Trying New Things

My sis got these chairs as freebies from her neighbor and she wants me to help her fix them up. Check out her post here:

Trying New Things.

I ran fabric paint by her:

Painted chair project via A Pinterest Addict.

And reupholstering with budget upholstery fabrics from IKEA:

Rosmarie at IKEA

Benzy Skepp at Ikea.

Premier Fabrics:

Newell in Stone/Denton at Premier Fabrics.

Barber in Stone/Denton at Premier Fabrics.

Or using Joann’s 40% off coupons to get some cool looking pleather:

Eaton Square Adrift at Joann’s.

Here’s another view of this style of chair (by complete coincidence, I pinned the exact chairs from a Craigslist ad a few months ago on Pinterest).

On my CL Treasure Hunt board on Pinterest.

I’m going to meet up with her on Friday to take a closer look at them (so far, I’ve only seen pics). I’m so excited! What would you do with these chairs?

Project: Lamp

I don’t know why I love doing lamp projects so much… but I do!Maybe it’s because they are compact, easy pieces to work on. Whatever the reason, when I saw this lamp at my local thrift store, I knew I had to take a crack at an idea that I’ve been wanting to try ever since I saw it on Pinterest.

Twine wrapped bottles in neon + neutral. Image via Remodelista.

I found instructions for it on Remodelista. Pretty cool looking, right? I thought it might be cool to do a similar look on a lamp instead. The only thing is I don’t want to cover the whole lamp with twine. I’m thinking a little over halfway will look good. The thing about that is that I’ll have brown lamp hanging out where I don’t want it. So, for the top I’m going to take a tip from Isabella and Max Rooms.

A DIY lamp project from Isabella and Max Rooms.

I’m going to repaint the lamps with spray paint and high gloss clear coat then go over the bottom two thirds with neon and natural twine. I think. I may do some pretty colors that I have in mind for my room. We’ll see! When I’m done I’ll post pics. Speaking of which…

I got these great lamps as well:

But I’m not sure what to do with them. I think they are entirely lovely but the applique pattern has some slight damage and I’m not in love with the color. Any advice on what to do with this pair of lovelies?

That’s it for me for today! I hope you all have a great weekend and I’ll catch you next time!

Thrift Store Score: Office Chair

So, yesterday for my birthday, I went thrifting with my friend Dawn and I scored this chair for diet cheap! Aside from being in need of a visual overhaul, it is comfortable and easy to update since the seat and back unscrew from the frame.

I’m stumped though. I can’t think of a good paint color/fabric combo to save my life. Any thought?

I hope everyone’s week is winding up nicely. See you tomorrow. I’ll be sharing some of my faves from another trip I made yesterday to West Elm. Ciao for now!

PS. Check outthe nice things my sister wrote about me on her blog, Supermom Plus, called Drum Roll Please.

Do all yarnthings get down in the summer?

So… I have two knitting projects going right now but I haven’t picked them up because the thought of touching yarn when it’s this hot out seems kinda of icky.

Do you all find it hard to knit and crochet when the weather is warm? Or do you do just fine with your yarn projects in any kind of weather?

If you’ve got any tips, I’d love to hear them!

Too many projects…

So, I don’t know if anyone else goes through this but I’ve got quite a few projects going. Right now it’s stands at about four or five (I think… I’m not even sure of the count. How sad is that?) and I’m not sure how I’m going to finish them all between my work schedule and the incipient month of grueling writing that is about to ensue (National Novel Writing Month).

My Mom will be here in November as well and I’ve got a cardi to finish for her…

I’ve got that cardi for my friend Jen…

Baby booties for my new nephew, Gabe and for my co-worker Johnny’s baby girl (she’s still on the way)…

A pair of “Turkish” slippers that I think might be for me…

And a little tike cardi for my niece, Taylor…

Plus:

Fingerless gloves for my cousin, Connie…

A pullover for my cousin, Keon…

A hat and scarf set for my brother, Ronald…

And a cape or shawl (I haven’t decided which because I can’t find a pattern I like) for my sister-in-law, Bobby Jean…

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Help?

I guess it’s just about plugging away until you get to the end. Better keep that in mind when NaNo comes around in oh… 11 days.

WIP, Part Two (and future projects too…)

In the days leading up to Seattle YarnThings first meeting, I’m working steadily on my cardi and hoping that it comes out resembling something close to designer Julia Vaconsin’s original idea. So far, so good. And the amount of yarn I have is looking pretty fabulous… I don’t think I’m going to run out before I’m finished like I thought I was.

So, now that Big Bow Cardigan is going so well, I’m looking toward my next project already. I’m still enamored of making clothing, which means I’ll probably make another sweater but I also looking at possibly doing a skirt or coat next.

Some possibilities:

Icelandic Turtleneck from Crochet Me edited by Kim Werker

Or:

herringbone-skirt by Elissa Sugashita/Knitscene Fall 2007

It’s kind of a hard decision but those are my top two picks for my next project. In the meantime, I’m continuing on my Big Bow Cardigan and it’s going really well. It’s amazing how calm and peaceful I feel after even a few minutes working on it. It’s nice to have a creative outlet back in my life again.

Personal Fabric

I was working my crochet on the bus today and my hands were dry… It seems like dry hands cause you to feel every twist of thread in a strand of yarn, doesn’t it? I know I did… and it got me wondering about something I thought about a few days ago while I was working on my project at home.

I was watching one of the CSI shows  and they were talking about epithelials, the skin cells that slough off our bodies when we touch things, and how they were found on some object that was relevant to their case.

It got me thinking this:

Every time I touch this skein of yarn and wind it around my hand, pulling up loops to create the fabric, I’m leaving a little bit of me behind. It’s not just my skill (or lack of it!) as a crafter that goes into, not just my time, not just my effort – but actual small bits of me that hold my very DNA are being woven in as well.

That might gross some people out… but not me. I was kind of awed by the thought. I don’t think anyone who picks up a crochet hook or a set of knitting needles ever thought of what they do as being anything other than personal. To me those little skin cells are physical reminders of the love, the heart, the soul we put into every project our hands touch. And yeah, they probably all get wiped away when we wash or block those projects but I’d like to think that just a little bit of me is locked in and will stay with whoever holds or wears that piece.

There is nothing more personal than that.

Pick Your Project

I must admit, fellow YarnThings, that I did not already have a project ready when I announced the meeting. So for the last few days I’ve been searching online and in stores for a project that would be easy, fun, and wearable.

I found it today while I was in Barnes & Noble. My project is the sweater on the cover of Interweave Crochet – It’s a 3/4 sleeve cardigan with an asymmetrical front, and a bow tie at the neck… all done in single crochet! In one piece! I have this lovely teal yarn that I’m going to use. Now I just need to find a buttons for the front.

I’m so excited to bring this project to our meeting next month. It makes me wonder what kind of things my fellow YarnThings are going to be bringing and what patterns and projects have you salivating like I am over this cardigan.

Will you be knitting? Or crocheting? Are you using thick yarn or thin yarn? Wool, silk, cotton, or acrylic yarn? Don’t you just thrill at the choices you have when you pick up that skein or ball of yarn?

I’m so looking forward to our first meeting and seeing all the exciting choices that you, my fellow yarn lovers, have made with your own projects. Hopefully, the group will cause ua all to to be encouraged in our crafting, expand our mental horizons, and engender a greater sense of community and sharing. So, pick your project… and join Seattle YarnThings on February 10!