How have I lived so long...

...without a garlic press? I picked one up last weekend at IKEA and I used it for the first time last night. It's brilliant! I can't wait to cook more stuff with garlic.

Speaking of IKEA, there are those of you out there who are waiting for pictures of the big purchases. I finally got around to taking the pictures today (I've only had this stuff for a week, it took a little while to get everything settled). I'll give you the before and after picture for each piece.

First, the TV area.


There was a small blue shelf with quite a bit of wasted space. Also, it wasn't quite sturdy enough to have a teenage hooligan jumping on and off of it several times a day. So I replaced it.


This is the MALM 4-drawer chest in birch. It's quite a bit larger than my previous dresser (next furniture picture) which means I've been able to make more space in my closet for sweaters and other bulky winter clothes. It is shorter than the shelf, and it took me about a week to figure out how to raise Westley's Window Spot to it's previous height where he could lay around looking out at the world. I finally wrapped an old pillow in his blankets and it works great.


So I got a new dresser and dumped the shelf. But I need a shelf, so I replaced the old dresser...


...with a new shelf.


This is an EXPEDIT series shelf, and I filled it with KASSET boxes (six of which I already had). See the little orange moose in the upper middle cubbie? That was an impulse purpose at IKEA. I don't feel too bad, it was only 49 cents. Four of the boxes and the bottom two magazine holders are still empty. I love having room to grow.

I also replaced my desk chair with a TROBJORN, since my old one hit right below my shoulder blades and made my back hurt, but I didn't photo it. I got the black one. It's comfortable.

Finally, the biggest change of all is my bed. My old bed was a traditional bed, but in this small space it took up so much space, and I decided to do something about it. So I went from this...


...with this:


Doesn't look much different, still sort of bed like? Well, it also does this:


This is the PS frame with the LOVAS mattress. It's a futon-style sofa bed that is very comfortable for both sleeping and sitting. It's awesome to have a sofa again! I didn't get the sofa cover since I didn't want to a) strip and remake the bed everyday, or b) find a place to store my sheets and comforter during the day. Having the sofa bed now gives me lots more room and makes this place feel bigger. Westley loves having the extra space to run.

So far I've sold the old bed, old dresser, and old shelf. I'm also selling my old desk, which has been in the house game room since April of last year. Someone is coming at 2pm today. I'm also thinking of selling my "living room" chair since I now have the sofa. I haven't sat in it all week, in fact it's buried in stuff. I'd like to replace it with a small side table so I don't have to keep my lamp, book, and glasses on the floor next to the bed.

In other news:

--my thesis is moving forward.

--I've finished the outer body of the Carry-All bag.

--I've got 2 more rows to attach to the baby blanket.

--Percy is hibernating.

It's time for lunch, both mine and the Westley Monster.

And Relax

I turned in my last term paper this morning, which means I am not enjoying some well deserved FREEDOM!!! As promised in the previous post, I'm here with lots of pictures to share with you.

First off, I have an update on my ant infestation. They're still infesting. Despite the multiple locations of poison put out by the maintenance person, against my better judgement since it's never worked in the past, I have had 0 decrease in ant activity. In fact it's gotten so bad that I can't turn on the light above my desk anymore, because that just draws them out and then they fall on my desk (and computer, and in my food, and on my head).
















I took the above three pictures after I'd had the light on for 10 minutes. See all those little black dots all over the light and cieling in the above right picture? Ants, each and every one of them. I've got the creepy crawlies on my head just thinking about them.

The giant crack in the light cover that you can see has been there since last winter, when Jesse took it down to put (ineffectual) bait in it, and the plastic broke. He broke the one in the kitchen completely, I've had a bare bulb in there ever since. I took the cover down a couple of weeks ago to try and super glue it back together. It worked...somewhat. I had to hold the split together with masking tape, and some of the masking tape got super glued to the cover. The ants are still coming through.

In less icky, more yarny news, Thanksgiving Santa (aka Sidnee) visited knit night the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and brought yarny giveaways. I picked up 7 skeins of recycled sari silk.


No clue what I'm going to do with this, but I compulsively accept free yarn. Plus, it's very lovely, so many yummy colors.

The hand warmers that I spoke of in a previous post had to be restarted. These are the ones knit out of Jasmine yarn for a friend of mine. The first one was just a bit too snug on her, so I started over on size 4 US (3.5mm) needles. I got the first one re-knit in short order, but the second one got put on hold until I'd finished another two pairs for her that are meant as Christmas gifts to her nieces.


This is the first (now completed) jasmine wrist warmer. I knit this one from the top down, so that I could monitor the length more closely and hopefully have enough yarn for both (it's going to be close, very close).









I got a lot of knitting done on the gift hand warmers over the Thanksgiving holiday, in addition to lots of work on my term papers. I celebrated Thursday night with macaroni and cheese, which might not sound like much, but this is my great-grandmother's recipe for the dish and it's delicious. I snapped this picture right after taking it out of the oven. I at the last of it for dinner last night. I miss it already.



The first set of gift mitts I knit were in a mystery fiber variegated dark pink fingering weight yarn, on size 2.5 US (3 mm) needles. I loved working with this yarn. I know it's got silk in it. I've got a matching headband to knit up, and I'm saving it for last.





















I finished these on Friday, and started the next pair (blue variegated wool, fingering, same needles) on Friday. I just finished them up today on the bus to the library, and have cast on for the matching headband in this color. I don't have any pictures of these, but I'll try to remember to get some (I gave the finished pink ones to their gifter before I could snap a finished shot. I'm prone to doing that).

Now I'm gearing up for a weekend of relaxation, fun, and possibly some mild cleaning of my home (like dishes and putting away school papers, nothing drastic). I've got DVDs from the library, and a paper back sci-fi for bed time reading. I'm hoping to finish up the headbands in short order so I can get back to working on my Hot Pink and Vintage cardigan, and I'm going to start a pair of Prarie Boots by cocoknits for myself. I've got the pattern printed and the yarn all lined up, and I'm so very tired of having ice cubes for feet at home.

That's all I've got for now. I'll try to stay on top of posting regularly during winter break.