3.21.2011

wood wall n wool ~ cast-on-itis, full blown case


We got a new tv, perfect to put over the mantle.  It was hard to see with our necks cranked up that far and the tv was sitting up a bit too high.  And I wear bifocals so tipping my head up to see the screen had me peeping through the reading part of my lenses.  We planned to lower the brick by 3 rows and put the oak mantle top back on.  What we thought would be a simple, weekend project and a small drywall repair wasn't quite what we expected.  The fire brick behind the decorative brick front of the fire surround we discovered was installed before the drywall.  The drywall was butted up to the frame.  Result? The firebrick of the chimney stuck further into the room than the wallboard around it.  There were lots of ways to fix that, most easier than what I was hoping for, but Don was a sweetheart and humoured me.  We clad the wall - after a lot more chiselling, grinding and dust then first planned - in wood.

We used rough hewn pine boards that we had planed to a smoother surface and brought all the boards to the same thickness.  They range from 11 to 13.5" wide.  Amazing how out of square a 26 year old house is, but Don did a fantastic job cladding the wall.  I put a fresh coat of paint on the adjacent walls, then made a stain from the left over paint by cutting it 50% with water to stain the pine boards.

Loving the finished wood wall.  We need to deal with the wires, blu ray player and cable box on the mantle in some sort of attractive manner and accessorize on the right side of the fireplace.  Any suggestions would be very welcome.  Check out the wall all finished up with the pine planks!

I haven't knit in forever.  Not for a lack of wanting to.  I'm about to cast on for Lily Kate's pretty shawl pattern McCafferty .  It's just what I'm in the mood for with spring here, something chic to wear  my favourite white blouse and jeans.  The pattern is available here on Ravelry.  The yarn I plan to use is The Plucky Knitter Primo, but just can't decide on which colour?  Pink or Gray?  Help?!  Which colour should I use?


I'm pretty certain I'd wear the gray more, but this pink "Gumball" colourway is fun too...     

9 comments:

jillian said...

The pink, I think. Something bright and cheery for the beginning of Spring :)

Celestial said...

You know I'd say gray. The question is, are you looking for a staple or something fun?

And I'm so excited for you that the fireplace project is finished! It looks wonderful and so cozy.

Your HH really did an excellent job, as did you my dear.

CelticCastOn said...

ok the yarns look totally different than they did last night, I say grey now but then again the pink looks almost red on my screen......

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

You and Don did a fantastic job of remodeling! Always a challenge when unexpected things occur which inevitably they do - LOL

I wish I had some clever idea how to hide the wires. If someone comes up with one let me know too :)

Philigry said...

oh, i love the gray! so pretty.
I also love the mantle! the boards are awesome!

The Wooly Wumpus said...

The wall looks fantastic, Renee, but I'm sorry to see the chocolate wall go at the same time!
Can't wait to see the knitting (you deserve a little knitting time!).

raining sheep said...

Hahahahahaha! ok I am laughing because this is the story of my life. Even renovating our 35 year-old house (not that old really) is a lesson in frustration. Example: we removed the fake wood floor, and found 35 year old lino that had been nailed down every 2x2 inches!!!! Your wall looks lovely and obviously it was worth the effort. Hugs.

t does wool said...

what a beautiful job Renee...

Tina said...

Your fireplace looks great! Isn't so rewarding to having finished such a job?
The shawl's gonna be great, too! I`d choose the grey for myself but I think the pink would be the right colour for spring!

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