The OCD in me wants to make a complete list of every single little thing I purchased to flesh out my studio space. Then I realized that's ridiculous, because first of all who cares but me and maybe my accountant, and second of all, I feel like I'd be making myself a target for anyone who might want to relieve me of my more valuable acquisitions.
That said, there are a few things that deserve to be highlighted!
Most notably, my knitting machine TABLE. One thing that I love about the internet is how easy it is to find what you're looking for. I fantasized about a table designed and built specifically for knitting machines and I thought, hmm, unlikely. I'll probably have to make my own again out of a saw horse and piece of plywood. So heavy and unwieldy, but effective. (trying to find a photo of that table from 2003, is it possible it is not a digital photo?! do i have to look through the box of actual printed on paper images?!) So I searched for "knitting machine table" and WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT! There's a guy in Idaho who builds exactly that! Of course there is. Of course the first was for his wife, a dedicated machine knitter herself. Of course he is a skilled wood worker.
http://www.knittingmachinetables.com
The things I love about this table:
- stable
- versatile
- holds both of my machines (Brother KH-864 w/KR-850 ribber, and Silver Reed Chunky)
- WHEELS that EASILY lock and unlock.
I move this table all over my little space! Sometimes it has to get pushed against the wall to make room for the work table. Sometimes it is in the center of the room so I can use one machine and then the other. Sometimes I like to face the door while I work. Sometimes I prefer to face the window (better light). ITS SO GOOD. And it really doesn't move when the wheels are locked. A simple lever I can manipulate with my shoeless foot locks and unlocks the wheels.
This purchase was DEFINITELY worth the cost. This table will be with me for life. It's amazing. And there are many options so you can pick the configuration that suits your space and your machines. You do have to assemble it, but Steve's instructions are very good and he is very meticulous and thorough and helpful and available if you have questions. I bought my table in Jan 2018. After a year and a half of use, it still looks and operates the same as day one.
My next proudest purchase is my "kitchen floor" :) It's a chair mat made out of bamboo! The building manager wouldn't let me install a "wood" floor (like Pergo) throughout the space, so I "made-do" with a bit of wood in my kitchen area. It's really great and makes it a lot easier to clean up minor water and food spills than off a rug. And it looks nice! And wasn't too expensive.
(I found it on wayfair, just search for bamboo office mat, the exact one I got doesn't seem to be available anymore)
Also in my kitchen area is my baker's rack that makes up my whole in-studio kitchen. The reason I love this is that I found a website where you can custom order bits and pieces of wire shelving. I got exactly the size and shape I wanted, rather than being limited by what random pieces I could find at the local Lowe's or Target. I especially like the wooden cutting board "countertop". Makes it feel real kitcheny. They also have garment bars that you can add to your existing wire shelving system. Something I will need to remember in the near future as my production abilities increase!
And finally, my thread holder. It isn't a totally original idea to use a peg board to store your thread. But when I found an ORANGE pegboard, well, that felt like something :) I got this on wayfair. And ordered a bundle of the right kind of pegs off eBay. These peg boards come in a lot of color combinations. The board itself and then the accessories that attach to it. I chose orange with white, but you can do black with red, blue with yellow, etc etc. I got one 3-board set (link below) to store my knitting machine accessories, and a separate one just for thread.
If you're curious about anything else in my studio, like the super cute little chair, sewing machine tables, my all purpose collapsible craft table, giant cutting mat, steamer, giant ironing board, blocking mat, lamp, art on the walls, dress form, floor mirror, plants, stick on cork boards, or hall tree, I will happily answer any questions about those! (ok so my OCD won and I made the list anyway. not like anyone is reading this far! haha) I also invite you to share your own small-studio-space hacks in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
-nina
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