Green-yellow dishcloths

Yet another FO I forgot to blog about! I think this is the last one (fingers crossed). It's nice to get caught up, though.

Pattern: none
Yarn: Peaches and Creme Original Solids, in "natural" (maybe?), dyed with leftover tie-dye dye
Needles: US7

These are knit in garter stitch. I cast on three stitches, increased on the "right side" a stitch at either end of the row using a yarn over until the dishcloth seemed long enough/mostly square. Then I continued the YO's but decreased a stitch on either side of them using a knit-two-together. Bound off when down to three stitches on the needle.

My kids keep saying they don't need more dishcloths... until they do. I like to have a couple on hand for those times. Also, dishcloths are an easy pickup-and-knit project when I'm feeling idle.

McDonald Dishcloths

I dyed some cotton yarn with the leftovers from the tie-dye program I presented at the spinning guild. The colors remind me of the corporate colors for McDonald's, hence the name. I am in no way encouraging anyone to actually eat there.

Pattern: none
Yarn: Peaches & Creme Original Solids, hand-dyed
Needles: US7

For the diagonal one, I cast on three stitches, knit a row, then K1, YO, K to last stitch, YO, K1, turn and knit back. When the stitch count reached 47, I knit two rows, then begain the decreases: K2tog, YO, K2tog, K to last 4 stitches, K2tog, YO, K2tog, turn and knit back. When back to three stitches left, bind off.

For the second one, I cast on 32 stitches (long tail), knit back and forth until I was almost out of yarn (which happened to coincide with where the dishcloth formed a square), then bound off.

My kids claim they need no more dishcloths, but I still like to have a couple on hand, just in case.

Seed stitch dishcloths

For some reason, probably because of the heat and humidity, I don't like to knit wool during the summer even though I have an air conditioned house that protects me from the elements. Instead, I gravitate to cotton. Well, summer is over, and so is the cotton knitting.

Pattern: Alaina's Simple Seed Stitch Dishcloth, by Alaina Privette
Yarn: Pisgah Yarn and Dyeing Co. Peaches & Creme Ombres, in 'Shaded Pastels'
Needles: US7 (cast on and bind off with US8)
Modifications: None


It feels like knitting seed stitch takes twice as long as just knitting or just purling, as the yarn has to be moved front-to-back or back-to-front for each stitch. But once you build up a rhythm, it doesn't seem so bad.

There is a stack of handknit dishcloths by my front door, free to visitors, but apparently I have saturated the market. I still have a LOT of worsted weight cotton that doesn't seem suitable for much of anything else, but I will put a pause on dishcloths for a while.

Garter dishcloths on the bias

When I decided to knit more dishcloths in garter, but on the bias, I tried to wing it at first. After all, one of my first knitting projects was a dishcloth. But for some reason, it was not working out very well. So I found a simple pattern that someone else had figured out.

Pattern: Garter Stitch Dishcloth, by Joan Janes
Yarn: Pisgah Yarn and Dyeing Co. Peaches & Creme Ombres, colorway '130 Shaded Pastels'
Needles: US7
Modifications: None


This was more TV watching knitting, a great distraction from the incessant, repetitive commercials. (If "they" know so much about us, how come the only commercials I see are for products that I am not interested in and/or that don't apply to me for a variety of reasons?)

I recently sorted through a drawer of finished objects and came across quite a few dishcloths from an earlier era. So now there is a growing pile on the "gift table" near my front door. Just in time for the holidays.

Garter dishcloths

I'm not much of a TV watcher, but I do stream some favorite shows. I'm too cheap to pay extra to eliminate commercials, but find them to be tedious and boring. Enter simple knitting. These garter stitch dishcloths are perfect for bridging the gap.

Pattern: none; just cast on 40 stitches, knit until the piece looks squarish, then bind off.
Yarn: Pisgah Yarn and Dyeing Co. Peaches & Creme Ombres, colorway '130 Shaded Pastels'
Needles: US7 (but cast on and bound off with US8)


I'm always a bit reluctant to use a colorway that includes white or natural for dishcloths, as once the dishcloths get used, they get a bit dingy. But I have a lot of cotton yarn like this and plan to use it up one way or another.

Once upon a time, I knit a towel, but that took *forever*. Dishcloths are just the right size for a simple knitting project.

That went well

Yesterday (Saturday), two of my fiber cohorts and I conducted a workshop on tapestry weaving. None of us are experts by any means, but we put together a satisfying introduction. My bit took about an hour, as I described what tapestry is, what tools one needs, how to make a butterfly, and finally how to warp the loom. The others demonstrated weaving techniques. The students were mostly from the weaving guild, but a couple of newcomers joined us (and plan to join the guild). We received positive feedback, and everyone wants to continue with a study group, to learn more. An overall success.

Knitting: I started a garter stitch dishcloth in cotton, nothing fancy, just something to knit while watching TV.

Otherwise, my week was full of preparing for the workshop. Now that it is over, I can breathe a sigh of relief.

Have a relaxing week.

Waffle weave wash cloths

After my previous effort at waffle weave dish cloths, I decided to make some more (they are a fun weave) to try to fix the hourglass shape the previous ones ended up with. My strategy was to not edge them in plain weave, as it seemed to not shrink as much as the waffle weave. The hems were really bulky and difficult to sew, and they are still rather hourglass shapped. But no matter. Now I have more wash cloths to use and give away.

Weave structure: Waffle weave
Loom: Ashford Sampleit
Yarn: Elmore-Pisgah Peaches & Cream in 'Shaded Pastels'
EPI/PPI: 7.5/7.5
(I didn't take notes on the pre-wash/post-wash measurements.)

There is a pattern in one of the issues of Little Looms for waffle weave towels in a finer yarn. The corners of the towels in the photos look square, so maybe using a finer yarn works better for this weave structure. That pattern is on my to-do list.

Waffle weave dishcloths

The impetus for this project came from a program at my local weaving guild. They are getting better about including something more than weaving cloth on a harness loom for sewing, so part of the presentation involved waffle weave on a rigid heddle. I warped my Sampleit loom prior to the program, not realizing just how much shrinkage would occur. If I were to repeat this project, I would start with a wider warp.

Weave structure: Waffle weave
Loom: Ashford Sampleit
Yarn: Elmore-Pisgah Peaches & Cream in 'Daisy Ombre' (although my SO calls it 'Buttered Popcorn')
EPI/PPI: 7.5/7.5
Size prior to hemming: 8"W x 10"L
Size after hemming, prior to washing: 8"W x 8"L
Size after hemming and washing: 6.75"W x 7"L

I began and ended each dishcloth with an overcast stitch (as described in Finishing Touches for the Handweaver, by Virginia M. West) to secure the warp and weft. I wove seven rows in plain weave at each end of each dishcloth, to fold over for the hem. (The odd number is because the pattern provided by my fellow weaver starts with the heddle in the down position; it is a personal quirk that I always begin weaving with the heddle in the up position, throwing from the right.)

Not trusting the overcast stitch to be secure enough, I also sewed a zigzag stitch at each end with my trusty Kenmore sewing machine. Then I rolled the hem and zigzagged again. As you can see, there was some pull-in; I don't have a temple for this narrow of a width.

Since these are workhorse dishcloths, I ran them through the washer and dryer just as I would for any cotton dishcloth. The expected shrinkage occurred, but the hemmed edges shrank less than the rest of the fabric. Perhaps I should have refrained hemming until after the shrinkage.

I gave one of these to my SO with the instructions to use it as he would any dishcloth, even though it is woven and not knit like the others I have given him. The others will go to my son and daughter, with the same instructions. I want to see how they hold up.

The instructions came from a YouTube video, but I don't have the link. A quick search reveals there are several videos out there to choose from. The Weaver's Idea Book, by Jane Patrick, contains several "mock waffle weave" patterns. Regardless, all involves the use of a pickup stick. I was able to weave each dishcloth in a single sitting, despite my shoulders.

I thought I had enough warp for four washcloths, but the last one was only a half. I considered turning it into a coaster, but instead tucked it behind the kitchen faucet where my wet hands drip water.

Dishcloth resurrected

Handknit cotton dishcloths last forever, or so it seems. Unless, of course, one is careless with a knife or there is a weak spot in the yarn. I'm not sure which happened, but the dishcloth in current rotation incurred a serious injury. My first instinct was to toss it, but decided to try to fix it instead.

Thanks to the miracle of blogging, the original post regarding this dishcloth may be found here. This one is the "ridge and rib" pattern. Even though the cotton yarn had nearly felted from long use, I was able to tink back one pattern repeat. The only Sugar 'n Cream yarn I have is this stinky one, but it worked fine.

The old green yarn feels somewhat fragile, so we'll see how long this poor dishcloth lasts. Executing the repair was a good exercise, though, something that would not be possible with a store-bought dishcloth. Next I would like to learn to darn socks.

An even dozen

I was going for a baker's dozen (13), but when it came time to start one more ballband dishcloth, I just could not do it. So twelve is enough for this summer.

Pattern: Ballband Dishcloth (from Mason-Dixon Knitting)
Yarn: Various and sundry leftover Lion Brand Cotton, in solids and prints
Needles: US7
Modifications: Used Old Norwegian cast on and suspended bind off

There really isn't much to say about this stash-busting project other than I am glad it is over. Even though it is still August and hot, the light is shifting and autumn will be here before you know it. Time to return to wool.

Here are the individual dishcloths, in case you want to see more detail.

This yarn stinks

While shopping for buttons for the February Little Lady sweater, we took a quick cruise through the yarn section of JoAnn. Mistake. My granddaughter glommed onto a ball of Sugar n Cream cotton in multiple pastels. I am not short of cotton yarn, not at all, but I still added it to our basket. After all, it was pretty, and I figured I could make a couple of wash cloths to make up for the orange hat debacle.

At the checkout, the clerk pointed out that the yarn was scented. If you have ever stood in line at JoAnn, you will understand why I did not interrupt the checking out process by fetching an unscented yarn. Plus the same colorway might not have been available in a non-scented version. Plus, how bad could it be?

I'm not sure what the manufacturer was thinking when deciding to add a scent to the yarn. It wasn't a fresh scent like "clean linen" or citrus or lavender, but a decidedly perfumey one. Knitting with it actually gave me a headache. I hope the smell washes out quickly.

I was able to knit a couple of wash cloths in short order, though, which restored my knitterly balance.

Dishcloth orgy

I have seen more volleyball, beach and otherwise, in the past ten days than I have seen in my entire life. And I used to play volleyball. Enough already!

Not volleyball AGAIN?!?

While watching all the digging and spiking, I cranked out these four dishcloths:

Pattern: Three Easy Wash Cloths - box stitch
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton
Needles: US7
Modifications: Attempted to balance the design by repeating rows 1-3 and binding off on the wrong side.

Pattern: Three Easy Wash Cloths - garter ridges
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton
Needles: US7
Modifications: none that I can recall

Pattern: Three Dish Cloths - waffle pattern
Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n Cream
Needles: US6
Modifications: Did not cast off in pattern

Pattern: Three Dish Cloths - ridge and rib pattern
Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n Cream
Needles: US6
Modifications: Did not cast off in pattern

The aqua ones were snatched up by my SO. I decided to keep the green ones because 1) they are kind of small, 2) I need a couple more dish cloths, and 3) they are REALLY green.

Unable to resist, I have already cast on the first sweater of winter, for the dumpling at the top of this page. I might as well work on it while watching (more) volleyball. *sigh*

Oh. Hello there.

I am not knitting up a storm here, that is for sure. For one thing, I have been distracted by yardening. For another, our prolonged heat wave makes wool seem positively repugnant at times. To counteract the latter, I turned to cotton.

Nothing special, just a dishcloth in box stitch. This color is a bright alternative to my other projects.

Still plodding along on this cowl - over halfway done, but it still seems to be taking forEVER. I blame the Kidsilk Haze - I can stand to knit only 2 rows at a time.

I turned the heels on the current sock project without looking at the instructions. Whoohoo! Now for the march to the toes.

I anticipate the Olympics will glue my butt to the couch in the coming weeks, so hopefully more progress will be forthcoming. I'd like to get these projects done, as I feel the itch of winter sweaters coming on (pun intended).