for a Michigan State Spartan's fan, but he might not be so lucky!  I'd made him a cabled scarf out of some Noro wool/silk two years ago, but he thinks its too scratchy, so I started this.

[caption id="attachment_113" align="aligncenter" width="257" caption="Super Soft Alpaca Scarf"][/caption]

And I learned that I really need to find a better place to photograph my projects, instead of the dining room table.  The chandelier makes huge shadows!

I also finished another berry sweet preemie hat - used the circs this time, so the main portion of the hat went super quickly. Not bothering with a photo, as I don't want to bore you to tears.  Also did one that looks like a pumpkin.  I am really enjoying the i-cord stems.  What a neat trick!