Friday Finds--Personal Space

Wow!  Has it really been a MONTH since I last posted on this blog?
 Yep.
In a word, we have been busy.
 Doing what?  I'm not sure.

The last few weeks have felt a little like "Groundhog Day", if you know what I mean--Get up, get ready for work, pack lunches, hustle children out the door, go to work, sit in meetings, work in a training run (marathon/half update soon!), pick up kids, cook dinner, give kids baths, collapse in front of bad reality TV, wash. . . rinse. . . repeat. . . everyday.  Honestly, that kind of monotony wears me out.  You would think that I could get into a groove, get on a schedule, whatever . . .  When every minute is packed with the same old same old, I get bored.
And unmotivated.
And my creative juices dry right up.

Creativity has been sadly lacking around here lately.  Our current schedule hasn't left much time for fun extras (knitting, sewing, etc. . .)

But that is all about to change.  Not only is Spring Break right around the corner (4.5 days with kids and a much-needed teacher workday--it's not like I'm not counting or anything), but I have a fantastic new space to create in!  Well, not quite yet. . . but it is coming along quite nicely, and I can't wait to share it with you!

As I have mentioned countless times before, we live in an old house that was started in 1948 and then built in chunks and modified when things needed a change.  Bigger bathroom?  Bump out this wall!  Need another bedroom?  Attach it to this one!  Not enough closet space?  Add one to the living room!  Yep. That's right.  We have a closet in our "formal" living room.  Not a "coat closet" as you walk in the door.  No, a full-fledged closet with sliding doors, tucked away in the corner.

Doors closed. . .
(Please ignore the crooked picture and glare-filled photography)

When we moved into the house, I laid claim on this little corner and declared it "mine".  In our first house (pre-baby), I had a "craft room"--a place for my sewing machine, a bookcase, my cutting table, gift wrapping supplies, etc. . .  it also became a catch-all for things without a home.  Our cat loved to go in and climb around the room and it affectionately became known as "cat's junkyard".  As we transitioned from a home with 2 adults and 2 pets into a home with a small child, my craft room suddenly became a nursery and all of my supplies (junk) were forced into a small hall closet. When we moved to our current home in 2005, I decided that this odd living room closet would be a perfect space to house my craft supplies.  However, I never had a great storage system in place.  Things often got tossed in and set aside.  Projects went unfinished because I had no real "workspace" besides the breakfast table--and cleaning that baby off for every summertime meal is a real pain.  Alas, works in progress stayed "in progress" and buried in the abyss. . .

Prepare yourself. . .

It was bad.  Very bad.  

I am not proud, but this was the reality of my craft closet. 

A few months ago, I got the wild idea (was inspired by a few blogs found via pinterest) to turn this closet into a workstation--a sewing nook, a creation station, whatever you want to call it, I was craving organization and a fresh look.  

So, here are FIVE Friday Finds that inspired me (and my wonderful hubby) to gut the old "craft closet" and create a little personal space for myself!

This was my first find.  It is from Gwenny Penny and it reminded me the most of my own space.

Yellow Song Bird created this gorgeous space. LOVE the bunting!

Seven Pretty converted her closet, too!

Lovely design created this beauty.

Ana-white is an incredible craftswoman who designed this space.

I had NO idea that there were so many closet crafters out there!  (Pun intended)  I grabbed the inspiration and ran with it. . . straight to the hubby.  

You can imagine his excitement when I said, "Hey, I have an idea. . ."

Wanna see what happened to the abyss, the crap  craft-closet?  Well, you will just have to stay tuned. . .  and I promise it won't be an entire month before I post again!  I am super excited to share our project with you and the finished sewing nook!

Time to apply another coat of paint. . .

Friday Finds! Get Your Knit On!

Do you knit or crochet?  Do you know someone who does? If so, please join me in a bit of charity knitting!

I made a resolution to do some charity knitting each month this year, whether it is a baby hat for the local hospital, a prayer shawl for a friend in need, or a dishcloth for our Threads of Hope ministry at church.  Sometimes, I get so excited about a project for myself (or my sweet babies) that I forget to share this wonderful gift with others.  However, my resolution has made this year different and I have enjoyed each project (not to mention it is a fabulous way to use up stash yarn!)  So I am asking you to join me in this challenge!

Click for Babies is working to inspire knitters and crocheters to come together to make sweet little purple hats for babies as part of an awareness program that addresses The Period of Purple Crying.  The hope is that new parents will be sent home with information to help them cope with this stressful period of infancy along with a handmade purple hat.

My personal goal is to knit at least 5 purple hats to donate (I donated 5 in 2010, as well).  One of my favorite local yarn shops is collecting hats to be donated until October 15.  Won't you join me in knitting or crocheting a few hats for this wonderful project?  Need some inspiration?  Check out my Five Friday Finds this week--Links to Five FREE hat patterns to get you started!

Baby Berry Hat

Little Sister Hat

Preemie Hats for Charity

Perfect Fit Baby Hat

Lazy Daisy Turban

And if you need more inspiration, check out Ravelry for more patterns than you could ever dream of! 

Specifics about the hats being collected can be found on the Click for Babies page, along with information about where to send finished hats. You can also follow The Period of Purple Crying on Facebook!

Have a Fabulous Weekend and Happy Knitting!

Baby, I Can Knit While You Drive. . .

Ahhhh. . . summertime. . . the open road. . . 

kids in the backseat for hours at a time. . . this is what I live for. . .

Several (ok many) years ago, Trisha Yearwood sang a song entitiled “Baby, You Can Sleep While I Drive”.  I often hum this familiar tune as we travel, but with different words. . . Baby, I can knit while you drive. 

You see, I have a little obsession with knitting.  OK, not little—it is a huge, time-consuming obsession.  I have been knitting for 5 years now and have progressed from the dreaded garter stitch scarf to cabled socks and lace stoles.  I knit whenever I can, and have even found myself dreaming of stitch patterns (nerdy, I know).  My hubby has caught me snoozing mid-stitch more times than I can count when he arrives home after a long night of work. 

Knitting is more than just a finished project for me.  It is like therapy.  Each tiny flick of the needle moving stitches from left to right brings me a sense of peace and calm.  It keeps my hands busy when I would otherwise busy myself with biting my nails, or picking at my cuticles.  It helps me pass the time when I am waiting impatiently for a meeting to begin or to be called in for an appointment.  It keeps me occupied so that I can endure scary movie scenes and football season with my hubby. And believe it or not, I really concentrate better when my hands are busy clicking along on a project.  I have happily knitted along to keynote speakers during workshops and have even snuck my knitting into the “cry room” at church while my babies were little. 

I am not quite skilled enough to knit and read at the same time, although some knitters are, but audio books are an option. I can, however, knit and nurse at the same time-- A skill that has saved me from utter boredom during those early days of non-stop nursing sessions, and produced some pretty great hats and socks and such.

Unfortunately, between working full-time during the school year, taking care of a household, and parenting two children, my knitting time is very limited.  Oh yes, after all the chores are completed and children are fast asleep, I can sneak in a few stitches, but honestly, who has energy for that at the end of a long day?  My favorite time to knit is early in the morning—just me, my coffee, and my needles—but in the hustle and bustle everyday life, that opportunity is typically limited to the weekend, if I’m lucky.

I have, though, found the perfect time and place to focus on knitting, with minimal interruptions—the car.  No, no—not at stoplights as I drive to school, although the thought has crossed my mind.  When I am safely buckled into the passenger seat, you will find me knitting away, no matter how long the trip may be. I get excited about any car trip, as soon as it is mentioned!  One mile to my parents’ house for dinner?  Why, that is enough time to do two rows on this hat!  A trip across town to go to church? Wow—I can turn the heel of this sock!  A trip to the in-laws’ for dinner?  A baby hat will surely be made!  A trip to the beach (mountains, family reunion out of state, any other far-away place)?  Well, that is the jackpot, the ultimate prize.  The possibilities are endless. 

When we prepare for a long trip out of town, I first pack all the regular things—you know, clothes, toiletries, etc.  Then I pack the essentials—“The front seat bag”—full of projects.  Yes, plural.  I always overestimate the number of projects I will need to keep my hands busy because I would certainly not want to be stuck without something to do!  Heaven forbid we are stuck in traffic and I knit through all ten skeins of yarn I have packed without a back-up plan!  Never mind that a cabled sock would typically take me weeks to complete—I should pack 5 extra projects “just in case”!  Stranded without knitting?  Never!

I realize that many couples share the driving experience when they travel.  However, my husband’s line of work required many hours of strategic driving training, so I am only asking him to use these well-tuned skills to deliver us safely to our destination and back home.  Prior to my knitting obsession, I read while he drove, so now I can knit AND carry on a conversation with him!  Bonus! 

So tonight, as we are packing for a family reunion six (SIX) hours away, I am not laying out clothing and planning outfits.  Nope.  I am winding yarn and carefully organizing my projects for the drive.  

Because Baby, I WILL knit while you drive. . . .