New Patterns!

I finally got my act together and learned how to post patterns for sale on Ravelry!  Here are my first two.  Enjoy!

Quinn Cardigan
This is a top-down raglan cardigan with a wonderful leaf lace pattern along the front edges.  The prototype was made for a friend's daughter named Quinn, of course!

Marco Fair Isle Hat
A simple little fair isle hat that will warm up a new baby or toddler alike!  Your hugs and kisses will keep a little one warm with the XOXO in the pattern.  

Nightstand Chronicles: Part II

Major work has begun on the first nightstand that will go in our currently sad guest room.  I removed the doors, casters and other hardware and primed the base with the spray version Zinsser's Cover Stain Oil-Base Primer.  Then I painted it with Sherwin Williams Duration in Greek Villa (the same color I used on my other nightstand).  It looks great!

I really wanted to remove the metal grating and blue plexiglass from the doors, so I put my husband to work on that project.  

The blue plexiglass was just duct taped on (nice!) so that was easy enough to remove, but the metal grating was sandwiched into the door, so our Dremel tool got a nice workout removing a thin strip of wood from the back side of the door to allow the grate to be removed.  We got a thin board of birch veneer to replace the grate with a solid panel and some trim to mask the crazy edges left by the Dremel.  We're both still learning how to use power tools, so our edges aren't entirely straight.  On the left you can see what it will look like from the front (still needs to be primed and painted) and on the right you can see how the birch panel fits into the back before we added the trim to mask the edges.  

I think this ended up being a great fix to update the doors!  As an alternative on the second nightstand, I might just leave the doors off (so it will look like the top photo).  What do you think?  Doors on or off on nightstand #2?

Next up on this project:

1. Finishing the doors - trim, priming, and painting
2. Hardware - I had a little setback with polishing the brass (which I'll tell you all about) so I need to shop for some hardware)
3. Casters?  The old casters have seen better days and honestly I don't think that they are really appropriate for hardwood floors.  So I might leave the off (taking the easy way out) or I am considering ordering new casters with rubber edges that won't ding up the floors.  I love casters just as much as the next DIY'er, but it would certainly add a lot to the price of this project to buy all new casters.

See Part I HERE!

FO: Satin Ribbons Tee

I recently finished a store sample so I thought I would share.  The yarn was really nice to work with.  I'm more used to using classic wools or wool blends so it was interesting to use the linen/cotton blend.  And the slipped stitch pattern makes the finished product look so much more complicated to knit than it really is.

Pattern: Satin Ribbons Raglan Tee by Irina Poludnenko

Yarn: Tahki Yarns Lily

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) 

It's the little things

Everything in this rental house is tan and the full bath is no exception.  Everything is painted the same color tan... the walls, the ceiling, and even the trim... all the TAN.  It drives me crazy!  It is so DRAB.  So I figured I would just use some leftover paint to brighten things up a bit.

It may not seems like much, but sometimes it's the little things that make me happy!

Nightstand Chronicles: Part I

As you know from my post yesterday, I was on the hunt for a matching set of nightstands for my guest room.  Yes, it would be fun to be eclectic and find non-matching nightstands, but since already none of my furniture matches, I really wanted a pair.

Nightstands have been the bane of my existence.  In fact, I just found and painted a nightstand for the master bedroom after searching for just the right thing for 2+ years.  After a few of my Craigslist finds had gone unanswered, I finally found a PAIR that were just right!  The only catch... they came with a dresser and mirror, too!  No problem.  You can see that I kind of needed a dresser to replace my Ikea one anyway.

So off on another Craigslist pick up we went.  The VERY nice seller helped load all of this into the truck.  The dresser was so heavy there was no way I could help!  Yes, it is still in the back of the truck in the garage.  Luckily we live in a ranch so no stairs.  But, we'll discuss the dresser another day.  This is all about nightstands!!

Look at the cute brass casters!  They have a drawer!  And doors!  But, yes, they are in need of an update, so I need to make some decisions.

I am definitely going to remove the metal grates from the doors.  Gone will also be the blue glass (yikes).  I am undecided whether to put in clear glass, or just some thin wood, since I would like to paint the whole thing.  Color?  Hardware? Undecided.  Because the feet are brass, I think brass will be the way to go for hardware.  

What do you think?  Cute?

FO: Citrine Leaf Cardigan and Hat

This sweet little cardigan and hat set were lovely to create.  I have a prototype that I knit in a worsted weight awhile ago, but I always knew that this would be so cute at a lighter weight, too.  I'm working on writing up the pattern, but am running into challenges with sizing.  And, I probably could use some lessons from a tech editor, really.  But in any case, here is my Citrine Leaf Cardigan and Hat:

Pattern: Citrine Leaf Cardigan and Hat by Amy Mercer (Pattern Coming Soon!)

Yarn: Classic Elite Fresco

Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm) 

My In-Laws are Coming!

Ok, so we aren't having guests until August, but we may be having a LOT of guests in August.  No only are my in-laws definitely staying with us, my best friend might be coming and my brother and sister-in-law, too.  This is a great excuse for me to come up with a plan for my super-dark and boring guest room.  The room is tan (like every room in our rental house) and has weird white molding for the crown and chair rail.  Everything of ours in here is either old, repainted and/or from Craigslist:

• Ikea dresser: Not only has this made, let's see, SIX moves, it wasn't even something I bought new from Ikea.  It's from Craigslist DC - 2003!
• Headboard: Craigslist Albany - 2010, I painted it white.
• Mattress and Boxspring: Husband's old set.
• Comforter: Mine from Target circa 2005-ish.  It's a Full size duvet on a Queen bed.  No quite cutting it!
• Bookcase as bedside table: From my mom and dad.  Who knows how old this one is... I painted it white.
• Nightstand: My dad made this for my childhood bedroom in maybe 1989.  I still have the matching desk in our office!
• Corner chair: Craigslist Albany - 2010,  I painted it light blue.

I'd like to spruce things up a bit before we have anyone else stay in the room.  On the to-do list:

• Drop Cloth Drapes:  I'd like to sew a border of matching fabric to coordinate with new pillow shams
• Pillow Shams and Accent Pillows: Another sewing project
• Nightstands: On the hunt for a matching set on Craigslist... this might take awhile!  I found a set I really like, but of course the people aren't getting back to me.  I'd like to paint them something other than white, but knowing me, they will probably end up white, or maybe even slightly off-white - CRAZY!
• Lamps for nightstands: I need something to lighten up that room.
• New Comforter: Something simple but appropriately sized for a Queen bed would go a long way.

That's the plan... I have a little over 3 months to do it.  I should probably order some fabric...

FO: Painted Nightstand

Ok, so maybe painting furniture isn't as exciting as a trip to the moon, but I am over the moon about my recently finished nightstand.  Being true to my nature (a lover of simple things) I chose to paint this a just slightly off-white rather than go with my initial thoughts of light gray or greige.  In addition, to keep the costs down, I did not buy new hardware and rather just used some oil-rubbed bronze spray paint that we had on hand to freshen up the knobs that came with the piece.  I contemplated greatly stenciling a chevron or a trellis pattern on the top.  But in then end, as simple as it is, I am thrilled!

Paint: Sherwin Williams Duration in Greek Villa