Power Drill, Staple Gun and Dinning Room Chairs... Oh my!

We've moved three times over the last year and a half, so trying to make each new house feel like home has been somewhat of a challenge. Our last house we lived in had white woodwork and pretty gray walls. This new house we just moved into has a lot of dark wood trim and textured walls. It almost has a lake house retreat feeling. If you know what I mean? It has an open floor plan, so I've been trying to create a cohesive space. I don't want to spend a lot of money. One of my solutions was to recover the dinning room chairs. I've always wanted to do this. I've seen it done on the Home and Garden channels many times.



It's just as easy as it looks. I used a hounds tooth fabric in chocolate brown. It bought it from House Fabric. It was only $9.95/yard compared to $75.00 at Joann Fabrics and they shipped it quickly.

I was happy with the end result and I got to use a staple gun and power drill which is always a plus.



I bought the curtains at Target. They are not really curtains. They are 84 inch table cloths. I used drapery clips . Target has some Dwell Studio table cloths that would be beautiful as curtains too.



I have found a place for the framed butterflies at each house. This is a fun project and great way to use Anthropologie catalogs. They still look pretty good after two years.



This cabinet had really ugly wooden handles. The screw holes were not standard so I had a hard time finding replacement handles. Finally I found some that worked. They were $10.00 a piece, but they made the cabinet look so much better.



I have it filled with colorful mid century dishes. They make me happy.



I'm using a small antique cupboard as a bar for the time being. I think it works.



I think the recovered chairs pull the room together.

Sharing with  Miss Mustard Seed, Tatertots and Jello, It's Overflowing, Southern Hospitality and The Southern Product Queen.

Orchid Thief Shawlette

Orchid Thief Shawlette (Ravelry Link)
Pattern by Ysolda Teague
Found in Brave New Knits (Julie Turjoman)
Yarn used Quince and Co. Tern, 2 skeins in the color Wampum
Needle used was a US 6 circular

The good, the bad and the ugly details:
I used a Quince and Co. yarn which is always a good thing. Tern is a wool/silk blend. It has a slightly tweedy look and beautiful drape. The pattern called for 420 yards, but I had read that knitters were running out of yarn. Two skeins of Tern was 442 yards so I thought I might be okay, but I ran out of yarn with 3 rows left including the bind off row. I thought about ordering another skein, but I just wanted to finish the shawl and I couldn't bring myself to buy another whole skein for three rows.

The Last Three Rows:
I found some finger weight leftovers in my stash. I was worried about the shawl looking granny-ish so I tried to find complimentary colors. I knit two rows with some leftover String Theory hand dyed yarn in a blue color and then bound off with Berroco Alpaca Light in a green color.

There is errata for this pattern. Despite having the correct charts I still found the pattern confusing. That is why I love the Ravelry network. I never could have made this shawl without the help of members that took notes to make things easier for the next knitter. Thank You

Solstice Cardigan

Solstice Cardigan
Pattern by Cecily Glowik MacDonald
Yarn: Quince and Co. Osprey, 7 skeins
Color: Chanterelle
US 11 needles

Details: This sweater is knit from the top down with very few seams. (One joining the collar to the front and then the pockets.) The cable detail is done without a cable needle which makes it slightly easier, and the waist shaping is down with a rib stitch pattern. I wasn't sure about adding the pockets, but they won out in the end and I'm glad. I was nervous about getting them sewn on evenly. I think I've tried almost every Quince and Co. yarn and they are all wonderful for different reasons. The Osprey used in the sweater is 100% wool, nice and soft, and has beautiful stitch definition.

Snow Flower Cardigan

I saw this cardigan while perusing the ModCloth website and was inspired to make my own version.

Fall Flowers Cardigan

I started with a plain cardigan and t-shirt.

Traced leave shapes onto the t-shirt and cut them out.

Sewed the leaves down using a straigh stich down the center line.

Satin stitched the centers of the flowers.

That is all there is to it.

Here is the template for the leaves. Linking with Momma Go Round.

Ida's Kitchen

Just a quick post to tell you about this hat. It is knit from leftover yarn in my stash. I wanted to go out and buy new yarn. I wanted to buy the yarn that was called for in the pattern, but it was snowing, and the Governor had called a state of emergency. That is what stash yarn is suppose to be all about. At least that is what I tell myself when I'm buying it. Emergencies. The kind that keep you from getting to a yarn shop.



Yarn used: Bristol Yarns Gallery King George in blue, Cascade 220 in green, Rowan Summer Tweed in white, Berroco Ultra Alpaca in brown, Cascade Quatro in red, Patons Angora Bamboo in charcoal, and String Theory Merino Sport in Mustard.



The Details:
Pattern: Ida's Kitchen (Ravelry Link)
Designed by Kirsten Kapur
Needles: US 6 and US 8



I love how the top of the hat looks like a sunflower or daisy. It makes me happy.

Alderbrook

Bulky weight yarn + US 11 needles + lots of "passenger in the car" knitting = Alderbrook.

Alderbrook
Designed by: Cecily Glowik MacDonald
Yarn: Quince and Co. Puffin
Color: Pomegranate
Needle: US 11

Details:
This sweater was a really fast knit. Maybe it was because I was in the car as a passenger a lot between Christmas and New Years, so I had many hours to knit, but this sweater worked up super quick. It is knit from the top down with raglan sleeves and waist shaping. The collar can be buttoned up or worn open. There is a fun pattern detail on the front. I used Quince and Co. Puffin in the color pomegranate. This yarn is a slightly felted bulky weight yarn that gives beautiful pattern definition.

Serafina Cowl

My last knit of 2010

Serafina Cowl
Designed by Carrie Bostick Hoge
Quince and Co. Lark in Twig, 3 skeins
US 8 circular needle

Details: I was intrigued by the texture the offset cables added to this cowl. The pattern was well written and I followed it completely. (Including using the yarn called for in the pattern). Still loving the Quince and Co. yarn.

I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year that includes lots of knitting and chocolate.