Orgainzed: Knitting Needles

For those of you who knit, you know the mess that can ensue in a drawer when all your needles are put there.  Straight needles, circular needles, odd bits of yarn...  It quickly becomes a tangled mess that does nothing to encourage one to pick up some needles and start creating.

That was exactly what I was facing yesterday when I opened my knitting drawer.  But my daughter wanted to knit something, and so I knew I needed to deal with ... the mess!

As I started to untangle everything and spread it across the kitchen counter, I knew there had to be a better way.  I hopped on Google, hoping to find an answer to my problem.  Ah, for $60 (plus shipping) I can buy something that hangs on the back of my door to put needles in.  Um, no thanks.

I kept searching, but nothing struck me.  So, I returned to the kitchen to finish the untangling.

Now, I'm the kind of person who likes to solve a problem by using what I already have onhand.  As my mind was going through different options of storing these needles, the thought hit me: Most of these needles are pretty colors... different colors... bright colors...  What would it be like to put them in a vase?  So, I went to the self where I keep the vases, and I grabbed a big one-- the one you'd get if someone gave you a dozen roses.  I put all my straight needles in it, and they fit beautifully.

But that left the question of what to do with the circular ones.  After all, the straight ones are easy.  They fit nicely in a drawer.  It's those pesky circular ones that make the mess.  Some people put them back in the original bags, but I don't like the cable between the needles to "remember" its previously kinked position!

That's when I thought about using bread tabs (the plastic ones) to tie the cables together near where they meet the needles.  The needles could go into the vase and the cable could flop outside the vase.  I tried it, and it looked okay, but something wasn't right.  The needles needed to be more securely tied together.

Enter: our oldest son's leftover rubber bands that he wore when he had braces.  (He had a bunch left when the orthodontist told him he didn't need to wear them anymore.)  I slipped one on the ends of the needles.  They still wiggled a bit, so I added another rubberband.  It worked beautifully!

So, instead of a mubbled drawer of knitting supplies, I have a vase filled with beautifully-colored knitting needles.  Hmmm.... makes me want to go knit something...

I DID IT!!!

I did it!  I finally did it!  For a needle-phobe, donating blood was a major accomplishment.  But it's something I've always wanted to do.

Wayne and I went out yesterday-- just the two of us.  We were going to go on a nice hike, find some geocaches, and stop and visit a few shut-ins.  We were on our way to the park where we wanted to hike when we saw a bunch of signs at a church.  When we got close enough to read them, we saw that they were having a blood drive.  We looked at each other, and Wayne pulled in.

Honestly, it was probably better doing it spur of the moment because I didn't have to get nervous about it.  ~smile~  I really don't like needles.

We went in and read all about who can and can't give.  Then we had to have our blood pressure taken and our iron levels tested.  After filling out a brief questionairre about any "shady" activities we might be involved in that would eliminate us from donating, we found ourselves being led to ... the tables!

The gal who drew my blood was very nice.  She stayed with me the whole time.  I don't know if that's typical or not, but for someone who was nervous, it was a good thing.  And honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

We learned some interesting things:

1- Plan on about an hour from when you walk through the doors to when you walk back out.  (More if you or your spouse faints.  But I'll leave you guessing as to which one of us fainted.)

2- They take a pint of blood.  That's two cups.

3- With that two cups they can help three people.

4- A normal donation time is between 5-10 minutes. 

After enjoying a couple cookies and a glass of OJ, we were on our way.  We were both more tired than we anticipated, so we decided to save our hike for another day.  But we both left feeling like we had done something good for someone else.

So, if donating blood has always been on your bucket list, the next time you see one of those donation signs, pull in.  It'll take about an hour.  And you'll feel good about yourself when you're done.

My New Ironing Board!

While I was surfing the 'net the other day I came across directions on how to make a small ironing board out of a wooden TV tray.  (http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2010/01/a-woman-a-plan-an-inexpensive-tv-tray-new-pressing-board.html)   I loved the idea.  When Alicia and I are sewing, it's always a bit of a hassle to leave the sewing machine and go to the ironing board.  But this one is table-top height, and extremely portable.  So, we can set it up right next to our sewing machine, and we're all set to go!  And when it's not in use, it can fold up flat.  Now I'm eager to use it!

I had a wooden TV tray already, and I had a scrap of some really cute fabric for the top.  I had to buy the cotton batting and some twill to put between the cute fabric and the batting.  Here's the one I made: