Crochet Dishcloth

Crochet Dishcloth 

I don't usually crochet because I much prefer knitting, but I thought I would try to crochet a dishcloth using a pattern from Leisure Arts little book "Kitchen Decor". I crocheted this dishcloth using Sugar 'n Cream cotton and the color is Pretty Pastels. I used a size G crochet hook and I had lots of fun crocheting it, especially seeing how the multicolored yarn pattern was turning out. This color reminds me of Spring and Easter and cotton candy. It looks yummy. The dishcloth came out a little bigger than the pattern said it should be, so I don't know why that is. I followed the pattern exactly, so maybe I just knit either too tightly or too loosely, I don't know. But, it went really quick and maybe I'll just use it for a hot pad or a small placement, or a little pad for a vase with flowers or something instead of a dishcloth.

Purple Top Finished!

I finally finished my purple top last night. Yaay! It came out really well and fits well too. I attached some fringe to the front of it and it looks nice. I don't think I will make another one with the tape yarn unless it's out of the kind of tape yarn that doesn't fray when you handle it alot. I'm thinking about making another one sometime later out of another yarn. It was very easy to make, so I can see myself making some more sleeveless tops in similar patterns. When I make another one, I think I'll use a little bit different pattern, though. I have seen several, recently, that I like in some of the knitting magazines.


Purple Top Finished 

I also finished another Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth, this time in a variegated blue. The yarn I used was Sugar 'n Cream and the color was Denim. The color was not as bright as I had hoped it would be. The white in it was more of a dingy white instead of a bright white. I'm working on another one that is crocheted in a different colored variegated yarn. I can't wait to see how it turns out. I'll post a picture later.

It has occurred to me that maybe I should do a link on this blog for completed projects. As soon as I figure out how to do it, I might decide to do that.


Blue Dishcloth 

Knitted Scarf

Last night I finished a scarf that I had started a couple of months ago using Trendsetter Aquarius yarn. It's a tape type yarn and the scarf came out really well. The picture below this one shows the pattern a little better. I used size 17 knitting needles and cast on 14 stitches. Then I knit 3 rows in garter stitch. On the 4th row, I wrapped the yarn twice around the needle and then on the 5th row I dropped the wrapped yarn. It made a really pretty pattern. It knitted up really fast, so I don't know why I stopped in the middle of knitting it. It looks good on too and is really fun to wear. I love it.


Trendsetter Aquarius 


Trendsetter Aquarius 

Knitting Dishcloths

Seeing Chie's pretty dishcloth inspired me to make one from a pattern that I used awhile back. The picture below is the result.


Yellow Dishcloth 

The pattern is called Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth and I found it when someone gave one to me as a gift. I made this one with Sugar 'n Cream cotton and used size 10 knitting needles instead of the size needles the pattern calls for. I found when I knitted with the size 6 or 7 needles that the dishcloth was too small. They are really easy and fun to make, and they turn out really pretty.

I'm knitting another one in a blue and white variegated color, and I will post a picture of it when I finish it. These make great gifts. You just have to convince the people you are giving them to to actually use them instead of putting them in a drawer so they won't get messed up. When I gave one to my mother-in-law a couple of years ago, she said that it was too pretty to use and she put it in a drawer.

Stitch Markers

I have been seeing pictures of beaded stitch markers that other knitters have been making and I decided to try my hand at making some. Hobby Lobby had all of their beading products on sale this week for half price, so I was able to get some things. I already had a few things since I have made bracelets before this. I made some stitch markers and I thought they came out really well. I also made some earrings. None of them are perfect, but I'm not planning on selling them, just using them myself, so it doesn't really matter that they are not perfect.

I have been meaning to tell any of you who read my blog that when I post pictures, you can click on them and make them bigger.


Stitch Markers 


Earrings 

Playing Cards

I was surfing the Internet this morning and found a web site that sells the cat playing cards that I found at Books-A-Million yesterday. Newts Cards web site has all kinds, shapes and sizes of playing cards. Once you get to the web site, scroll on down to the cat cards and click the link beside them to get more information and to see more wild shaped cards. They even have some dog cards with the cards and plastic container shaped like a dog bone. Cute!

I'm still knitting on the other side of the sleeveless purple top. I'm doing the armhole shaping now and will start on the neck shaping very soon, hopefully. The project is not going as fast as I had hoped, but I'm knitting for short intervals so I don't make my shoulder worse. It seems to be a little better, but my tennis elbow is acting up as a result of my shoulder problem, I think.

Ohhhh .... I almost forgot! This week I was browsing at a discount book store in the mall and found the Vogue Kntting Reference book (not sure if that's the exact title) for $5.99. It was in perfect condition and had been originally $19.95. I was really happy with that find. I also saw a knitting journal just like the one I have, but it had a bent front cover and I decided not to buy it.

Fun Stuff

Today on the way home from work I decided to stop by Books-A-Million to look for some knitting books. I found several that I was interested in, but I decided not to buy any right now. On the way out I stopped near the front of the store and looked at the gift items. I found this neat set of Elvis playing cards. There is a different picture on each card and this set covers the 50's. The box said there was another set that covers the mid-60's to mid-70's. They remind me of some Elvis trading cards that were for sale a few years ago. They had a set of Marilyn Monroe playing cards that were really nice that also had a different picture on each card. I decided not to buy those, but I might change my mind.


Elvis playing cards 

As I was going up to the cash register to pay for the Elvis cards I spotted a neat set of Kitty playing cards. They are shaped kind of like an oval and I decided that instead of using them to play cards, I would just use them for bookmarks. The plastic kitty shaped container was cute too.


Kitty playing cards 

Earlier in the week I bought some Mary Kay cosmetics from a coworker and got this neat makeup bag as a gift. It's really cute and it looks to me like it could hold some knitting supplies.


Makup bag? 

Yard Work

It was a nice, cloudy, cool day here yesterday. Eddie and I decided to do some yard work while it was cool enough to get outside. We planted some more begonias, and some salvia. We trimmed and cut some bushes and things. Just generally tidying up the yard. I have a hydrangea bush that is doing really well, and I decided to cut some blooms and put them in a vase to put on my dining room table.


Hydrangea 

The first year we planted the cutting, we put something in the soil to make them pink. But, it looks like they are both pink and blue. They are really pretty.

It Only Hurts When I Move

Isn't this pink peony beautiful? It's the very first picture that I took when I bought my new digital camera a few weeks ago. I went outside this afternoon looking for some more flowers to take pictures of, but it's so hot and dry here right now that everything is looking really droopy. We have been watering our flowers every night, but it still doesn't seem to be enough.


Pink Peony 

I haven't been knitting much for the past few days. My shoulder doesn't seem to be getting any better. I first thought I had slept on it wrong, but it has lasted so long now (a week) that I don't know what to make of it. I have been taking Ibuprofen and alternating cold and heat. My husband, Eddie, has been massaging my neck and shoulder trying to loosen it up. That really helps more than anything else. It makes it feel better for awhile, then comes back awhile later.

I hope to get back to knitting soon, but right now it's just not enjoyable with my neck and shoulder stiffness the way it is. I guess I better not push it until I can see a doctor and find out what I'm really supposed to be doing and not doing to help it get better. The good thing is that it doesn't keep me awake at night because I'm not moving around that much when I'm sleeping. It only hurts when I move.

Shoulder Problems

Not much going on right now. I'm having some really painful shoulder problems. It feels like it's all knotted up and I've had to slow down and almost completely stop my knitting and other sewing, etc. that I do. If it's not better by next week I'm going to the orthopedic doctor. It might be bursitis or tendonitis or something like that. I don't know.
I just know it's getting old really fast.

Garter Stitch Camisole

Oh Mercy, I found another one. Today I received a newsletter from Carodan Farm. I was clicking on the links and found this cute garter stitch top by Ann Norling. I ordered the pattern because I think it would be easy and fun to make and wear. The description on the web site says: "Easy top for those hot summer days. Make it in a classic yarn or something fancy for evening. Front and back are made the same. Written for DK weight yarn at 4.5 sts/in. in garter stitch. Needles size: #7 & size #6 dbl pointed needles for straps. Yardage for purse: 100 yards for 7 x 9" size."


Garter Stitch Camisole 

I don't know if I would make the purse, but I would like to make the top. But, alas, I have to finish the purple top first. I better get off of here, so I can go work on it.

Diagonal V Sleeveless Top

The picture below is the Diagonal V Sleeveless Top that I mentioned that I wanted to start after I finish the purple top. The picture and pattern are from the Knit 'n Style Magazine, Aug. 2004 issue. I really want to make this at some point, but I haven't figure out yet what type of yarn to use. There is a kit available for the top at a web site that I did a search on, but it is $172 for the Large size that I would need. I just can't spend that much money, so I'm thinking about trying to find another yarn with the same gauge and needle size that I can use instead.


Diagonal V Sleeveless Top in the Knit 'n Style Aug. 2004 issue. 

Knit One Purl Too Tartelette

I have been working on the other side of the sleeveless purple top using the Rondo yarn. I'm making good progress. I wanted to hurry and finish this top so I could start a different pattern for another sleeveless top that I found in the current issue of Knit and Style magazine. Then I remembered some Tartelette yarn that I had bought awhile back for a previous project. I decided not to do that project and couldn't figure out what to do with the yarn. Then I checked and figured out that the gauge is the same as for the Rondo, so I think I've decided to make another sleeveless top just like the one I'm working on now and use the Tartelette yarn. The Tartelette is a ribbon yarn too, but I'm hoping that it won't fray as badly as the Rondo.


Knit One Purl Too Tartelette 

I'm really disappointed in both yarns. I have never knitted with ribbon yarn before, so I didn't really realize what I was getting into when I bought them. But, I'm having fun making the sleeveless tops anyway. And I will get some use out of them. I'll just have to be really careful when washing them and only wear them on special occasions.

Since I just learned to post pictures to my blog, I thought I would post a picture of my cat, Heckle. He's a real sweetheart. 

This is one of the sides of the sleeveless purple top that I finished last night. This morning I started on the other identical side. 

A new blog

This is my first blog and since I wanted to have a place where I could write about my knitting projects and post pictures of them, I decided to make it a knitting blog. I hope to be able to post pictures and write about the different projects that I'm working on.

Right now I'm working on knitting a sleeveless top that I found in the Spring/Summer 2003 issue of Vogue Knitting. The pattern calls for 100% tape yarn called Chat, but my local yarn store didn't have it, so I'm using a yarn called Ronco. I'm not sure how much I like this yarn since it tends to fray if handled too much, but we'll see how it goes.