tile that makes me smile—priceless

Posted on Posted in designing, projects, yarn and dyeing

we haven’t talked about progress on our house lately, but we do actually have some to celebrate this month. it’s been quite a journey, but we are finally installed in our new main bath. david finished it up while i was away earlier this month, so we could start using it when i returned home.

i know the floor was a real challenge for him to put in, but i love every square inch of it. the handwoven rug i purchased at rhinebeck a couple of years ago from marilyn magnusson is perfect, completing one of my favorite color combinations, black, white and green.

the lighting is incredible, especially now that we have clean new tile and david’s signature hand-burnished white plaster walls. the finish provides a soft glow that can’t be replicated with paint.

we recycled the bullnose tile from the old bath because it was one of the few original elements that was in good shape. there was just enough to go all the way around.

we sacrificed our tub so we could put in a really great shower; as big as this room is, there wasn’t space for both—too many doors and windows. but we have a wonderfully large tub on the third floor and this configuration is the one we’ll use most. everything is so sparkly!

sigh, i’m really impressed with my husband . . .

ok, now that’ i’ve distracted you from the fact that i have very little public knitting to share, i can show you some other cool stuff that i had almost nothing to do with. we continue to receive samples from wonderful knitters for our breakfast blend collection

our good friend carol sent us two pieces that are just lovely; this handsome woodstacking cowl (above), knit with oatmeal DK and the wiggle mitts (below) worked in fingering weight earl grey.

our yarn is a bit thinner than the sport weight called for in the mitts pattern, but since there are several sizes, carol worked one of the larger ones on a smaller needle and they turned out great (she’s so smart).

once we have a nice pile of items knit up in all the colors, we’ll put together a nice look book that can be viewed online or downloaded for reference. we will also use the samples to show off our yarns and patterns in our farm stand booth at the squam art fair in june, where we are a sponsor of the ravelry revelry.

as the colors pile up, they are amazing—you can put any combination together and all the elements “go”. i love that . . .

i started the typhoon cuffs to match the cyclone tam i showed you the other day; they go so quickly that i had one done and a second one on the needles in no time.

BUT (and you knew there was a but coming, right??)

last night as i finished the second one up—and trust me, i was completely done, even halfway bound off—i noticed that i had not changed to a smaller needle size to knit the wrist section. oh crap.

off it came from the needles to be ripped all the way back to the top of the hem section. i got it back on the (smaller) needles and worked a few rows before i started dozing off.

i will finish those tonight for sure and block them tomorrow. if i mail them saturday, they will arrive in plenty of time.

my cocoa sprössling still awaits a button decision because the green glass ones have not yet arrived and i want them to have a fair viewing. thank you all for your input about the choices. i realized that i wasn’t completely fair in not offering a full-sized view of the sweater so the buttons could be seen in perspective. i feel that as much as i like wood or copper buttons, they will disappear or look blah on this fabric. ditto for the shell buttons, as pretty as they are close up.

personally, i like that little pop of color that the lavender glass ones provide, but i’m still entertaining the ribbon candy ones with their flash of gold. and who knows; the green may just blow us all out of the water.

alright now, i’ve gotta get up to my study to work on secret knitting—tomorrow, we’ll have another pattern release, this time, the peu bourgeons hat and mitts set.

 

27 thoughts on “tile that makes me smile—priceless

  1. Oohh, serious bathroom envy! So exciting for you! Well done David.

    And I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to view all the BB yarns up close and personal at Squam! And meet you too, of course! Yippee skippy!

  2. Love the bathroom! Where did the vanity come from? IKEA has a similar one, but I think it has legs…

    Have you considered red buttons? I recently saw a gray sweater with red buttons, and it was so happy looking.

  3. You built my dream washroom! I love the tile and I l.o.v.e. the green rug; my favourite colour in my most favourite shade!

    Also, I’m working on a few different projects with the breakfast blend yarn and I am loving every minute of it. I’m already planning several future projects with it as I frantically knit what I have.

  4. David did a fantastic job on the bathroom. I love the big shower which is very rare in any bathroom. I wish I have one like yours and I will be in the shower the whole day.

  5. Lavender buttons overpower the sweater, they are all you see. I bet the green ones will be nice.

  6. What a great job David has done!!!N So impressed – is he for hire??? LOL!! Love Love Love it. 🙂

  7. AMAZING bathroom! And amazing David! He could make a lot of money in NY, believe me:) And of course, the knitting is lovely, too.:)

  8. Oh wow, the bathroom is FABULOUS!! I don’t suppose you rent David out…

    I love the lavender buttons. That color combo would look so great with your hair.

  9. great bathroom! the lavender buttons stand out too much and the shell buttons are better.

  10. Wow! David did a fantastic job on the bathroom! It really looks like it shoud be featured in a decorating magazine.

    Im now in love all over again with the Woodstacking Cowl and will need to make one in Breakfast Blend.

    I still really like the ribbon candy buttons…

  11. Loved the bathroom. Great job David. I installed the same vanity in my powder room, the only difference being I used white drawer fronts with the dark casing for a more modern look. I really like how it looks in a more traditional setting. Can’t go wrong with Ikea.
    If I wasn’t on a yarn diet I would be placing an order for some of your delicious Breakfast Blend right now. Seeing all of the samples is wetting my appetite. Soon, I keep telling myself, soon…

  12. Oh Anne, the bathroom is just gorgeous. I think I would want to sleep in that shower! I know it has taken a while to get to this, but I reckon it has definitely been worth the wait! I have just started knitting with the BB yarn and absolutely love it. I will send you a photo soon.

  13. I’m also impressed with Mr. Knitspot and his mad skilz! I look at your gorgeous new bath and well, I am the color of that fantastic rug. Now, I have to go see if I can incorporate black/white/green in a knitting project. ‘Cuz I know I’m not getting a posh bath like that any time soon.

  14. There is nothing like a bathroom remodel! David has outdone himself. I love the open, clean lines of the room.
    Thanks so much for the shout out about the samples, Anne. I loved every minute of knitting them. I’m looking forward to many more BB colorways and projects in my future.

  15. What Cathy said … Could I be next in line to rent David?

    As always, lovely knitting. It’s just that your bathroom is So Spectacular.

  16. Wow! All praise to Mr. Knitspot for great work. The design of the bathroom is so pleasing too – wonderful shower – elegant floor tiles – and the pop of green, which must be so welcome in your climate right now. Well done

  17. Ceramic Tile
    the only way to go!
    and PLASTER
    dreams come true

    I had foot square tile installed on the floor and in the shower
    2.5″ tile for the shower floor
    glass doors similar to your
    My Own Private Spa :*)

    three cheers for the plaster

    hugs

  18. Great bathroom! I absolutely love the floor tile and the design of the shower. I’m not much of a green person, but that is one gorgeous rug.

    Now that I see the entire sweater, I think I would go with the lavender buttons–they are really fun and pretty. The ribbon candy are also great, but give a different feel to the sweater–more subtle when the light isn’t shining on them, and perhaps more elegant but less fun. I’m usually all about the fun. I’m staying tuned to see the next set of candidates.

Comments are closed.