This weekend, I am organizing my study – its been a long time since i had a room dedicated to my office/knitting/sewing/hobbies – the first apt i had in manhattan – on the upper west side on 109th st many years ago when it was TOTALLY UNSAFE for three white girls to leave there – but we were fairly broke – i had the front two rooms of a railroad – the front room i turned into a study with a mirror and ballet barre along one wall and a wall of steel bookcases and then a big butcher block table (which i STILL have) on wheels (thanks to a sweet stagehand at the Met where i was working) and it was great – of course i wasnt knitting then.

The next apt was a studio and then two small tiny one bedrooms – now in this six room railroad – i have a study/studio/office finally – its the last room to do  as you can imagine its the hardest because of all the stuff – paperwork, knitting mags, gardening mags, home improv mags, opera mags, sewing supplies, yarn, yarn and more yarn. and lots of other stuff.

i had ordered some lovely bookcases from Gothic Cabinet Craft and they came sat am.  look great.  my great and lovely carpenter had put up standard/bracket shelves on one wall and we convereted an existing closet by adding shelves and then he built out onto the side of the closet – out to the edge of the room – more shelves – and then an long additional shelf across the front of the room (its one of the interior rooms that has the "hallway" along the outside wall  i have created two interior rooms – a bedroom with a sleeping loft and walkin closet underneath and then this study – by using bookcases i had to create the "fourth wall" so when you look from the front room or the back room down the hallway  you will see bookcases and louvred doors that my carpenter suggested we do – its really very nicely done but it wasnt cheap .  but it will be worth it – i dont see leaving anytime soon – my last apt i was there 15 years and thought i would be there 1! 

anyway, as is my usual method – i spent most of yesterday afternoon rearranging the bookcases so that they would be in the best spot – and i have two lower bookcases which will go under the wall shelves – so now i am in the  "lets figure out where to put everything" 

i was going to put the yarn in baskets on the top of the bookcases but they dont really work well as they are open – so until i buy the rubbermaid storage bins – i will use the boxes they are in now.  cotton will go down into the basement and the wool will stay up here with cedar in them.  i am getting my carpenter back this week to put some boards on the other side of the top of the bookcases to close off that top section and then the plastic bins wont be in view.

i must have been a bear or a kangaroo in a previous life – i love small enclosed spaces.  and usually nest in them very effectively.  i dont know what i would do with a real house with real rooms and lots of space – it would be overwhelming for me i think.  i have lived in such small apts for all my adult life – since i left home after college – dont know if i will ever get a house of my own.  oh well.  this is fine for now – the biggest space i have had on my own.

ok back to work. photos and progress report later!