Poolhouse Transformation to Schoolhouse
Posted on August 26, 2020 Leave a Comment
We know this space has been a bit quiet, but our making and our creative ideas have been anything but quiet – similar to the noise levels of our households lately with everyone staying and working at home. A few weeks ago our school district announced our back to school plan. I emphasize plan because I’m trying to remind myself that things can change quickly regardless if we want them to or not. Having the prospect of a daily agenda has given me a glimpse into the old version of myself prior to COVID shutdown and it has been so motivating.
I’ve been tackling a lot of house projects, organization, and hitting a groove with my daily workouts, too! We’re so looking forward to the new school year. Our district is moving forward with a hybrid model where my second grader will be in school in person with half of her class just two days per week, everyone is distant learning on Wednesdays and the other half of her class attends the last two days of the week. My son who starts Kindergarten this year is able to attend in person 4 half days per week. He’ll also be home on Wednesdays. This means that either one or both will still be doing a significant amount of distance learning. I can’t say that by the time June rolled around any of us were in a peaceful place with distance learning so I’ve been very determined to make this next year a positive experience for all of us.
Coincidentally, earlier this Spring (so very thankful for the timing) we finished the interior of our pool house that we put up last year. Even though we had finished the interior of the poolhouse, we hadn’t finalized how we’d be using the second story. Our original plan was to make this a guest room since we don’t have one in our house and I suppose one day it may still become our guest room but given our current situation, I went ahead and transformed this space in a schoolhouse for distance learning. Our poolhouse is detached from our home which I think is perfect so that we get to “leave” and keep our learning space separate from their play space. We’re all in love with this space and eager to start school!
Sources (linked where available) here: Butcher Block Top & 2×2″ Select Pine wood for the legs (Home Depot), Chairs, 5 x 7 area rugs, clock and desk lamp, waste basket, plant and backpack baskets, and magazine rack (At Home) Utensil Crock (Target).
I was originally inspired by these DIY desks from @ourfauxfarmhouse on Instagram.
Watch their stories highlight at the top of their profile, it is a fun, quick and rewarding project and it was just what I needed in my life. I begged (for probably the 20th time) my husband to let me get a saw and a nail gun to which he finally said “yes” and I hit the ground running. The first thing I did was google how tall a standard desk is (29″ if you need to know) but unfortunately in my first attempt to make this desk I made a rookie mistake and didn’t account for the height of the butcher block I was using for the top so it turned out just a tad high for a children’s desk. I chalked it up to a practice piece and we now use it as a work bench in our garage and a place to store my beautiful new saw.
I got a new butcher block piece and adjusted my leg height to 27.5″ +1.5″ butcher block for a standard desk height for 29″. The butcher block I’m using is a premade piece from Home Depot. I got the 50″ top. The only modification I made from the Faux Farmhouse original desk was to add a few more supports to the desk. It was just a little too wobbly for my taste, especially for our little kids who may not be too gentle with it. Here are some photos during my process. I spray painted the legs using Behr Chalk Spray paint in the Noir color. This isn’t the first time I’ve used that paint (I’ll post those projects soon, too) and I really love how easy it is to use and I just love the look of it. It’s a good charcoal gray/black.
Accessorizing and creating this space has been a real pleasure and spurred so many more projects I’ve been tackling and can’t wait to share with you. My knitting needles are starting to call me back though, there’s just the slightest fall chill in the air and it’s beckoning me to pick them up again in-between my house projects!
Decade’s Wrap – New Pattern & Kits!
Posted on February 10, 2020 Leave a Comment
Our brand new Decade’s Wrap pattern launched today! This is an original shawl/wrap design done by Katie! The wrap is designed to use a single skein of Fingering, mohair and worsted weight yarns making it a really great stash buster. So often we grab single skeins because we love them but finding a project for them can be difficult. This pattern solves that problem and it’s a lot of fun to create different color combinations, too!
The pattern is available now on Ravelry or at Niceandknit.com. We also have a limited number of ready-to-ship kits available too – but they’re selling fast! We’ll restock those as soon as we can. We hope you enjoy and can’t wait to see those projects!
Millie Knit-a-long
Posted on July 2, 2019 Leave a Comment
With a little encouragement from our friend Meg, of the woolandcookies Podcast, we’ve decided to put together a Millie KAL. In the spirit for Summer living, we wanted to keep it super simple, without any strict rules or too much structure. Pretty much all you need to know is:Â
Pattern:Â Millie by Nice & KnitÂ
Yarn: Anything you like, but may we suggest Nice & Knit FingeringÂ
Dates: Cast on somewhere around July 1 and bind off by the end of the summer.Â
Sharing: Please do share your projects on social media, we truly love seeing them. A few hashtags you can use are: #milliekal, #makingamillie #milliesweaterKALÂ We also created a Ravelry forum for us to cheer each other on.
Prizes: We’ll be giving away a 3 skein set of Nice & Knit Fingering weight at the end of the KAL to knit your next Millie. ;) If this is your first, we don’t think it’ll be your last. In order to enter to win, you’ll need to share a photo of you wearing the sweater either on Instagram, Facebook or in the Ravelry forum.
We want you to knit for the love of it and make your new favorite sweater in the process.
If you don’t know what the Millie sweater is, it’s our own Nice & Knit design that magically flatters pretty much every size and shape. It’s comfortable, light as a feather and really ideal for 3 seasons. The feedback has been overwhelming, everyone who knits it, loves it.
Major Monday Update: Mohair & Minis!
Posted on July 1, 2019 Leave a Comment
We have two new items available in the shop on this lovely Monday afternoon!
The first is one that will go quick. We have a small handful of Nice & Knit Groupies – 25 mini skeins of our entire Summer 2019 collection of colorways. They’re gorgeous and ready to ship!
We’ve also updated our selection of Mohair for Summer! These colors were created to perfectly compliment our Summer collection. The tones are as soft as the yarn itself which is reminiscent of cashmere in its softness and warmth. We’ve grown to love mohair (so much more than we ever thought we would) and we incorporate it into almost every new project. It provides the opportunity to play with color and yarn texture in a new way. Give it a try – you might just fall in love.
Inventory Sale!
Posted on June 29, 2019 Leave a Comment
We’ve taken some time to strategize and organize our in-studio inventory and we’re listing it all online for you to peruse and hopefully turn it into an amazing FO.
We have some amazing kits, one-of-a-kind skeins or beautiful fades that are unique and limited in quantity. They’d also make a great stash enhancer if you’re just not quite sure what you need them for yet. These skeins are ones we’ve loved dearly and held onto for many different reasons but we’re ready to set them free into the world and watch them grow into your next project. If you need some inspiration we’ve created some Pinterest boards of projects we love!
New! Sweet Summertime Colors
Posted on June 28, 2019 Leave a Comment
Sure, we live in New England and the change in weather and seasons is something love about our home. But we’ll be honest with you, summer is far and away our favorite. We both love to garden, host summer parties, each juicy fresh fruits, and eat ice cream late at night. Our summer colors are inspired by all of the sights, sounds, tastes, and things that mean Summer to us. We hope you enjoy the beautiful bright yarns we’ve created for Summer 2019! Orders are dyed to order and shipped within 1-2 weeks of your order being placed. Act fast, they won’t be here forever (though we’ll be sure to warn you before they disappear).
Morning Coffee with Nice & Knit
Posted on June 26, 2019 Leave a Comment
A new Episode of our Podcast, Morning Coffee with Nice & Knit is live! In this episode, we highlight our new summer colors, our current projects, knitting with new yarns, recently finished objects and tease a few things to come very, very soon!
We hope you enjoy! We’ll be back with another episode in just a few weeks!
New Shawl Cuffies
Posted on June 25, 2019 1 Comment
Introducing Nice & Knit Cuffies! Katie’s three boys are on summer break and while she loves having them home, she was also looking for a way to keep them busy. In typical Katie style, she created something new and taught the boys how to hand make and hand-dye these beautiful leather shawl cuffs and they’ve started their own business! Each is handcrafted, distressed and hand dyed by Katie’s three sons, Ryan, Brandon, and Darren. Nice & Knit Cuffies are available in various styles and colors NOW at niceandknit.com! Cuffs are approximately 1.5 x 7 in. and feature a button and washer closure. We offer two different styles – either ‘buffed’ or ‘ombré’. Buffed cuffs feature a more even dye all over the cuff. Ombré cuffs are more saturated with dye on one side and gradually fade to brown leather. Cuffs are also available in 3 different colors: Turquoise, Pink and Gold. They make a really beautiful yet functional addition to your shawls!
It’s Kit Month!
Posted on February 7, 2019 Leave a Comment
In our last podcast, we showed a bunch of new shawls, sweaters, and wraps that either we had finished our had been knit by our amazing sample knitters. We declared right then and there that February would be “kit month”. That means all month long we’ll be posting new knit kits available to the website every couple of days! Here are the first few to start the month
CORREA
Correa is a stunning wrap by Ambah O’Brien. Knit in 4 colors of Fingering weight, the color combinations are endless but we chose just a few of our favorites. Pattern sold separately.
ADVENTUROUS/ADVENTURER WRAP
The Adventurous Wrap or the Adventurer Wrap are true works of art. Expertly constructed and written, these patterns incorporate 25 different colors which keep the knitting fun and interesting. We’ve put together Nice & Knit Groupie sets of petite skeins (87 yards each) of Nice & Knit Fingering Seasonal. Skeins are one of a kind and dyed specifically for this wrap in sets of 12 or 25 skeins! These are truly small batch and unique sets that are destined to make a beautifully finished wrap – no two are exactly the same. Pattern available from Ambah O’Brien and sold separately.
There are countless options for these skeins if you’re not looking to make a wrap. They can be used for colorwork of all kinds! No limitations to what they can become, have fun with your creativity! Quantities are extremely limited -we have just a few left.
COZY WINTER
The name almost says it all – but here are the nitty gritty details of this kit:
This kit includes 2 skeins of Nice & Knit Worsted weight and 1 skein of Nice & Knit Fingering weight in an array of colors we thought would look spectacular in this pattern. The original pattern calls for an Aran weight, so to bulk up our standard Worsted, we recommend you hold one strand of worsted with a strand of fingering weight to create those scrumptious and squishy cables. The asymmetrical v-shape is easy to wear and wrap and we think it’s just the right size, not too long or too big!
On the wishlist for the rest of the month are Magnolia, Fluorite Socks, Throwback, Millie, Nurtured, Weekender and many more! Stay tuned or check our website often!
For more inspiration…
VKL NYC 2019 NEWS!
Posted on December 20, 2018 Leave a Comment
We’ve been a little distracted by the amazing hubbub of holiday orders but now that we’re all caught up the reality is sinking in — Vogue Knitting Live in NYC is just a little more than a month away! There’s lots of work to do before then and we’ll be scurrying around the studio as fast as we can. You can find us at VKL in booth 408 and we’ll be bringing with us some special friends. We’re so excited to announce that we’re partnering up with some of our favorite podcasters and makers for the event.
First, we’re teaming up with the beautiful Sandra Reuston aka Sandy by the Lakeside who not only is the creator of a wonderful podcast, she is also an incredible seamstress. Her hand-made bags top our list as some of our favorite project bags.
We approached Sandy awhile back and asked if we could create a custom bag just for Nice & Knit and just for VKL. We were thrilled when she said yes, and even more thrilled when she selected some amazing fabrics. We’ll have in our booth a small and large bag but quantities will be super limited so we recommend snagging one as quickly as you can! The bags are fully lined, expertly sewn, feature high quality finishes, include the cutest silver tassels on the zipper pulls and are finished off with a shimmering sparkly silver bottom. We call them our “City Lights Large Project Bag” and “City Lights Small Project bag”.
We are also so privileged to know Sophia Shaik from The Knitters League Podcast. She’s been a great friend for a few years and now we get to work together for this event. She has been so kind to us and has offered on many occasions to help us should we ever need it. We knew as soon as we signed up for Vogue that we could count on Sophia to come along on this journey. Sophia will be helping us run the register, meet and greet you, help with colors, offer tips and share some awesome knitting knowledge.
We just can’t wait to spend the weekend with these ladies and with you!
Nice and Knit 