My Craft Room

This month I have been reorganizing my crafting space, which is housed in the guest bedroom. I thought it would be fun to share some photos.

Hubby kindly gifted me with a a new sewing machine as an early birthday present. It didn’t come with a cover, so I made one using the sewing machine cozy pattern from Spool.

The brown and orange fabrics are Joel Dewberry prints. The main fabric is linen, and in retrospect I should have either interfaced it or used a sturdier fabric as the cover is floppier than I would prefer. But I like the look of linen and it does the job, so I’m still pleased with it. The pattern is very straightforward so I definitely recommend it if you need a machine cover.

Then I came across the Pincushion Organizer Tutorial by Oh Fransson.

You know how sometimes you don’t realize that you need something until you see it? That was exactly how I felt about this organizer! My favorite part is the removable scrap bag, also known elsewhere as a thread catcher.

I actually have a garbage can on the floor immediately beside my chair, but I rarely use it when I am in the middle of the project. I guess I’m too lazy to lean over repeatedly to reach it. Instead, I collect a pile of threads and scraps on my table. They get mixed up with my tools, creating a mess. With the scrap basket right there, I actually dispose of my fabric trimmings and threads immediately. The organizer pockets for my scissors, seam ripper, and thread snips are also very handy. Oh Fransson’s tutorial is well-written with clear and helpful photos, so again, if you need an organizer this is a great pattern.

Next, I sewed a simple runner for the top of the file cabinet. I used to keep my sewing supplies in the closet, but it wasn’t organized well and didn’t promote efficiency so I got the file cabinet. My fabric is still stored in the closet, but I like having all of my other supplies right next to my table.

This last item — an ironing board cover — wasn’t made by me, but I purchased it from CityChicCountryMouse on Etsy:

The print is Joel Dewberry again, and yes, I chose this print because it matches perfectly with the orange/brown/yellow theme I have going on elsewhere in the room. It is well-made and shipping was super quick — I bought it on a Friday night and it showed up in my mailbox that next Monday.

I love my revamped space and am excited about the sewing projects I have in the pipeline! To celebrate, I am going to follow Keri’s example and give away two brand new Amy Butler bag patterns: Chelsea and Velma.

Simply leave a comment indicating which pattern you would like, and I’ll enter your name in a random drawing. Comments will close in a week and I’ll announce the winners next Tuesday.

***************************************

Peacock Chic is the winner of the Velma pattern, and Kitten won the Chelsea pattern. Thank you to everyone for the lovely comments!

Flow

Recently I received a copy of Flow, the first photography book published by Vanessa Yap of coloursknits. I have been following Vanessa’s knitting blog for years and have always been impressed with her amazing photography, so I was thrilled to be the lucky recipient of her book giveaway.

Flow consists of more than forty stunning photos of yarn in various settings – solo, in a group of skeins, or as part of a knitting project. For me, the common theme across all of the photos is the simple beauty of yarn. Vanessa has a gift for capturing yarns’ exquisite qualities in their most basic form. I have pored over the book many times, and each time I feel a sense of peace whenever I look at her lovely photos. This is an excellent book for anyone who appreciates the artistic character of yarn. You can find it here. Congratulations on your wonderful work, Vanessa!

My Very Own Zeebee!

This was recently gifted to me by Esther, who knit it out of her own handspun! I love the colors and it is a super cozy hat. Thank you so much for the wonderful gift, Esther!

Clapotis #6

This one is for me!

Yarn: Miss Babs Yummy Superwash Sock & Baby Yarn, a tad over 1 skein
Pattern: Clapotis
Needles: US #6
Modifications: Knit scarf-sized version with 2 repeats in increase section, 25 repeats in straight section, and 2 repeats in decrease section.

Artist’s Choice Sock Collection

From the Sundara Yarn Artist’s Choice Sock Collection. Clockwise from top left: Pure Indulgence, Aloe, Proscuitto over Figs, First Prize, Solar Flares, and Siberian Plum.

I have plenty of sock yarn in my stash, but the question is — will I be able to refrain from signing up for another collection? Sign-ups open December 15!

Christmas Gift Knitting

These past few months, I’ve been working on Christmas presents for my mother and sister. Since both of them read this blog on occasion, I haven’t wanted to write about them. But I figured I would try out the “more” feature…so, please feel free to click the “more” link as long as you are not my mother or my sister!
Read the rest of this entry »

Contest Winner!

The unwound skeins in my sock yarn stash

Thank you to everyone who participated in my contest! Currently, I have 90 unused balls of yarn in my stash, so Oiyi is the winner with her guess of 89! I was curious about how much sock yarn I have, so I counted them specifically — 39. Which is forty-three percent of my stash! Not all of them are intended for socks — some are for scarves or handwarmers — but still…I don’t think I actually need sock yarn for a looooooooong time!

Stitches West 2008

I had a great time with my friends on the Stitch ‘n Ride train from Sacramento to Santa Clara. This was my first time going to Stitches, and I think a big part of the fun was chatting and knitting together during the trip. I didn’t take any photos at Stitches, so all I have to show are my purchases.

My Ravelry t-shirt and sticker!

Claudia Hand Painted Fingering in Oops

Claudia Hand Painted Fingering in Cabin Fever

Koigu KPPPM in P430

Claudia Hand Painted Fingering 55 (55% silk and 45% merino!) in Just Plum

Malabrigo Silky Merino in Stonechat

All the yarn together

As you can see, I am a huge fan of Claudia Hand Painted Yarns. I usually purchase it online but sometimes the colors don’t turn out to be what I anticipated so it was wonderful to see so many colorways in person! I definitely had to exercise some restraint with my purchases…otherwise you would see even more sock yarn here.

In knitting news — I finished the Chevron Scarf and I am 99% done with the Central Park Hoodie, so I should have a couple of FO posts soon!

Rockin’ Girl Blogger Awards

My good friend Ruth tagged me for the Rockin’ Girl Blogger award (thanks Ruth!), and I would like to give the same award to the following five amazing ladies:

1. Joyce — We met online just over a year ago, right before she was about to give birth to her daughter Ava. Joyce takes amazing photos and is very creative and talented in all of her crafting. She is also really generous — she taught me how to sew zippered pouches by sending me a photo tutorial, and she has gifted me with several lovely books.

2. Elise — If you have read my blog for awhile, you might notice that I get a number of delicious recipes from Simply Recipes. They are clearly written, and literally every single one I’ve tried has turned out well. I’ve cooked more dishes from Simply Recipes than from any other single resource. Elise always patiently answers my questions (sometimes dumb ones!) over comments and emails. I am very grateful for Elise and her excellent website.

3. Ari — I’ve only been reading Baking and Books for several months, but Ari is such a source of culinary inspiration for me. She experiments with new dishes regularly across various different cuisines, and I drool over photos of her baked goods. Ari also posts great interviews with famous cookbook authors!

4. Esther — This sock-knitting queen knits gorgeous socks as gifts — I wish I were as generous as she is about giving away handknits. We share similar interests in cooking and baking, and I always enjoy chatting with her over email about those topics. Esther has been busy with the bar exam lately, and I hope it went well for her!

5. Erin — I am always in awe of Erin’s stunning lace shawls. She is really, really good at knitting them and very patient with fixing any mistakes. She can also read Japanese knitting and crochet patterns and creates beautiful pieces of knitwear.

Just Friends

For months, I had been drooling over the beautiful handmade ceramics created by Linda of Little Flower Designs.  I loved all the items in her shop – if I could, I would have purchased one of everything.  After looking, looking, and more looking, I finally custom-ordered the “Just Friends” mug and wall tile.  They are lovely works of art that brighten up my day and room.  Linda is gearing up for a huge shop update, and I believe the mugs will be available on her website at that time.