Organizing a Knitters Closet

Happy Monday!  What is it about spring that makes you want to clear things out?  A burst of energy after a long, cold winter?  For me, it's just that.  So, I tackled the closet in my knitting studio that was my daughters room.  The above photo is the after.  I don't know why I didn't take a before photo....ah well.

Amish baskets filled with needles and various tools like pom pom makers, purse handles, beaded fringe, plastic eyes and noses for knitted/crocheted toys, etc.

Blocking board puzzle pieces, totes bags filled with WIPS, piles of arm warmers and hats ready for gift giving, bags of yarn and.....

 

plastic bins filled with finished scarves and hats.  

I bought two, six section laminated cube cases from Shopko, on sale for $40 each.  Super easy to put together and in a yummy chocolate color.

My table was so full of stuff I couldn't actually use it to block a scarf, lay out fabric for cutting or set up my swift and winder to cake any yarn!

I have quite a bit of photo props.  Fabric for background use, Styrofoam heads, sock blockers, mannequins, dress forms and oh, magazines I keep for a long time.  I love looking through them for inspiration!

I hate that bit of space on the sides that are so hard to get to, however, it works out great for holding clear bags filled with completed fingerless mitts, cowls and hats.  I try to use clear "vessels" every chance I get.  I like to see where everything is.  You can buy fabric cubes that fit perfectly in the cubes and keep things neat and tidy, but then you can't see what's in them.

I love these plastic baskets, by Curver, that look knitted.  Found them at Target.

 A place for everything.

Have a great week,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

I'm a sucker for a cute tin!  I found this one at the Dollar Tree that held a fifty piece puzzle.  It's perfect for a "knit kit".  The little rectangular thingy on the right is a pill box, also from the Dollar Tree.  I put some of my business stickers (from Moo.com) on them to cover up the days of the week.

Back to School Projects

When my daughter was little, I loved this time of year....back to school.  Fall weather on the way, a couple new outfits and new school supplies, which always annoyed me to no end!  If you go to a public school in the USA, no one, not even the teachers, should be purchasing school supplies, it's a public school.  I've even had to pay book fees.  I don't know when all this started, but it was never like that when I was going to school.  

I digress....let's get back to some fun!  I found some fun back to school projects.  This lunch box is super cute!  You could easily change up the colors for a boy.

So is this backpack I found on Ravelry.  Just adorable.

When my daughter was in school, a scarf for teacher was easy to whip up and always welcome.

I knit many of these for college bound students in my neighborhood.  You can find the free pattern for the slouchy hat on Ravelry.  

I have also made some Arm Warmers for students and teachers alike.  Male teachers would like these as well in a brown, gray or black combo.  Here is my pattern on Ravelry.  You can also find it in my Etsy and Craftsy shops.

This cute owl basket for teacher is darling for their desk.  You could also fill it with treats! 

This is handsome for a male teacher or student.  I love the composition book-like style of it.

Are you working on any back to school projects?  I'd love to read about them.

Best,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

When knitting or crocheting for children of any age, keep it simple, fast and inexpensive.  Things tend to get lost, misplaced and banged up.  

Mother's Day Gifts

If you're looking for something besides a scarf or blanket for Mother's Day, here are a few ideas.

My bestie asked for some soup bowl cozies.  You know, something to hold under a hot bowl of soup instead of a tea towel.  This is what I came up with.....crochet a basket with cotton yarn and line it with fabric.  Now, you don't need to line it with fabric.  It works just fine without it.

Here's what I did:

Crochet a circle and start increasing using a soup bowl as a guide.  Keep doing that until you you get the size you want.  Just keep checking the fit after a few rows.

I cut the fabric in a circle, including a 1" hem.  I then just whip stitched it to the yarn basket.  

They're reversible too!

I really like them and so did my bestie!  As I said, you don't need to add fabric and they work just fine at keeping the heat off your hand using just yarn.  Also, the yarn has just enough stretch to fit many a bowl size.

Socks are a great gift too!  There's plenty of time until Mother's Day to whip up some in her favorite color.  I use a free pattern from Susan B Anderson.  Great "how I knit my socks" pattern can be found on her Rav page.

I love this pillow I crocheted for our couch. It's from Lucy of Attic 24,  You can use any weight yarn and she has the free pattern on her lovely blog.  In the above photo, I used Knit Picks Chroma in a fingering weight.  No need to change colors as you go if you have some long run yarn in your stash.  Again, another great gift for Mom.

If you know how to crochet some edging, just add it to some pillow cases as a gift.  Get out your crochet edging books and pick a pattern.  I like to do this using fingering weight or finer.

Crochet up a few little baskets for her to hold bits and bobs or place a little potted plant inside of one.  You might want to cover the bottom of the plant with plastic wrap or foil to protect the basket.

I used this pattern with whatever yarn I had and added fabric.

I'd love to hear about ideas you have for Mother's Day gift giving!

Best,

Sheila

Factoid:

In the 1950's, 75% of American households had sewing machines.  Now it's less than 5%.

NO TIME!

Vintage Pillowcases and Hankies

I do love to crochet the edge of lovely pillowcases, don't you?  I'm partial to the simply, yet elegant, shell stitch.  It really can make a rather dull cover into something special.

I often give them as gifts.  It really doesn't matter if the pillowcases match, just if they coordinate in some way via color or subject.

These are not the same, but they do share a color theme...grey, green and pink.

I usually find them in a local thrift store or tag sales around town.  These happen to be a matching set.  Lovely daisies.

What little girl wouldn't love these to snuggle with during her nap or at bedtime?  Don't you just love the clothes pins?  

They are from Monkey Business.  The Amazing Pegzini Family for $17.00.

If you have trouble finding vintage type pillowcases, and like to crochet your own edging, I have them for sale in my Etsy shop, two for $8.00, plus a FREE....

tote bag!  I found various versions of this at my Target store in the dollar bins that are located right when you walk in to the store!  Really sweet and a good size too!

I must admit, I am a hankie whore!  I have been using them for years as Kleenex type tissues rip my nose terribly.    

Isn't this crochet bowl lovely?  I found it in a lovely shop in Winterset, Iowa, called 

Angel Wings and CT.  

Delicate and versatile.  Perfect for my hankies.

I'm partial to collecting hankies in the states of the USA.

 I also had New York and New Jersey.  My sister in law is from England and prefers a hankie as well.  She and I cry easily, especially when it comes to our children!  She lived with my brother in both of those cities, so I sent them to her.  My niece and nephew told her they were much too pretty to use!  

I agree!

I also picked up this little gem in Winterset, Iowa.  Perfect for knitting notions, I think!  My stitch markers often go astray!

Have a great weekend,
Sheila

Yarn tip:
When working with a light colored yarn, use a pillowcase to keep it clean and angora or mohair from shedding all over your work.

Knit and Fabric Boxes

 

I just love storage boxes!  Plastic, knitted, crocheted, ceramic, wood, you name it.  They keep things so neat and tidy.  If you are a knitter, crocheter or sewist, you know what I mean.  We have all sorts of bits and bobs that need a home.  This pattern you can find in Susan B. Anderson's book Itty Bitty Nursery.

I think this is some Alexander Henry fabric I had leftover from one of my Crochet Reversible Baby Blanket pattern.  Use bigger/smaller needles and fatter/skinnier yarn to make them as big/small as you like!

I used cardboard in between the knitted side and the fabric to make them sturdy.  Susan suggests plastic canvas as they then can be washed.  You can turn the smallest box into a pin cushion as I did.

They'd be great in the bathroom storing cotton balls, lotion, makeup brushes and the like.

Perfect on the baby changing table too.

She shows them and baby blocks, but, as my "baby" is almost 21, I use them for storage.  Easy to knit and a piece of cake to convert to crochet.  Also a great use of fabric scraps.

If you look close at the bottom right corner, you can see them featured in Australia's Shop 4 Kids Magazine 2011.  Always nice to be featured in a cute publication.

Have a great week,

Sheila

See my latest pins below