Organizing My Fiber Studio

I'm finding the couch doesn't provide enough back support...

One of my goals this winter has been to organize my fiber studio.  The space is an apartment sized unit above our garage.  We built it several years ago as a place our friends and family could stay when they visited us.  It gives them privacy and the freedom to go to bed and get up when they were most comfortable.  Our home is an odd shape and has open spaces above doors, so once the dogs or we are up - everyone's up.  


The studio is filled with light and has a peaceful view out the back to a field, oaks and the mountains beyond.  From time to time deer, coyote and even bobcats have wandered by while red-tail hawks and falcons soar in the skies.


I have kept in mind that this still has to be a cozy and easy place for our guests, but I wanted a quiet and creative place to focus on my fiber work when it was vacant.

Pantry before stocked with fiber

As with my jewelry techniques, I am all over the place with fiber as I like to mix it up.  I've crocheted since I was a kid and picked up knitting almost 13 years ago.  I took a day's workshop on rigid heddle weaving a couple years ago and really want to get going on that.  I love traditional rug hooking, but the project I started was bigger than I probably should've started as my first so it's stored, but I'd like to have it out so I'm reminded to finish it.  I have a small project on the hooking frame now that I'll be hopefully finishing this week that's for a Mixed Media challenge where I was paired up with another Mixed Media artist.  She's done and sending me her piece.  Incentive to finish it this week!  (I'll definitely post it and what I receive once we've both been surprised.)


I also have a fabulous sewing machine my husband gave me for Christmas several years ago that I'd like to move over there for projects as needed!  I've already used a small painted chest to store the fabric I've collected or saved through the years.

So, I've got this great pantry space that we put under the eaves that needed some cleaning up after my beads moved out.  I  thought it would look lovely with my yarn stacked on its shelves.  I've accumulated a lot of yarn through close-outs, extra skeins from finished projects, and donations from relatives, too!  I figure when I'm not working on my portable loom or rug hooking frame I can scoot them in on the floor under the bottom shelf.

It feels SO good to be almost done with this project since it was on my "get done" list for this winter.  I don't have to go through plastic tubs of yarn any more to find the colors or type of fiber that will work well together.  It's like having my own yarn store in my studio!  I set Mothaway sachets from Stony Creek on the shelves for a non-toxic deterrent, as we can get a lot of moths and pests that will eat wool and silk here in northern California.


If you're a fiber fanatic you probably know about Ravelry already.  If not - you might find you love it as much as I do.  I can put projects in a queue that I think I might do some day.  If you see my list you know I'd have to live to be 200 to actually do all of them.  I think that's my plan, just keep putting in projects, because you can't die when you've got so much to do, right?  You can also put in finished projects which acts as a diary of your work as well as a place for others to see what issues you ran into or what yarn you substituted.  Before I start a project I always go out and see what others have done.  They may have changed the sleeve to a much more flattering fit or it may have gotten bad reviews all around!  No sense spending all that time on a project if it's not destined to be worn.


It's a place to track all your yarn, pattern, and books.  Don't give your husband the password.  You know what I mean.  I've traded, bought and sold yarn for various reasons via Ravelry.


So one of the things that's really great about it is networking with other like-minded individuals.  I belong to local, beading, and weaving groups.  


***My Ravelry user-id is Biehive if you'd like to connect.***

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