Organization: bringing sexy back to the studio

Bringing Sexy Back to the studio through organization…

… with a side of social batt carding tips from Xiane.

Sometimes, I like to problem solve out loud. That works better with other people around than just with myself, but when you have work to do as well, you improvise. Hence, I turned to the magic of Facebook Live to chat with/at y’all for brainstorming ideas on how to organize my basement studio space, all while carding battlets for the upcoming Homespun Yarn Party happening on March 24th.

 

 

 

I’ve got a small, oddly-shaped space to work with, and some important requirements:

• everything must stay in this space
• nothing can hang on the walls or from ceiling
• I can’t afford anything expensive at this time
• I need to be able to easily see everything – no closed boxes or bins

I’m working with a limited budget right now, and out of sight = out of mind for me, so having all my working materials right at hand’s reach and highly visible is very important to me. My inventory of created stock like yarn, battlets, and made items are okay to have in enclosed containers, because I keep track of what I have for sale so that isn’t as crucial.

Basically, I want things to be as efficient and as neat as possible. That makes working a better experience, and it also keeps me from accidentally ordering multiples of the same thing!

Here’s my quick mock-up of the space available to me, with measurements and the furniture I’m using.

The “wall” along the bottom is actually not a wall, but just an imaginary line marking the end of “my” space in the basement. The “unusable” space is already filled with Mom furniture and an elliptical. I use a little of the storage there and I can unpack after shows in that space, so I included it in the floorplan, but it isn’t part of my organization options.

Currently on the first set of shelves I’m keeping my current stock, some office stuff, and my craft magazines. The skeining table has my swift and ball winder; underneath it are storage bins with some fleece and my personal yarn stash. Next to that table is an Ikea four bin rolling cart [like this one, but with casters], and there’s another of those between the two tables. Those are really great because I can move them around at will. Right now, they’re both holding various fibers, lightly organized. They’re not good if the drawers are overstuffed, though – multiple drawers will open at once when you pull one if they are overfilled.

The carding table has my drum carder on the outside edge, and two storage cubes assembled to work as a tall two-bin shelf. I could probably add two more cubes to that arrangement. Under the table is two three-bin rolling carts, the plastic sort. They hold all my small add-ins like Angelina and neps. They absolutely need to be reorganized and cleaned out.

The shelf to the back is filled with the rest of my personal things that I don’t use while I’m living with my Mom – we don’t need two kitchen set-ups! But I don’t want to get rid of them, either, just in case. There’s also my herbs and bath and body stuff, which I use occasionally. Next to the shelf is a stack of storage bins that could be reorganized to keep some of my personal things. Some of those bins have fleece, too.

[did I mention that I also have fleece in the shed, in storage bins? Because I do. I might have a few fleeces.]

 

 

Working for the weekend.

While I explained all of this on the video, I also took my time to crank out some of these lovely Mix ‘n’ Match battlets that you see above, interrupting myself to occasionally narrate what I was doing. These will be for sale at Homespun Yarn Party – if you are in the MD/DC/VA area and like a fun and exciting shopping/social experience, please come out! It’s happening at Savage Mill in Savage MD, from 12 -5 on Sunday March 24th, and it is totally worth the trip. And you can generally ONLY get my Mix ‘n’ Match battlets from me in person, so…

Besides battlets, I’ve got some awesome handspun yarn, including Xianepops, which are something I debuted last year without the catchy name to great success. Xianepops are collections of handspun yarn that are perfect for adding color and texture to any knitting, crochet, or weaving project; I really love them for weaving in particular. I choose colors and textures that work well together and can go with a wide variety of projects, and price them for accessibility. It’s a great way to build up a texture stash!

I’ll also have some tiny tapestries and Arcanity necklaces, knitting needles, starter support spindles, project bags, and handmade buttons. You’ll be able to spot me by my very colorful table!

 

So let me ask you: can you help me bring sexy back to my studio?

Take a gander at my video, laugh at my rambling, and leave a comment here or on the video on Facebook if you have any ideas! I’ll be updating as I implement the plans I contrive.

 

THANK YOU for reading and supporting Three Ravens Studio!