I took the time yesterday to weave in loose ends on a lot of cloths. It feels good to have them ready to be used.
This morning I organized the photos on my hard drive and loaded some of them to Flickr. There is now a Flickr Widget on the side bar here. There are pictures of finished cloths as well as some WIP’s and other FO’s.
As some of you may know, one of my other blogs is Dish and Wash Cloth Mania. While I was sitting here this morning adding links to some of the pages and generally updating the site, I came across this article: Lots of Cloths by Cathy at Wishing I was Knitting at the Lake.
Thank you for writing it. :)
I read the article a couple of times to take in all that she says. First of all, she offers an interesting variation on an old dishcloth pattern. It sounds like an idea well worth the try. It has been added to my list of “Patterns to Try”.
Secondly, is that she expressed a lot of how I feel about making dishcloths and the arts of Knitting and Crocheting. As a teenager I secretly wanted to be an artist. On the talent end of it I was a bit short to say the least. Because of some eyesight issues, not only do I literally see the world differently than most people, but I do not have some hand/eye co-ordination skills. For me this means that I know what I want to write or draw and how I want it to look, but cannot make it happen on paper or canvas.
This is where my hooks and needles come into play. When I pick them up I can do almost anything I choose. I can change the color of a pattern. The size can be changed either by adding a border, adding or taking away a multiple of stitches, or changing the number or rows made. I can use different stitch combinations than what the original pattern suggests. Did you ever try a garter stitch top instead of a ribbed top on a pair of socks? Did you ever uses a 1×1 rib instead of a 2×2 rib in a pattern? I can also use more than one strand of yarn to make an item. Did you ever take a ‘new to you’ pattern from a stitch dictionary and use it in a scarf or dishcloth? Did you ever combine 100% cotton knitting worsted yarn with #10 crochet thread in a dishcloth? How about crocheting or knitting with large hooks or needles? Have you ever used a yarn other than that called for in a pattern? ( Be especially careful with this one. A gauge swatch could be a life saver with it. ) Have you ever tried making up a stitch pattern? Have you ever made an item using a Cro-Hook or the Tunisian stitch? These are some of the ideas that come to my mind to try.
Hats, scarves, mittens, baby bibs, afghans, doilies, dish and wash cloths and other items become unique creations when these things are done. It is amazing to see a simple scarf pattern look different by using different sizes and colors of yarn. My imagination can and does run wild with ideas. The possibilities are endless. Now all I want is more hours in my life to turn my ideas into reality.
Maybe I really am an artist.
Posted in Fiber Arts
Tagged Baby Bibs, Crochet, Crocheting, Dishcloths, Fiber Arts, Knitting, Scarves, Socks, wash cloths
Here it is Sunday evening already. I have not written in more than a week. Time has certainly flown. It has been good to have free time.
At the moment there are four dishcloths on my knitting needles, all in different stages of completion. Details and pictures are going to wait until I am more awake to do them justice.
Even though I knew I was scheduled to work today, I was up until the wee hours of the morning last night/this morning. The radio went on after only 3 1/2 hours of sleep. I got involved in reading web sites from other bloggers. It was fun and well worth the time.
The last of the loose ends on the squares for the Rebuilding Greensburg Project have been woven in! My husband spent his share of time sitting at the kitchen table keeping me company while they were being done. It made the task much easier. He such a sweet heart. :) They will go out in the mail in the next day or so to their next stop on their journey to those who need them.
I look forward to seeing the afghans that are made from all of the squares which have been made for this.
Comments Off on Finished with Squares
Posted in Fiber Arts
Tagged Charity, Crocheting, Fiber Arts, Greensburg, Knitting, Squares
I stopped making squares for the Rebuilding Greensburg Project a few days ago with the exception of one last square that remains on the needles. It is not quite half finished but will be done in plenty of time to go into the box being sent out very early this week.
Much of my free time today has been spent weaving in loose ends on theres of the squares. It does not matter if the item is small or large, knitted or crocheted. I do not like weaving in loose ends. My dislike is so bad that doing this chore is put off as long as possible. Every time I start a project, I promise myself to weave them in as I go, but I never do. This time there was a good reason. Between work and treatment for a medical condition my days have been super full in the past couple of months. It has taken planning a reasonable amount of organization to make the squares. My original plan was to take time on my days off to weave in the ends. Life did not work out to allow it. Details such as parenting, laundry and other Mom jobs have taken priority. Time is running out and I am in a real time crunch to finish this project. My family is being very understanding about it. They are not objecting to the attention I am giving to the squares this weekend. Actually they are most likely grateful that the box of squares in the kitchen will be out of the way soon. :)
It’s back to the squares for now.
Comments Off on Squares and Loose Ends
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Crocheting, Greensburg, Knitting, Squares
I have been steadily making more squares for the Rebuilding Greensburg Project this week. The requested final date of August 10th for mailing them if you are in the United States is fast approaching. I wonder if I will get squares made from all of the yarn I chose for this project used by that date. There is only a little bit left. The problem is that there is so much to do and so little time to do it.
I will be back once the squares and other items are mailed. Until then may all of you who read this have a Blessed week.
The weekend has finally arrived! It is my weekend off. Actually it is my day off since I volunteered to work on Sunday. My shift is short a nurse and we can use the money. None the less, it is the weekend, which means we can sleep in late if we want. Naturally, I am up early after being up late last night. That is fine with me because it means quiet time without anyone awake in my household. These precious minutes will be spent updating my two knitting and crocheting blogs and trying to catch up on email. This is a rare treat.
Three sets of knitting needles have the beginnings of squares for the Rebuilding Greensburg Project on them. They will all be in my knitting bag when we go out to do errands later today. This way I can finish them off while my wonderful husband drives. One of my goals for the weekend is to complete them and start making a couple more.
There is a lot going on these days in terms of knitting and crocheting. The deadline for making squares for the Rebuilding Greenburg Project is August the first. I have been busy making some last minute squares to add to the box going to Laura in the next couple of weeks.
Progress on my part of the private gift for my friend at work is going slowly. Making a very long story short, the yarn will hopefully be arriving at a nearby store by next Thursday. Once it is here, making it will be easy. I cannot say more in case she happens to be reading this blog. Once it has been completed and delivered, I will post pictures.
Comments Off on Projects
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Charity, Crochet, Greensburg, Knitting, Squares
I am still here and knitting. Most of my knitting time continues to go to making squares for the Rebuilding Greensburg effort. The box that has been set aside to hold the squares is gradually being filled.
This week I finally allowed myself to visit my all time favorite thrift store. It is only open once a week from 9am-12 noon. I don’t allow myself to go there often because I always bring home too much good stuff. This week was no different. I found a lot of old knitting needles and other fiber arts related tools. This was a fun find since collecting such items is part of the hobby of fiber arts for me.
A walk into the Book Room of this delightful place was a treat by itself. Hardback books were being sold “$2.50 for 10” or 25 cents a piece. Some good books came home with me. The best one of them is : Illustrated Patchwork Crochet. This book has been on my Wish List for a long time. I have never gotten around to looking for it online. Finding it in person was a wonderful surprise. There has not been as much time as I want to read it. That will come.
Comments Off on Still Here and Knitting
Posted in Fiber Arts
Tagged Books, Crocheting, Fiber Arts, Greensburg, Knitting, Squares
My knitting time this week has been spent making dishcloths, a bib and more squares for Greensburg. The dishcloths and bib are from the stash of cotton recently purchased.
About two weeks ago I posted a picture of the first part of the Mad Dash
Cloth. Here is a picture of the finished cloth:
I would have taken a better picture of it , but it is in the soiled laundry basket. This picture does not do justice to the lovely pattern.
Recently I talked about needing to get out of a rut when it comes to making dish and wash cloths. After completing the Mad Dash cloth I decided to make the well known Darrell Waltrip Cloth. My original plan was to make one just to do something different. I liked it so much I have completed two of them. A third one is on the needles.
This is the first one I did. It is made with Peaches n Creme Passion yarn.
Even though I saw pictures of it on Knitting Knonsense, I was amazed at its beauty. It does a wonderful job of bringing attention to the colors of the yarn. Since it is also an easy pattern for me to memorize this a good pattern to use when spending time with my family. It also works up quickly. Because the designer lists the multiples of stitches used, it is extremely easy to adjust the size of the cloth. I prefer smaller cloths than a lot of people so this is important to me when making them for myself.
Here is a picture of the second one. It is made with P&C Butter & Cream
I rarely buy patterns for dishcloths or other items, choosing instead to use free available resources. Several weeks ago, while doing research for my other blog, I came across a baby bib pattern at that caught my imagination. I wanted to buy it immediately, but chose to wait and see if I changed my mind at a later date. In the end the pattern was ordered and very promptly delivered. It is the Eyelet Diamond Baby Bib from here.
It is made from Gumdrops by Peaches & Cream. The colors are much more vibrant in real life. This was a real experiment for me for a couple of reasons. It has been a very long time since I have used a pattern requiring the use of a stitch holder. It was not a challenge to my ability by any means, but it made the pattern interesting. The other reason is that this was my first time to make an I-cord. It was pretty cool! This pattern is a great addition to my pattern collection. It will become well used in the future.
Here are pictures of a couple of other dish cloths made recently using two of my favorite colorways of Peaches & Cream: Gumdrops and Potpourri Ombre.
