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In My Own Little Corner, In My Own Little Chair

Where do you mostly knit? Let's explore the possibilities, in the internet's time-honoured tradition of "Which Seinfeld character are you?"

  • You rarely have time to knit, you're so busy--so you drag it with you on the bus and knit when you manage to land a seat, and you take it to work so you can eschew work and knit in your office as much as possible. You're an Elaine.

  • You're an enthusiastic overdoer, so two months after beginning knitting you transformed your home into a knitter's paradise. Your family calls the dining table "the blocking table," the pantry is organized with fingering weight on top, worsted in the middle, bulky on the bottom shelves, and your collection of Lykke driftwood needle sets are proudly displayed on your mantel as art. You're a Kramer.

  • You knit when you feel like it, at home, on the couch sometimes, or at your desk if it requires some chart following. You keep yarn and supplies in a shelf on your linen closet. You're a Jerry.

  • You were almost a Kramer, but your spouse ordered you and your paraphernalia out of the living quarters and into the garage. While others sympathize, you can't believe the deal you got--it's a 200 square foot knitting man cave, all to yourself. You install bookcases filled with knitting books, a reclaimed wood desk, a comfy swivel chair, a large-screen TV hooked up to your computer, and you're right next to the several red-topped plastic bins of your stash. It's heaven. You're a George.

I'm a George!

I love my knitting corner--most of the garage is storage (albeit some of it knitting storage), but the space I've carved out is perfect for me. I'm in my comfy swivel chair. My desk is to my right. It provides a ample horizontal surface for:

  1. my laptop (which I use to browse Ravelry, display my knitting patterns, edit said patterns in notepads, keep track of progress through rows or rounds, and download Australian competitive reality TV programs).

  2. the laptop's speakers, mouse, the 3 terabyte backup drive, etc.

  3. spare balls of yarn or one-size-down needles for my current project (sweater)

  4. my other current project (lace shawl)

  5. my other other current project (blanket)

  6. some other projects which I'll get to eventually (mittens, socks)

  7. some balls of yarn earmarked for projects that I intend to get to soonish so don't want to add them to the Stash--not the Stash!

  8. the needles from the last three or four projects that were actually completed (hat, hat, hat, vest)

  9. my tea (generally 2/3 Juicy Orange and 1/3 The Spice is Right, from DAVIDsTEA (that's how they spell it)) in an insulated glass (also from DAVIDsTEA) to retain heat

  10. my small leather magnetic supplies case (the inside from cover is magnetic so the tapestry needles stick to the top and the stitch markers lay in the bottom, and whatever I can't find is under the stitch markers)

  11. my size 10 feet (the desk is roomy enough that I stretch out on my comfy swivel chair and rest my feet on the far edge of the desk--I am, after all, a man alone in his knitting man cave)

  12. my perfume organ* (in my spare spare spare time I create perfume)

  13. three or four completed dishcloths, intended for Christmas presents, that I don't want to lose track of

  14. a hat, brought down so I could compare the size of a project hat with a finished hat, but it hasn't left

  15. an old waxed paper coffee cup from Starbucks, November 2017, still with its cardboard sleeve--I really should throw that out

  16. a long white length of measuring tape, the flexible kind seamsters* use

  17. instructions from ChurchMouse for beginner crochet (God, it's hard).

To be fair, after typing that all out I now have a greater appreciation for why my better half thought he needed to exile me to the garage in the first place.

To my left is a helpful small dresser with an upholstered cushion on top, providing ample space for more yarn, more needles, a book, a bag, all my new crochet needles (God, it's hard), some crochet yarn, and the brioche sample I knit and want to keep to prove I know how to brioche.

On the floor beside the dresser is a portable heater. I can move it out of the way soon, but for now, it's nice to bump up the temperature from its usual 16 degrees Celsius to a balmy room temperature. Beside the portable heater is a basket filled with yarn for my Persian Dreams blanket. I bought all the yarn ahead of time to ensure I feel guilty when I don't finish it.

In front of me, between dresser and desk, my large screen TV, looking especially large since it's about 4 feet away from me. It's connected to my laptop via an HDMI cable, and is usually projecting Australian Competitive Reality TV shows, or occasionally (only 20% of the time) something else--Japanese anime, some sci-fi show, or, for a real change of pace, perhaps British or New Zealand Competitive Reality TV shows. I love my large screen TV because it's big enough and close enough that I can see it without my glasses, and I can't wear my glasses (for long-distance viewing) while knitting, so this set up is perfect.

That's my little corner, about the size of a decent powder room. The rest of the garage is half crafts storage and setup, and half actual garage (freezer, lawnmower, bicycle, ladders)--I could show you a picture but it's a bit messy and has the kind of inner beauty that only its owner can appreciate, like hairless cats, or this house here.

On the Needles

(I will mark with a ! when I have advanced beyond last mention)

  • GGN Norwegian Ski Sweater (Chart A row 12) !

  • Vice Versa scarf (double knitting!) finishing the third row of squares !Persian Dreams Blanket (row 22 of the second hexagon) !

  • A Random Blanket (about 1/4 through) !

On the backburner:

  • Feather Duster Lace Shawl (I'm repeating, for the first time, the body section)

  • A Church Mouse sock (prior to heel)

  • World's Simplest Mittens (prior to thumb)

  • A Hitchhiker Scarf (started over a year ago. It's for when I'm needing mobile knitting and every other project is stuck at a complicated point. I will be in the middle forever, I guess)

  • Simply Ribbed Scarf (again, it's ancient, intended for emergency mobile knitting, and I'm in the middle)

Glossary

*perfume organ = a large tiered rack for containing the essential oils and other fragrance ingredients

*seamster = a recent coinage intended to be more gender-neutral than seamstress. Only ever heard (by me) on Candice Olson's TV makeover shows.

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