Vacation finds

Today is the first DIY of 2010 - yippee!

I found this ironstone soap dish during our PA trip - $2.00 for almost pristine condition! The fabric is another find during the same trip. I've been brainstorming an idea for a larger pincushion...

And this is what I came up with! I made a cardstock template for the base, used leftover fiberfill and then handstitched a little pillow. I applied two little Velcro dots to the bottom of the cushion and the bowl of the dish to keep the pillow stationary as I add/remove the pins.

During the same trip, I found this fabric. Again a little fiberfill to puff up the top slightly, some Elmers glue, and a piece of scrapbook paper on the underside of the lid to cover up the edges of the fabric and I'm done. Total time for both projects? 30 minutes tops! Total cost? Less than $5.00!

Let the resolutions begin!

Here's resolving that 2010 will be a better blog year for me! To get this party started, some FOs and WIPs. First, the finished stuff:

Two neckwarmers! The multicolor one uses Opal's Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince sock yarn in the "Lupin" colorway. The pattern is a lace rib done on #2 circs. The solid warmer is Elsebeth Lavold's Eucool (75% wool, 25% eucalyptus) in a broken lace rib on #6 circs.

On our annual holiday trip to PA, I worked on Citron.

I'm a few rows away from the ruffled edging and very excited to see how it will turn out after blocking. The yarn is a $2.00 cone of mohair that I picked up from the Essex Community Yarn Sale this past summer. As with most coned yarn, it looks like I've hardly made a dent in it!

I realized I'm hurting on the sock front, so I snagged a few balls of Deborah Norville's Serenity Sock yarn (superwash wool/bamboo/nylon) at Joanns for $2.50/skein. This is Tanzanite. I hope it knits up as nicely as it feels/looks.

After reading about mirasolperu.com's Miski Peruvian baby llama on Ravelry, I had to make a stop at Stitch Your Art Out in Pine Grove Mills, PA (right outside State College).

The yarn did not disappoint. In addition to picking up the celadon and the chocolate (with purpley bits) yarn, I also scored 2 skeins of the 100% merino wool in this gorgeous hand dyed colorway. Must be the post-holiday onset that makes me gravitate to these colors!

I'm back to work tomorrow, so I'm off now to see if I can finish Citron today! Happy New Year!

Some kitchen projects

The undersink area in my kitchen was kinda scary. At one point there had been a leak which caused water damage as well as some black moldy stuff. My landlord fixed the leak, but we hadn't done anything with the stained wood. The area had become a place for the trash can and a spider safari for our cat, Jack. Here it is with one coat of primer (I couldn't bring myself to photograph it in its naked state.)

And here it is after 1) two coats of primer, 2) 6 self-adhesive tiles from Lowes, and 3) quarter round molding. For $12.00 and a few hours of work, I'm in love. I just want to open the cupboard doors and gaze into the space. The CatMan thinks I've really lost it this time. He might be right.
Here's another little project with big impact.The veneer on the edge of my cabinet shelves needed some work. I wanted to do something quick and easy. All you DIYers inspired me! Before -

I purchased a thin decorative strip from my boys at Lowes and the CatMan cut it. I then used some leftover stain from the hutch and the craft desk projects: I applied one coat of Dark Walnut, let it dry then applied one coat of Gunstock. It turned out to be a perfect match! I glued down the strips with wood glue and used Frog Tape to hold them there until the glue dried. Total cost of the project - $8.00 for the piece of trim.

Long list done!

First the knitting:
Christmas wristers

Clockwise from top left: Blue Mohair - King Cole Luxury Mohair in 'Roma', 2 x 2 rib on #6 DPNs. Teal - Berroco Comfort in color 9837, 2 x 2 rib on #7 DPNs. Green - Panda Cotton in 'Fern', twisted rib with picot edging knit on #2 DPNs. Grey - Berroco Lustra in black with Tilli Tomas Flurries in 'Atmosphere' for the cuffs (sorry, don't remember the needle size). And finally, the orange pair is Panda Cotton in 'Red Cinnamon', lace rib pattern on #2 DPNs.

Christmas mittens

Brown mittens: Opal's Harry Potter yarn in 'Hedwig' knit together with Berroco's Ultra Alpaca Fine in color #801 on #2 DPNs. Blue mittens: King Cole Luxury Mohair in 'Roma' knit on #7 DPNs.
Bella Bracelets (pattern link to Ravelry)

Project specs: Berroco NaturLin knit on #1 DPNS (just need two needles - it's knit back and forth.) Buttons are from Kyarns and my stash.

And some projects around the house.
Under the kitchen sink: one coat of primer. Still to come - tiles, trim and another coat of primer.

Gone but not forgotten

I've been gone from the blog, but it has not been forgotten. During my hiatus, I've knitted 4 pairs of Christmas wristers, two Fun Fur scarves for a co-worker, and a baby hat. I've sewn an apron. I've converted a bookcase into a coat cubby ala Pottery Barn, and I've hung the curtain dividers in my craft room. I'm also 2/3rds of the way through my Christmas shopping, have made reservations for our holiday travel, and have helped a friend explore the wonderful world of iTunes.

I also took a bunch of pictures which I think the CatMan downloaded somewhere other than on my computer.

I've been busy. You're just going to have to take my word for it.

China hutch reveal

Edited to participate in ASPtL's DIY day -

Since I had moved the pie safe to the craft room, I needed replacement storage in our kitchen. A new store opened near my home, which is where I found this girl in need of some lovin'.

The inside shelves were waterstained and dried out, the outside had some kind of shellac that had dripped and then dried. I had a vision of her rich and deep on the outside and Tiffany blue on the inside.

After several attempts at stripping (3M Safe Stripper didn't cut it, so I had to pull out the big stinky guns)and the first coat of Miniwax Dark Walnut, I had to put her makeover on hold. Seems humid mid-July weather was not conducive to drying. At. All. Over Labor Day weekend, I applied the second coat of stain and primed the inside with BIN. For the Tiffany blue, I mixed 1) Slate Blue, 1) Fairfax Green, and 1/3rd)Feather Blue Paint Pod from Ace Hardware. It was the perfect amount without a ton of paint left over.
Total cost of the project:
Hutch: $101.00 (95.00 and tax)
Stain and paint: $20.00
Stripper: $7.00
Primer and tools: already had.
The inside of the hutch is an accumulation of things from all different times and locations of my life. It's a mish-mash - but hey, isn't that a reflection of real life? Quirky, fun, and sometimes not making a whole lotta sense!

Give a girl a sewing machine

Edited to participate in ASPtL's DIY day -

And look at all the trouble she can get into! I've wanted a sewing machine for a while, and this past birthday was the time to fulfill my wish (thanks Mom!) I got a Singer Simple - nothing too fancy, but it does a few creative stitches and ...wait for it...buttonholes! The CatMan didn't quite achieve the level of awe I felt necessary when I finished my first one.

Here are a couple of 'getting to know Martha' projects. Yes, I named my machine Martha - appropriate on several levels.

Project 1: A kitty mattress. Simply a flannel baby blankie ($1.50 at Goodwill) sandwiched around a layer of cotton batting. I tried out a couple of zig-zag stitches (it doesn't look nearly as pucker-y in person). The kittehs love it.

Project 2: A 'dress' for Martha. The material is the same stuff I used on my thrifted bulletin board. I love the blowsy floral print, but must use it in moderation or the CatMan's head will explode. Cost? About $2.00 of material.

I have a few other sewing projects underway - reveals will be forthcoming. And yes, there will be buttonholes!

Speaking of birthday gifts: the CatMan surprised me with an orange iPod Nano. Which totally makes up for his lack of buttonhole adoration. Woot! It's all 80's all the time now! I love it so much and knew it needed it's own special home. Presenting the curiously strong mod-podge tin.

I mod-podged some scrapbook paper to the top and lined it with some remnant felt. Perfectly protected and easily found in my purse. Cost? Nuttin' honey.

Finally, here's a sneak peek of a big project which I'm hoping to wrap up this weekend.

Can't beat free...

Today's post is part of ASPtL's DIY day.

This is the free stool I picked up along a street near my office. Mmmm...vinyl impersonating leather. One of the legs was cracked where it joined to the base of the stool, but other than that, it was in great condition.

Here she is after a little wood glue, muslin, and grosgrain ribbon. So much happier!

Cost- Stool: free, Muslin: $3.00, Green and brown striped grosgrain ribbon: $1.29.

And here's a glimpse of a Christmas wrister (just in case you thought this had turned into a DIY blog) -

And then, sometimes it's not

edited to participate in - A few weeks ago, I experienced the Essex Junction Community Yard Sale held at the Champlain Fairgrounds. Wow, what fun (of course, I went alone. Had I dragged him with me, the CatMan may have tried to put his eyes out with my knitting needles.) I picked up a sizable bag of goodies all for the grand total of $6.00. For example, this bulletin board was $0.50.

Ayep, that would be a solid wood back and frame! I needed a bulletin board for my craft room, so after some craft paint, a $2.00 JoAnn's remnant, and $0.10 velvet ribbon remnants, I now have this queen of lovely.

Stay tuned: the little flower brads in the corners of the board came from this upcoming redo...

Sometimes it's about the knitting...

Last weekend, we were off to PA for the CatMan's class reunion. In testament to how badly organized I was for the trip, I didn't pack my knitting stuff until the morning we left. Which is why I had the yarn, but not the correct needles for some Tilli Thomas/Berroco wristers I wanted to work on. However I did have the trusty #2 DPNS, so I was able to finish another pair of Breast Cancer Care Socks (#5!) and start a pair of sock yarn wristers for one of my nieces.

Project specs: my favorite sock pattern using Plymouth's Happy Feet (I love this yarn!)

But before I left, I finished Mrs Robinson - a lightweight shoulder shawl-lette.

Project specs: A simple triangle shawl (Ravelry should be able to help here) using 2 skeins of Berroco's Seduce Colors in Prophesy on #7 needles. I then single-crocheted an edging with some lightweight brown chenille to firm up the eyelet edging.

Maybe I should should start packing the Christmas trip knitting bag now...

Presenting the new craft room!

As I have posted before, we are doing on-going work at the CattyAbode. Two years ago, I realized we had lived in the same place for 10 years and there were things I absolutely hated about my home. I was tired of 'making due' with someone else's decorating choices and living with 'one day I'll have my own place'-itis. Right now this IS my home, albeit rented, but there is no reason why I can't have things to my liking.

Here is the finished craft room: (oops, little picture of the view into the craft room from our bedroom area. The door accesses our new storage/attic area) Here's directly to the left of the entrance into the craft room. The pie safe is a custom piece I had made over 17 years ago. It has been in all of our kitchens until now. (Say "hi" to my Peeps.) I still have some organization to do in the pie safe.

And here is my craft desk overlooking the back 40. The vintage desk is maple with an enameled metal top (think old enameled metal camp coffee pots). I picked up the milk glass lamp for $5.00, painted the brass white, and switched out the shade with another one I had in the house. And hey, my Target chair was a whopping $14.00!
At the same store where I bought the milk glass lamp, I fell in love with this old china hutch. With the pie safe gone, I needed another storage piece in the kitchen. This is the hutch in its stripped state - this weekend I'm hoping to stain the outside and paint the inside one of those turquoise shades.

It hasn't been all about the house: meet Mrs. Robinson, a triangular scarf using Berroco's Seduce. Get it? "Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?" Ok, nevermind.
And a helmet liner for a Reservist co-worker headed out to Afghanistan.

And of course, life would not be complete without some socks on the needles.

Summertime socks

Annette is marinating in the knitting basket. I realized knitting 2 different lace patterns was the fastest way to make myself guano loco. So Annette cools her heels while I finished the Diagonal Lace Scarf.

Project specs: less than one skein of Berroco Sox Metallic in color 1350 (blues and greys) knit on #7 Inox needles. I knit, knit, and knit until I thought it was long enough. It blocked out to almost 6'! Plenty long enough to wrap and knot! I didn't want to take Annette to Phoenix's knit night, so I threw some Cherry Tree sock yarn and #1 needles in my knitting bag. I cast on for the next pair of Breast Cancer Care Socks: I hope these anklets make someone as happy as my knitting them does!

A womans's prerogative

Is to change her mind. Or make exceptions. Take the "I'm not a sweater knitter" statement that I so proudly post on my sidebar. I'm not. Except for this:

(eta: while I'm developing my sweater skillz, I'm totally ignoring the photography ones)
Project specs: Abigail by C2knits (pattern on Ravelry) using 5 skeins of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light in "Prune" on #6 and #4 Addis. So maybe it's not really a WHOLE sweater, but it's a tad more than a vest. 

Ok, you're questioning my mad sweater skillz. Maybe this will convince you:

It's Annette from the Summer 2009 issue of Knitty. It's short, lacy, and cap sleeve. But definitely a sweater. Which I'm knitting. Because I'm not a sweater knitter.

An almost finished object.

Linked up to join the party!

May I present my new craft room? Tada!

Shew is very happy with carpeting and the patch of sunlight that she follows around the room. I'm looking for a small end table with storage options to fit under the window, and I have a Target table in mind for my sewing table. (Pictured is my $14.00 Target clearance chair! Yippee!)

In a side project, I converted my yarn storage bin to a tool caddy. I already love it: no more taking out everything from the tool box to find a nail!