The Craft Room

I consider myself a pretty lucky lady since I have a craft room in the house.  I’m sitting in it now as I type.  Actually, it’s a guest / craft / exercise / game room but, for the most part, it’s my craft room.  My Ginny Wheel, Ashford Traditional spinning wheel, and my giant stash of yarn live in here.  Ginny will make her debut in a later blog.  She requires an entrance.  

I love this space!  It’s comfy, bright, cheery, and has a whole lot of my personality in it.  It’s the perfect space for me to create in or get inspired.  I dig it.

My hubby hung some pictures up for me the other day.  What a difference such a little touch makes!  And yes, the row of critters you see on the little shelf below the painting are my knit creations.  They sit and stare at me all day and I’m not the least bit creeped out by it.  No, they don’t talk to me.  Yet.

This is the place where my creations happen.  Where my ideas start.  It’s where I go if I get knitters block just to go through my yarn stash and ooh and aah over all the pretty yarn I have.  It’s like shopping for yarn all over again.  Because, let’s face it, we all forget about half of the yarn we have in our stash and then rediscover it along the line later.  I’ve probably picked up the same skein four times and gone “Oooh I forgot about this one!”  Not even ashamed.  It’s like I bought it all over again without spending the money.  I’m ok with that.

Now for some rest and relaxation time.  A bath, one of my knit jar candles (Hearts Aflame), and a good IPA.  Cheers knitters.


 

Guilty pleasure

I’ve been indulging in a little bit of selfish knitting.  I finally started a sock yarn blanket!  A lot of fellow knitters keep all the bits of leftover yarn.  No yarn shall go to waste!  I have been saving and saving… and saving leftover yarn.  Here and there I’ll knit a teeny stuffed animal out of the leftovers.  They come out so cute I just wanna *boop!* their little noses!!

 

Yes, I'll be that creepy old lady some day with a hundred knit stuffed animals all around the house... whose eyes all follow you. *shudder* Anyhoo, some colors won’t really work for a critter and I’ve wanted to cast on this blanket for a while now.  So, it’s in the works. 

 

The blanket is knit in simple little blocks that I can sneak in between knitting out my new designs.  It’s a guilty pleasure.  I know I should be working on my designs so I can get the patterns published.  But sometimes you just have to be bad and do what you want!  When I’m working on the squares, it feels like I’m tip-toeing into the kitchen to sneak a cookie from the cookie jar.  (this actually means shove my face full of Mini Cadbury Eggs)  I usually have a good craft beer (I love me a good IPA) or a glass of wine with it too.  Feels good doesn’t it? 

Indulge sometimes knitters.  It’s ok, I won’t tell.


And here we go...

So here is where I start chatting about my daily knitting adventures.  And trust me, they feel like adventures.  Sometimes filled with danger, mishaps, maybe a few tears and colorful words… then smiles, laughter, joy, and excitement.

I’ve been a designing machine.  Once upon a time, I didn’t have the confidence.  I told myself, yeah no – I like to be told what to do and don’t want to have to think about it too much.  My hubby, my Frank Sheelen, gave me the nudge to start.  That boost of confidence I needed to give it a try.  Well… Now I have so many ideas I can’t seem to knit them out fast enough!  I CAN do it.  I can design!  And… people like to knit them!!  Get outta town right?! 

The jars have been my favorite to design.  Faerie’s Firelight has completely taken off and I couldn’t BE more excited about that!  That pattern is so lovely… and dreamy… and soft… and oh so perfect.  I’m tooting my own horn here but I can’t help it!  It’s especially pretty for weddings… which was what was in my head when I designed it.  A staircase lined with them… for the bridge and groom to stand before… and have all of the jars lit up behind them as they say their vows.  How dreamy is that vision right?!  I.Can’t.Even.  I may have just made a squealy sound just typing that out.  Not even ashamed.

Did you ever have a craving for something, and you finally had it and it was perfect?  That was Faerie’s Firelight for me.  An idea and knitting craving satisfied.  

Now, that is the one to beat.