Posts Tagged Organization

Remaking my space… Again

This is a recurring theme with me, and I suspect many crafters.  For one reason our another, the space that previously worked fine its just not doing it any more.

Maybe you need more storage, maybe you just need a change.  But it must be redone.

This is the position I found myself in last week. I knew that not only did I have guests coming, but that I would be introducing a new wheel to my space. (my 5 year old spins, it is his new wheel)

 

Just after he got his wheel, inspecting his new fiber stash.

Just after he got his wheel, inspecting his new fiber stash.

Not to mention the terrible mess in there… The room needed a redo.

So, I moved the snap press table out, and the tv, cleaned up the trash, and brought in a comfy chair.

My knitting nook

Then I reordered the laundry table.  I decided that i need more storage, so ordered another set of cube shelves…My sewing machine moved off the desk and into the bookshelf… And I finally have wall art… Even though only quotes…

Wall art printed off my computer

I created a spindle storage solution in my existing cubbies…

The Existing cubbies

which even now, are far more full- the reason I am getting more.  when the new cubbies arrive, I will be adding them on to the side and top of the existing ones.  the set I am waiting for is a set of 4, which I think SHOULD get me a full five cubbies added on to my existing ones.  and that will work well, since I will still have room for my baskets, and will have gained additional storage for batt add-ins and fiber.

 

I’ll update when I get the new stuff.

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New Yarns; Busy days

So, once again, I have managed to build up a little stash of handspun yarns that need listing.  But, I’ve been very busy around the house too… that nesting thing, I think…   Hmmm… I think thats what you call it when the 8 month pregnant chick runs around the house cleaning everything in sight despite knowing that it will be a mess 2 minutes later, does a marathon of laundry that leaves the whole house with approxiamately 3 loads of laundry unwashed (and beleive me, we have a lot more than that usually), and started cooking big monster sized meals from scratch to save away in the freezer for after baby.

All that has left me with very little time to do things like MAKING things, or taking pictures of the things I have made.  and I keep telling myself that for now, at least, I need to stick to my schedule… but its hard.

I spent several days this week going through my fabric drawers… all that diaper fabric that I have not looked at in over a year?  well, now, a large chunk of it is in my paypal account… as in, gone, goodbye, syonara… I don’t miss it.  destashing that stuff gives me 2 things.  1, space for the things I DO use, and 2, MONEY.  Money that is MINE.  well, ok, so I am debating what to spend it on, and the head-runners right now are either a new camera, or full size wool combs.  Either one would be nice to have.  Either one would in its own way make life easier for me.  (ok, maybe the wool combs would not do more than give me another way to prep my fibers… and I do already have minicombs made by a freind… which do work well)

So, I guess the camera is winning out… and that is ok.  I have been wanting a new camera for a long time… the one I have now is over 4 years old, and while it works, it is not as product image friendly as I would like, aside from having essentially no video capability.

So, the one I think I want is this: Olympus Stylus 7040 Pink 14MP Digital Camera, 7x Optical Zoom, 3.0 LCD, HD Movie/HDMI Control, AF Tracking

It costs more than I Actually have for now, so I will have to hold off a bit till either 1, the rest of my destash stuff sells (over at DSD for any Divas who might read this blog and not have seen it) or till I sell some more stuff in the shop, as I DO see this as an acceptable use of business moneys, being that it will be used very very often to photograph products.

I would also love to have it before the new babe is born, both so that I can get some videos done for the website (how to spin from a batt mostly) and so that when the new baby is born, we don’t have to miss a second of his or her life on camera.  Ok, so really, that is more so that the long distance family can see baby too.. but still.

Meantime, between all this STUFF I have done. I HAVE managed to get spinnign done.  which is why I have a pile of yarns sitting in front of me, waiting to be shown to you, and listed in the shop.  This is mostly only because I have been getting tired so quickly, and have had to take frequent breaks from all the other stuff.  what better to do than spin?

So, without further Ado, some yarns:

Jacob wool, spun from a batt, in my original attempt to create that video- which failed horribly due to me and the batt being a sillouhette in the camera's eye.

SW BFL, lovely stuff, though this one broke once in the winding... and I somehow have a sneaky suspicion that I showed it off already... did I??

Merino Yarn, soft as soft can be, perfect for baby somethings... pretty pastel colors. I know I showe dthis, but on the bobbin... isn't it nicer now?

Polwarth- Yumberry... mmm...

and with that, hopefully not too redundant photo session, I am off to get some of this scrumptious yarn listed in the shop!

Oh!  and if you have not done so already, jump on over to my ravelry group and enter the baby guessing game!  only a few more days before the game closes to guesses and the waiting begins!

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New Workspace, New Yarns

So, we know I’ve been working on my craft room.  As it turns out, I’ve made a lot of progress with it.  I won’t bore you with old pictures, you can see those on older posts.  But I WILL show off some new ones.

Of course, I still have a few things left to work on.  But we are making GREAT progress here.

See the difference here? I have WORKSPACE! and the laundry monster is gone, lol... for now. I still plan for some shelves over the laundry space.

I've since re-cleared the desk and the table (and re-uncleared them too, lol) But really, on the desk, all that is full time is the sewing machine, lamp, and phone, so that is pretty good I think.

A Close up of the space over the desk, with my new cork boards and organizer. Total cost of these pretties? $7 for the corks that came in a set of 4 (still have 2 left) and the thumbtacks I turned into pins with beads and buttons. WIN!

This basket I made at a basket weaving class. It was meant in this space to hold only current carding projects and carding tools. I think I went slightly overboard on my dyeing day, and overfilled my ready-to-card drawer. So now the basket is holding some pretty colors of ready to card fiber too.

Ok.  Have you seen enough pictures?

Well, how about one more.  I wasn very productive this weekend.  On the spinning front.  Over the course of the weekend, and Friday, I finished spinning and/or Plying all these yarns:

The Pink is Uruguayan Merino, the dark green is Merino/silk, and the green and blue plyed with white is Punta. Yummy, aren't they??

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It’s Snowing!

And I’m Glad, in most ways.  We have had a very Odd winter so far.  Most winters, around here, by now we would have had at least a few big snows, where the kids would be out playing, building snowmen (or snow piles, being that my kids are 3 and 1, lol), and making a fun mess.

This year, we have not had so much as an inch at any one time.

That is why, I am glad to say, that this is the view out my window right now:

My sewing/computer desk faces straight out this window, and I love the view right now.

It’s good that it is snowing.  It means that the kids can play in the snow later when Daddy gets home, and our area needs the snow…

On the other hand, snow means that I do not know who will attend my regular knitting night.  Several ladies who attend drive a fair distance to get here, and one walks (I’m not sure how far).

But, all in all, snow is good.

On other fronts, My craft room re-do is coming nicely.  I am progressing well with the changes I am making.  I found corkboard squares that I am going to cover with this fabric:

Isn't it pretty? it is an Alexander Henry fabric, and I found it in the bottom of my fabric dresser. a whole yard!

I finally moved my thread racks, so they are no longer sitting all over the room on random nails in the wall, and now they have a permanent home, and I am going to make some hanging organizers out of beading wire and beads and plastic canvas to organize my sewing and jewelry tools.

I haven’t been very “on schedule” this week with my naptime schedule.  Monday, I spun as planned, but I was so on a roll that yesterday, I just spun too!  I finished plying 2 different skeins of yarn, and got 3 skeins washed and hung to dry (to set the twist).  I also finished the singles on another pretty pink yarn, and I am plying it today as I get time.

I still have a long way to go with the craft room.  I’ll post more pictures as I get more noticeable changes into place.  And of course, I am always spinning and making new yarns and fibers.

For now, adieu.  See you on Photo Friday!

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Photo Friday

My Newest Batt, and my very first "art yarn" made from it's twin... "Deepest Ocean"

Progress on the craft room! New Shelves. (the thread stands will not be staying where they are, either.)

And... A MOSTLY clear desk. This will be the sewing/computer area, and likely the beading/photo area too for a while.

Happy Photo Friday!

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