This is my knitting room in our basement. (Actually, it was where we had our first Loopy space. Can you believe we started in this cute little room? I can’t believe that either. We went from here to “the whole rest of the basement” to where we are now. We like where we are now. But I digress.) I decided that this little spot would be a nice place for knitting. I put in a comfy chair (which is just barely visible in the right corner) and a case for my sock yarn stash, and an area for my spinning wheel and roving. I love it down there. I really need to add a bookcase for my knitting books. (The antique cameras are WH’s collection, and I like those, too.) 
So I’m interested in hearing what you all would do with a room to make it your ideal “knitting room”. I would add a fireplace and windows. Not possible in my room, but it would definitely be on my “ideal” knitting room list. I’ll probably add a little tv on that cabinet there. That’s do-able. And obviously I will need much more storage space for roving, so I’ll have to deal with that as I go along. But I do like it in there. Now I just need to find more time to be there. Maybe “no clocks” ought to be a rule in knitting rooms. Who wants to watch the time when there is knitting to be done? (Hey – if you click to enlarge the spinning wheel photo, you’ll see an eerie picture of Zoe, hiding behind my wheel. That brings up another “must have” in a knitting room – a cat or two. But preferably ones who won’t play with the yarn or roving. I lucked out – neither of our cats play with knitting stuff, although they’re totally up for playing with yarn if you pull it along the floor and make it look fun.)
We’ve been busy putting away yarn and adding more shelves here. Here is my favorite row – we call it “Dream in Color Alley”. (Is that like Diagon Alley in the HP books?) Actually, it’s not currently fully stocked and it only contains the Smooshy and the Classy – the Baby is in our lace section. But boy is it fun to have a whole row of DC. Don’t you love the smell of their yarn? That whole row smells great.
I made it through all 689 entries of last week’s blog contest, and it’s time for the winners! Actually, since there were so many entries, I drew three names to win instead of one. All winners have been emailed. Congratulations to Sharon in TX, Chris in Canada, and Jen, who will be getting a skein of Wollmeise as their prize. I think this was one of my most favorite blog contest questions, as it was just so fun to read all of the responses. BOY did you all make me feel a lot better. 🙂
Sheri wehadsomuchsnowlastnightthattodaywasanoschoolsnowday-woohoo!
Oh, to live on “Dream In Color Alley”!! And I do believe Zoe wants to learn to spin. Can’t you tell by that gleam in her eye??
Yeah, my cat is generally a not messing with yarn cat also, until I brought Malabrigo into the house. That, apparently, is her vice. It is the only fiber that she will mess with.
I love the knitting room! My dream room would be a lot like that only add a mural along one wall. I have a friend who does things like that. Ahhhh dreams.
How about a little fridge stocked with Diet Coke and a basket of Hershey’s Treasures with toffee and almonds?
My stereo is in my knitting room. Nothing better than great music, great yarn, and a great beer! Hmmm, maybe I should put a cooler in that room too…
I would love to comment on how lovely your knitting room is except theres 1 smallish problem…I cant see it! Did you take down the pics or something? Or are there links to the pictures I’m not finding/seeing?
My Knitting room would have a walk in closet to keep the yarn in – so it wouldn’t fade – but the room itself would have lots of comfy seating, lots of windows, and a good TV and sound system.
I’m drooling over your knitting room. It’s so lovely. I especially like the antique camera shelves.
My dream space would have a TV and fireplace also and windows to let lots of natural light in, and near the kitchen, for snacks. And I would definitely have my 2 puppy dogs there. ( Sorry, I’m a dog person, even though kitties are cute.) Oh, and how do you ever decide which yarn you want to knit with all of that right there for you to just reach out and grab. I want one of every color of DIC.
Are you sure it’s Sharon in Texas that won the Wollmeise and not Sharon in NEW JERSEY???? But I got my beautiful NummaNumma in Red Raspberry Jam today so I’m happy!! I’ll have to send you a jar of my Raspberry Jam this summer—it’s exactly the same color!
I love your little basement space! It looks so cozy and welcoming.
I’m close to having my own ideal space right now, with my Wool Room in our 160-year-old Maine home… The only problem is that it can get mighty chilly in the winter, so if I could I’d add a fireplace, or even better, one of those gas-burning fake fireplace heaters (Less ash cleanup… we have a woodstove already, thanks!) Really, though, my room has everything I want – it’s spacious, has two tables, a closet, double floor-to-ceiling shelves for books and yarn, a braided wool rug, a futon sofa and a rocking chair, and big windows that catch the light all day long. Plus I painted it a perfect pear-green, and it’s my favorite place to spend time (with the kerosene heater…)
I love those tiers of baskets., Sheri. Your room looks so warm and inviting. My father was a professional photographer 1935-1985 in Southern Wisconsin. I took over the studio in 1980 and sold it in 2002. All those antique cameras bring back so many memories. I sold several of those when both my parents were gone. Does WH know what some of those are worth? Wonderful, wonderful collection.
Ooooh looks nice to me! I’d love to have a knitting room. Unfortunately for me I don’t think that will be an option for a looooong time. Still I’m lucky to have time and space to knit at all. I second the fireplace, those are always nice, but since you can’t you could set up a little candle display somewhere. I loooove me some candles. Maybe they don’t provide the warmth, but the lighting!
I don’t have a specific knitting room – until DS leaves the house in another 9 years. Until then, I’m parked in the living room in a Lazyboy with a wicker basket beside me. No cat either – a 60 lb border collie mix, but he’s just as sneaky with balls of yarn at times. I would love a chaise lounge chair beside a fireplace (that’s also a “someday”). I love your yarn cabinet. I need to find something to show off all the beautiful skeins I’ve gotten from TLE, although my stash isn’t as impressive as those on the Ravelry LE Group I’ve recently seen, it’s slowly getting there….. and now you’re adding MORE new companies?! FPS! 🙂
When the first daughter moved out on her own, what had originally been my sewing closet (14″ x 42″) expanded into one sewing room, complete with lots of quilting fabric, and several (maybe a dozen or more?) sewing machines from electric portables to hand-cranked and treadle machines. When the second daughter moved out, that room was remodeled and I moved most of the sewing machines into there, along with a nice cedar chest full of yarn and a comfortable rocking chair with matching ottoman for me. The window looks out on my bird feeders & trees in the back yard, there is a lovely overhead light & fan to keep the room comfortable during the summer, and my favorite cross-stitched pictures done by my daughters hang on the wall. I have a radio/CD player to keep me company, and that room is my bit of heaven now. Of course, one cedar chest wasn’t nearly enough for all the sock yarn (mostly) that I have …. so I bought a beautiful cedar hope chest which sits in the living room under the front window like a window-seat. Now that its full too, I’m beginning to wonder if I can find space for one more chest … I do a lot of knitting, but after all, one MUST buy more yarn, just in case I run out of yarn for the future!
Wow Sheri, I hope you know how lucky you are to have a room just for your knitting!!! I agree that a fireplace would be getting close to perfection (in the meantime, an electric space heater could fill the bill if you want something extra toasty near your toes (then just turn down the main heat in the room)). Cats, yes. DEFINITELY a little tv that plays DVDs because I don’t know how many times I’ve watched/listened to Pride & Prejudice (the BBC version) while knitting. And a radio/CD/tape deck for audiobooks. I would personally keep a computer OUT of that room. I love the diet coke and chocolate idea. Add a table for the pizza when it arrives. Personally, I’d make this a dual knitting/quilting room if I had an extra room. As it is, I just turn my living/dining room over to my crafts and then scramble to hide some of the evidence when I have company (a luxury of being single I guess).
Wow, I love your knitting room. Any kind of a knitting room would be a dream for me at this point. Right now I have a knitting dresser, an old dresser that we don’t need and it holds all my yarn, roving, patterns etc. But the room I knit in is our living room which has the stereo, fireplace, comfy chairs, dog, and piano, so I’m regularly serenaded by live music as I knit. I guess I can’t complain, can I? I just scatter the odd basket of yarn or roving tastefully (or so it seems to me) around the room.
We had a snow day today, too, so I did enjoy a little sitting by the fire and knitting, admiring the snow banks outside. Hope you enjoyed your snow day, too!
Ooh, I like the look of your knitting room! My perfect knitting room would have windows to let natural light in, and a very comfy chair, with a footrest (I’ve got joint problems, so being able to put my feet up is very helpful sometimes!), and would be able to be completely shut off from the rest of the house, since unlike your kitties, mine are into *everything*, and I’ve had to invent all sorts of yarn and notions storage methods to keep them out.
You are so lucky. The snow completely missed us, but surprisingly the kids still had a snow day.
For my ideal knitting room I would have to move. I want a big window with a mountain view. A fireplace would be a must, I love the case you have your yarn in. Very pretty.
Love your knitting room ! 🙂
We had so much ice we lost our cable and internet! How am I talking to you? From the parking lot of the laundromat with free wi-fi! 😉
Such a lovely spot!
I hope to be decking out my own craft room shortly, so I’ve given this some thought. A comfy chair, with a big enough side table to hold the chart thingee-ma-dooo that I use for projects with a chart. Good lighting, and a comfy spot for the dogs.
I’d like a fireplace too, but I can’t see it happening at my house either.
Here you go … bookcases and fireplace, all in one! These are pretty nifty heaters, btw – my friend has one in her study & loves it.
http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/114230_gel-fueled-fireplace-and-bookcase-set-instant-fire-light.htm
I want to play in your knitting room and the DC ally!
We’ve had so much snow that school was closed all week (not closed in 10+ years) and yesterday the Governor declared it “a state of emergency”. Be careful what you wish for! lol!
Love your knitting room! Add a tv/dvd player and take away the wheel and roving and it would suit me perfectly! (I am not much of a photographer but I love WHS antique cameras!) Excusr any typos I had carpel tuneel surgery Tuesday and mess up more when i type one handed.
First time writer–long time reade and dreamer
I long for a Kintting Room, with window, fireplace, soft chair, necessary audio/video equipment and room for the “dream “pets and my Teddy Bear collection. My idea of perfect Yarn Storage are antique ,glass front, cabinets, I think they came from law libraries..You can see the yarn and dream of “What’s next.” and rearrange it to look new after a day of playing, touching and working with patterns to see what just works best. The walls would be soft, stone green and the furniture would probably be white wicker..with shades of rose and green fabric..Old English Country”. Of course I dream of living in the “Perfect” guest house too.
I simply live for your blogs,. the first thing I do MW&F and the last thing I do at night is check and read! As I am handicapped, they bring me smiles each time I read them.
Thank you for all your time, energy and creativity and that of those darling elves !!!!
You certainly have a groovie group..
Hershy Kisses & Lattes to all!!:-)))
My ideal knitting room would have a window AND a good lamp near the chair (at the moment my knitting area is the armchair near the window—as soon as the sun goes down, that’s it for the day). I love the way yours is set up. The yarn cabinet is perfect. You do need a bookcase, though. I need both! And some means of making a cup of coffee or tea, a TV with DVD player, a place for the dog to nap nearby, and a small wine rack tucked discreetly in the corner. In case of frogging.
I love the DIC Alley! I always smell my DIC, so I imagine it would be heaven in that row!
I love your knitting room! My ideal room would include a couple of comfy chairs, a loveseat, lots of open storage for yarn and roving, my spinning wheel, bookshelves, a tv, a fireplace, a large bay window, lots of pillows, and a small kitchenette for getting something to drink! Oh, and a laptop for checking out blogs and patterns! And shopping at The Loopy Ewe!
I love your knitting room! Someday I aspire to have one, but am still trying to work out the details in my head about exactly what I want it to look like – I’ll have to use yours as inspiration! Actually, one thing I do know I want is knitting prints on my wall – kind of like the ones I see in Interweave Knits in the small segment called: Knitting and Fine Art.
Enjoy your weekend and all that snow! We’ve only had rain!
Your knitting room is just perfect – and I’m sure it’s great to have that space to yourself again!
I’m a really lucky girl – I have just about the perfect knitting/craft room. I think the only things I would add are a bigger comfy chair (I have a little one) and a little TV. Then – really – I would never leave! I’ve got 3 cats coming and going (I do have to share the room with their litterbox…minor detail)…
This is it – if you’re curious:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theotheramanda/sets/72157602498754383/
I was going to mention, like one other person, that I haven’t been able to see your
pictures on my computer. The room sounds lovely. Many years ago, I had a room
for knitting, sewing and what have you. My children were little then and it was
a nice place to go when everyone was in bed and it was quiet and peaceful. I was
also going to mention that they have portable free standing fireplaces, but I see
someone sent you a link to where you can get them. They are a wonderful
alternative to the real thing and they are quite attractive.
Can I come and sit and knit up your sock yarn stash. I just need a computer so I can refill my iPod from time to time. What a great space. I don’t know if I would put a TV in or not. I kind of like just sitting and listening to my iPod but I do like to knit and watch television or movies. The perfect space for me would be no kids. I spend all day with them here at home and every now and then I need some “me” time.
OMGoodness, that armoire is bea.u.ti.ful!! The armoire itself and all that yummy yarny goodness in there.
I love your knitting room!! The only suggestion would be to put up the mirrors that look like windows. That way you could have ‘windows’ without major construction.
You have very nice decorating taste!!
Swooooooon
Nice space. My Schacht lives in the living room.
Oooooh, I am so jealous of your knitting room…what a beautiful, peaceful space to create! Unfortunately, my knitting room shares space with my office, hubby’s office, hubby’s train set, and whatever else finds its way in here! Your room definitely gives me something to aspire to!
My perfect knitting room would have a fireplace, my laptop nearby, my iPod loaded up with podcasts, and probably the TV. I must have noise when I’m knitting. Although, I don’t need the podcasts and the TV going at the same time. 😉
I’m so so so happy that TLE is growing and thriving. I’ll do my best to do my part! 🙂
(PS: I love those Creative Memories frames too!)
WHat a lovely knitting room. It looks real cosy. Perhaps one of thos portable electric fireplaces that they sell at Lowes would be perfect for yours. I just want to sit in yours and knit.
Well i dont have one i finally managed to get my plastic bins with my yarn (1 1/2full mostly acrylic and cotton lace, a friend gave me) in my bedroom where i knit at the moment. But it has to do with us not being able to finish our remodel of the trailer until spring. I hope to have a window seat by the window and floor to ceiling storage cabinets flanking that on both sides, to store my things.
O if i had a kntting, spinning and quilting/sewing room I would want a fireplace a cosy chair a little TV a cutting table, tons of storage a sewing table a spinning wheel and tons of windows a good lamp ot two and then my sewing table. a stereo/cd player as well with radio. THe walls something earthy like copper mountain or adobe or such with blue ceiling. Maybe when our trailer gets to its final resting place in the summer i will add on a sunroom and that could be my summer craft room. ANd maybe add another cat so ours isnt lonely. THey can have the acrylic yarn to play with.
Both the knitting room and Loopy Central look great! I’m sure you’re glad to have your home back!
I love your knitting room, esp., the eerie Zoe behind your wheel. My favorite knitting place is a recliner in my upstairs bedroom where I can knit with both my cat and dog on the foot of the recliner, listen to my audiobooks on my iPod, and look out my windows into a large spruce tree.
I can’t believe you all made TLE work for so long in that space!
That DIC row makes me want to dive into it head first and start squeezin’ it all. Those colors are so great!
Finally, we have now about 5 and a half FEET of snow and it is still coming down-another 6-12″ this weekend. WH and I are doing LOTS of shoveling of roofs and walks. It’s good exercise, but I’m over it.
I have a spare bedroom that used to/still is my “office” right now I have my yarn bins stacked in the closet – hung up all my drop spindles on the top of a bakers rack – put my circular needles looped over giant thubtacks on a giant corkboard (back of the bakers rack) – books on the lower shelves, and several of those “9 cube” storage units from Target along one wall – one in the basement with my roving (cat free zone) really should consolodate all craftiness into one room… spinning wheel in in the family room with the TV… along with my big basket of works in progress… or “I’m tired of this for now” basket… My circular sock machine is clamped to my giant desk in my office… and other than an office chair, its really not that comfy, which is probably why I don’t spend much time in there…
Wish we had snow in northern Colorado! We have had nothing all week! Send some our way from the south!
Never thought to smell the DIC… have to go find it now and sniff. 🙂 Or is that how they make you buy more??
I also didn’t get the link to your photos, from the sound of it, your knitting space is lovely. I live alone, so I can set up my knitting space as it suits me. Currently, I knit in my livingroom, on the sofa. I inherited my grandmother’s bureau and that is where I stash my stash. My pseudo-rule is nomore yarm than I can fit into the bureau, I don’t count “live” projects that are kept in my knitting bag, baskets, and other cat-proof spots in my living room.
Joannah
My actual knitting room is our office. It’s overrun with paperwork, patterns, yarn and cats. Ideally, we’d file the papers and all of the yarn would be ‘on display’ as opposed to in cardboard boxes.
I got an expedite bookcase from IKEA for my birthday so that part of the room is looking fantastic. There would be a new couch cover on the futon so it would look a little more comfy and maybe a couple of throw pillows, although in my house that is just another word for cat bed.
(One of the ‘cat beds’ right now is a basket full of paperwork, covered with a blanket and topped with a sleeping tabby.)
If we’re really talking ideal?
I’d need an electric kettle and a table for hot tea and hot chocolate and a fireplace. There’d be a side room for dyeing yarn and oh wait, this sounds like a yarn shop.
Hmm, maybe I’ll go file my paperwork.
I love your knitting room! I have knitting corners in the two main rooms of the house. One of them is next to the fireplace, with a lamp above the comfy chair and a bowl of yarn on the hearth next to the chair, and the other is in the best-lit spot on the couch in the room with the TV. It does mean some shuttling of knitting supplies, but it also means I have a reserved chair in each room 🙂 And yes, cats are a required element for a knitting room — thank goodness my cats mostly leave my yarn alone (drop spindles are another matter entirely…)!
My knitting/spinning/weaving room is also my office (work at home as well as for home stuff) and originally the split was supposed to be about 50/50 between the two functions. The swift lives on the computer rack, as does the most recent handspun and the top shelf is baskets of roving and my ribbonwork stuff. So much for 50/50. It’s much closer to 90./10 I bet.
What I’d like to add is a hot water kettle, spot to store tea and a microwave for reheating it when I forget to drink it. But if I had that I’d really never get out of the room and doing the stairs a few times a day is sometimes all the exercise I get so I better not succumb. Although, a microwave for dyeing might not be such a bad idea…
My perfect knitting room is something I dream about often. My fiance and I currently live in a “cozy” one-bedroom condo, but once I’m finished with school and we can afford to buy a house, I’m very excited about setting up my own knitting room. For some reason, I really love the blocking phase of knitting. However, having a huge table or old mattress would take up a lot of space, so I’ve been contemplating a “Murphy Blocking Board.” You know those “Murphy Beds” that fold out of the wall in tiny New York apartments? Why not have a blocking board that you can fold in and out of the wall whenever it’s time to block?
Other necessities in my perfect knitting room are a window so I can watch the snow fall (I live in Edmonton, where it’s Winter for about seven months of the year), and a mahogany table with a wing-back chair so I can sit and stare at patterns and spread out all my yarn.
A tea kettle and tea stash are also on the “must have” list, along with a portable Ipod speaker system so I could listen to the Beatles while I knit.
Your knitting room looks amazing, by the way! I love the colour of the walls.
One thing’s for sure – when I finally have my knitting room it will be full of Loopy Ewe yarn.
Terri
Oh beautiful! I have a spare bedroom w/ storage underneath, which holds my yarn. Not a very large stash. I have a quilting room that also holds some knitting stuff, I am inspired to redo the room. Yours looks so comfy and cozy and inviting!
Thanks for sharing………..
Oh, your room is lovely! My space would have a couple of chairs so friends could knit with me. A tv/vcr for watching knitting videos and movies would be a must. My Longaberger baskets would join me there to hold my stash, of course. 🙂 All of my knitting books would be there on shelves, right at my fingertips.
Hi Sheri! Your room looks great. I’m in the midst of putting mine together. Right now I have a wing back chair with ottomon, radio/ipod dock nearby, computer that plays tv across the room, yarn storage near by (well, for SOME of my yarn…), big window, OTT light, and yes…cats. (some photos of the beginning of the space on my flickr/blog…www.garnetewe.wordpress.com) One that likes to sleep on the back of my chair whie I’m sitting there. The rest of the room is in progress because it’s also going to be my art studio (I’m dabbling in other arts right now). And the goal is to get my spinniing wheel in there too. (That’s the only thing my cats seem to want to bother. I guess fiber/roving/fluff is more enticing than yarn!
Things I would love to have in knitting room: Good light, knitting friends, no clock, bottomless coffee pot, comfy chairs. Oh wait – that’s Starbucks :). Maybe I just want a coffee house in my house that is for knitting only – Purlbucks?
Nice knitting room. I have been lamenting lately that my knitting/computer cabinet is being taken over by other people’s stuff. So hard to share. LOL
I would want the fireplace, rocking chair, recliner, computer for playing on Ravelry and the camera/docking station for uploading photos, TV, iPod stereo, a small corner for visitors, a bed for the cat who tends to sleep by my feet or shoulders when I knit, a basket of chocolate, a wood cabinet with doors and lots of shelves for the yarn, someplace for the books, somewhere to use the ball winder/swift, oh and probably other things I’m not thinking of right now.
I hope you take time to use your knitting room. Do you have to sneak over to the Loopy Ewe to sniff yarn on the weekend or do you have enough of your own? LOL