The Room Itself

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There have been several times in the last few days, the days since the stashroom got finished, that I’ve wondered if it’s really finished.  I wish I had a little table and chair to go in front of the window, I wish all the shelving units were the same size, I wish I had more pretty boxes and bins. I wish that I could have pulled up the linoleum that some nutjob put over the old pine floors.  I wish – in short, that the budget for this overhaul had been unlimited, or even bigger, but despite all these things, and despite the fact that this is sure to be the most disappointing reveal of all time, I love this little room.

I love the colour of it, this celery green that goes with the rest of the house so beautifully.  It was a can of paint we had in the basement from a paint store error last year, and I kept it, thinking it would come in handy someday.  It did, and I love how updated and fresh it looks, while still not seeming at all out of place in this little old house.  

I had one big old Ikea storage thing.  Tall, white, the ones that have storage squares in them, and that was the start of the whole storage plan.  I didn’t want to have to get rid of something good (and it reminds me of a yarn shop) so that went into the room and I tried to match everything else to it.  That didn’t go very well, since that piece is sadly discontinued at Ikea, but I got one very much like it for a song, and so that went in next.  

One of the things I hated about this room before (other than the fact that it was a pit) was that I found it really hard to store spinning fibres.  I keep all my yarn and fibres in ziplocks (partly for to keep them dust free and partly as protection against incursion) and that means attempts to store them on shelves resulted in a lot of fibre avalanches.  All storage attempts were hopelessly tenuous. (This did, however, create the charming effect of yarns or fibres periodically leaping off the shelf at you when you were in there, as though they were volunteering for service.)  I got around that by buying some pretty green boxes, and some neat white nylon storage bins that fold flat when you’re not using them.  (I expect I shall never fold them flat again, but they would if I wanted them too.

Magazine holders were bought, though I had some before, so things are a little mismatched, but the budget was tight and I couldn’t justify pitching them because they had the audacity to be plain cardboard instead of tidy white, so they stayed.  The important thing is that they now contain magazines, more or less in order.  Step two is to label the boxes and further organize, but that’s a mission for another day.  

I bought three white bookcases with adjustable shelves for all the books, and that was my main expense.  ($69 each.) I love books and objects mixed together on shelves, and making little pictures of what goes together pleases me to no end – fabric next to a jar full of ribbon next to my sewing books…

Jars of roving standing prettily next to the yarn books, just for inspiration, all my lace books on one shelf, all the sock books standing together.. a wee tin that holds a few buttons sitting between the books…


and a whole basket just for knitting beads and pins and nonsuch.

It’s enough to make a knitter think that she could find what she was looking for in a pinch.  The tall case got the upstairs yarn – including a whole bin just of mitten yarns, and the second case holds spinning fibre, with big bins atop the whole thing for fleeces.

It is not perfect, but I love it- and it makes everyone (especially me) feel calm and happy to see the fresh little room full of yarn and books.  Even the new white curtains (replacing spectacularly horrific old navy ones) make the room seem brighter, cleaner and … well.  Saner, which is a top priority if you’re putting that much knitting related stuff in a room, since it tends to be poorly understood in general.

I especially enjoy how this room look at night.  Until now there’s been no light in that room – making yarn re-con a strictly daylight manoeuvre, unless you went in with a flashlight, which I am not at all ashamed to say I’ve done.  Now there’s a little light atop one of the bookcases, and when I come up over the stairs and go down the hall, the wee cozy room with most of my favourite things in it glows at me, inviting me in to have a visit.

Costs of my glorified closet? Paint – free. Labour – sweat. Storage $340 (including the bins) Sense of calm and the ability to find yarn and a Vogue winter 2007 in five minutes flat without needing a shovel and to notify the RCMP that you’re going in? 

Priceless.

293 thoughts on “The Room Itself”

  2. Suddenly I realized what it reminded me of – the old books of childhood where the family homestead always seemed to have a “Box Room.”
    This is far better – it looks amazing!
    (and contact paper can do wonders for those cardboard magazine boxes if it gets to you too much!)

  6. I think your room is beautiful. I would have called it a “box room” before, a useful-if-somewhat-small space in a house, especially in older houses. And thank you for the idea of storing roving in big glass jars. I have some and I will! Well done, Ms. Stephanie–very well done!

  9. Nice job. My house is only a pup, 114 years old. If you’re bored and would like a new project I have a bedroom/knitting/dog bedroom that could use a make over, in your spare time of course! I’d be willing to pay in yarn! Really, think about it.

  10. But the curious knitter in me is dying to know which of the books and magazines that are so nicely organized are most worn-in, dog-eared and LOVED?!
    Please share some photos of the warrior ones that have been with you through thick and thin!
    (As I readily admit the book of baby sweaters and vests I’ve used faithfully for the past 21+ years (gulp!) is falling apart and screaming for some plastic sleeves to protect its classic patterns.
    Congrats on an organized, sane and airy knitting oasis!
    Robin

  14. I always imagined your stash room was literally wall to wall, floor to ceiling, and that you had to unpack it to look at anything in it. I know that’s unreasonable, but that’s how I imagined it!
    This looks like you barely have any stash at all! And what you have is wonderfully organized. It looks peaceful and happy.

  16. As a hoarder who just moved into a teeny weeny house with all her stuff (and a newborn baby), this post made me nearly weep with jealousy. It looks wonderful. Creating pictures on the shelves is wonderful: adds enough casualness to the whole thing that it can’t possibly be sterile.

  17. This is beautiful! My current stash storage is shelves in my bedroom closet, and the version of yarn-jumping-off-shelves that happens in my house is definitely not charming. My favorite bits of your magic room are the jars of ribbon and roving – they’re so sweet!

  19. I’d take some white spray paint to the cardboard magazine holders, but that’s just me. How about an area rug or runner for the floor?

  22. I love it! It’s also sinpired me to put some more work into my (much, much smaller) stash.
    Also, roving in a mason jar? That’s an amazing idea!
    It may also prove a good method for sneaking roving onto the living room shelves as a “decoration” without the roommate minding.

  23. I would either spray paint the brown boxes white (altho I think they look fine as is). Or you could even glue some white paper over them. And then, when you have some free time, you can knit a long runner for the floor….. I’m sooo glad I’m not close enough to you or else you would be throwing books at my head! I love your room – think you did a fabulous job!!
    Linda in VA

  24. I love it – especially the glow in the evening shot. Very welcoming indeed.
    If you decide to decorate those cardboard magazine boxes, consider scrapbook papers. They are often just the right size, and you can find a variety that color-coordinate. (And they are inexpensive!)

  25. I think the idea of a small table and chair by the window is lovely. I bet one will come your way before you know it!

  26. My darling husband got me one of those same IKEA shelving units in the misguided notion that it would hold all my yarn PLUS 2 tall Billy bookcases for my knitting library. All my books are in the bookcases but the magazines are elsewhere. I’ve managed to work down my yarn stash to only one big plastic tub beyond the shelving unit capacity but only by severely restricting my yarn store visits for the past year. Of course that doesn’t count the 3 plastic tubs filled with class samples/swatches/models to show students! My husband continues to dream……..

  28. Great job!! Can my imagination go on vacation in there? It could bask in the pattern books, go swimming in the yarn, take walks with the needles …

  29. What a lovely room. I love your organization and it makes me think I should spend some quality time in my craft room this weekend doing a little (ehm, a lot) of organizing and straightening.

  30. I have long envied your knitting skills and humor and turn of phrase….. Now I also envy your stash room.! Amazing job! Enjoy it.

  31. Disappointing reveal?? Not at all! I think it looks gorgeous and I am very much jealous. No, I’m not kidding. I WISH I had a little tiny ‘throwaway’ room in which to put all my yarn, needles, magazines, books, fiber, and fabric. I love it and I think it looks great.

  32. Freaking Fantastic. I love it.
    Who wouldn’t understand the need for a fiber room? But even one of Those People couldn’t object to this. Why, it barely looks like you have enough yarn as it is.

  33. How inspiring! I really need to get at my mess. But, it’ll have to wait since it’s 80 degrees in Green Bay, WI and we won’t have many of these days in the near future. Great job.

  35. You can use wallpaper or fabric to cover the magazine boxes, and to “hide” the floor, add a funky mat….voilà!

  36. IMHO, I think what that room [still] needs is a lovely, soft La-Z-Boy in front of that window, where you can put your feet up, and a little table upon which you can set the teapot and cuppa. And a door that can be closed, so you can hide in there, peacefully knitting, the next time you don’t feel like getting involved in whatever the crisis-of-the-moment is. Yep. That’s what I think. IMHO. LOVELY room. I want one now.

  38. I think there is a simple beauty to mismatched storage and reused spaces. Your choices are economical AND Eco-friendly (reuse is way high up on the chart of importance!). I have personally found there needs to be a “little” chaos in a craft space to work/store comfortably. My craft room is shared with my husband’s office. It changes daily but it’s always an exciting adventure to reorganize and discover what’s in my stash!

  41. I love it, and it gives me hope for my “sewing” room. I just moved into it and it felt too small-but look at what you have done in this small room-It is awesome: looks nice, is orderly and user friendly, the price was reasonable and I can do it too! I’ll work on it right after I organize the new office- it is even worse (can you tell we moved just a couple of months ago?).

  42. awesome! i actually keep my magazine holders the other way around and labeled because i’m more likely to remember that the cover of that piecework had the purplish scarf … and i can pull/tilt it out to take out said magazine and then *put it immediately back* and it keeps that shelf a little tidier.
    lovely. beautiful. just please don’t end up like me and outgrow the 12 ikea cubby bins and have to move the spinning fibre to a bigger bin. 😉

  43. Looks great! That’s all the yarn or just the upstairs yarn? In my mind your stash is too big for a room that size. In my mind your stash is too big for your house.

  45. Where oh where did you find that nifty fabric with the yarn balls all over it? Did you consider making the drapes in your yarn stash room out of that fabric? That would be cool.

  46. Priceless indeed. And gives me a little kick to reorganize my mess…organize might be more appropriate.
    I know that glow. My dd has a newly bright green room at the top of our stairs and I love the glow at night!
    Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

  47. I think your little storage room looks wonderful.
    I wish I had space for one. But I have a few plastic drawers that I have to “hide” in my living room.
    But they do keep the yarn clean, I don’t have to worry about the wool nemesis as I am allergic to wool.

  48. Your stash room is lovely, charming and just says “Welcome, come on in and happily plan your next project.”
    Just got done reaming out my sewing/weaving room and feel ever so much better about it, too.

  49. Your stashroom looks so charming and comfortable to be in! We must be on the same wavelength — I just finished organizing my craft room (which is mostly full of wool) with some shelves, bins and baskets and a rolling cart, and I actually CAN go in and find what I’m looking for!
    The walls are even a similar shade of green!
    Great idea to decorate with jars full of roving and ribbon!

  51. Let’s Celebrate This…. Awesome little room, Steph. Really, really grand. And the best part, you love it – that’s so fab to hear. When I did my studio room, I could barely come out of it for 4 days. DH had to yell down the hall for me to come to dinner for once. Congrats again and enjoy!!!! Oh – has it been properly christened with a glass of wine??? I lift my glass to you and your little sanctuary!!!

  52. it’s fabulous stephanie! i feel happy for you just looking at it.
    now i think you need to declare an international flash your stash day, and do a montage of knitters’ stash storage so we can all revel in it some more!

  54. What a cosy little room! I’m envious.
    And don’t think of it as mismatched. It’s ECLECTIC!

  56. Oh how lovely! Is there anything nicer than a tidy, organized room that just suits you in every way? I can picture you going in there, locking the door and just knitting/spinning/planning to your heart’s content. (While the rest of the family walks around going, “Where’s Stephanie? Anyone seen Stephanie?”) At least, that’s what I’d do.

  58. Why couldn’t you rip up the linoleum and have the pine floor?
    You can spray paint the magazine holders…covers cardboard beautifully. I’ve used it on matting for photos, paintings, etc. Easy Peasy.
    Pray tell me why, when a product is so successful and useful and so sensible, do companies like IKEA discontinue them? It’s not like sensible and useful go out of style…duh! We’re not talking architecture, fabrics, appliances here, we talking about organizing and storage…two concepts that never leave us, go obsolete or out of style. Makes me crazy.

  59. oh how lovely! That’s just the green that I have throughout my apartment – it’s beautiful and soothing and welcoming all at the same time. You’ve inspired me to take on the stash closet (no, no, nothing to see behind THAT door, move along). Congrats for making yourself a wonderful oasis – I promise you that green will do wonders for you come February!

  60. Is it tax deductible, I mean you wouldn’t need all that stuff if you didn’t write about knitting for a living would you?
    (Made you laugh?)

  61. I absolutely love it, green is my absolute favourite colour which is an added bonus! I dream of the day I can have my own little stash room, you’ve done such a great job there.

  62. You are truly inspirational! I think I’m going to tackle my knitting room tomorrow. If the end result is half as nice as yours, I’ll be delighted.
    Even though your room might be small, perhaps a wee chair by the window might be nice so you can sit and enjoy your room while perusing your books and/or patterns.

  65. A small bottle of white acrylic craft paint and a sponge brush would work on the magazine holders. The whole thing could be painted or just the visible part, depending on how energetic you feel. I loved the color/paper in the old room so we have completely different taste, but the new room is lovely and serene. A chair in front of the window will be perfect. Maybe a yard sale or thrift shop might yield something comfy. Good job. Thanks for sharing and inspiring.

  66. I like it. I like it very much. I wish my house had a room like that. But I had to laugh at the RCMP idea: I’m picturing an officer on his mount coming in, checking it out, all is well, carry yarn, folks, and then the horse trying to back out again. Dancing with the Stairs.

  68. I love your room and am heading to Ikea this weekend to get the one piece I still need for my area to finish it up. You have inspired me. I think I will have to get some baskets too for the miscellaneous tools.

  72. It’s a treasure!. And now a tiny little bedroom “slipper” chair under the windows for browsing a book or two….

  73. spray adhesive and scrap booking paper ( or any other paper for that matter, but the stuff for scrapbooks comes in a 12 x12 inch sheet) both at craft store will revamp magazine boxes ,storage boxes, and the back part of bookcases. Spray adhesive makes it very easy.
    Looks lovely, btw. Is there a small table you could steal from somewhere else in the house?

  74. It’s beautiful! but what about all that stuff of Joe’s that you moved to the basement?

  75. I’ll echo other comments here and say ‘inspiring’. It’s not a boring reveal at all. Most of us have stashes that are crammed away into nooks and crannies, and would love to get some organization going.
    It’s inspired me to wade into my office/craft room this long weekend and take a leaf or two out of your book.
    Thanks Stephanie.

  77. It looks wonderful! So inviting and come-on-in-ish. I agree with some of the commenters, that maybe a chair by the window would be nice. I got an antique rocking chair for a loonie at a garage sale a few years ago. It had been painted a horrible orange colour, but with a fresh coat of paint and some stencilling, it was transformed into a charming cottage bedroom chair. Now it just needs a new cane seat.

  78. Fantastic!! Cute, organized and so handy. Like having your own little yarn shop in your house!!! ….oh, I want one too… 🙂

  79. The room looks lovely. It gives me lots of ideas for my take-over of my younger son’s room. He is back with us after college looking for a job, but is moving to the guest room in the basement where my stash, etc., is now. As he is the in-house painter, all I need to do now is choose the color.

  80. Looks great to me.
    I am a great believer in ‘colour coding’, you could work something into the varying shades with the cardboard boxes.
    Come winter (and the furnace wars) you may need more insulating curtains, pretty though the gauzy ones are. Should all be tax deductible. (Will Joe be turning a ‘celery green’ colour with jealousy? Did I misread it, or doesn’t he need a bit of space to).
    A small table maybe able to be picked up at a junk shop near you (may need to be delivered as your car doesn’t look as though it could be carry too much – or perhaps if Joe still has the truck …) A rug would be helpful too, perhaps a small runner?

  81. I think you should call it The Library rather than The Stashroom. “Oh, just a minute while I find that book in our Library.” “I’ll just run upstairs to the Library for that, just a sec…” It will make your little house sound like a grand mansion.

  82. It is a beautiful and welcoming room, and you should be very proud of the job you’ve done with it. I am just down from painting an upstairs bedroom green, and there is just something calming about the color, isn’t there?
    Congratulations on your new sanctuary…I’m sure that a little table and chair will find its way there soon. 🙂

  83. Nice! Finishing a project like that always feels so good. Also, I am totally stealing the roving in a jar idea – it’s brilliant.

  84. That is so awesome! Even though my office/stash room is fairly well organized, you’ve made me want to go through and re-organize everything once more just for the sweet little finishing touches. I feel the sudden need to run down to the basement and scrounge giant empty kimchee jars to fill with bits of yarn and roving!

  85. I want you to know that you inspired me to sort and clean my knitting room. It still holds a bed for when my lovely daughter comes home from Canada to visit and it holds several large bookcases full of books I inherited from my father, but the rest of it is all mine for knitting and all of its necessary supplies (did I mention I love gadgets and do-dads?!). On Tuesday of this week I sorted and rearranged and filed and voila’ I have a room I am proud to show off once again. I have great big bins of yarn sorted by weight- OK I admit one bin is full of DK, lace, chunky and everything else I don’t know where to put- and these have found a lovely home. My patterns are each in a comfy page protector of their own and filed in a small filing cabinet I brought down from upstairs. Books and magazines are sorted and needles have even found a home. Thank you for giving me the energy to tackle this. It’s fun to be organized, just hard to get there.

  87. Good Job! It’s lovely and as you say – the peace of mind is/will be priceless!

  88. VERY very nice! Of course you can spray paint the plain cardboard white if you want (or regular paint it) or leave it as it is and totally forget about this comment. lol
    I love the room. One day, after the revolution, we’ll ALL have yarn rooms, right? =)

  90. Apparently, I am one of many who feel inspired to do a little organizing of the storage in a craft room. I really need to get at mine and quickly. It hasn’t been that long since I looked around saying “I know I own that” and had no idea where it might be.
    Thanks for the reveal. Not boring at all.

  91. I love it! So tidy and cozy now. The new curtains are beautiful and I love the roving in glass jars! Now if only I had such a small room tucked away somewhere in my house in which to consolidate my stash… currently it is residing under (or flowing out from under, actually) the ping-pong table in our basement. I need some Ikea shelves!

  92. Charming! Just charming! You are blessed also with high ceilings. You inspire me to sweetly nag my Beloved (the Fabulous Mr. Fixit) to help me finish MY stash/sewing/office room.

  93. Even being a little organized feels like having a big weight off your shouldes. Good job.

  94. You’ve got me daydreaming about fixing up my crafting corner (I don’t have a craft room… yet). Thank you for the inspiration!

  96. We call that room “The Plormer”. Until someone claims it for their own purposes. But the box room, at our house, is the Plormer.

  97. It looks wonderful. I reaaranged a room 2 weeks ago and still go in and peep at it proudly.

  98. Oh wow, thank you so much for sharing! This is really inspiring. I can’t wait for my bookshelves to show up from Ikea next week so I can tackle my own space. (we don’t live close enough to anything that does modular space to be able to drive there & pick up)

  99. I love to clean out and organize my stuff. I call the process Amishizing. That means, no nonsense, emotional-keeping of frivilous stuff, and the things are kept in areas that make sense, and what is there belongs there-right there in that box or spot. I feel so good when it is all done. My self esteem is sky high. Then it all goes to hell. First I want everything I threw out. Next I can’t remember where anything is. The Amishizing works until the first time I want something and it’s not in its mess pile anymore. Or in any of the places that would make sense. Then I have to tear everything up, throw in all into a horrendous pile, get upset, go out and buy more stuff. You motivated me to clean out my “Sweatshop”. Good luck to both of us.

  100. What a fabulous gift for yourself. We all envy you. I have a craft/sewing/knitting room that could stand a makeover. You up for it? The weather’s fabulous here in Atlanta: Sun shining, warm, and no rain or snow. By the way, there’s beer on ice.

  101. And isn’t this just the neatest little hangout ever? And don’t we all wish we had one.

  103. You seem to have completely captured your creative essence in your room, which is just as it should be. I’m sending good vibes your way that you find a perfectly comfy little chair on the curb, drag it home, and it fits just right.

  104. It is beautiful! You have inspired me to turn my little stash/computer/teen storage spare bedroom into a beautiful stash room of my own when my daughter departs for college next year. (Don’t worry, she still has her own attic room above the storage room.) Love the celery green, I am going to paint it that exact color. Now I need to acquire more stash to fit in said room (I have a very small stash). Rhinebeck is next weekend, and my husband is giving me Christmas money early so I’m all set!

  106. Looks great! Someone probably already suggested this, but why not take that cool fabric and glue it around the magazine boxes to cover them? I have a few done up and love them!

  107. So happy for you Stephanie! A proper new stash room + peace of mind! Just noticed others have mentioned what I wanted to say; that if you don’t like the mag holders not matching, you could paint/paper over them! Maybe a fun lil diy job for your assistant on a slow Monday morning.

  108. Completely lovely. Yes, it needs a comfy chair by that window with a table for your pattern and a glass of wine or cup of coffee. That is a window that begs for knitting on a sunny afternoon.
    Now, I’m going to look into some of those wonderful bins. We have an Ikea around here somewhere and I may just do a little organizing of my own.

  109. Looks like there’s room for a small chair by the window; a folding one could tuck away. Wonderful little room! I’m a little green! LOL

  110. A spring green room just as you’re going into winter? – Brilliant idea! Gift wrap paper/white glue/ribbons for those magazine boxes. Shoe boxes also benefit from the application of paper & ribbons. Just saying…..

  111. “… as though volunteering for service.”
    And here, I thought mine were launching themselves off the cliff like lemmings. (Would explain the sheer # of UFOs around here, but I like your sunny little vision better than my dire one.)
    Now, no one need say: “Send in the Mounties!”
    Happy yarn room, m’dear. Revel in it!

  112. The floor can be painted. I too have really ugly 70’s lino in the kitchen stuck to asbestos
    tile stuck to fir-triple aarrggh!!!!! This darling room will be a snap-I had to keep 3 cats
    out of the kitchen. Still the little paw prints are cute.
    You may have even inspired me to clean out my storage/pantry room.
    You go, Girl.

  113. It looks beautiful! And the “mismatched” things make it even more so. Very Wabi Sabi, if you ask me – “A wabi sabi home is full of rustic character, charm, and things that are uniquely yours.”

  115. I love that it’s not perfect. I would have done the exact same as you did, reused what I had to cut down on expense. I have seen so many picture perfect studios, and I love your little room the best, simply for its reality!

  116. The reveal isn’t disappointing at all! It’s great to see what you did with the room on such a tight budget, and to hear about how pleased you are with the results!

  117. It makes me happy to think that your little room was once a trunk room or a box room, used for storing stuff, and you have recovered it to it’s original use. Even if it’s history is completely in my imagination, it still makes me happy.

  118. What a lovely little room. Just being able to fine what you want, when you want it, is worth the effort.

  120. Wanted, 1 new home complete with yarn room + 3 bedrooms suitable for 2 adults and two adventurous children. 1 kennel for proposed jack russell pup to be named “Peaches”. Must be in close proximity to husband’s proposed new job near Mitchell in ACT. Apply within.
    Love your yarn room.

  121. “. . . but despite all these things, and despite the fact that this is sure to be the most disappointing reveal of all time . . .”
    Not by a long shot. :o) That’s a great little room, and just think–your girls are old enough to not be likely to trash it for fun (and if they did, they’re completely able to tidy it up again).
    Watch Craigslist for a chair & table. Living close to Ikea, they’ll appear. :o)
    Thanks so much for the eye candy!

  122. Love it, but I’m curious… you made no mention of needle storage. Are they all currently in use? 😉

  124. I LOVE your little room! It looks lovely and inviting. And your organization has inspired me to get some new storage to tidy up my yarny area a bit!

  125. What a wonderful room. I’ll get there one of these days, I think. Right now the yarn is in a chest of drawers and 4 under-the-bed boxes, but it’s reasonably well-organized. My objective is to go through it and eBay the yarn that I know I will never ever knit…

  127. Love your room – I am inspired to arrange my stash now- I’m tired of ‘knowing’ I have a particular yarn and not ‘be able’ to find it!!

  128. Now I just bet you can swap something with a weaver/rug hooker friend for a lovely little runner for the floor 🙂 The finishing touch!Good job.

  129. I agree with the Lynda before me (We Lynda”s always hang together). I can see a pretty little rag rug happening on that floor. And a little chair by the window.

  131. Wow! Great job!
    PS: I thought I had a lot of knitting/spinning “stuff” but you definitely take the lead there…

  132. I love your new and improved yarn room! It makes me wish we had an odd little closet-like room in our house for me to store my fiber-related stuff in. Alas, i don’t, so I can’t emulate you as I would wish. But I congratulate you! It looks wonderful and oh-so-satisfying.

  134. I’ve been waiting to see the room and I’m not disappointed. What a lovely job you did with it, Stephanie! Kudos!

  135. I don’t understand why you don’t have a couple ads on your blog. No one would care. At All. (take a poll and see). You can even put ads up just till Christmas, donate 50% to MSF and spend the rest on matching cabinets and hardwood floors for the next go around. It’s not as if you don’t make your living off writing about knitting and this would come as some surprise over your fanbase. And seriously? There are many, many, many knitters whose entire blogs have become one self-made commercial for their books, their yarns, their patterns and you’re not like that even a little bit. Generate yourself some ad revenue and show those advertising companies how knitters do it!

  136. It looks LOVELY.
    But if this is just your upstairs yarn, I’d love to see your downstairs yarn. 🙂

  141. I think your room looks great. Cardboard takes paint just fine. I can imagine a mixture of greens on those mag holders, and if you turn the holders around, you won’t even have to label them.

  143. Oh Steph, it’s beautiful!!! I’m so happy for you!
    BTW, if you were really feeling bothered by the magazine boxes being different, you could always cover the outsides with contact paper or wrapping paper or bits of old maps or something. That’s a Martha Stewart trick, I think, though she did it all fancy-pants, so a single pattern stretched across the different boxes or something. But then, she kinda likes to go to extremes like that. 🙂

  144. It’s awesome! Not at all a let down type of reveal. If it were perfect and all matchy-matchy, it wouldn’t have charm and quirky appeal.

  145. If you alternate the magazine storage files so that they were white/brown/white/brown the plainness would look intentional.
    Very nice.

  146. Jealous! Although the sheer curtains make me feel cold just looking at them. Have you replaced the windows in your lovely old house, or do you have some other way of keeping the room warm in the chilly (ha!) winters?

  147. If you’d really like the magazine storage files to match, some contact paper in your choice could help you get there. Could go with plain white or pattern.
    Inspiring me to get our spare room organized so we can move the piano into the house.

  148. Fabulous. And you’re absolutely right — it is priceless having everything organized where you actually enjoy going into that room. Beautiful job!

  149. I love your little room! It looks so nice and calm and organized and just full of good yarny vibes. Makes me wish I had a stash room to makeover!

  150. Great job – you could have an open day and charge a $ for entry – we’d all come to ooh and aah and you woulc cover your costs and more!!
    Plus why have I never thought of using all those glass jars I keep (in case I ever do make jam/marmalade/relis etc)to store all those bits of cord/ribbon/elastic whatever – thanks for the tip!

  151. What an exquisite little storage room and great feeling accomplishment. Congrats! Tomorrow I’m adding to, and tackling the reorganization of, my own sorry knitting bookshelves. I’m long overdue for some deep organizational satisfaction of my own. Thanks for the inspiration!

  153. It looks amazing! I can just picture you and the feline sharing some quiet time in there — you perusing knitting patterns and sipping a good beer; the cat meditating in a ray of sunshine.
    Too bad real life might intrude on that bliss sooner or later.

  154. OK, I didn’t read the comments to see how many others came before me, but, if you ever feel like coming down to NW Ohio, please do. My yarn room–heck, my whole house!–could use your magic touch!

  155. I have to agree with Gwyneth. That CAN’T be the entire stash. Unless those green bins are like the Tardis and they happen to be much larger on the inside, there’s just no way all the yarn is in there.

  156. Wow! That is just beautiful.
    Now, be truthful with your loyal readers. Does that wee room contain your entire stash? I promise we won’t tell Joe (especially if you don’t mention to my Joe that my stash has wandered to 2 other rooms beyond the official stash room).
    I agree with the poster who suggested a runner. I would use leftovers (I have at least 5 oversized bins sorted by color — can send you some if you need it) and knit a multi-strand garter stitch rug on size 10mm needles.
    Just a thought.

  160. Great job and what a wonderful space you have created. I agree with trishwah, a rug or floor covering would be charming. A braided wool rug? You can do that with roving…..I mean, I should do that with roving…..*muttering to self and wandering off*…

  162. Your own little “yarn shop”…SQUEEE! How utterly wonderful…I am celery green with envy! Oh, just wait until my college-age son finally vacates his bedroom for good, I’ve got plans of my own for that room…oh yeh, I AM a mean mother! 😉

  163. OT: You know you have a new addiction when, you look at the clock and it’s midnight and you think “I can stay up an extra 10 minutes to set the twist” full well knowing that your 3.5 yo (year old not YO, hehe) and 2 yo are going to be up at the ass crack of dawn…
    BTW, This is my first comment and I recently (over the past 6 months or so) started at the beginning of our archives and read through, ending about a month ago. I now talk about you like I know you to my mom who also reads your blog. Do you still read all the comments?
    Anyway, lovely room!
    Im a nerd

  164. I’m green with envy. (hehehe) Truly, it’s a lovely space. We don’t have an extra tiny room (it belongs to my son right now…eek) but a girl can dream. :)k

  165. How inspirational! Now I just need to find a room in my appartment that I can refurbish. I guess I’ll have to wait untill my children move out…they sort have, both are at uni, but of course they want to keep their room.

  166. This blog has previously inspired me to knit unoriginal hats (please accept heartfelt thanks for sharing your patterns for free!), to knit felt slippers (a disaster – must practice my felting technique), to purchase Harlot audiobooks as gifts (one day I’ll get around to gifting myself) and to support msf (every little helps) – but never before has a blog post inspired me to get off my butt and start clearing up…

  167. Fantastic! What a lovely room it turned out to be. That’s what I dream my craft room will look like one day. Until then, my stash is in large garbage bags piled in the corner of the office. 🙁

  168. I love your little room too! I think any true knitter would. Previous suggestions of runners, probably knitted, made me think of one of the best handmade pieces I ever owned. When I left home for college, my grandmother made me a crochet runner that lay beside my bed for many years. It was made from all sorts of leftover yarn in different colors and qualities, and I loved it – literally to pieces! Something like that would just look soo cool…

  170. It’s beautiful and inspiring. I’m looking at the little blue room over the garage with new eyes…

  173. Hurahhh for getting so organized and it looks so inviting. By the by , what song did you sing for the tall white Ikea thingy? I’ll bet that was fun.

  174. What a lovely calm little space.
    Better head back up to the back bedroom and carry on with the Big Declutter – I’d love to do something similar there.

  175. Lovely! Colour me celery green with envy. Inspired to get some order going on my stash, as I’m not even sure what’s in it.

  176. No one suggested duct tape to cover the backs of your magazine holders. I noticed that it now comes in lots of colors. It would be cheap, quick, and you won’t have to wait for it to dry.
    How about a bean bag chair? Cheap, close enough to the floor that you won’t need a table. Add an afghan to curl up with… Maybe a floor lamp, or a track light near it.
    Weave or knit a rag or scrap runner to go between the shelves.
    Love it.

  177. Well, you did it yet again! Another wonderful, creative skill to add to your resume! You did a really spectacular job with that little room! I love it, I envy it (of course) and think maybe you should charge admission and allow visitors. It’s what I’ve always dreamed of having…as opposed to the reality of everything squished behind closet doors. Enjoy it! And, as always, thanks for sharing.

  178. You and Natalie did a super job! I really love the color and normally I’m not a big fan of green. But seriously, I thought you had a waaaay bigger stash and I’m beginning to once again feel a little neurotic!

  180. The room is lovely, but I can’t stop thinking about the yarn fabric. Any info on the selvedge you can share? I feel an obsessive need to locate and make project bags out of it.

  182. I love your ‘new’ room. Isn’t IKEA great? 🙂 And it’s NOT a disappointing reveal. It’s wonderful. Now keep an eye out for a nice little bistro table and chair (or other small table/chair) at garage and yard sales. I’ll bet you will find them. It would be a wonderful place to plan and dream.

  183. congratulations! it looks very fresh and well organized. but what happened to all joe’s stuff? still relegated to the basement?
    and silly me, i didn’t know there was such a thing as “mitten yarn”. must buy some of that!

  184. Lovely. It looks so inviting and peaceful. Like other mentions a wee table and chair by the window with a floor runner might be nice little additions. To make it easier for you to sit for a spell while looking thru magazines, books, and of course yarn.
    You could always pin or attach yarn swatches to the magazine cases. The swatch colors would make the variation in case colors irrelevant and give you a place to show off some of your swatches. A friend displayed her swatches on a bulletin board with her notes and it was quite nice.

  188. I love this room! Having one’s creative supplies so organized and lovely is very inspiring, much more so than regular living spaces. And it’s a terrific use of space. Beautiful! Like a perfectly knit go-to sweater on a chilly day – just what everyone needs.

  191. If only my knitting things (and everything else I use) would go back to their organized spaces when I’m finished with them!! Most of my magazines are in cut-off-at-an-angle large powdered milk boxes–a perfect size, and they come along free with the milk. Your room is really fine!

  194. I am truly envious, but it looks like you have room for “more” of everything. That, in my case, would be very scary. I’m trying to learn to cull, books, yarn, magazines, fabric whatever. I’m happy for you.
    Tora

  195. I love your stash room! After hearing so much about it, it is fun to finally see it, and revamped too.
    Now I want one of my own–we don’t have any odd closets about, but I’m sure one of my sisters wouldn’t mind giving up her room for the purpose.

  196. Not at all a disappointing reveal! It looks lovely, and anything that inspires calm instead of chaos is a plus in my book.
    My husband and I (he the sewer, I the knitter and crocheter) reorganized our craft room in August and I feel SO much happier going in there now!

  198. Inspiring! But I’m too tired to do anything about my room….maybe tomorrow I’ll come back and get inspired again! A Room of One’s Own….sigh…

  199. I love it! It’s so organized – “a place for everything and everything in its place.”
    I’m feeling inspired to organize my craft room – someday when I’m not hurting so much.

  200. I second the motion to officially refer to this room as “My Library” from now on. Also, I hope that every time you walk by the door you break into a real big grin. Even if there’s no one there but you and the room. If you continue to love it, it will love you back.
    If you put a small rug down, try to get a solid/tweedy one, otherwise you’ll have visual clutter after all your work. Make sure it’s one that won’t get sucked up into the vac, but is stiff enough to stay put. Imagine why anyone would suggest this.

  202. That is a great reveal; well done! By the way, the twitch in your eye is caused by a magnesium deficiency probably due to stress…just sayin’.

  204. Happy Thanksgiving! And the room is beautiful. And did I see “A is for Apron” on your bookshelf?

  205. It looks wonderful — I shall add it to my list of rooms that I fantasize about (some fictional, like the heroine’s turret room in ‘The Little White Horse’, others real, like a very nice room in Newnham College, Cambridge, where I stayed for 3 days while attending a conference …) — great for when you’re drifting off to sleep at night.

  206. What a beautiful and serene roomlette!
    I hope you will enjoy it for many many years.
    Happy Thanksgiving, dear Harlot!

  208. What a perfect little storage room you have now! Think of all the time you will save over the years, not having to search for long to find what you need.
    I love arranging small items with my books, too!

  209. I think it looks beautiful, and I very much like the celery green walls. If only I could find a Natalie to help organize my life as nicely as that room…

  210. HI just a shout out alot of the old linolium contains asbestes? safe if left alone or covered be careful if you take it up.Wish I had your room,or I could hold a light a skien , just saying.
    Shelda

  211. I dream during the night an organizing fairy will make a room in my home warm and inviting with my copious bags and bins of yarn all beautifully displayed. Maybe tonight. Love your space.

  212. Wonderful! Creative, pretty, and functional — and not very expensive, which is a definite plus in my book!

  213. I think your new stash room is simply awesome! We all wish we had one:) And a Natalie to go with it of course:)
    Good for you!

  214. LOVE IT! inspiring!
    Suggestion…that darling fabric with the yarn balls on it has to be used for something in the room…valance?

  215. It is beautiful! Enjoy it, you deserve it. But, I don’t think it has enough yarn in it….

  216. Wow! Great reveal! Full of jealousy, but so happy for you and striving to accomplish something similar.
    I just am happy I have page protectors to put my patterns into and a notebook to organize the patterns.
    I’m with you on the light at night. It’s so inviting! You deserve a place to put it all together.

  217. A beautiful, peaceful room like is seen in Country Magazine or that type. I agree about the chair. A small rocking chair in front of the window. To read, knit ,or watch the world go by outside. Alone, peaceful with a shawl on the back of the chair in case of temperature drops.
    Enjoy !!!

  219. Love it – I woke up early this am & couldn’t fall back to sleep. So I watched Sell This House (actually the TV turned itself on & that is probably what woke me up & that show was on). I had never seen it before but watched several in a row. A team of folks goes into the house of someone who is trying to sell & isn’t getting much response & helps them fix it up for very little money. The results can be dramatic – that is what your stash room reminds me of. It looks so tidy & prety & love the green.

  220. Love the craft room. Having the jars in the bookcases is a great idea. I have a craft/exercise room and love just sitting in there (I should be exercising) looking at all my great stuff.

  221. That is a fabulous little room. It is indeed sort of like your own little store.
    I redid my yarn closet (in the spare bedroom) a month or so ago. Not nearly so classy, as it is giant rubbermaid tubs stacked on each other…

  222. I used those exact same shelves in my yarn shop (now sadly closed). The cube units are called Expedit and don’t come cheap but come in a myriad of sizes (5×5, 4×4, and now I’ve seen 4×2 and 2×2 as well). Billy bookcases to match. IKEA FTW.

  223. I used old sticker labels to label my square wicker baskets (gotten cheap from a grad student moving back to France). I just hang them with a paperclip, rather than sticking them, in case what’s in there changes.
    Sanity is, indeed, priceless.

  227. Oh I love it! Organizing my stash is one of my favorite things to do. When it’s freshly done like this I feel the creative possibilities are endless. And I was tickled to see the jar of ribbons I gave you on your shelf :).

  229. I second the notion of finding a nice, but fold up chair. You might even be able to fit it between the shelves and the wall, to keep the visual clutter down, when you’re not using it. Since you’re luckily a petite person, it shouldn’t be hard to find one that would be comfortable to sit in while you peruse the patterns.
    I also second the naming of the room “The Library.” Sounds sophisticated.
    Happy Thanksgiving & Happy Anniversary!

  230. I’m not sure if Virginia Woolf was a knitter but I’m sure she would approve of your room! Enjoy!

  233. Love it!!! Great Job recycling “stuff”…… Isn’t there a small little table and a little chair somewhere in your house that might be repurposed for that room? It seems that a flat surface where you might be able to compare patterns, yarns etc would be very helpful.

  234. I concur with the rug runner idea, but you should WEAVE it. You’ve got that table loom, would be perfect. The room looks fabulous! I recently reorganized my studio and that feeling of contentment when it’s all organized and tidy is hard to beat. Enjoy!

  235. awesome! you can always cover your magazine holders with wrapping paper. cheap and they will match!

  236. I can spend more time organizing stuff than doing the actual thing I’m organizing for so I really loved this. BTW, you can always paint those magazine boxes if their colors really bother you. Use your leftover room paint. One light coat and you’re good to go. I love this little room. Do you have a small chair that you can put in there so you can sit and bask in the glory!?

  238. Those mismatched magazine holders just need to be put on the shelf in an intentional pattern and it will look like you did it on purpose. 🙂

  241. I love it- especially that serene celery color. Perhaps for now you could get one of those folding nylon “quad” chairs until the budget allows for a cushy wing chair. Most of the ones with arms have an integrated cup holder, and some have a fold up footrest. Since they are a summer item you may be able to find them in the clearance aisle of a department or sporting goods store. You can pull it out to sit in while knitting or browsing books and patterns and then fold it and tuck it in the corner when not in use.

  243. Gaspity-gasp! Jars and bottles and boxes and things all mixed up with never-to-be-tossed-ever books! How completely brilliant. I foresee some quality time being spent in my craft room very soon… 🙂

  244. I love the room! When I get a house of my own I am so having a room like that! This is so inspiring, thank you for showing us your new room!

  245. *sigh* There is nothing that makes you feel more complete as a knitter than a room of one’s own yarn. Oh, and a finished sweater….yes, definitely that too….

  247. I haven’t read the comments, so someone may have mentioned this about the magazine storage boxes. Go get some acrylic paint and paint them. You don’t have to paint all the sides, just the side that faces out.
    Or, do what I did, go get some of that sticky paper shelf liner. We call it Contact paper here in the States. Not really good for shelves but great for covering cardboard/plastic boxes. And because they’re small, it’s not a project that’s difficult to wrangle by yourself. :O)
    BTW, love the stash room. Waiting on the day when a couple of my kids grow up and move out freeing up a bedroom.

  248. So many comments, what more can be said? Congratulations on a job well done.
    To Cathy F, yes, Virginia Wolfe WAS a knitter!
    Her sister once painted a portrait of her with her knitting.

  249. Truly lovely little room. I love the jars, especially the one with fibers. I think the nearest IKEA to me would be near Ottawa. I wonder if both Border Patrols would mind me getting a bookcase or two and bringing them home? The scarf is lovely too. I am on a big madelintosh roll these days. I’m a bit intimidated by brioche stitch, though.

  250. Looks like a stashroom befitting a knitting professional like yourself, good job!
    The last two lines of your entry should be endorsed by mastercard though. They run a ton of ads on TV here exacly along those lines. That might just take care of lino-removal-budget.

  251. It may have been said, but the cardboard magazine files can easily be painted (maybe there is some wall color left?), or covered with paper. We snag the boxes from work that out pre printed envelopes come in and cover them with decorative papers. they then become stash bins in our studio.
    Your room looks great!

  252. Gasp! So tidy! What an inspiration. And yes, making the yarn room “look saner” is a goal for many of us, isn’t it?

  254. Great job…. I have a sewing room and it makes me smile just to walk in.
    And you are right…. it is never finished.

  255. Your little room turned out so cute! I love putting things in tidy boxes and bins. This will be my winter project! Thanks for the inspiration!

  257. I’m organizing my stash/workroom right now, and it’s celery green! Love the idea of jars for smaller amounts of roving. Would never have thought of that.

  259. Love the use of the jars, I will use that idea.
    I think alternating the magazine holders – brown/white/brown .. would look nice.

  260. Stephanie- the room looks GREAT! You inspired me to get my knitting room and stash under control and well organized!

  263. I am just curious about “upstairs yarn”? Does that mean that there is another room with yarn downstairs?

  264. There’s an alcove in the back of our bedroom that’s clearly intended as a work/study space because it has a niche for a biggish desk. Now I can’t help thinking how great it would look with floor-to-ceiling shelves all the way around.
    Nice hat.

  265. love(9999999)
    inspirational(9999999)
    btw, I’m dying to know what the book just to the right of your little button tin is. The one with the intriguing pattern on the back cover. Not that I “need” any more books or anything…

  266. so amazing! very inspiring. congratulations!
    i agree w/ the other comments re: magazine holders:
    1) if you turn them around the other way you won’t have to label them, because the spines of the magazines will be visible
    2) alternate the brown & white so it looks like you meant them to be different colors

  267. I am very impressed! You should look for a flea market table and chair, then just paint it. I may be sending you a surprise, if I ever get it finished, but I was inspired today when I saw your little room, for a project that would make it even more apealing—more to come! SweatPeaJenny (that’s my Ravelry name, in case you wanted to look up my pathetic excuse for a ravelry board! I can’t figure out how to get pictures on the darn thing!)

  268. P.S.-The other day I was bored at work (slacking off) and I happened to be perusing through many of your blogs in the past that I have not read,(I am a religous reader now of course!) and I never came across any of your weddings pics except for the one. Did you post any more? SweatPeaJenny

  269. Lovely room! ‘Twasn’t a dull reveal at all. Congrats to you and Natalie for a job most well done!

  272. makes me want to go buy shelves for my laundry room/stash room/camping gear storage room – well, you get the picture!

  273. Congratulations on your super-successful outcome. I totally understand the good feeling that comes from organizing your knitting supplies; I spend an hour or so every couple of weeks straightening up my craft room, even if the rest of the house needs sweeping/mopping/dusting/picking up or washing and folding.

  274. Beautiful!! I’m so envious. I’ve been working on my knitting studio (call it your studio – sounds so swanky doesn’t it?), but I’m far away from a reveal. I adore the color. I can’t think why, but it seems the perfect shade of green for a “studio”

  275. Don’t we all want stash rooms! I was interested to see the fabric with the skeins of yarn on it, since I have the same on a seat cushion at Struan Farm Knitting Studio in Piopio. New Zealand. Will do a post on my blog in due course… it must be the only fabric with skeins of yarn on it on the planet?

  276. I love it! You did a wonderful job! I live in al old house also, nooks and crannies, so I can relate!!

  278. You thought this might be a “disappointing reveal” [not so says The Blog] but don’t lose track of that important transition: from Hate to LOVE this little room–that’s a mighty long way to come in a few days, especially in a situation that was, shall we say, long in the steeping of discontent?
    The fresh paint is lovely, but I suspect it’s the fresh hope we’re lovin’ on your behalf! =) It’s inspiring to think that there may actually be reason to hope for our OWN version of your transformation, since we ALL, practically by definition, have Storage Issues Related to Fiber in some way!

  280. Love the room and am green with envy — a knitter’s dream . . . but as crazy as I went over the room . . . vintage box collector that I am, I went NUTS over your wee tin. What a cool container! Love stuff like that.

  284. I want a room like tht so much! My craft/fiber room is a teeny (and I doo mean teeny) closet at the foot of the basement stairs. I have 4 rubbermaid bins that I have jampacked full, and that must be stacked one on top of the other…which may be why I keep buying more yarn instead of getting it out of there (that’s my story and I am sticking to it!).

  285. What about Joe? You said you were sharing that room before the re-do. Did he get a nice little cave for his stuff?

  287. I love it, and I’m inspired to continue in the process of trying to make my fibery pursuits logical and organized and tidy.
    (and I love that you “made do” rather than go “over the top” and spendy)
    (((hugs)))

  290. You did a great job! I agree with the idea of a pretty runner on the floor. And one of those over stuffed chairs with an ottoman to put your feet up in front of the window. I’m so jealous…Maybe I could turn a corner of my bedroom into something like that. Wouldn’t have room for my yarn stash but maybe a comfortable chair with a current project, table and lamp close by. I think the appeal in this is the idea that I could shut the door and have quiet time with my knitting! You have given me inspiration to see what I can come up with.

  292. I love it! What a fine use for an odd little space. I notice tweo things:
    1: That’s the same color as the walls at “Lettuce Knit.” But of course you knew that.
    2: You followed my dear departed interior designer friend David Collins’ advice for a small space: use sheer curtains to let in lots of light and paint the ceiling the same color as the rest of the room. It actually makes it look larger, and more architect-ish.
    I envy thy bookcases. We are planning to pay a carpenter to line one entire wall of our bedroom with white bookcases to match our wainscoting and our trim (the walls are denim blue. The books will also help insulate the house, I think.
    I smiled when I saw your mason jars. I fill them with ribbons, beads and wee balls of sock yarn leftovers and use them for bookends, too.
    Lovely room. Congrats. It’s like a yarn store in your house.

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