Kick Back . . .

And wait for winter to end (have I mentioned how much I loathe winter?).  At least my socks will keep me cosy. 

Cozy Toes

And remember that messy knitting table?  Not very pretty--not even a little bit.  Too much stuff: half-finished projects, bits of yarn, needles and hooks, patterns . . . well, you get the picture. 

Messy

That mess got me thinking about staying organized--even just a little bit.  So I tidied up (Let me reassure you its a rare event, but the cleaning bug does occasionally hit when I least expect it).  So now my knitting table looks acceptable.  At least there's room for a drink (should someone need to imbibe in the occasional alcoholic beverage). 

Not-So Messy

After all that tidying up, guess what I found?  My knittin' mojo (Who knew it'd be buried under all that stuff?).  Don't know how long it'll last, but I'm gonna take advantage and finish up as much as I can.  There's a vest that needs finishing and I just started a blanket for charity.  And maybe I can cast on for that second pair of worsted socks (they can be my lunch-time knitting).  I also have another project simmering in my brain (that involves my couch) . . . lots to do and think about.

For now, back to my knitting.  Have a great weekend :)

Today's Word Is . . .

Organization!  Yup, last weekend I was busy organizing all my knitting stuff--books, yarn, needles.  I think I've shared my "knitting corner" in the past (check it out here ).  I still use the same area as "my knit spot", complete with floor lamp and portable CD player (yeah, no MP2 players yet).  Actually my little side table is the cleanest its ever been in a long, long time.

Knitting Corner

The mess behind the table (i.e. the computer room), has finally been organized.  Sadly an old vacuum cleaner was sacrificed in the process (at least it lasted for over 15 years before cacking).  At least there is now more visible floor space. 

First off, all my books are now neatly awaiting perusal on a shelf (which is just a basic book shelf whose lower levels house the kids' numerous board games and puzzles).

Knitting Shelf

To the left is my sewing box, followed by all my knitting booklets (mostly by Bernat and some Patons), all my knitting books, my red binder of internet patterns and all my knitting magazines. 

Booklets and Books

It's not a huge collection, but it is a good one.  I've tried to purchase those items that I would find  most useful.  Sometimes I don't make great choices and other times I score a winning collection of patterns.  Sometimes my needs as a knitter have changed so much that what I thought was good isn't currently a necessity.  But books are loved in our house, so on the shelf they wait (I haven't shown you the other bookshevles in the computer room and never mind the other three in the living room.  Have we got books!) 

Binder and Magazines

And my binder is so full of patterns, I've had to resort to using file folders (and I haven't even printed off all the patterns in my Ravelry library).  Most of the patterns came from the internet (gotta love free!).

I'm still lacking a stitch dictionary.  I think that should be part of any knitting library (although I do have a crochet stitch dictionary that my mom sent me--the last of her crafting stuff).  Hopefully I'll have that rectified by the end of the month (eagerly awaiting the arrival of a book order).

To the right of the large shelving unit are two plastic drawer units.  One holds scrapbooking tools.  The other now holds my knitting tools: all my needles including my new Boye collection, my hooks and small yarn collections (mostly sock yarn and a few ribbon yarns).

Knitting Needles and Hooks

Small Collections of Various Yarns

In front of the drawer units are two tubs of yarn.  And yes, acrylic is my yarn of choice but there is some real wool (Briggs and Little), some cotton and even bamboo.

Tubs of Yarny Goodness

Softee Chunky and Supervalue

Briggs and Little, Vanna's Choice and Other Odds and Ends

So how do you organize your crafting stuff?

My Little Knitting Corner

In our home, I have a little space where I knit. Tucked along a wall of the living room is my knitting corner. Its right next to the computer room (aka the messy room, the place where all things become clutter and junk until I get the urge to purge). At my corner all my tools, needles, current projects and favorite CDs wait for me until I'm able to scrounge some time to knit blissfully and to tune out all the mayhem and troubles of the day.

No matter who might be sitting upon that corner of the couch, when I'm ready to knit that spot is quickly given over to yours truly. It commands a decent view of our main living space, as well as window watching or TV viewing. Most of all, it has decent light; there's a floor lamp right behind the end table (although there's a comfy chair in the room that I've taken a shine to, with even better light. Alas, any "move" to relocate my knit space would require too much work on my part, given all the knitting paraphernalia I leave lying about).

I haven't taken any pictures of the mess behind the end table. There are oodles of bags spilling out of a large basket, many filled with odds and ends from finished--and some unfinished projects-- waiting to be called upon for some future use. Its rather messy with no discernible organization. The rest of my "stash" can be found in even larger bags tucked behind some golf clubs in the computer room (perhaps I'll tackle that mess some day . . . right now I just need to give some semblance of order to my public image, however untrue that image might be).

And then I noticed something: the wonderful colours peaking out from my knitting bag. They looked so pretty! I moved my bag to the kitchen window to capture the image in natural light. Atop my bag lay my Orange Smoothie (from More Big Girl Knits), patiently awaiting the finishing touches: ends to be darned, a button or two to be attached and ribbon to be threaded through pretty lace. Next to it lay my lovely green reversible scarf, still waiting to be worked on (I promise to get back to it real soon).

I think the festive colours caught my eye. Its just so darn purtty. And everything matches just so . . .

Just lovely . . . .

:)