KNIT: Trio of Dishcloths

I found this adorable idea for the "We WASH you a Merry Christmas" soap gifts from Darling Doodles.  (Pinterest to the rescue!) I paired it with my handmade dishcloths for an extra special touch. And voila! Happy teacher gifts all ready to go. In fact, I've been a crazy knitting lady these past couple of weeks. Late nights of knitting + early mornings to get kids ready for school = what my 11 year old calls "a cranky mom".  True. But the gifts are all done & made! In fact, the girls are delivering the last of the bunch at school today. Christmas break starts this afternoon. Woohoo! (Which means any more late nights of knitting can be met with a morning of sleeping in. I am loving life right now!)

I've had requests for these patterns, so I thought I'd share the trio that, so far, are my "go to" patterns. 

The instructions are listed below. For a free printable version, click HERE.

This pattern, & the next, were given to me by my grandmother. They were typed out onto a piece of paper, complete with scribbles & notes & check-marks to keep track of rows.

SCALLOPED CIRCULAR DISHCLOTH

Cast on 15 sts. 

ROW 1---knit 

ROW 2--- K3, YO, K11 (1 st left on needle) TURN 

ROW 3---knit 

ROW 4---K3, YO, K11 (2 sts left on needle) TURN 

ROW 5---knit 

ROW 6---K3, YO, K11 (3 sts left on needle) TURN 

ROW 7---knit 

ROW 8---Bind off 3 sts. K2, YO, K8 (4 sts left on needle) TURN 

ROW 9 ---knit 

ROW 10---K3, YO, K8 (5 sts left on needle) TURN 

ROW 11---knit 

ROW 12---K3, YO, K8 (6 sts left on needle) TURN 

ROW 13---knit 

ROW 14---Bind off 3 sts. K2, YO, K5 (7 sts left on needle) TURN 

ROW 15---knit 

ROW 16---K3, YO, K5 (8 sts left on needle) TURN 

ROW 17---knit 

ROW 18---K3, YO, K5 (9 sts left on needl) TURN 

ROW 19---knit 

ROW 20---Bind off 3 sts. Knit to end. Repeat ROW 1 thru 20 six more times. (Row 1 thru 20 forms one section of dishcloth. Complete dishcloth has 7 total sections.) 

Once completed, bind off & sew ends together.

CIRCLE DISHCLOTH

Cast on 17 sts.

Turn---Slip 1 st, K16 

Turn---K15 

Turn---Slip 1 st, K14 

Turn---K13 

Turn---Slip 1 st, K12 

Turn---K11 

Turn---Slip 1 st, K10 

Turn---K9 

Turn---Slip 1 st, K8 

Turn---K7 

Turn---Slip 1 st, K6 

Turn---K5 

Turn---Slip 1 st, K4 

Turn---K3 

Turn---Slip 1 st, K2 

Knit 17 sts & repeat 

Makes a total of 12 sections 

Bind off & stitch ends together

WAFFLE STITCH DISHCLOTH

I have found there are many different variations on the waffle stitch. This, of course, is just one of the many. This dishcloth looks quite cool in a solid color too. 

I cast on 40 sts, & got a dishcloth approximately 9"x9". But make it whatever size you prefer.

ROW 1---*K1, P2* (repeat from * to *) K1

ROW 2---*P1, K2* (repeat from * to *) P1

ROW 3---Knit

ROW 4---Purl

Repeat ROWS 1-4 until you reach the desired size.

Happy knitting!

♥

DIY: Recyled Vases with Knitted Wraps

All those lovely spring cut flowers I received for Mother's Day needed a happy home.

So I created these super cute vases. They're made from recycled cans that once contained things like Chef Boy-Ar-Dee Macaroni & Cheese, Bush's baked beans & SpaghettiO's.

Simply take an empty can, wash it out & peel off the label.

Next, knit up a rectangle piece that fits the size of your can.

Don't be intimidated by knitting!

The first thing you'll need to do is tie a slipknot onto your knitting needle to get started, & then cast on your stitches. The number of stitches you cast on will determine how tall or wide your project is. I cast on about 13 stitches for the small cans & I can't remember how many for the bigger can. (In fact, for the big can, I made the knitted piece too tall. Simple fix: I rolled it down after it was all stitched together.)

Clicke HERE for an easy-to-follow video from Stitch 'N Bitch that will show you how to tie a slip knot, cast on stitches, & knit.

Just keep knitting until you have a piece long enough that will wrap around the can. I stretched my knitted pieces quite a bit around the cans so that they'd stay firmly in place without slipping.

Unfortunately I haven't found anything from Stitch 'N Bitch on YouTube that shows how to end your knitted projects, or what is called "binding off" or "casting off". (That first video was so great for beginners to follow along! I was hoping they had more.)

But HERE is a video from the Howcast channel on YouTube that shows how to cast off. (The Howcast channel also has tons of videos showing specific steps for knitting.)

When you're ready to wrap the knitted piece around your can, use a large sewing needle to stitch the two ends together. You're basically just making a tube-top for the can.

 And that's it!

Here's a Vine I made, showing how the wrap is attached...

♥

wee knitter

Last night was the first Knitty Night. Oh, man! It was so easy to set up in comparison to all the work that went into Crafty Night. A total of 5 knitters (including my 10 year old Zoey) plopped on couches to chat, sip wassail, knit a few, & relax. (I even got to meet a fellow knitter/Etsy shop owner/local creative momma: Christine, of Pedestrian.) Having that uninterrupted time set aside to do something you enjoy (with others who enjoy the same thing) is HUGE. Finding people with like passions & creativity is always fun. 

And last night something quite cool happened. That picture up top is Pazely at the beginning of Knitty Night. While Zoey quietly & patiently sat down knitting, Pazely was bouncing around the room, channeling the likes of a certain Captain. When I took that picture, she didn't know how to knit. An hour later, she was a girl obsessed with her new talent: knitting.

Before my knitting guests showed up, I sat the munchkin in my lap & showed her the basic stitch & now she is undeniably consumed. I think she has often envied the fact that her older sister knew how to knit & she was left out. I honestly didn't think she'd get the hang of it. But I was very wrong. 

After I got home from Knitty Night, I walked upstairs to tuck her into bed. She was propped up with pillows, holding those size 13 needles & chunky yarn....knitting like a boss. I said, "Pazely, it's time to go to bed." She pleaded: "Please, mom! Just one more row!" I about died laughing. I was surprised how intensely this yarn craft had possessed her. But then I remembered my first days of knitting–just 2 years ago. I couldn't stop. My housework was pushed to the wayside. Way, way to the wayside. I couldn't get enough of it. And I didn't even own a pair of knitting needles yet! I used pencils. And then chopsticks. 

Pazely had even carved out a clean spot on her cluttered bookshelf especially for her knitting work-in-progress. As she handed over her yarn & needles, she began telling me, "When I come home from school tomorrow, I'm going to do all my chores real fast, so I can knit."

Even this morning, she raced through all her "get ready for school" duties: bathing, dressing, making bed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, & combing hair, so she could cozy on the couch & continue knitting. Zoey also joined her sister. There they sat, racing to see who could knit the fastest. The Mr. walked by & said, "Hey, you are all yarning!!"

"It's not called 'yarning' dad! It's called knitting!" said Pazely, giggling.

Before she walked out the door, where the Mr. was in the van waiting to drive the girls to school, she asked if she could have her very own needles & some of my yarn. 

Do you know how amazing it feels to empower a little person with a new skill?

Next stop: yarn bombing with the kidlets.

♥

Knitted Postcard #15

The Mr. & Zoey left this morning for summer camp. (Zoey's first camp!) The Mr. will be helping with the 8th-10th grade youth camp. I think his role is "Security". He asked for a taser & a badge, but last I knew, he hadn't heard if his request had been granted.

Pazely & I dropped some mail at the post office this morning, which included this knitted postcard for my little camper. Pazely also wrote a letter to her sister, which gave advice such as: "Don't spend your money on a lot of shugery things." And: "Hope you don't get any ticks in your hair."

Little Pazely & I will be kickin' it for the next 5 days. She'll be my cuddle buddy, my Summer Diary partner, my  little helper around the house.

She's currently napping. 

And you wonder why this is the 3rd blog post in one day...

♥

#12

For grandmother.

I love how these postcards let me test different yarns & practice new stitches. This is the rib stitch. More specifically the double rib. (I think?) Which just means I k2, p2, k2, p2...

Look at me, all talking like I'm a knitter or something.

The name of this yarn color is called "chocolate". Don't you love it? I love the gradience in warm colors. It's soft & thick too. It's the yarn with Vanna White on the label.

This postcard makes me think of a chunky sweater & my favorite season. Speaking of my favorite season, here's a pretty perfect quote by George Eliot:

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

Ma'am, I do believe you've hit the nail on the head.

To view my knitted postcard set on flickr, click HERE.

♥

Granny

Watch out! I'm learning to crochet! No, seriously, watch out. I might poke yer eye out or sumthin'.

This crafty girl has a new weapon in her mixed bag of handmade happiness!

I SO wanted to learn to knit. But was so intimidated by those 2 needles a click-clackin'. So, I never thought I'd be able to learn. But a friend taught me to knit about 8 months ago. I now love knitting. Really, I think it's helped me find peace in some rather stressful times as of late. And it's the only craft I have that is easily portable, travels well & is excellent for road trips, for occupying my time late at night when everyone else is asleep & I don't quite have tired eyes, or while waiting outside of the school to pick up my kidlets. And, etc.

And then, I recently fell in love with granny squares. Crocheted bits of yumminess that make my heart ache.

Like THIS.

I finally decided to search out youtube videos for some how-to's. There are a bajillion different videos & tons of different ways to crochet granny squares! But I started off HERE.

My first square is a whole buncha mess, but I'm rather proud of it! It'll sit right alongide my first knitted piece---which was knitted with 2 dull stubby pencils.

I can't wait to keep practicing & getting better & trying new squares!

And I totally have a new hobby this fall---while I'm sitting on the sofa (or the porch!), cuddled under a blanket & sipping yummy drinks.

♥

Knitted Postcards: Show & Tell

Just wanted to show off my recent knitted creations. I'm a newbie knitter, & learned to make postcards like these via an Etsy video found HERE. Really, you just knit a 4x6 inch-ish piece & attach it to a piece of matte board. (Like the matting for pictures/frames.) I punched holes all around the edge of the matte board with a hole punch & used a large blunt needle to stitch the knitted piece onto the matting.

The stitches are nothing fancy---except for my favorite raspberry stitch.  (Oooh, I love that one!) And stitching up something this small gives me a chance to practice different stitches.

My postcards seem to cost me about $1.71 to send. (Although, one time I was able to send one for $1.08.) The postal system has started including these extra bulky & horribly large bar code labels ON TOP of the already extra bulky regular postage sticker. It takes up a lot of room and, in fact, covered up some of the message on the first postcards I ever sent. Really frustrating, but still worth the happy mail!! Since then, I have made sure to include enough blank space for these sticker monsters. I've been sending my grandmother a different knitted postcard every week since I've been back from visiting her in Washington.

The postcards in the photo above were made using strips of t-shirt material (also known as jersey knit) leftover from May's Crafty Night. I just connected end to end to end of all the scraps & knitted with size 13 needles.

If you'd like to follow along on my postcard knitting adventures, click HERE to view my "Knitted Postcard" set of pictures on flickr. As I make postcards, I'll be adding them to that set. So far, I've only got 7 to brag about. Working on #8 right now.

♥



My 1st Knitted Project!

 I just completed my first knitted creation!

Even though it is full of mistakes (& this wee wallet actually started out as a mug cozy), I am rather proud of myself!! The cherry on the top is the vintage button.

I learned to decrease stitches & even add a button hole.

It definitely gave me confidence to attempt another project. Maybe I'll give that mug cozy another try.

♥

Knit Wit

So, guess who learned to knit yesterday??

Last night my friend Susan taught me to knit during a break at work. We grabbed 2 pencils & found some yarn which embellished a Christmas prezzie we had just exchanged.

Knitting has always intimidated me. It still does. I don't understand how all those stitches can turn & twist & form into adorable things. I'm excited about conquering my knitting fear. This is just the beginning...

Click HERE to view my 8 year old filming while my 6 year old commentates on me knitting.

(Oh, & I've upgraded from pencils to chopsticks!)

♥