"Workroom" actually has room to work!

Anybody who knows me, knows I'm not a very good housekeeper. It's not that I don't want to be a very good housekeeper, it's just that I have so many projects I'm working on, as well as finishing these last years of homeschooling our youngest (who happens to be celebrating his 16th birthday TODAY!!!) ... along with trying to make sure my elderly parents are doing okay ... which leaves me little time and even less energy to tackle the usual household chores that other people seem to do without a thought.
However, after starting my new routine of walking and swimming, I've gotten a burst of energy that doesn't seem to fade! It's fantastic! While this last week was exam week for my son (yes, can you believe it? It's the end of first quarter already), I was able to get to each room, one by one, and really clean it. The house feels so good now. I'm giddy with excitement! Really, I am! Even after a long, bad, tiring day, I know that when I open up that front door, it's going to be clean in there! And smell like spiced cider and pumpkin candles!!! (Because they have a great fragrance, even if you don't light them!)
Yesterday, I was able to clean the worst room of all! My little workroom. I can't call it a studio ... or even a junior studio, you see, as it's a very small room. It's just an extra bedroom that used to have a double bed in it for guests. I suppose the guests (when we have any) will have to make do with an airbed on the living-room floor or they can stretch out on a family-room couch, perhaps. Oh well, I'll worry about that later! (We don't get many guests, so it really shouldn't pose a problem.)
Now, before you look at the following photographs, you have to bring your expectations down a great deal. I don't have built-ins. I don't have lovely spool holders for all my threads and floss. In fact, it may not look like much to you, nor will you think it's even that tidy (it's still in progress, mind you!), but for me, it's like a little slice of heaven.
I first bought about six rubbermaid-type storage bins and sealed all my stuffing (both the polyester and the kapok), wool roving, and bits and pieces of cookie cutters, felting needles, etc., into these. I then invested in some GIANT (and I mean GIANT) zip-lock bags and stuffed all my non-wool yarn into these. (Why, oh why do I have so many skeins and balls of polyester-blend yarn???) I piled all the bins and bags into the closet and still was able to shut the doors! Okay, it's not perfect. I mean, I will have to drag these bins out every time I need something, but at least everything is in a bin!
I bought wire, stackable crates from Target, which are great for yarn ... and moved the big teacher's desk, some bookcases and the glass-top patio table (that had been at my parents' house), as well as an armchair into this room. It's a lot of furniture for the space, but I need it!

Here's a glimpse of the glass-top table. It's perfect for projects! Now I won't have to mess up the dining-room table anymore! Notice the doll house in the background. I always loved it more than my daughters ever did so now it has a permanent location in here. It's great for inspiration.

Here's a better view of some of the crates. I'm still sorting yarns ... but at least I know all of these are wool, so I won't ruin my felting projects. (Been there, done that and it's not fun.) Note my large gingerbread man. I've had him since kindergarten! He's one of the few stuffed toys that survived all the many moves with me during my childhood.

Here's the teacher's desk we bought at a school auction years ago. It's got plenty of room in the drawers for more things! I love having the old computer in here. Even though it's painfully slow, I can still type away in relative quiet.

I've put some of the old children's books I'm collecting here, as well as my gumball machine. Yes, I have consumed nearly all 10 pounds of gumballs before I even had a chance to put them into the machine!!! Must order more! I only have white ones left (and a few green). Ugh.

This is the Raggedy Ann door stop my sister gave me when I was 11 years old. She's the official greeter. The white board and the bulletin board beside her I hung last evening. They'll be my project-idea boards.

Here's my comfy chair! Perfect for knitting on a rainy afternoon! The plastic drawers in front of the closet have wheels, so I can move them out of the way. Right now, the mermaids are on top, waiting for me to finish them.

So there it is. My workroom in a nutshell!

Jolly Gumdrop Dolls: New Christmas 2009 Pattern Preview

Here's a preview of some of the new patterns I'm designing for Christmas 2009. This is the first in my Jolly Gumdrop Doll collection. She's fresh out of the washer, has been stuffed and is drying. She'll have "candy" hair and a tiny "candy" face ... she'll be joined by her Jolly Gumdrop brother, their snowman and, of course, Santa, himself! Stay tuned ...

The Bear That Started It All!

This is my Dad's bear ... circa 1923! Isn't he wonderful? I've always loved his face and the fact that he can move his arms and his legs. This bear and all the wonderful vintage Steiff stuffed animals provide a never-ending source of inspiration for me ... from body shape, to texture, to expression.
My Dad still loves this bear, too! I remember when I was little, my Dad came home from work one afternoon and as soon as he headed into the house, he called out, "Hey! Who left my bear outside??"
Oops! Fortunately, this little guy never got caught in the rain like my Dad's tools!

Signs of Autumn ...

The morning air has a decidedly chilly note to it these days ... and the lovely green leaves of summer have already started to yellow. All of my squash plants have suddenly died. They've left little trace of themselves, as if they've simply packed up and sped away overnight!
The two remaining tadpoles have their legs now ... and I'm just waiting for them to lose their tails.

Here's one of the tadpoles. The other one was hiding.

Nana's pecan trees were full of nuts this past weekend. It looks to be a hearty crop this year ... which makes me think of rich pecan pies and buttery, melt-in-your-mouth, powdered-sugar-coated tea cakes. Yes, it looks to be a bumper crop this year ... that is, if the squirrels don't get them all first!
Everywhere you look, there are signs of Fall ... bright yellow, red and russet mum plants line nursery shelves, along with sweet-smelling bales of wheat straw and thick, glass jugs of apple cider.
I didn't have to go very far to find signs of the season ... why, I found this happy group of friends making plans for their annual Halloween party.

"Don't forget the nuts!" Gray Squirrel called out.

I finally have had time to take a few photographs and write up the Halloween Ghost pattern. It's now available at The Pattern Box, as are, of course, Gray Squirrel and Scaredy Cat. Don't forget the Pumpkin-in-the-Round is a free pattern here on my blog. The pattern for Pumpkin Man should be up shortly, as well. Now that our home school has started back for the year, I find it increasingly difficult to get everything done that I'd like to do! Hm ... come to think of it, that's really nothing new! Well, I better sign off for now, but I'll leave you with thoughts of cinnamon and cloves and all things spicy and sweet as we usher in Autumn 2009.

Meet Maile the Mermaid and Her Friends!

Finally! A new post and a new pattern! I'm sorry it's taken me so long!!! Believe it or not, I've been working hard most of the summer cleaning out my parents' house, but I managed to find a little time to design these whimsical friends! The 8-page pattern includes all the directions for knitting both the mermaid and the seahorse, then felting in your washing machine. The directions for embroidering the features and the star-shaped, shell bra are also included, as well as directions for the hair. As with most of my patterns, these are knit completely in the round. You'll need US size 10 1/2 double-pointed needles for the mermaids ... and you'll use two strands of wool held together with one strand of a novelty yarn. I like Crystal Palace Little Flowers. Amazingly, if you buy two skeins of yarn (I like to do this) so you can work with two strands without having to pull from both ends of a ball, you'll be able to knit about four mermaid fins! With two skeins of skin-tone, you'll be able to knit about four upper bodies/heads and arms!
Sugar, the seahorse, is also knit in the round on US size 8 double-pointed needles. You'll only need one strand of wool and one strand of Little Flowers for him (or her!) ...
They are really so quick and so much fun. I hope you'll give them a try!
You'll find the pattern available at The Pattern Box and also on Ravelry.

Just a note: Names of yarn colors and the colors, themselves, seem to be continually changing. I think it's important to look at the yarn in person, if you can, before you make any decisions. It's really hard to judge from your computer monitor what the actual color will look like when it arrives.
But, just in case you were wondering, these are the colors I used for my mermaid models:
Sugar the Seahorse requires one skein of 100% wool yarn (such as Ella Rae Classic) and one ball of novelty yarn. One strand of each is used throughout on US size 8 double-pointed needles. I highly recommend the use of Ella Rae Classic wool because it felts so beautifully, but as you need less than a skein of yarn to complete the seahorse, you may find something in your stash that would be suitable. For instance, I knit Sugar, as photographed above, with Cascade 220 in a light purple solid, such as 9541, which I had on hand. I held a strand of Crystal Palace Little Flowers in Blueberry Grape with it. Although a fair amount of stitch definition remains, he is still quite cute! I would also recommend Paton's Classic Merino, which is quite easy to find at most local craft and hobby stores.Remember: These will be your mermaids and seahorses. You can use any color combinations that you like! Maile was knit with Ella Rae Classic number 25 (aquamarine), but there are plenty of other greens that would also be beautiful. I used Crystal Palace Little Flowers in Seafoam. Maile's Caucasian skin-tone is Ella Rae Classic 54.
Leilani was knit with Ella Rae Classic number 43, Magenta. I used Crystal Palace Little Flowers Strawberries and Limes. Leilani's Island skin-tone is Ella Rae Classic number 11, Rose.Please do be careful when choosing colors by name. I saw two different "rose" colors at a web store that sells Ella Rae Classic. They were not the same at all! I just don't want anyone to be disappointed!

New pieces and maybe even a tiny Studio!

I'm super busy these days working on some new patterns, while at the same time cleaning out our house! Randy has officially "approved" of the guest bedroom/storeroom/old computer room to be turned into whatever I can make it ... I think he heartily agreed just to get the stash of yarn and books out of our bedroom ... and the dining room ... and the family room ... oh ... and the living room, too!!! YIKES! I have stuff everywhere. I will not take a before picture because it's too horrible to imagine; however, I have great vision and I know I will be able to fix it! I have limited wall space and limited electric outlets, so I have to think carefully before I put anything that can't be moved!
It's not easy. There are so many things in this room that I have to find other places to store ... like our daughters' 8 years worth of chess trophies! AAACKK! They moved them out of their room into this room and now I've stuffed as many as I can into a huge box and have loaded it into the hall closet downstairs. Some of these trophies are enormous! THEN there's all the dog-grooming paraphernalia from our dog-showing days. For instance, the giant crate, the crate pan, the grooming table and the grooming-table arm ... then there's the card table and chairs ... and the box of paint clothes waiting for another project so they can be worn again. Not to mention all the extra pillows, blankets and comforters that won't fit in our teeny-tiny linen closet in the hall. I'd get rid of them, except we need them in the winter!
I have purchased a couple of wire storage cube sets and hope to put them on top of each other. I wouldn't mind if they'd reach to the ceiling! I have to make sure I keep my acrylic yarn separate from all the feltable wool yarn, though and right now, that's going to be a chore to separate them as they all tumbled together in the middle! AARRGGHH. It will be most distressing to try out a new pattern with acrylic by mistake ... and have it be just as big after washing as before! (Kind of defeats the purpose!)
I have been wondering for some time if I should sell finished pieces, as well as my designs? So many people have told me they don't knit, but would love to have one already made. Maybe after I have everything straightened out and in its right place, I'll be able to see if this is actually do-able for me. I have set up an Etsy store, but haven't really used it yet. I put up one pattern early on and I don't think anyone even looked at it! I just need more time to be able to pursue all of these ventures.
For now, it will all have to wait. I have to take my Dad back to the doctor today. I expect it will be a long visit this time, so I won't be able to work on organizing the room. I will probably get a lot of knitting done, though!

I've been given a Blog Award!

Amybel from Knitting in my Backyarn blog has given me this wonderful Blog Award! It's the first award my blog has ever been given. So, here's a big "THANK YOU!" to Amybel!

The rules: Accept the award and post it on your blog with the name of the person that gave it to you. Pass on the award to as many bloggers as you wish and let them know you chose them for the award.

I give the award to:

Jennifer Murphy

Paddington

KnittingAlone

ArielZoe

The Byrd's Nest

Red Momma Lynne

Gleek

Darcy's Knotty Knitter

Little Scarf Girl