Oh, I'm so sorry. The prospect of more wool storage snatched from your grasp. Evil. How about those great soft storage bags you posted on the knitters gift xmas list? Yarn squishes.

Coincidentally, we just put our bed back on the bedframe too. Still cosleeping, but we figure they bounce better now that they're three. I read some stuff about dust mites that made me a little concerned, and well, there *is* dust in my house. Shocking, I know.

I'm just relieved to know I'm not the only person to break out in a hot sweat over the idea of having yet another opportunity to organize around my home. My boobs give me away when I walk down the organization isle at our local hardware warehouse, Lowe's.

It's only a problem if you admit you have an addiction, which thankfully, I don't...

I'm a little freaked out that as I'm posting, there are no comments above mine. Someone may be a faster typist (I'm quite sure about this), but still... very cool. Aren't most beds a standard height? Mine is taller, but I asked for it to be that way. I'd be pissed and Ikea would hear all about it - and I maybe wouldn't even be nice about it. Good luck with your rant and bummer about your cool storage box not working out. Plan B?

Ah, a very good reason to not shop Ikea. You should be able to find something to put under the wheels (or be able to remove the wheels). I, too, love under the bed boxes for storage. I'm tempted so, I think I might have more boxes than beds!

I don't blame Ikea. I blame the under-bed-storage-box makers. None of them have ever fit under any bed I've ever owned. Eventually I bought softsided under-bed-storage-bags from Hold Everything. Those fit under the bed. (with some kicking and prodding, but I think that has to do with the fact that I overstuffed them)

Heads up Ikea!! We have no Ikea here in Michigan, so I can only vicariously feel your pain. What a sham. What a disappointment. What a funny story it would be if it had happen to someone else. I am so *giggle* sorry Steph. Let those bastards at Ikea feel your wrath.

All beds are not a standard height. And my past experience would lead me to believe that IKEA beds are closer to the floor. I've always assumed that their own boxes would fit underneath. Sorry to hear otherwise. give 'em hell.

There are a lot of underbed storage boxes out there in the world (mainly in hardware stores and the like). Head out to good old Canadian Tire and check them out. I would suggest risking another tape measure incident to check the height under the bed and the height of any boxes, though.

I bet you were reading Feral Knitter's blog weren't you and being inspired to declutter and remembering how much of her stash is under her bed....

Oh it's a slippery Ikea slope....I recommend concrete poured into a PVC tube (encasing the cursed wheels). I understand that suggesting you pour concrete in your bedroom may be the end of our friendship....but really how cool would it be to have a bed with *round* concrete legs?

As for the leftover parts: they just do that to mess with your mind. Pay it no attention. (This coming from a woman who took apart her laptop and had one extra screw when she put it back together.)

IKEA sucks. Some years ago, a friend bought an IKEA bed, only to discover that standard-sized sheets DID NOT FIT on the mattress. I use Rubbermaid underbed storage, nevermind that they're actually lining a wall in the fiber room and the only things under the bed most of the day are two cats and their associated hair.

Forget stinkin' Ikea!! Get some Rubbermaid bins...they make great long, flat ones with little wheels that slide right under the most chintzy bed space. I got mine at Zellers and you can fit an unbelievable amount of yarn in them. Also, the underside of the bed makes a great barrier for holding the lid on when they are too stuffed!

So sorry for your frustration. Perhaps knowledge I've gained in my recent career change (public health nurse to parent caregiver) can be of assistance. I needed a way to make my folks' bed higher for Dad to access more easily and discovered "bed cones" in 2,4,or 6 inch sizes. They fit under each bed post/wheel. I purchased these at a medical supply store but I remember reading in the enclosed brochure about how they can be used to increase underbed space!! Good luck to you!

i sympathize although i have only had ONE bed in my adult life - i have lived in teeeeeeny tiny nyc apts and have had loft beds (3 apt) and a futon(1 apt). in a fit of optimism, i had a queensize bed the first year i lived in nyc when i had a boyfriend who actually lived here. but when that relationship ended, i gave up the bed for more space... and have had a loft bed since (except for the studio apt where i had a futon bed). it solves the under the bed problem as everything under the loft is space - i have three dressers and assorted baskets and a closet under my current loft.

and still i have yarn in boxes in the living room... time to move i think.

The notion of raising the height of the bed will work. Decide on the height you need, to accomodate your storage. Have four metal tubes cut, (find your local metal fabricator) in a diameter into which you bed legs will slide. Send the bill to Ikea.
No, you may not raise the bed by two feet, just to accomodate stash!!

Oh to be a fly on the wall when you have that conversation with Ikea....

I got those exact same #&@*& #@ IKEA under-the-bed boxes in my last spring organizational fit... they don't fit under my bed either. I plan to investigate those storage bags you can suck all the air out of with a vacuum cleaner.

Hey, I've got an Ikea bedframe and underbed storage for (the majority of) my yarn stash... You just need to return the boxes and get some different ones from Target or something.

I've been frustrated by this very thing! None of those boxes fit under ANY bed! Here's something that would help without resorting to cement ;)

http://www.thecontainerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?PRODID=74573&CATID=64156&searchId=348518&itemIndex=15

It is a well known fact that all make-it-yourself furniture will never come with the correct amount of nuts and bolts and bits. Consider yourself blessed that you recieved too many instead of not enough!

Oh, you have my sympathy. I bought a bedframe, to replace my spouse's old cheap Ikea bedframe, which kept coming apart on my side, and suddenly dumping half the mattress down on the floor. Which was TERRIFYING. We had gone to the mattress on the floor. So then we got the nice NEW bedframe, not Ikea, and nice and HIGH. But the darn thing goes so far down on the sides, that you can't get boxes under. GAH.

Now we have two toddlers, and with the second baby we gave up and took the bed apart. Now we have a mattress and boxsprings on the floor. Fortunately we got a bigger house with the last move, and I have a fiber studio now. But then my stash is nothing compared to yours.

I feel your pain.

My metal bedframe is on blocks now for appropriate clearance.

Good luck.

Check out something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00012FF84/103-1628670-2428654

Is that really a wood floor painted purple? Old houses rock!

Go here for the solution to your problem,

http://store.yahoo.com/organizeeverything1/bedrisers.html

I think that most all underbed boxes are too deep. I've bought several--when in my apartment I'd *shove* them under the bed, but when I bought my house I decided to be civilized. Dad made me some blocks to put under each leg of the bed. For the first couple of weeks it was disconcerting that the bed was higher up in the air, but then I got used to it. For the record, the main underbed storage box is full of crochet cotton. :)

And then, if you're not given satisfaction, you can use the vacuum cleaner to suck the air out of the Ikea representative.

But remember to call in a translator if it's an 800 number and you want action -- I've seen a furious Canadian, and it resembles a New Yorker auditioning for the novitiate. A translation may be necessary.

Oh, don't hate me - my bed is TWO FEET off the floor. My husband made it and there is more stuff under there than one would think humanly possible. I know it's possible to fit fifteen LARGE rubbermaid containers under our bed. The only drawback - When your bed is two feet off the ground and the mattress is about anouther foot and you are only 5'2" you need a step stool to avoid having to take a running start to get into bed. Think about me getting up in the middle of the night and trying to get back into bed - not fun. Hope you find a solution that provides mucho storage space soon. Good luck.

like we always say, ikea is swedish for "ha, got ya sucker" ... we know this and yet we still shop there (i'm a slow learner but i've just about got it down to never - from one trip a year ... when there's wool to be had, my money no longer goes to ikea!!)

give 'em hell, steph!

Man, I'm with you on the old houses have no closets bit. Our house is 150 years old and we have exactly one closet in our whole downstairs and only 2 upstairs. It sucks. Everyone who says old houses are charming needs to live in one before they can honestly say that!
Tuesdays are for spinning, though, right?

....this is why i am afraid of ikea. But i do feel your pain about the insuficiency of underbed space. I sleep on a trundle bed, which is the tease of all bed frames, it has a frame, it can lift, but doesnt like to..

Squeak squeak squeak. That may be worse than the storage issue.

I would like to see you add on another room so we can have more pictures like the ones from last summer.

My own experience tells me that you will probably outgrow whatever amount of room is allocated.

OH I know this will not assure my place in heaven-but I wanna watch when you go have your litle chat with IKEA!!!!!!!! (Hey- we are all behind you here-100%!!!)

It's all about the Rubbermaid containers. Never a disappointment to be had.
They even have ones that fit under the couch just in case your stash overrunneth from under the bed :-)

http://rubbermaid.com/hpd/consumer/product/list.jhtml

*Oooooooooo* the under bed storage promise of limitless storage! What a crock. Our old house has such a narrow master bedroom that the underbed storage boxes can barely make it out from under the bed to get at what's inside.. Hence, not much inside.

May I suggest the rolling under bed boxes by (I think) Rubbermaid? We got ours at Canadian Tire, but they also carry them at Home Hardware. Cheaper than Ikea's (though not by much) and they roll and open at either end since it has a hinged lid. They're great. At least, I hear they are- it's hard for me to tell since I can't get at them...

Super Shawl by the way. Which little place outside Ottawa had that wonderful stuff?? We're a bit of a good yarn wasteland here if you ask me.

Sorry to hear your new storage isn't working out how you had so wished it to. Can you return them to Ikea? Under the bed storage is such a great idea ... when it works right.

The shawl looks lovely, btw!! :)

If you come to the Cleveland/Akron area on your bookbookbook tour, I'll take you to the Rubbermaid Outlet store. :) The scratch and dent room is fab!

Ah, a cautionary tale...my bed will stay on the floor!

Wait a sec! Do the wheels pull off of your frame? I know - at first it will make it shorter - but then it can be stacked up on the blocks. Thats what we've had done with out bed (once upon a time)

April

The same thing happened to me! I bought all of these under bed boxes for stash and not one of them freakin' fit. And my bed is pretty high up there too - like you need a step stool to climb in. Oh and these weren't IKEA under the bed boxes, they were RUBBERMAID. BEWARE OF ALL BOXES THAT CLAIM TO GO UNDER THE BED!

So, so pissed. I feel for you. Really I do.

I have stash in under the bed boxes. They're under not one but two standard bed frames (ours and the guest bed) - they're rubbermaid boxes. If I were you, I would find some rubbermaid and return the Ikea boxes. Or better yet, exchange the Ikea boxes for the hanging shoe organizers that are also quite handy for yarn storage. :)

I've had the same problem. You wonder how someone can think to sell a thing for a purpose without making sure it will actually, you know, work.

Try getting some of these:

http://store.yahoo.com/organizeeverything1/bedrisers.html

Or making something along those lines.

Still, very annoying that one should have to spend more money to make things work that should work on their own in the first place.

So I am thinking that ad I saw the other day for a DIY kitchen featuring IKEA stuff is probably a really bad idea.

DAMN THEM IKEA!

How about those space bags they sell at Bed Bath Beyond (and on infomercials) where you fill them and then attach the vacuum to the one-way valve, shrinking the bag and making it like one of those vacuum-packed coffee bricks? It would have to be "deep storage," but you could say (truthfully) that you ran the vacuum...

Take back the ikea, and go with rubbermaid, for sure! good luck!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! You are the first person that has been able to make me laugh all day!

Oh Stephanie, I can sooo feel your pain. I just today - hours ago - bought my daughter a bed frame because (1) her queen-size futon is on the floor (2) it took up most of her room and (3)I was sick of getting sh*t for it from others. Upside: got her a "new in box" bunk bed - top single, bottom double - from St. Vincent de Paul at 1/2 the retail price! Downside: assembly to follow this weekend.

I too am eager to add underbed storage because she is in a very small room. Thank you for reminding me to measure first.

Now, what to do with an extra queen futon?

PS - Love the shawl.

Hmmm. Well, if you don't want to raise the height of the bed, maybe it's time to open up a little corner of the box spring and shove some of the stash in there. I mean, there's got to be some extra room in there between the springs, right? And just think: you, Joe, and your stash all in such close and intimate proximity. Does it GET any better than that??

Here's a solution: Go to the Vermont Country Store http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=HOME_PAGE

Go to the search box at the top part of the page and type in "Bed Risers". You should get some black, sort of cone shaped bed risers that are VERY sturdy. You end up taking the wheels off the bed frame, but it raises the bed up overall. I don't know how much you need, but it's 6 inches, minus the height of the wheels that you took off. I have a set I don't use anymore (got rid of the too long bedskirt) (and the bed come to think of it!) and if they will raise the bed enough, I'll send them your way. Let me know if you want them!

My underbed storage boxes didn't fit under the bed either, so now a few of them are stacked up on the no-longer-used changing table (which is now completely dedicated to knitting supplies) and a few are stacked in the laundry room. I found underbed boxes that actually fit under my bed at Target, but wouldn't you know that as soon as i filled them with yarn and went to snap the lids on them, the lids DON'T FIT. well, they kind of fit, but they don't snap shut. so they're under the bed with the lids kind of half-heartedly perched on them. i bought herbal moth repellent, just in case...oh, perish the thought. but at least they're under the bed, doing what an underbed box is meant to. and as far as housekeeping goes, one would think that i would stop being shocked by how rapidly the dust bunnies proliferate down there (maybe that's why they're called bunnies?? i never thought of that), but it always catches me by surprise.

Oh, poor Stashy...having to sleep yet ANOTHER night in a less-than-worthy place.

**sniff**

(and I have it on good authority that "IKEA" actually translates to "Aha! Eat my shorts, Frustrated North Americaners!")

I've had similar problems. I now measure my bed before going shopping for under-bed boxes.

my old metal frame was adjustable in height by a few inches. Each corner had to be adjusted individually and it was a pain with the wheels constantly trying to roll the frame away but it could be done. I keep my fingers crossed for you...

Yup. Places like Bed Bath & Beyond sell bed risers too. If you can't find any where you are, let me know, and I'll send you some (I have a coupon. I'll send you one of them, if you have a BBB near you. I might even have a coupon that works online... I'll have to look.)

Yes, my 'under bed' containers are stacked along a will in my bedroom because they don't fit under the bed and, of course, I found this out *after* I filled them with yarn...

And, does the metal bed frame squeak?...

I am familiar with so much of this domestic history. Personally familiar.

And the funny thing is, I was lying in bed just the other morning wondering what exactly is in our under-bed bins. I happen to know exactly what's in the underfuton bins in the craft room, but the ones in the bedroom? I kind of want to put up a yard sale sign, drag them outside and open them up and call it done. But, um, let's not get into the fact that I can't empty the closet contents onto the floor or pull the underbed bins out from underbed because the floor is covered in laundry. Including some of my own clothes that are "not dirty" yet not in the horrible thing from Ikea that our landlords bought that is supposed to be a wardrobe.

clearly, i could go on.

I've bought the Rubbermaid and Sterlite versions - they do not fit under any bed either.

Why is everyone blaming Ikea for the boxes not fitting? Isn't it equally possible that it is the bed's fault?

This is one of the reasons I'm still sleeping in the bed I got when I was 7. It's nice and tall, and almost big enough to crawl under . . . not that I would, you understand, but I COULD . . . And, that is, not so much crawl, because, well, hands and knees would make me too tall, wouldn't it, but I could easily slide under there, flat on the floor . . . Anyway, this is one situation where it's good that I'm not married, because clearly the bed my parents bought me when I was a child isn't big enough for two, unless one of the two is a dog, which is entirely a different thing. . . Hmm . . . I think I've rather lost my train of thought! Oh yes! The point is that I CAN store things under the bed if I need to, but don't as often as you might think because, darn it, they get dusty, too!

Ponder this. If you were able to sleep upright in, oh a corner, or a closet, if you will, then you would have all that wasted bedspace for storage.
Who, pray tell will sweep under this bed. I can honestly tell you that in the 17 years I have been in this house, I can count on one hand the times I have swept UNDER the bed.
But, the good thing is that there are no monsters under it. yet.

Ok, I had the same problem and we discovered the answer. At the store Bed Bath and Beyond (I beleive they have an online store) we got a set of bed frame lifters that creates more space under the bed. We didn't have a problem after that. Here's the url: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stylePage.asp?order_num=-1&RN=404

You know the moral here...beds are much better on the floor ;-)

I'm not the only one to point you to:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13232644&RN=404

Happy organizing! Just think of all the yarn you can fit under a bed! Then, if the risers do collapes, your cushion of yarn will break the fall!

I like the risers myself. They were really hard to get the bed onto (I did it by myself) and you can't move the beds easily after you do this, and you do need longer bedskirts (18" I think) which seem to be impossible to find ones I like but it gave me a whole lot of storage and the bed has a kind of cool, dramatic look being higher like that.

Oh, and you can vaccum bedskirts rather than wash them. The only time I had to wash one was when a dog lifted his leg on it.

have you considered that maybe, just maybe it is not Ikea's fault? that maybe your floors are too high?

I'm laughing with you. (what do you mean, you're not laughing??) Bed frames are highly over-rated. It took me a long time to find boxes to fit under mine. And yes, they are filled with yarn. And occasionally cats if I forget to put the lid back on.

Ikea things are never standard. We have a shower curtain from them that is over 7 feet long - it is amazing. What you need to get is some bed lifts www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stylePage.asp?order_num=-1&RN=404. I have a basic metal frame on my bed and they would work. This way you can put even bigger tubs of yarn(we all know that is what you want the storage for) under the bed. I am not sure off hand who would have them in Toronto - maybe Zellars?

Or, Steph, you could get some bed lifts...(or were you keeping count?)

Well, I have never shopped at Ikea, too afraid of their parking lot, but I have been seduced by other so called "under the bed storage boxes". Also, living in California where the ground sometimes decides to relocate, I have never had a bed on wheels. However, I do have a trick that I just on my traveling gooming crate for my dog. Take the top off of a can, for the crates wheel size, I use a cat food or tuna can, and place it under the wheel. That way it will not roll, and then use the use the block method used before. Then just think of the storage.

Oh, no! I feel your pain. In fact, your story reminds me of the time we bought a gorgeous minivan, proudly drove it home, and discovered it wouldn't go into the garage because the garage door didn't lift up high enough out of the way! We ended up buying a new garage door just so we could get the durn car into the garage! Perhaps you could put something wide and cup-like under the wheels to lift the bed up?

FARGIN' BASTIGES! ("Hey Johnny, did you know your name's an advoib?")

You have plenty of suggestions, so I won't make more, but I will say I've had much luck with the Container Store's bins.

Git 'em! :)

Another usage for the measuring tape lurking at the bottom of your purse due to portable knitting projects. Or a sheet of paper with marks on it.

You can also forgo the bins and go with spacebags, bags you seal and suck the air out of. Works for long term storables (possibly not stash)

OMG!! I was so excited when I started reading your post LOTS more room to store more yarns & wool of course, then at the end!! ;o(( I've bought from IKEA several times and I'm sure they'll make good on this for you (I hope)..... They have for me.....Wish you luck! Let us know how you make out

It's a well known fact that "standard bed frame" (or "standard" anything) means the same thing as "one size fits all".

How about overhead storage? Install hammock from bedroom ceiling, fill with yarn, voila! Or, YOU could sleep in the hammock and . . . the possibilities are endless.

OH how I feel your pain! I too have wrestled with (and cursed at) the under-the-bed storage bins...such a cruel hoax. And don't get me started on Ikea -- after a traumatic "next day delivery" bait-and-switch a few years ago, they put me right off all things nordic. I can't even look at their meatballs.

I've been trying to find an online picture of the type of frame my brother and I built for me, and I've had no luck. Basically, it turns the entire underbed into abolutely dust-free storage. I can fit 24 paper boxes (the kind that hold a ream of paper) under my bed, plus there's room for a layer of items such as luggage, holiday wrapping paper, broomball sticks, and the like. It's like having another closet.

The frame works a little more easily with a futon than with a mattress, but you can make it work with either. Email me if you want more details - I can try to describe it better.

What's the worst that can happen? What's the WORST that can happen???!!!! 30 cm is a LOT if you happen to sit on the edge of the bed and it collapses and falls on your ACHILLES HEEL, grinding it to bits, leaving you on crutches, with nerve pain, and a 2-3 month recovery full of physical torture, I mean, physical therapy! Happened to MY AUNT BONNIE just two years ago.

Thank goodness you have your readership to intensify every worry you've ever had, and a few you haven't!

Yarn stuffed surreptitiously into plastic bags will however fit under the bed. The added bonus? The more yarn stuffed using the surreptious methed will prevent the 30cm. fall from the bedframe with missing parts. Think about it. More yarn, less fall. Personally, I'd go with it.

Ok, I jhave a possible solution, bt it's not pretty. The make plastic cone type things that have a well to accomidate those wheels on a bedframe. I believe they are called risers. I used to work as a home health and the old people had them to raise their beds to make it easier for them to get in and out of.

Well if I had known you wanted storage under the bed, I would have told you to go to London Drugs (oh wait do you have that?) Anyways Rubbermaid makes a storage box, while it doesn't have wheels, it is only 6 to 8 inches tall; BUT it is approx 3 feet in length. Holds lots of nifty things, like summer shorts, winter sweaters. I'm sure a couple of dozens skeins could fit in it quite nicely too....

Maybe this will help, too. Take the wheels off the legs. That way, you can go ahead with the wooden or other extender, and there shouldn't be any problem with the legs staying in place. The wheels should be on some sort of click-in post that goes into a hole in the leg. DH may have to pound on the post with a hammer, but they should come out.

Other posts mentioned a couple of different kinds of extenders. I've seen some in catalogs like Brookstone, and Google will probably turn up other places.

Our bed sits on the drawers from our old waterbed, which we keep from moving around by nailing the edges to a big piece of plywood (also left over from the waterbed) which add 6 nice big drawers to our storage space.

I would swear I've seen bed risers with lips around the edges. Using those, you could put the wheels on them, and the lip would help keep it from sliding off the edge. Or you could probably build something like this yourself - block of wood, few strips around the edge and some serious glue or possibly nails.

Dearest Stephanie, do not despair.

Just go to your local Bed Bath & Beyond or visit http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stylePage.asp?order_num=-1&RN=404

The bed risers come in four styles/colors.

I have the exact same problem with my bed. It is exactly .5" too short for my (I thought very slim) storage boxes to fit. The storage boxes are labeled as the under the bed variet. I finally gave in and bought some soft sided ones for children from Amazon. They were a steal at about $6.99US each, and now I can fit my sweaters under my bed.
Here is a link, if you are interested.

My link didn't work. And it was a very long link. If you want to check them out, go to Amazon and type in Whitney under bed storage. They should pop right up.

oooooo, ick. What a bubble-burster.

Not that it'll make you feel any better, but... we too have an IKEA bed (I *love* IKEA, sorry!), and underbed storage...and those lovely little bed-lifter thingys we bought somewhere. Makes a heckuva difference. Give 'em a try before returning the storage bins.

I like the hammock idea! Y'know, those little corner net thingies for stuffed toys? Ohhh, or, place the hammock up high for you and Joe (how cozy) and place stash bins at increments as stairs leading up to the hammock...

I think I have some rearranging to do... (before I boot hubby out of his closet)

Our bed is still on the floor too- little people still in it (not to mention yarn and wool has taken over the boys room...)

I Do have under the bed storage boxes under my IKEA bed frame, it is a wood bed frame. The boxes are from Walmart or somesuch place, not IKEA. The boxes do NOT fit under my metal wheeled bedframe that I have elsewhere. The answer to all this nonsense, a tape measure, to carried in your pocket, at all times, especially when shopping for under the bed boxes. I know, I have returned many.

bedskirts are a concept completely alien to europeans... I always wondered what they are until I saw my first bedskirt in the US.
Sont bother with them....
Petra

bedskirts are a concept completely alien to europeans... I always wondered what they are until I saw my first bedskirt in the US.
Don't bother with them....
Petra

Hmm, why is everybody bashing IKEA. I actually saw beds in their store under which the storages fit perfectly.
But in my humble opinion it would have been a good idea to measure bed hight and storage hight before buying. Come on, knitters are always measureing something, could´nt be that hard.

And you may just change the boxes, bring them bag, that should not be a problem and get your money bag.

I am sorry for all the trouble and mess in the bedroom, but there are worth things ;)

so when *I* went to by a bedframe, the saleslady politely asked me if I was planning on having company (in my bed). you see, she had two models of bedframes - one for company (read: action)which has extra reinforcments welded to it, and one for sleeping alone, with no (sadly) reinforcements. i will not divulge which i got.

Thanks for giving me one more reason to put off bothering with the bedframe! (My Joe and I are "on the floor" too.)

Ahh, look at all that help and support. I never knew of an Ikea outside of Germany until I moved here. Or any other sort of German store, really. But apparently there's an Aldi's in Kansas (Lawrence, hello granola town)

Anyways, just popping in to let you know that I've been knitting as I read up on your backlog of entries (I love archives) and you have even made my anti-knitting friends laugh and enjoy the art of knitting for the hair-pulling joy it is. ;)

Well if you want to use the piece of wood under the bed, try this idea. You could get taller pieces of wood, router a space for the wheel to sink into, and sit the bed down on those. That way you get height, and don't have to take the wheels off. Or maybe take the wheels off and then put the wood under. You are an ingenious knitter who can hide yarn anywhere, I am sure you can figure a way to get that (yarn) storage box to fit!
:)

and to top it off.....once the marital discord returns to harmony you'll have the dreaded squeek. As for Ikea.........make 'em suffer.

Ulltimate Solution: The stash goes on top of the bed and the two of you sleep under the bed...no need to make the bed in the morning and you wouldn't have to return the bedframe! Everyone wins.

I have 2 words for you: Cement blocks. I spent an entire year in college living in a walk-in closet (true!) and I had my bed up on cement blocks. You could saw off the stupid little wheels on the bedframe and apply said attractive bedskirt so no one can see the CBs and then stash away under the bed to your heart's content. Believe it or not, this little jury-rigged system is sturdy enough to withstand a sophomore romance. Ahem.

Um, Steph, you bought a bedframe with WHEELS? I don't want to be indelicate (oh, heck, I can't help but be indelicate), but the pictures of Joe which have graced this blog would imply that although not fat, he does carry a certain amount of mass.

I think you are in for a lesson in Newtonian physics. You know, all that stuff about equal and opposite forces, objects in motion, etc.?

I know, Steph. All that build-up to that great moment - pushing the box under the bed... Same thing happened to me two weeks ago. I had to trudge all the way back to frickin' W*lmart to exchange for lower ones. "Fits under the bed" huh?? WHOSE bed?

If you like the wheels... could you replace them with bigger ones?

Steph, TAKE THE BOXES BACK TO IKEA AND BUY RUBBERMAID. They fit ANYWHERE. Oh, and DH says, Ikea is following in Microsoft's footsteps. He says there is a patch on the Ikea Web site which you can download and install on the bed frame, ensuring backward compatiblity with Ikea's under bed storage boxes.

I would gladly give you some of my storage space in exchange to an Ikea store anywhere near me!!
Even tho, it seems that you are peeved at them for obvious reasons, I have had Ikea furniture that has moved with me from parent's house, to a different continent, several thousand miles across continents into different apartments and houses and they are STILL going strong! I love that you can unscrew most of their stuff and WASH the covers....
So, don't blast them just yet. Their 10 dollar duvet covers are pretty good too :)

take the castors off of the frame...use the blocks for under the legs..and drill a hold in them that the legs will sit down into the blocks..so they don't slide off...and whala...your bed frame is higher..and won't slide..when the bed 'squeeks'....see? underbed storage will appear! never tell a knitter..it can't be done!we will always make it fit!

It is interesting to see what catches everyones interest - all these comments are about Ikea and beds. BUT - I saw something far more interesting in your post. You mentioned MacGyver!!! I LOVE MacGyver. We've been renting him from Netflix. My girls not love MacGyver too. The whole world should watch more MacGyver. Imagine what he could do with some knitting needles and wool. (OK, yes, I know as my 6 year old will tell you - he would somehow find a way to make them into a bomb!)

I once lost 1/2 of my big toenail to the assembly of an IKEA bookshelf. There definately comes a time when the amount of effort expended negates the cheaper price.

I'm willing to bet that someone on the 105 previous comments has said this, but I'll risk repeating it in case it didn't get said. They sell these lifts for bedframes that roll. They look like giant thimbles complete with wells for the wheels to sit in. Granted, this would be a separate purchase, don't know if you want to commit yourself to that.

Bed Bath and Beyond has them.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=12325258&RN=404

Ikea products should come with divorce papers.

Steph ... I fear you have gone to the dark side. Stash storage is truly a necessity. However, the dangers of "funnus interruptus" are not to be dismissed lightly. I hear stories of more than one disintegrating bed-frame ...

Just saying ...

Carol

So sad! I totally feel for you. I've bought underbed boxes before (though not fancy Ikea ones) that didn't fit under my bed. Stupid low beds. My cousin once had a bed frame with drawers built into it. Super cool!I hate bed frames too, I'll have to try it your way next time.

I went through the same thing!

See here - http://yarnenvy.blogspot.com/2005/02/curses-foiled-again.html

and here - http://yarnenvy.blogspot.com/2005/02/dry-wool-smells-better-than-wet-wool.html

But I'll warn you, my bed-frame-with-wheels broke through one of the plastic bed risers, even though it's supposed to hold 300 pounds.

My fancyschmancy roll-under the bed box wouldn't fit under my bed either, so I put smaller boxes under the bed with craft supplies and moved the bed box to the yarn closet. Oh well. By the way Steph, (can I call you Steph?) I picked up your book today and I love it! People have been looking at me funny, I laugh out loud for no apparent reason while reading it. Great job, I can't wait to see what you turn out next.

I don't think any storage boxes fit under a normal bed frame with the wheels. I got some small pavers from the home improvement store and put a few under each corner of the bed where the wheels used to be. I took those dumb things off. It gets very old to have the darn bed go rolling across the room if you sit down to hard. LOL

This may be redundant since I didn't have time to read through all 113 posts, but in most cases it is easy to remove the wheels from metal bed frames. Then you can just pick up some bed risers (should be easy to find--they usually look like plastic cones) and have at it.

I'm sorry you've had back luck with IKEA. I've had quite positive experiences with everything I've purchased there (except the occasional metric/English measurement issue).

You're better off. From a Feng Shui perspective, storing things under the bed is bad, bad, bad.

Instead, why don't you take all your pretty yarn and find a creative way to display it. Note how this workds around the "storage" problem by rebranding it as an artful "display." Kind of like how "muffin" really means "cake for breakfast."

Then throw all your other crap in the closet where it belongs.

Girlfriend you have to find the solid, not the opaque, white plastic ones with the "flat, half flap that flips up" lids at IKEA. NO wheels but they slide out from under the bed ok, even though they JUST fit under.
Their regular ones won't fit, but these do.
I had the same problem with my bedframe from there.

Oh , and I got you book at Chapters in Ancaster the other day....it's a balm to the knitting soul!

Debbie in Hamilton

116 comments, yeah like you need one more. Oh well, here goes.

Bed frames are a cruel joke played upon us by, who knows? I was happy with my bed on the floor too. “Aren’t you getting a little old to be sleeping on the floor Traci Sue?” I never thought so, but I bent to outside pressures and regret it nearly each day. Wheeled bed frames should be outlawed. Each wheeled bed frame should be melted down to create great works of art or 100 life saving rescue squad vehicles!

So, the bed frame goes up much in the same way yours did. But ours caused blood blisters and a few unkind words thrown about. Most of the time, Dh and I can build most anything together. But those wheels, ARRRGH!

One day we had to push the bed across the floor to get to the storage (ha!) units. Do you know how much new wood floors cost? How about how much it costs to fix an 8 inch gouge created when a wheel bends and the remaining leg tears into the floor?

So no, it is not just you. My sympathies.

Oh boy. I feel for you. And I'm one who purposely put my bed back on the floor because the freaking boxes (Rubbermaid!) did not fit. But I put my kid's bed up on risers (StacksandStacks.com because Bed Bath and Beyond ain't in Canada and no one else sells these stupid things and yes I paid the customs charge because I was freakin' desperate) after I had to saw the legs off an underbed train table and the thing still didn't fit. You want to hear a woman swear in five languages...and I only speak two, to my knowledge...

I figure the running leap required by small child to get into her bed is good exercise. Especially since she hasn't played with the damned trains since.

The squeak squeak squeak also makes me keep my bed on the floor, despite the temptation to see if, say, Ikea's boxes work better than Rubbermaid. Guess I won't be trying that route any time soon...thanks for the heads-up! It has, however, occurred to me that I could remedy the storage problem via a canopy but I can't figure out how I'd get the wool off it without a very large accident involving smothering, swearing in a sixth language, or divorce.

Alas, we have no Ikea. We do have a Wal-Mart (who doesn't?), but their nifty under-the-bed boxes don't fit under our bed, either. Nor my parents.

I think it's an under-the-bed box manufacturer's conspiracy!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But as for making yours work... you might try carving out a space in a block of wood that the wheels on the frame could sit in and be stable. Then you could still raise the frame up a bit - maybe.

(Attempt at your own risk! *grin*)

I've laughed myself silly at your dreadful predicament - having done it myself. (Not IKEA stuff) I've found underbed boxes are too tall (20cm won't fit under my bed), too narrow, not smooth enough to slide, too big to be opened beside the bed, lids don't fit right. They are handy on top of my wardrobe & stack well in a corner :-) The feet end of my last bed splintered into pieces when it fell off blocks so I've given that up too. Luckily it settled on my craft & yarn mountain & saved me from injury. I'm going with blanket storage bags. Not as strong as boxes but at least they can be beaten into shape and made to fit. (I hope)

Do take care! Good Luck with your spring clean! Thanks for all the entertaining reading & knitting inspiration ... I love your blogg!
Oh, and why do you need a bed skirt? Isn't colourful yarn beautiful in its own right?

I got the space bags. Slid it under the metal frame and heard a pop and a whoosh. There's nothing else to say. I got out the duct tape. The rubbermaid storage bins didn't fit under our bed.

When living in a house with out closets the simple act of shopping for any type of storage container holds a promise equal to those of the first perfect kisses when we were young. Sorry you got slobbered on. Have fun with Ikea.

You know that IKEA pumps patented airborne psychotropic drugs into their forced air ventilation system, right? I can think of no other reason why we all feel compelled to spend hours there, consume their mysteriously underpriced foods, and leave with reeeeally flat boxes that are not possibly large enough for the items contained within.
Also, I think they throw in those extra parts to make us insane... like they just have a few guys with big crates of small metal and plastic pieces, tossing a handful into one box, just one or two into another, taking an important piece out of a third box...

That being said, I'm almost counting the days until the first IKEA in Massachusetts opens this fall.

You know that IKEA pumps patented airborne psychotropic drugs into their forced air ventilation system, right? I can think of no other reason why we all feel compelled to spend hours there, consume their mysteriously underpriced foods, and leave with reeeeally flat boxes that are not possibly large enough for the items contained within.
Also, I think they throw in those extra parts to make us insane... like they just have a few guys with big crates of small metal and plastic pieces, tossing a handful into one box, just one or two into another, taking an important piece out of a third box...

That being said, I'm almost counting the days until the first IKEA in Massachusetts opens this fall.

I feel a bit out of place here - I *love* IKEA. I am an IKEA queen. I have made dozens of pieces of IKEA furniture and never been a screw short or had a do-hickey left over. I even put a full IKEA kitchen in one house I loved in, and it had some great fittings. I've moved my IKEA furniture several times and it's still doing its job really well. But I live alone and mostly build it myself - I can see the potential for, er, relationship damage.

I have not had a frame on my bed in about 4 or 5 years. I think it would be nice to have one, but I agree about it meaning more cleaning up. When I had a frame, I was always finding all sorts of wierd (read: unidentifiable) things under it. Bad enough DS has under the bed space. Now I see why I shouldn't have it. Wouldn't work for the storage I'd want anyway. Thanks for the warning!

OK, I'm nearly a week late getting to read this, but I SO wish I could be the IKEA rep that got your call so I could hear the verbal fencing coming from your end! Wauuughhhhh hah hah hah hah ha! You'll be at least three coffee's up on whomever answers the phone - they don't stand a chance. I expect you'll have new, taller wheels before the week is out.

I don't have a bed frame either!
Personally, I think stuff from Ikea lacks some degree of personality. There is something to be said for pieces older than most grandmothers, with no surviving owners around to tell sordid tales.

Good luck with finding a fix for the storage thing! I think you'll come up with something.

hey Steph, I'm so behind on entries but wanted to suggest a solution - we have these coaster like things that are felt on the bottom so they don't scratch the floor and the wheels of the frame sit in them, lifting them off the floor - you can get them at a Home Depot type place and it might help, and protect the floor too! ;-)

Try Bed Bath and Beyond. I saw bed cones there this past weekend (at their store in Portland, OR)Maybe they have them on-line. Hate those tape measures!

Just get some sheetrock screws, afix wooden boxes of all sizes and shapes to the wall, pretend it is wall art.. and fill 'er up! I have a pedestal bed with six under the bed drawers and they are full of my husbands socks, underwear, and golf mags. Hey! Those things could go in the greenhouse! Yarn storage abounds and now I'M having thoughts of ravaging my bedroom!

if you actually read the webpage it gives you the height of the box ... perhaps you could have read that and compared it with the height of your bed frame (which would've been written on the side of the box} ... now there's a stellar idea ... and by the way if you have enough yarn to fill that giant box, then organization isn't your only issue ... maybe you could just knit yourself a box ... I mean maybe I'm just being insensitive but reading measurement before you invest in a bed frame and a boatload of boxes isn't rocket science.

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Stef, you cracked me up, that under the bed storage story could be scene in a sitcom.

Cheers! Eric