As 2014 was winding down we looked back at the last couple of years and assessed how we were meeting our mission. One of the founding ideas behind gather here has been "share all the knowledge" and with a class schedule that we think is stellar we think we've done a fine job at sharing our craft within Greater Boston. But we wanted to do even more. Combining our background in film/television and our love of craft, we decided the next step for gather here would be the launch of video tutorials. We compiled a list of the techniques we are most often asked about in the store, via email, and in our classes and mapped out a plan to launch a new tutorial each month.

After a week of serious carpentry a bunch of real nice people came over and helped us paint every square inch of the space.  I can't believe how different things look after a couple coats of Mythic eggshell latex paint in Parrafin.  Seriously, it's gorgeous.

The Ikea tables for the sewing machines and small people chairs for our "little stitchers classes" got built and stained. I love the bright colors but also still being able to see the wood grain.  I think it's a lot more fun than a world of pine furniture.  And the cabinets for the bathroom and general "hang out" area were put together - they are having their counter tops installed today while I do important things like blog and order books.

So you know that we're a bunch of theatre and film peeps.  We're roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-it-done types with DIY pulsing through our veins.  And we're lucky to have worked in a local industry that fosters a strong community so we have lots of people volunteering and providing their services for a song (none of us are great singers so this is a steal!).

On Sunday we unloaded folding chairs, tools, an ironing board and iron, a steamer, ten gallons of Mythic paint and a ton of snacks into the recently emptied space.  I'm a big believer in frequent snack breaks, without a handful of nuts every few hours I get wicked cranky.  Can you believe that only 48 hours earlier the shop had still been filled with antiques, collectibles and fine Thai silk-wares?

This is the seed stitch cowl I whipped up using Cascade's Magnum on size 19 circular needles.  All while watching the NFC final game.  I'm a huge sports fan and I'm from the Midwest so my love for football (NFL and the Big Ten), March Madness, and the Cubs is bottomless.

I love to knit while watching a game, it keeps my hands busy and curbs the "rich" language I've been known to spout at the television set.  I've already lined up my Superbowl Sunday knitting project - the Spun Monkey's monkey mitts!

This used to be a blog post about the 449 pounds of yarn that was delivered to our house.  But for some reason the post disappeared.  Like it's gone.  Sometimes the internet slays me.  

Anyway, 1,700 skeins of yarn weighs a lot.  1,700 skeins of yarn in awkwardly large boxes are a pain to walk up three flights of stairs.  And we have to carry those very same boxes down the stairs.  Along with boxes from Farmhouse Yarns, Cloud 9 Fabrics, Robert Kaufman, Rowan, and so much more.