Ends Weaver

Over my "vacation" last week, I started knitting dishcloths like mad.  I made a lot, but I did not have a needle to sew in the ends.

So (or sew) now, I have a lot of ends to sew in.

What are you up to?

Another Dishcloth Set

I belong to this site called Whoopdwhoop where crafters can swap their crafts for whoops (like a point system) to get other people's crafts.  It is just a fun little thing I do.

This past week I have been working on making 4 dishcloths for a Whoopdwhoop swap.  I used one of my favorite patterns, Not Your Average Washcloth by  Elizabeth Prusiewicz and it is in the book, 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders.

The order requested black which is not the best color to photograph. 

As for my birthday yesterday, I had a good time.  My parents, brother and his family all drove 110 miles just to have dinner with me and return back to their homes.  My lovely husband and daughter got me chairs and a little table for the back yard patio.  We ate DQ ice cream cake.  I feel pretty special. 

Teacher Appreciation Week

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and so I decided to make D's teachers a little something.

These are the Flower Cloths by KrisKnits. 

This is the pansy...

And this is the sunflower...

I have been making KrisKnits dishcloths for a while but I can never get them to turn out a nice as the pictures of the patterns she sells (I even follow her special blocking instructions).  I can barely tell that is a sunflower.  In fact, I cannot tell it at all.  Still, it will do it's job and clean dishes and counter and whatnot.

I only had a few days notice that it is Teacher Appreciation Week so, I only got two cloths made for D's two main teachers.  I would like to make one for each teacher at the child care center (6 more).  Maybe I will just make them throughout the coming weeks and surprise them.

What are you doing for Teacher Appreciation Week?

Finished stack

Completed.

Not just 10, but 11 fabulous hand-knitted dishcloths for door prizes at my sister's wedding shower next month.  I found the missing one and I had enough yarn from one "super sized" skein to make 3 dishcloths (well 2.85  I had to add some from another skein to really finish it off.)

With this project out of the way, I had time this weekend to start a few new things.  So stay tuned.

What nice thing have you done for your sister or mother lately?

Stacking up

Happy Leap Year!  That means one more day of knitting this year!

This is the knitting I have been doing:

It is really starting to stack up. 

These are the door prizes I have been working on for my sister's wedding shower in April.  I am nearly done; just a few more until I have ten.  Oh, and then I have to sew the ends in.  I hate sewing the ends in.

I made two of these:

but I can't find the other. Where would a dishcloth wonder off to?  I wonder if a certain 3 year old has anything to do with it.  Or maybe her forgetful mom? 

I am now on this one:

They are pretty addicting.  Once I finish one, I cast on another.  Maybe this should be the first item I try to sell.  I am getting pretty good at them and it is my own pattern.

What are you working on?  You have an extra day this year, so what are you going to do with it?

Door Prizes

My lovely, little sister is getting married this summer and I am her matron of honor.  I am so very excited for her.  There is so much to do before mid-June.  This past week my mom and her friends scheduled a wedding shower.  It is going to be 1950s retro themed.  My mom volunteered me to made the door prizes.  I need to make 10 dishcloths by mid-April.

This is #3.

I am moving right along. I am making them from Sugar and Cream yarn I had in my stash, using my normal pattern for diagonal dishcloths.

This is yet another camera phone photo.  The new charger should arrive soon.  I am so excited. 

What have you been volunteered for lately?

My Dishcloth Pattern

More dishcloths?  Why, yes.

This is my standard dishcloth pattern.  It looks a lot like other dishcloth patterns, but mine is a bit different.  I combined what I liked from a few patterns into one of my own.

Most dishcloths made in this manner have these little holes around the edges.  I think is is supposed to look like there is a fancy edging.  I really did not like the look or making them that way (my little holes were all uneven and funny looking).  So I changed things up a bit and I am sharing the pattern with you.  My first ever pattern.

Use worsted weight 100% cotton yarn.  I use Sugar and Cream for most of my dishcloths.

Use a knitting needle anywhere between a US 3-9.  Smaller needle equals smaller, tighter stitches and a smaller over all cloth.  Larger needles equal larger, looser stitches and a larger cloth.  I don't have a standard gauge because any size will do.  I usually use a US 6, 7 or 8 depending on what is not being used in other projects.
 
Michelle's Diagonal Dishcloth

Cast On 3 stitches
Increases
Row 1: k1, yo, k to end
Row 2: k1, yo, knit til 2 stitches left, knit into the back of the yarn over stitch, k1
Repeat row 2 until there are 43 or 44 stitches on the needle, it doesn't real matter.

Short Rows- these make the corners extra pointy.  I got the idea from this pattern.
Next Row: K2, turn, k2, turn, knit to end
Following Row: k2, turn, k2. turn, knit to end.

Basically, you are just knitting 2, then turning as if you were to the end, then knitting 2 back to the end/beginning and then knitting across the whole row of 43 or 44 stitches.  Then you repeat it on the other side and start the decreases.

Decreases
Next Row: Knit across til 3 stitches remain, k2tog in the back loop, k1
Repeat this row until 3 stitches remain

Bind off.  Sew in ends.  Block if needed.

Use well.  The knit texture is perfect for cleaning all dishes.


Give it a try and let me know how it goes.  This is my first time attempting to write a pattern so let me know if there are issues.  It is wonderful pattern for watching TV and knitting.  I can even make these riding in a car at night.  So simple and practical. They make great gifts.

The pictured dishcloths are for the 2 people who commented on my last dishcloth post.  I hope they use them well.

Do you love handmade dishcloths for doing the dishes?  

Mittens are Done

I finished my flip-top mittens with color work (which I did two-handed, so cool), but no good pictures because the camera is dead.

I do have this one:

I had to crop in too far to get rid of the crap in the background so you'll just have to imaging the rest of the mittens until my camera is charged.

I did get notice that the charger has been shipped and I should get it at the end of the week or beginning of next.  I am so excited.  Blogging is no fun without the photos.

Dishcloth Favorites

It is no secret, I love making dishcoths.

I made this pair this past weekend for a whoopdwhoop swap.  I love Whoopdwhoop.  You should try it.

I never tire of making this pattern over and over.  The pattern is Not-Your-Average Washcloth by Elizabeth Prusiewicz from the book 101 Designer One -Skein Wonders.  This set is made with Sugar 'n Cream in ecru and sage as requested by the swapper.

I love the One-Skein Wonders series.  Have you tried it? I have a few of the books form the collection, but I probably should get them all.  I also have One-Yard Wonders for sewing (hmmm, maybe I should sew this weekend).  Anyway, I am cheap so I like to make projects that only take one-skein or less a lot of the time.  (I do splurge for much bigger projects from time to time.)   I guess that is one of the reasons I love dishcloths so much; you can usually make two from a skein of Sugar 'n Cream cotton.  Plus they are quick and don't require looking at a pattern a lot.  Oh, and they are so useful. The Trifecta...Quadfecta?

What do you keep going back to?  What do you feel like you do over and over?  Anybody need any dishcloths?  I may feel generous and make some for a commenter or two. (Can you tell, I would really like some comments.)

Oh and Happy Groundhogs Day!

I'm alright and nobody worried 'bout me

House Warming

I had a friend at work buy a house; her first house.  This is a very exciting and big deal.  A new house deserves a house warming present.

I "secretly" tried to find out her kitchen colors by asking her what color she planned on painting the kitchen.  This launched into a long discussion on color, but it seemed to center around that she liked blues and greens.  Sugar 'n Cream yarn is on sale at Michael's this week so I always stock-up on the cotton yarn and this was an excuse to buy more.

My lys, is having a 2012 challenge and one of the challenges is to crochet from a chart.  I decided to meet that challenge and make the gift so I made these:

The pattern is: 27-28-35 Tawashi by Pierrot (Gosyo Co., Ltd).  I have made this many times before, but not in a while so, I thought I'd get the pattern out and hook it up.  The yarn is Sugar 'n Cream.

I also made some matching scrubbies from a pattern in my Knitting calendar.

The pattern is: Cotton Scrubbies and Washcloth by Lynn Rowe.  The yarn is Sugar 'n Cream.  Also crochet, project (I am on a crochet kick, I still have one more project to reveal.)

My friend graciously accepted the gift and said they were too nice to use, but I convinced her that I did indeed make them for her to use and if they wore out, I would make more.