The Knitting Up a Storm Craft Studio Tour

Welcome to my craft studio, dear friends.

My husband and I built this yarn pegboard organizer to store all of my favorite yarn, to give me the sense of being in a yarnstore and to provide constant inspiration. Underneath is a wooden frame, so that there is space between the board and wall to apply the hooks.

Sometimes I wander in the room and just glance at it, thinking of possibilities for each yarn. I've had some of this yarn for a long time, almost to the point where my project expectations are so lofty because of it's beauty, it's hard for me to use it because it won't be up on the hook anymore. Look at me talk like a crazy person. I get too attached.

In this small nursery-turned spare room, I will give you a wonderful, almost Willy Wonka-like tour of half of this room, which is mine. The other half of the room I will leave up to your wild imagination of what my husband has done to his (small) side for his "office."

This tour is jam-packed with eyecandy goodies--yarn, notion holders, project displays, how I store my supplies...etc. Hopefully this tour will give you some inspiration if you are wondering what to do with your own stash. Pretty yarn shouldn't be crammed in bins and shelves, my friends. It should be out to tempt you to use it.

Please keep in mind that this collection has been over a decade of hoarding years in the making. This doesn't just happen overnight. It's also not for the faint of heart. Oh, I'm not talking about you. I was talking about your husband, room-mate, etc.   :)

On the yarn shelf are three sock forms that I use to display my sock patterns. I try not to keep them on them because it will overstretch the socks out of shape. I have a few stitchionaries that I keep out. I have all of my other books on a narrow bookshelf on the other side of he room.

Below is a plate lazy suzan that you use for little tea sandwiches or desserts. It has a lovely grey bird design on it that I got at Marshall's. While not in use, I store yarn on it.

 

So this is where I keep my dpns. I love the idea of storing these puppies in a tall coffee mug. Seems cozy. I have two necklace stands in this room. This one is for my "Lovely Cords" pattern. The other one is holding my ecclectic bird necklace that I made.

My straight needles have always been stored in a whimsical looking wine case. You can find these at a craft store such as Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Joanne's. Once again, it's the perfect height for most needles so you can see each size. I don't use straights anymore (I'm a huge fan of circular needles for any project), but I feel I should keep them at least for a decorative purpose.

On the right side of the pegboard, I have most of my circular needles (expect for some interchangeable needle tips and such that are in the binders that the set came in) organized by size and length. The top is all of the long cables, and the bottom are the shorter cables.

Psst- the painting is from my mixed media artist friend Gina Lee Kim, who regularly is featured in the Cloth, Paper Scissors magazine. It looks great next to my sunset yarns, but I really need to find a proper frame for it and hang it up.

 

I love Victorian things and anything that reminds me of a garden (one of my favorite childhood books is "The Secret Garden"), and so I like to use something like a teacup to store odds and ends, and also this little plastic twist container for things such as pins, travel sized thread and buttons. 

 

Now, I want you to realize that my organization is NOT perfect or pleasing to the eyes. I do have plenty of closet space crammed in with bins and everything non-yarny. This is the spare bedroom closet, but my own closet has more craft bins and various yarn crammed in shelving spaces. 

In the bins are beading supplies, buttons, glue guns, stamps and endless things that I've collected over the years. I also have all of my leftover sock yarn that I will eventually use to make a memory-keeper's blanket. I have yarn dyes hidden behind, as well as my collapsible yarn swift, ball-winder, sewing supplies and more. 

I don't even have room for my spinning wheel in here anymore. I keep it in my bedroom, along with the roving in a long bin shoved next to our dresser and our wall.

 

However, let's just look at the pretty places. Places filled with inspiration and  wonder. My son is photobombing, weighing some tee-shirt yarn on my little scale. He literally told me "mommy, you're always around this yarn. It's all about the yarn, isn't it?" Yes babe. I think you are starting to understand my ways. :)

 

So this is my desk. It's old, probably from the 90's, but I have matching shelving (a book shelf of knitting books that isn't in this picture tour), and also the yarn shelves next to it. I like lightly colored wood and the fact that it's a corner desk. I don't actually sit here ever though. If I knit, it's usually on the couch or at the kitchen table while watching podcasts. 

I recently bought this project journal. I am filling it with yarn labels, yarn scraps and notes. I also bought this awesome faux-luggage box for my knitted socks. Some pairs are missing from the box when I took this photo. I've seen lots of podcasters talk about this journaling and sock box idea, such as the YarnGasm podcast. I figured I'd go to Ross and see if they have these items for cheap. They did.

My KnitCity bag from NY and the "Winter is Coming" bag that my husband ordered me for Christmas is hanging on the door. Next to the door is "Victoria," my knitwear model that I got from TJMaxx a few years back. Right now, she is wearing my "Forget Me Not" shawl that I designed while my grandpa was in the hospital with a stroke. He's no longer around, so I think of it as a memory shawl for him.

 

In the bins are various weighted yarn that are caked or commercially balled. Most of my sock yarn is in the top two bins. The yarn visible has multiple layers of variegated or striping yarn, and I always look at them and think, how can I learn to knit socks faster so I can get to these? 

 

On the pegbaord, the yarn is also organized by weight. To save on space, I have put about 3-5 skeins per hook on there. 

Well folks, that's about it. If you have any questions, shoot me a message. I hope I have inspired you for your own little crafting nook.